Results 1-20 of 776 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Charles Walker

Mental Health Services (9 Nov 2009) has video

Charles Walker: Thank you for calling me this evening for the Adjournment debate, Mr. Speaker. It is a great honour for me to speak tonight on mental health. Earlier today, I visited a unit delivering mental health services to my constituents in Hertfordshire. It was a fantastic and enlightening visit. I met a wonderful lady called Sally Pegrum, a nurse who has been in the NHS for 34 years delivering...

Mental Health Services (9 Nov 2009) has video

Charles Walker: My hon. Friend makes a valuable point. It is no coincidence that today I visited a PICU—as they are called—an outstanding facility that aids the recovery of some of the illest in our society. I wish my hon. Friend the best of luck in his campaign, and I hope that the primary care trust reconsiders its position. Hertfordshire has an excellent, brand-new facility, which aids...

Mental Health Services (9 Nov 2009) has video

Charles Walker: As the Minister knows, such intermediate services are critical. The closure of wards works only when there are good intermediate services that ease patients' return to the community. One of my concerns about the additional pressure being placed on acute wards relates to staff turnover. If staff no longer feel that they are in control of the situation—if they feel under intolerable...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I am sure that there could be elections in the future. The point I was trying to make is that these Committees tend to be made up of establishment figures. The hon. Member for Erewash (Liz Blackman) is a former senior Government Whip. Newish Members never seem to get a look-in.

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: The problem is that often it is people with experience who get us into a mess in the first place. That is a problem with which many of my in-take—from 2005—on both sides of the House have to wrestle.

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I am no great expert on parliamentary procedure, but if I am called by the House of Commons to serve, of course I will accept that offer.

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: Is it not the case that IPSA will regard the Kelly report as purely advisory?

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: Surely it could go on the parliamentary intranet tomorrow.

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I have decided not to put my name forward, because I would not want to bump any of the excellent people on the Committee off it. In future, I would like to be considered for Committees of the House, because they are often far too establishment, and that is the point that my hon. Friend is making.

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I am hugely impressed by the names that have been put forward for the Committee. It is a smorgasbord of big cheeses. However, I am concerned that there are not younger, thrusting and less experienced Members on it. I should not speak in my own cause, but I regard myself as young and thrusting; and I may raise this point light-heartedly, but I have a serious love for this place. The past two...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (28 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I shall move on and conclude with this plea. The Committee would certainly benefit from having a young, dynamic Member on it. That young, dynamic Member may not be me; it may be another Member. But it is not too late to add a name to the great list—the smorgasbord of big cheeses—in front of us. What harm could we do by looking at that?

Closed Circuit Television (Monitoring and Promotion): Schedule 22 — Repeals (27 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: Am I right in believing that the Bill will protect the Severn estuary from overdevelopment?

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: New Clause 8 — MCZs: duty to manage and mitigate impacts upon existing activities (26 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I hope the hon. Gentleman will recognise that I was expressing concern that accidental damage might be a universal get-out clause for the fishing industry.

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: New Clause 8 — MCZs: duty to manage and mitigate impacts upon existing activities (26 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I listened to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) with great interest. I did not agree with everything that he said, but I did agree that our fishing industry has been extraordinarily badly served by this House and the common fisheries policy. Of course, the interests of commercial fishermen and of recreational fishermen should be convergent, but that is not always the case....

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: New Clause 8 — MCZs: duty to manage and mitigate impacts upon existing activities (26 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I am sure that the Minister will provide us with great comfort on that point in the future. Marine conservation zones are critical if we are to preserve and conserve fish stocks. Everyone here is a conservationist—we want to see healthy fish stocks and a flourishing commercial fishing industry. I want to see a flourishing recreational fishing sector as well—I declare my interest...

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: New Clause 2 — Power to enter into agreements with eligible bodies (26 Oct 2009) has video

Charles Walker: I shall make only a brief contribution. I have served on the Bill in all its forms for about 18 months and I must say that I am extremely pleased that the Government have introduced new clause 2. In four years of being a Member of Parliament, I have never been so over-excited as I am now about this clause. I agree with the hon. Member for Reading, West (Martin Salter) that it would be...