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• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 10 November 2007

Mr Higgins, you just mentioned the site. You said it was 'highly contaminated'. Those were your words. Now, in marked contrast to your brochure of photographs here, I have got some photographs which actually show the contractors at work. They are digging up, if that is the right phrase, a whole lot of dust which is blowing over the surrounding countryside and the surrounding residential areas. If that site is highly contaminated, don't you think that enormous efforts should be made to damp down the dust and make sure that the dust does not go onto surrounding areas?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 10 November 2007

Are you aware that there is a suspicion that there might be radioactive waste on the site? There were two instances I have come across. One was dumped in 1959 and another was dumped in 1953 and in both instances they say that the waste was possibly radioactive.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 10 November 2007

I attended the meeting in Hackney Wick about a couple of weeks ago when people were actually complaining about the dust that was flying around, particularly over the Clays Lane Estate and in that general area. People actually said, 'Having inhaled this dust I felt a real sore throat and burning eyes and burning lips,' and people were coming up to me after the meeting saying, 'Can you do anything about this?' I felt that there was a real concern. Now I know that there has been quite a lot of contamination on that site. I have documents here which...

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 10 November 2007

Alright, and your contractors, those people who are actually working on the site, driving these vehicles and what have you, are they properly protected, using properly protective clothing and all the rest?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 10 November 2007

Alright, are you aware that the River Lee has been tested for radioactivity and in fact I have a Capita Symonds document here which says, `That the levels were slightly higher than expected, not high enough to cause great concern,' and identifies, `Elevated levels of radioactivity above levels considered to be natural background level for the area'.

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I am interested to hear you say that all of that was agreed in the summer, because on 24 October you told the Cultural Committee here, `If we can get football clubs in there to help mitigate the operating costs, we will certainly be open to that'. Richard Caborn (Minister for Sport), on 21 October, said in the Guardian, `There is very serious negotiation going on between West Ham and the Olympic Authorities about the stadium'. Are you ruling football in or football out?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

You told us, again in an earlier response, that you have been negotiating with community groups and so on. Are you really telling the Assembly and the people of London that a viable future for the stadium as an athletics venue can be provided on the basis of full time use by local community groups, without a substantial subsidy from something like a premier league football club?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

When did those negotiations terminate?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

In summary, is football in or football out?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

You told us in your initial response that the IOC was quite clear what the future use of this stadium was going to be. How can it possibly be that you even entered into any discussions at all with West Ham if the future of the stadium is going to be as an athletics stadium?