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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?

• Reference: 2007/0108-1
• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 07 November 2007

How do you intend to fulfill the promise of a bonfire of bureaucracy?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

Thank you. Can I turn to another set of statistics which I know that quite a number of your officers are busy out today collecting across London? I myself saw a census point as I came to work and I know other colleagues have seen them as well. We are not due a national census for another two or three years as I understand it, so what is this census as a result of which so many of your officers are involved in pulling cars over this morning?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

Thank you for that. I think a lot of it is also about public perception but also what other people say. I heard on the Today programme once Glen Smythe who is the Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation saying, `The level of crime reported is far below that which really happens and the whole process is underplayed for political reasons'. I am link member on the MPA for Kensington and Chelsea and the Chair of the Police and Community Consultative Group (PCCG) there is constantly concerned with regard to, say, carnival that the level of reporting of crime is...

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

Would you, Commissioner, please comment on the misuse of statistics yesterday by the Mayor who said of the police force in Kingston that they were 14 times more likely to stop black people than white people, and that black people in Richmond were 13 times more likely to be stopped than white people? Would you explain how this has occurred and make it crystal clear that there is absolutely no question that the police in both of these fine Boroughs are doing anything which could conceivably be said to be discriminatory?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

I agree with that wholly and Members will recall indeed we proposed a budget amendment at this year's budget debate to provide more policing in suburban London. My concern is that many outer London boroughs in the south of London do not have London Underground service at all, or indeed anywhere near them. Whilst policing on the buses is extremely important, in the commuter areas it is actually the overground rail and the stations and the trackside which is of importance. As you have just said, the public do not make much distinction about which type of uniform the police...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

OK, but subject to that and to operational needs and local determination, there is no reason why they should not be at times working in the early hours of the morning?