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• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

I am very grateful for Mr Biggs mentioning Croydon and Sutton, and I will just briefly touch on that in the limited time that I have. Recently the Department for Work and Pensions came up with figures for Croydon Central Parliamentary Constituency. It is 14th in terms of number of lone parents who are on income support, so there is a very real need to recognise the importance of investing in this area in terms of social deprivation. But my question is actually about the question which Mr Biggs has down about the economic development impact. I would declare an...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

On this issue of economic boost, clearly it would give London and economic boost if we committed to a living wage for all the workers. Is this going to be -- I know the ODA is working with London citizens to ease this forward. Is this going to be living wage Olympics? Are we going to be globally embarrassed?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

Right, I have given you 45 email addresses from these people, who will allow you to reach the parts that you have not reached previously. What I would actually like is a commitment from you that you will change whatever you are doing, so that you get down to these people and you talk to them and find out what they want.

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

There is nothing like having high aspirations! My concern is that I am not sure that the jobs that are going to be available are going to do what it is everyone is trying to achieve, ie get the people who have perhaps never worked, into jobs. My view on this was made more concrete, if you like, when I chaired a meeting in this building, which your officers attended at my invitation, and there were 45 community leaders in the room representing 15,000 of the most deprived in society. Not one of them had heard of the LDA. They...

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

Sorry, Manny, I do not mean to be rude, but I am on a time limit, and any answers you give also comes off my time, so I really want to talk about this. The two examples you have given, first of all about people who for generations have never worked and who are on benefit for whatever reason, the people who have never had opportunities, will want to volunteer for this programme. I hope you are right. I definitely know that sport is a tremendous catalyst, particularly in deprived communities, and I hope you are right. I am not...

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

I have got 50. Can I add them to Dee's 40-odd, because I think that the key thing that I have got so far from this debate is this opportunity to say that we can bring to you information that we are picking up and have every right to pick up; that is what our job is. You have a responsibility to be open and receptive to what we bring to you. That is what Londoners understand your job is. So I think the best thing for me this morning has been that opening, and I would ask you, through...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

My question, and emphasis here, is actually that rather than focus on the quantity of jobs, we have also got to look at the quality of jobs, and what have you. My experience of working in the East End, certainly on the local employment in construction, was that actually that was not their preference. And I think the trick is to get them into employment into things that they want to do. I do not know how much of your emphasis on this front is solely on construction. Whilst I see the possibilities, and many of us may do, it...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

One of the areas which you have not touched on in terms of environmental commitments is the waterways, I mean the backbone of the Olympic site has both the River Lea and canals. I just want to be clear what your commitments are there, how much progress you have made and what we can expect in the near future, in terms of check-off points.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

will happily acknowledge they are a step forward on current practice but I do not think they are achieving the sorts of goals that others, including the Mayor, are setting out. Can I just ask about the role of the commission? Again the commitment is in here, which is welcome in terms of the scrutiny through the Commission for Sustainable London 2012. Will that commission have the ability to question and push you back on these targets, or is this a given now?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 February 2007

From what I understand of it, the environmental strategies are all pretty good stuff, and I am generally happy to support them and sign-up to them, but I am getting complaints from local residents that on the ground where works are already taking place, for example, test works or earth moving works, or works along the canal network, that the customer practice that has been developed by contractors does not seem to be consistent with those strategies; Roadways have been closed unnecessarily, trees which are mature, which would appear to have a life beyond the Olympics, have been torn down...