Minister for Veterans and People recognises RFA role during Rock visit

Louise Sandher-Jones MP, Minister for Veterans and People, was on the Rock this week, hosted by British Forces Gibraltar, where she met personnel from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) on board RFA Tidespring.

Asked about the purpose of the visit, she said: “So first and foremost, it’s to really welcome and thank and recognise the amazing contribution that the crew of the Tidespring have made to the wider carrier strike group.”

She stressed that the recent strike group’s deployment to the Far East and back would not have been possible without Tidespring “and the amazing work that people are doing on there.”

“So I really wanted to come say hello and say a big thank you. On behalf of the Government, and on behalf of the country. Just say a huge, huge thank you and recognise the work that they’ve done.”

She said the carrier strike group included several "very fuel hungry” ships that were supplied by the RFA vessel.

“So these guys are honestly working around the clock to make sure that they’re delivering enough fuel to keep everything going,” she said.

“I’ve heard that they delivered enough fuel to fuel over half a million cars.”

“So that’s quite a lot of work that they’ve had to do.”

“I have just been hearing from them that some of the challenges of being able to do that is making sure that you’re giving the fuel when they need it, and that you’re refilling as well.”

“So they’ve been working really hard, and I just think it’s really important that when we talk about the operations that we have.”

“Yes, it’s great to talk about the carrier, and that’s obviously the flagship, but there’s all of this work that goes on behind the scenes that is just as vital, and they’re working just as hard.”

She stressed that Gibraltar is hugely important to the UK and plays such a vital strategic role.

“I think Tidespring being here really highlights that it’s so important that we have this facility here to bring these ships, as well as all the other stuff that we are able to do on Gibraltar,” she said.

“And the role that Gibraltar plays, as we all know, is hugely important with the challenges that we’re facing going forward.”

“I know that it just going to be even more important.”

The visit also gave the minister the opportunity to encourage interest in careers within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

“I really want to do what I can to raise awareness of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to anybody that’s interested in a career at sea,” she said.

“I really urge people to check out the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the opportunities that are on offer within it, whether you want to be an engineer, work in comms, do some of the jobs that maybe first spring to mind when you think about the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, but there’s loads of other opportunities as well.”
“We just had a fantastic lunch. The chefs are amazing.”

“So even if you’re someone who wants a career as a chef, if you want to be part of something bigger than yourself, do something a little bit different, I really encourage people to look at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.”

She reflected too on recent labour unrest in the RFA workforce and said: “We do need to get progress on that to make sure that we are fairly recognising the work that we can do.”

“So we’re pushing ahead. Those conversations are always ongoing, and it's just about being proactive and moving forward.”

While on the Rock she met with the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Benjamin Bathurst, and separately the Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, where they discussed current affairs and matters of common interest.

She also took time to listen to the experiences of some of the people living and working on the Rock, who “highlighted these issues to me that, sat back in London, I might not be aware of.”

“As I said, the work we do here is so important, so anything I can do to make that better, I will do.”

Although this was her first visit in her ministerial role, Ms Sandher-Jones used to work as a teenager on summer camps in Spain, and as an English teacher in those camps she would accompany youngsters to Gibraltar to enable them to practice their English for the day.