Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of providing (a) eyewear and (b) eye tests for Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK on the health and wellbeing of those troops; and what estimate he has made of the financial value of optician vouchers offered to those troops in the last 12 months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK takes the health and wellbeing of Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) personnel extremely seriously while they are training on Operation INTERFLEX, however, it is the responsibility of the AFU to screen all AFU personnel prior to their participation in UK based training.
Under Operation INTERFLEX, the UK provides AFU personnel with eyewear (spectacles and eye protection) where it is required, to reduce the risk of injury, and to protect the health and safety of those operating on the Defence Estate.
Eye tests are available for spectacles, as well as a provision for corrective lenses to be fitted to eye protection. All eye healthcare for AFU personnel is provided through a contracted service. In financial year 2023-24 the cost of eye tests and eyewear through the MOD Specsavers scheme was £38,277.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, in line with the amended diplomatic positions of (a) France, (b) the US, (c) Israel and (d) Spain.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Successive UK Governments have regarded the status of Western Sahara as undetermined. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts and, in particular, the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. Officials regularly discuss Western Sahara with international partners, including the UN, Morocco, and Algeria; we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the obstacles to recognising Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara (a) in general and (b) in relation to British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Successive UK Governments have regarded the status of Western Sahara as undetermined. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts and, in particular, the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. Officials regularly discuss Western Sahara with international partners, including the UN, Morocco, and Algeria; we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether BEIS Ministers (a) have had and (b) plan to have discussions with local government officials on UK-side infrastructure for an interconnector between the UK and Morocco.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ministers’ meetings with external parties are published quarterly on the gov.uk website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
This may also include details of meetings with local Government officials, but otherwise the information requested is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost. There are currently no plans for such discussions in relation to the Xlinks project (the proposal to import clean power from Morocco to the UK).
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy if he will list by date the meetings which Government Ministers have had with (a) other Government Ministers and (b) third parties to discuss plans for an interconnector between the UK and Morocco.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ministers have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues. Ministers’ meetings with external parties are published quarterly on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy whether his Department has had recent discussions with (a) ministers and (b) officials from (i) Spain, (ii) Portugal, (iii) France and (iv) the EU to discuss an interconnector between Morocco and the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Officials from BEIS and FCDO discussed this topic during the course of the summer but there have been no recent discussions with ministers or officials from Spain, Portugal, France, or the EU to discuss an interconnector between Morocco and the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the (a) earliest potential start date and (b) potential peak capacity as a proportion of grid requirement of the proposed Xlinks interconnector between the UK and Morocco.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Xlinks has indicated that the project can supply 3.6 GW of capacity, approximately 8% of GB transmission demand (or approximately 6% of peak underlying – transmission and distribution – demand), from 2030. The Department has not verified the feasibility of proposed capacity of the project and project timelines.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will publish his decision on Government support for an interconnector between the UK and Morocco.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department has had early stage discussions with Xlinks about their proposal to import clean power from Morocco to the UK. There are currently no plans to publish a decision.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the most frequent reasons are given by staff for early departure from the NHS in order of frequency.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The information requested on trusts undertaking exit interviews is not held centrally. While exit interviews are recommended in the National Health Service learning handbook, it may not be appropriate for all staff, such as in cases of redundancy or dismissal. An updated, online, self-exit questionnaire was launched in October 2021, which includes staff survey questions and allows staff to explain their reasons for leaving. This is currently being promoted to all NHS trusts and is in use in approximately 83 organisations.
Reasons for leaving are noted in the Electronic Staff Record. Where detailed information for leaving was available, in 2021 the most frequent reasons were retirement; end of fixed term contract; work/life balance; relocation; and pay or reward.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence is used to determine the cause of early departure of staff from the NHS.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The information requested on trusts undertaking exit interviews is not held centrally. While exit interviews are recommended in the National Health Service learning handbook, it may not be appropriate for all staff, such as in cases of redundancy or dismissal. An updated, online, self-exit questionnaire was launched in October 2021, which includes staff survey questions and allows staff to explain their reasons for leaving. This is currently being promoted to all NHS trusts and is in use in approximately 83 organisations.
Reasons for leaving are noted in the Electronic Staff Record. Where detailed information for leaving was available, in 2021 the most frequent reasons were retirement; end of fixed term contract; work/life balance; relocation; and pay or reward.