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• Reference: 2002/0179
• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

What are the Mayor's Plans for St Patrick's Day next year? .

• Reference: 2002/0180
• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

What steps is the Mayor taking to celebrate other major festivals? .

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

I think that's very helpful in terms of the legalities of this. I would look at the political side of this because it seems to me that the proposals you are making are sending out some very powerful signals. One is it implies that you do not have confidence in the existing senior management of the Authority. Is that the case?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

But these arrangements would in practice mean that those staff would be by-passed. You do realise of course that because of the construction of the titles - and I suspect we will need to see how the job description and person specification develop - it looks as though they are tailor-made for individuals who currently operate on the second floor of this building in your advisors' corridor? I have no idea whether that's in your mind or not, but under those circumstances are you aware that you are liable to the charge of this being `rewarding cronies' and giving money...

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

That therefore implies a substantial increase for a number of individuals, potentially if that is the direction in which it goes. Could I be clear what your attitude would be if this Assembly called before it one of the individuals appointed to these new roles of Executive Director, as we are entitled to under the Act, interviewed them in public in relation to the person specification and then resolved at the end of the day that they did not meet the standard which the Assembly thought was appropriate for a post of that scale and that pay?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

If at the end of that process the Assembly passes a resolution which either endorsed the decision that you'd made or said that we could not endorse that decision, would that alter the approach that you would take?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

You have the advantage of being an elected politician. Potentially this is about the appointment of people to very large salaries who are unelected politicians.

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 13 March 2002

I do think it is important that you are explicit about what precisely you feel is wrong with the contracts. You have expressed at various times concerns about safety. You've expressed concerns about the value for money of these contracts. As Labour politicians - and I believe Labour colleagues in Government wouldn't wish to pursue anything that was unsafe or which was not value for money - I think the onus is upon you to spell out what precisely are your concerns on these questions, in the light of the information that you now have in respect of the contracts...

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 13 March 2002

Ken, we're not asking what your alternative is, we're asking for what your concerns are about these contracts. Why is it that you think it is appropriate to be renewing Underground trains, which are very expensive and which are still perfectly fine? You express horror that Jubilee Line trains weren't going to be replaced until I forget which date it was, but Jubilee Line trains are perfectly comfortable, don't seem to be a particular problem. What exactly is the difficulty here?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 13 March 2002

Can I just emphasise how important that is. This debate has been characterised by many people, including yourself, as being about soundbites from different people. You criticised the Government, colleagues around this table from different parties, for making assertions. You claimed that Government ministers don't know what's in the contracts. If that is your claim the onus must be on you to provide that information, and frankly we've been waiting a very long time for it. I'm quite happy to wait until just after Easter to have those precise statements, but it is very, very important that that is when...