HC Deb 27 February 2002 vol 380 c1307W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees in his Department who regularly use computers have taken up the provision of a free eye test; and how this service is advertised to(a) current and (b) new staff. [36687]

Mr. Bradshaw

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, effective January 1993, require employers to provide and pay for, upon request from an employee, an eye and eyesight test. There is a requirement for further tests at regular intervals; the optometrist doing the first test can recommend when the next one should be. In addition, employers must pay the cost of special spectacles where normal ones cannot be used.

This service is advertised to all new entrants during their induction training, is posted on the FCO intranet site and is described in our Code of Management. In 2001, 216 staff in the UK were reimbursed the cost of DSE eye tests.

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