Charles Walker: All security personnel working at constituency surgeries by agencies contracted by the Parliamentary Security Department are paid above the Real Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. These employees work within the local area and are therefore not required to travel as part of their role beyond an ordinary commute.
Charles Walker: The Parliamentary Security Department manages the contract for provision of security personnel at constituency surgeries. Assurance on satisfactory terms and conditions has been provided through the procurement process and ongoing regular contract meetings.
Charles Walker: All security personnel working at constituency surgeries by agencies contracted by the Parliamentary Security Department are paid above the Real Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. These personnel work within their local area and are therefore not required to travel as part of their role beyond an ordinary commute. If travel expenses are required, these are fully paid by the security...
Charles Walker: Thank you for calling me, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is the last time I shall rise to speak in this greatest of all legislative Chambers. You have been a great friend, full of advice and support. We are here not to build a legacy, but to get stuff done. In that spirit, I ask the Leader of the House to lend me her support. I chair the Country Food Trust, which works with over 1,000 food banks to...
Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of access to (a) Creon and (b) other drugs that contain pancreatic enzymes for patients after pancreatic surgery.
Charles Walker: Thank you for that, Mr Speaker. It has been a great privilege to serve with you on the Commission, and it has been such an honour to be in this amazing institution and to serve my country in the way I have, with the wonderful people here. Gosh, I wasn’t going to get sentimental. Since my last answer on this issue in February 2024, the Parliamentary Digital Service has been assessing...
Charles Walker: PDS and the security services are working really hard to make sure that the House gets it right. There is so much opportunity presented by AI, but given the sensitive and important positions that we hold and that future colleagues will hold, we have to make sure that we get it right so that we are advantaging our constituents, not our enemies.
Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of potential conflicts of interest in circumstances where the board members of deposit protection schemes are also landlords who choose to lodge deposits with the same scheme; and if he will make it his policy to require landlords to lodge...
Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will hold discussions with Royal Mail on the potential merits of treating NHS letters as first class post, in the context of possible reforms to the second class delivery service.
Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16213 on Probate, what recent progress his Department has made on reducing waiting times in relation to probate grants.
Charles Walker: The hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman) said that we should celebrate long-serving members of staff in this place, which is exactly what I would like to do. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Terry Wiggins MBE, who joined the House service in September 1974—he will be leaving soon after 50 years of service to us—and Nick Wort, who joined this place shortly afterwards...
Charles Walker: The House of Commons complies with UK legislative standards when procuring food and drinks from suppliers. Its procurement approach supports and where possible prioritises the purchase of food and drink produced in Britain. For example:The Strangers’ Bar offers Members the opportunity to request that a specific cask ale from an independent, regional brewer from their constituency be offered...
Charles Walker: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.
Charles Walker: It is, Mr Speaker. Given that our legal system has in-built safeguards to protect the rights of the accused and that we in this place promote and defend these rights on behalf of our constituents, was it not absolutely in order for this House to debate the extent of these rights in relation to the exclusion of Members of Parliament from this Chamber and the estate before they had either been...
Charles Walker: The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). The Committee on Standards put forward recommendations which were approved by the House on 19 July 2023. This included the provision that groups are not permitted to have a secretariat either provided or funded by a foreign government. The Committee made no recommendations about the role of former Ambassadors...
Charles Walker: The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). The Committee on Standards put forward recommendations which were approved by the House on 19 July 2023. These included the following provisions which are now contained within the APPG rules: a) groups are not permitted to have a secretariat either provided or funded by a foreign government. b) a group’s...
Charles Walker: The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). The rules for APPGs are approved by the House. The Guide to the APPG Rules by the Committee on Standards makes clear that each group’s Chair and Registered Contact is responsible for ensuring that if any person or organisation provides a secretariat or support service, that person or organisation is aware of...
Charles Walker: I am sorry that the right hon. Member and all colleagues continue to experience inconvenience in telephony services which are currently below standard. The latest issue with handsets underlines the need for the solution which the Parliamentary Digital Service is implementing later this year. Polycom devices need to communicate with an external supplier to register the device and make/receive...
Charles Walker: In 2023, in support of LGBT+ people in Parliament, the House Administration approved a request from ParliOut to spend £375.00 for 50 Pride registration spaces, £439.20 for Pride T-shirts, and £62.93 for Pride flags. Any interested passholders can participate, including Members of both Houses, their staff and staff of both Houses. Supporting members of the House Administration who wish to...
Charles Walker: Thank you very much, Minister. The hon. Member for Rotherham has two minutes to wind up this excellent debate.
