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• Question by: Stephen Knight
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Stephen Knight (AM): To pick you up on the point you have just made around the high property values in London, compared, I believe with most other developed countries, we have very few property and wealth taxes in this country; we predominantly focus on income and sales taxes. I just wondered to what extent you think the high cost of housing in London is partly driven by the fact that it is a tax free growth area for people, by which I mean it is a tax free investment and therefore that has partly driven the speculation that has driven...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Goodness me. I think this is a very worthwhile debate although it may seem a bit arid to some observers and we need to make sure we do not get too academic about it. Would you agree with me that around the world probably the single greatest source of income for city governments tends to be, in one shape or form, from properties? You have said a couple of times now that property taxes are so visible and so potent that virtually all political parties play 'chicken' with each other. Well, the opposite of 'chicken'; they are scared to look...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Nicky Gavron (AM): While we are on land and talking about the planning system, currently the Assembly's Planning Committee is looking at the community infrastructure levy (CIL). That is, to a certain extent, a fixed charge, although there are lots of complications because it is set different in different boroughs and there is not necessarily a duty to cooperate and so on. On top of that is the Mayor's own CIL. I was wondering, this CIL is for Crossrail, but is the Commission going to look beyond that to the way CIL might be used by the Mayor in the...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

In the same spirit, how far are you going to frame for the Mayor any of the mechanisms he might be thinking about for the comprehensive spending review for London?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Thank you. My last question is about the budget. I understand that the budget has not been finalised, but you should surely realise that the reason we have so much concern around here is because we have not got any information. The job we are being paid to do is to monitor the delivery of the Games. We cannot actually monitor it if we do not have the budget, because we do not know whether you are going above it or below it. Now you have said that the budget that you have asked for is significantly higher than the...

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I would like to know what plans are in place to make sure that the same mistakes do not happen again when there is a new Chairman appointed. I think it is very clear, certainly to me, that Mr Lemley has done much more damage to his own reputation by his extraordinary behaviour since he left, than could ever have been done by the involvement with the Games. I wanted to know how it was going to be made sure that whoever is appointed next time, and whoever is going to appoint them - presumably the Mayor and the Secretary...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I might have to ask elsewhere. Let us get it in context. We now know that he had expressed concerns - I think was your phrase - that the project was not on track. This is not a rogue member of the Board, this is the person who is the Chair of the Authority expressing those concerns. What specifically were the concerns that he raised?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Two questions. Firstly, would you agree that in the light of a major project such as this it would be surprising if it was not the case that there would be some changes in personnel and some clashes of personality along the way?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Did you raise any of these concerns at meetings of the Board?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Certainly when we had the appearance in front of the Assembly in the summer, I think everyone went away thinking, `This is tremendous, everything is on track'. This now seems to bring the confidence that we all had into some question. How can you give us assurances that things really are on track?