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• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

I think you used the phrase `extremely excluded', and I would be interested to hear what disaggregated information there is about the people in poverty that we are talking about, because my experience has been that there are some people in our communities, some communities in fact, which are so extremely poor and excluded that I am not sure that the state is even capable of inter-meshing with the levels of poverty that they are experiencing. For example, there are members of the Somalian community in London, of whom probably more than 75% are unemployed, who cannot afford to dress...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

So, do you think that there is much more potential for the faith sector to address problems, and help the most extremely poor communities to move on, if they had more support from the state.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

I concur with your experience, Bishop, about the work of faith groups within the community, and I have seen some excellent, proactive work done by faith groups. However, there does seem to me to be a gap, and I wonder if my anecdotal experience is confirmed by your broader experience, that even some of the most energetic and creative churches, and, indeed, mosques, where they are falling over themselves with political visitors, nonetheless find that, when it comes to cutting the deal, and getting some cash resources from the local state, or the state generally, the resource isn't coming into...

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

Picking up on Kate (Green)'s point about more joined-up thinking on targets and so on, in linking with other strategies, in 2003 the GLA Consultation Tackling Poverty in London had a number of recommendations including the commitment to assess GLA policies and strategies for their contribution to poverty reduction and to produce an annual Poverty Monitoring Report on the success of GLA interventions. Can I ask John why these recommendations were not carried out?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

So, the Mayor has new powers now on skills, and we've just heard that he is going to be playing a leading role in that. Can I ask the rest of the panel how you see that making a difference in terms of tackling poverty?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 July 2006

There's nothing wrong with leading questions, I think Kate (Green) very helpfully put it on the agenda; I am just exploring this line of inquiry.