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• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

I think this is a question about transport and the effect on poverty, so it might be appropriate for Mr Ross. We know that part of the nature of poverty in London is the cost of travelling, not only to economic and business opportunities, but also, for those perhaps who are less mobile, to hospitals and health centres. We have the situation in London where those people who travel relatively infrequently find that for the cheapest fares you actually need to purchase up-front an Oyster card. If you do not do this, because you've only have a small amount of...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

I won't pursue that, because we have some questions on the employment piece a little later, so I was just going to follow on from Angie (Bray). If the 60% of median income, which as she rightly says is a relative measure, is not merely statistical convenience, because there are exclusion or inequality issues, I wonder whether John could help us in terms of the balance between policy measures that address the absolutes and policy measures that should be reducing inequality, because they clearly are differing strands. If the argument is that we need to do both, how do we...

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

Given that there is a clear policy to move fully to cashless bus services, which will then have an level playing field, would it not be sensible to explore a campaign to get the last few people over to Oyster cards, including giving out free Oyster cards to people, particularly on the bus routes, where cash is being used a great deal. Brian Coleman (Chairman): I think perhaps, Mr Pope, that this is a specific item of policy which is for the Transport Committee, which you chair, to take up.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

Any other thoughts in terms of dealing with this bottom-end problem, and the relativity?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

I would be interested in the panel's view of the findings of the Joseph Rowntree Trust that said that £4-5 billion per annum is going to be needed from the Government in order to reach the targets. That just seems such an extraordinarily large figure, I would be interested to know how the panel felt about that.

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

So, are you saying that you don't think that much money is needed?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

Picking up on Kate (Green)'s point about more joined-up thinking on targets and so on, in linking with other strategies, in 2003 the GLA Consultation Tackling Poverty in London had a number of recommendations including the commitment to assess GLA policies and strategies for their contribution to poverty reduction and to produce an annual Poverty Monitoring Report on the success of GLA interventions. Can I ask John why these recommendations were not carried out?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

So, the Mayor has new powers now on skills, and we've just heard that he is going to be playing a leading role in that. Can I ask the rest of the panel how you see that making a difference in terms of tackling poverty?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

There's nothing wrong with leading questions, I think Kate (Green) very helpfully put it on the agenda; I am just exploring this line of inquiry.