Results 1-20 of 459 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Martin Caton

[John Cummings in the Chair] — Thalidomide (4 Nov 2009)

Martin Caton: It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry), who has made some telling points. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Charlotte Atkins) on securing this vital debate and on making an excellent case in support of the campaign by thalidomide survivors to secure financial assistance from Government. I am the chair of the all-party...

[John Cummings in the Chair] — Thalidomide (4 Nov 2009)

Martin Caton: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. I do not want to go into the history of the case against Distillers, but the parents were worn down at the time by Distillers' resistance to paying anything like decent compensation. If they had not been and the case had gone through properly, they probably would have received a much more substantial payout than they did, even with the Sunday Times...

[John Cummings in the Chair] — Thalidomide (4 Nov 2009)

Martin Caton: My hon. Friend is right. I agree with the hon. Member for Banbury that precedent is not a great problem in this case. It is true that Governments do not like to admit culpability. Frankly, I do not care whether the Government admit culpability, but I care whether they accept their responsibility to do the right thing. Thalidomiders need the right thing to be done. There is the strongest...

Equitable Life (24 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: I call the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith) with the same appeal to conclude at 3.30.

Equitable Life (24 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: I will call the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Susan Kramer) now, but I should be enormously grateful if she would sit down at 3.30, so that we can hear the winding-up speeches.

Bill Presented: Marine and Coastal Access Bill [ Lords] (23 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on this important and welcome Bill. Its provisions for better protecting the marine environment and for improving access to, and recreational use of, our coastal areas are enormously significant. We can and should celebrate those provisions. In the next few minutes, I shall look at the measures being introduced to enable better...

Bill Presented: Marine and Coastal Access Bill [ Lords] (23 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: I accept that. There is a different approach, but the Bill includes framework powers to enable the Assembly to follow an approach similar to that in England. I note that ramblers in England are concerned that recreational users of coastal land might not have adequate input into the development of the English coastal path. I hope that that proves not to be the case. I turn to what is in many...

Bill Presented: Marine and Coastal Access Bill [ Lords] (23 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: I do agree. I think that the Bill is very good, but there is potential for strengthening it. I hope that, when it gets to Committee, the possibilities will be fully explored.

Bill Presented: Marine and Coastal Access Bill [ Lords] (23 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: I agree. That strong point has been made by various organisations, and it should be considered in Committee. At the commencement of the Bill's progress in the other place, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies), who will reply to this debate, kindly attended a meeting of the all-party group on areas of...

Bill Presented: Marine and Coastal Access Bill [ Lords] (23 Jun 2009)

Martin Caton: No, I do not, and I do not wish to labour that point, because I want to make my point about landscapes and seascapes. The Campaign for National Parks, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, the English National Park Authorities Association, Europarc Atlantic Isles, the National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the National...

Heart of Wales Railway Line (19 May 2009)

Martin Caton: I am delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate the qualities of the Heart of Wales line, which is one of the most beautiful railway lines in the country. There are two views about what should be described as the Heart of Wales line. One view is that it is just the line from Llanelli in south Wales to Craven Arms in Shropshire, England. However, most people who talk of the Heart of Wales...

Heart of Wales Railway Line (19 May 2009)

Martin Caton: We must certainly do everything that we can. I usually travel on First Great Western and must admit that some of the journeys I have taken on Arriva trains have been better. Much needs to be done to ensure that the service is absolutely reliable. Some of the rolling stock is not up to scratch, which causes problems. The train times appear to be dictated by the optimal use of the rolling...

Heart of Wales Railway Line (19 May 2009)

Martin Caton: The hon. Gentleman is right. I pay tribute to the Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury line because, as he knows, I used to live in Aberystwyth. I thoroughly enjoyed travelling on that line, unless I was in a great hurry, of course. The potential for green tourism on those lines and on the Cambrian coastal line is tremendous, but that is not being exploited well enough. The most underused line is the...

Heart of Wales Railway Line (19 May 2009)

Martin Caton: I agree completely. That would be good for the environment and for supporting the line, and there are particular products—the hon. Gentleman mentions timber—for which that would be totally appropriate. I hope that we can move in that direction. I draw to the Minister's attention the main objectives of the strategy that the association produced at the end of last year. The first is...

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Heart of Wales Railway (29 Apr 2009) has video

Martin Caton: What recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on developing and improving the Heart of Wales railway line.

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales: Heart of Wales Railway (29 Apr 2009) has video

Martin Caton: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, but does he agree that this beautiful railway route through Wales and England is not delivering to its full potential at the moment, especially in green tourism? In future, will the UK Government co-operate with the Welsh Assembly Government in developing a strategy to improve the line?

Thalidomide Victims (31 Mar 2009)

Martin Caton: That is not exactly right. The trust has not made the case for financial assistance, because it is a charity and so unable to engage in political lobbying. The trust's advisory group, consisting of thalidomiders elected by all the thalidomiders in the country, was offered a meeting with officials, but the proposal to discuss financial assistance was precluded. My request to the Minister was...