Transcript of this meeting [PDF]

Sir Paul Stephenson (Commissioner, MPS): -- can give you the figures of what we aredoing to reduce - because there is inefficiency in there, but we do have a very, veryeffective catering manager who has been with us for some time now. 30 years’experience. What we are trying to do is drive down the costs so that we can take the costout of there and not offer it to the private sector. We are doing this in a number of areas.Then say to the private sector, “Come and do it better”. We are in the process of drivingdown the cost at this moment in time. Frankly, if we offered them at this moment in timeI think we would waste some public money. We need to take some of the cost outourselves and then offer it to the private sector if, indeed, they can do it better. I think weneed to do that with a number of parts of our business.There is a more interesting debate about how we better, in the MPS, understand theclient/contractor relationship so we can drive down cost and then challenge the privatesector to do even better than we do. I think catering comes into that category. We doneed to reduce the cost.Valerie Shawcross (AM): I think that is probably enough on catering but I just wantedto raise the point that it seems to be --Kit Malthouse (Chairman): It is on the radar. Do not worry.Valerie Shawcross (AM): OK. London Resilience quickly?Kit Malthouse (Chairman): Yes, please.Valerie Shawcross (AM): This is a little bit more of concern. I noticed that there wasan announcement that came out about changes to the chairing and the management of thearrangements for planning for major incidents in London, and perhaps the two issues areconfused in this question. I was concerned that a key task had been given to the StatutoryDeputy Mayor where it had previously sat, as I remember, with the Minister and theMayor themselves. I wanted some assurance that the MPS, as the lead agency if there isa major incident in London, is absolutely on side with these arrangements and has noconcerns because these arrangements have worked well in the past and it is not entirelyclear to me why they should be changed at the moment.Kit Malthouse (Chairman): OK. Toby [Harris], did you want to ask your question onthis as well?Toby Harris (AM): It is about civil contingencies. I would be interested to know whatarrangements the Commissioner has put in place, for example, in respect of5 November 2010 and the implications of the Fire Brigade essentially being on fire strikethen? What arrangements has he put in place in terms of police officer cover in the eventof incidents that night?Kit Malthouse (Chairman): OK. Do you want to answer those?www.merrillcorp.com43