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• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

Thank you very much for that. I was deeply sorry to hear you repeat in your answer two questions ago to say that those people who will persist with CPOs will be politically motivated. I have no idea what `politically motivated' means in this context, and I would very much like an explanation from you on that. In relation to your brief and succinct answer to the principal question, does that mean that if the ODA come forward with a plan, a proposal ' and you have told us how much you are going to be supportive of the ODA...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

I understand that, but it is not inconceivable that something which is required for the Olympics that the ODA want will, in fact, be incompatible with the London Plan. Under those circumstances ' and you have already told me that the London Plan will have primacy ' will you call in something which the ODA proposes which is against the policies that you have set out in your London Plan?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

A lot of people will look to their local councillors as being people to protect their interests. How do you see that working? I know the local five boroughs have, more or less, agreed a single position on the Olympics and how they work with it. Do you have any problems with any of their requests and proposals?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

I have a feeling that if Angie (Bray) were Mayor of London, she might have problems with it, as well. Leaving that flippant comment to one side, do you see, for example, London Citizens having a continuing involvement with the Olympics?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

It would be very helpful for everyone if those relationships were understood, so that if the DCMS Select Committee makes a point, and the Assembly contradicts it and has a different perspective, there is a coherent response to that, and we understand how the hierarchy works, and how the different interests are being responded to and protected and so on. This could become a rather bureaucratic conversation, but some serious work needs to take place outside of meetings like this. Otherwise, we are going to have lots of very interesting headlines, but maybe not a lot of light shed on...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

Some months ago, in Mary's (Reilly) absence, I had the privilege, as vice chair of the LDA, to be a co-signatory with you of a letter to London Citizens. They are a particular pressure group on behalf of a number of faith groups, in particular. A number of comments were made to them about housing, about training, and so on. How do you see that being followed through in the coming months and years?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

Thank you for that. Clearly, it is a bit like the situation with local businesses, that although there may be a range of formal commitments which are very well detailed and set down, individual people and interest groups might have difficulty understanding how they get into the structure of the Olympics. Say your road is stopped up, because there is some work taking place, or some development happens at the end of your street for the Olympics, and you do not really understand who to go to, or why it is happening. How is that mechanism going to work?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

One final question, and I can ask this by posing a possible answer, I suppose: who should hold the Olympics to account? Potentially, the Olympics board holds it to account; the ODA holds it to account; the LDA holds it to account; and the London Assembly and each of the individual boroughs might consider they have to. There is a Select Committee of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which might want to, as well. Is there potentially a real messy soup of accountability, out of which everyone will want a soundbite, but no one will actually wrestle...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

I was interested to hear you say that should the overrun exist or be bigger than you expect, you will go to Government and ask for a refund of taxes which they have levied on the Games and income generated by the Games. Why do you not now join our campaign to see that the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Gordon Brown) remits the VAT which is going to be levied on the lottery? That would be a very substantial sum of money up front, which will show the strength of the Government's contribution to funding the Olympics. You have already...

• Reference: 2005/0296-1
• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

How does the ODA powers as an Urban Development Corporation affect the rights of the public to object to planning applications? Is there any right of appeal against ODA decisions?