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• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

I would like to return to your reasons for leaving TfL early. Obviously there has been a lot of press speculation about the fact that maybe you had disagreed and fallen out with the Mayor. That would not be surprising because I would expect that you would have some disagreements over working together for that amount of time. Could you just tell us what your most significant disagreement has been with the Mayor?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

If I could dwell on examples, there has been some press speculation about the quota of business-class or first-class transatlantic flights that are afforded to you. There has been speculation about the catering bills; some cuttings from the Evening Standard suggest you are fed to a far higher standard than humble Assembly Members, for example. There has been other stuff like that, and I suppose it may be viewed as nosiness but I guess there is an aspect of public interest as to what perks there are around your employment and whether there is a transparency and understanding about those.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

You had a new roof, but obviously that has to be fixed. Nevertheless, £108,000 for external maintenance seems a huge sum even if you had a new roof and had it painted twice.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

During the time that you have been resident at the house, there have been various expenditures on it. I believe the total, if my information is correct, comes to just over £138,000. Some of that has been external work and some of that has been internal work, but that does seem to be an inordinately large sum considering that when the house was purchased it was described as being restored and modernised to an exceptionally high standard.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

You say you consider the Mayor a friend. You will have heard of the phrase we use of being a critical friend. We use it about the Assembly quite often with relation to the Mayor. What about industrial relations on the Underground over Christmas? Do you feel you could have handled that better?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

I think that is a concern about the system and the constraints within which you are operating, and which I guess you must have been aware of before you took the job on. Could you just say, because I do not think we have got to it yet, what was the point at which you decided you had had enough and wanted to go and do something else? What was the thing that did it for you?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

There are a couple of people here who are very pleased to hear that, at least. Finally, you said during your opening comments to us that you felt a challenge for the future of TfL would be to develop what you called a more reliable system of finance. What do you mean by that? Is it really the case that this is at the root of your falling out with the Mayor, the performance of the finance unit within TfL?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

Another issue which there seems to have been a disagreement over has been Battersea Bridge. Can I congratulate TfL on the reopening of the bridge earlier this week? However, you told the board of TfL shortly after the incident had happened that you felt it might not be worthwhile spending the money on actually doing that piece of work and it would be best to close the bridge because of the amount it would cost and to discourage road traffic using it. Was the Mayor right to overrule you on that occasion?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

What about free travel on the buses for under-16s? We know, because you told us before, that you had some concerns about that. When you were last here you told us that you did not agree with freebies. In retrospect, were you right to disagree with the Mayor about that?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

Of course. That comment you made about encouraging people to travel for free, are you saying that you think it might encourage fare evasion once people get older than 16?