The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Harriett Baldwin
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.
Jane Ellison
The Department has a health and well-being programme developed in partnership with trade union representatives, staff networks and the sports and social club.
The Department signposts staff to sources of help and support, such as the employee assistance programme, occupational health provider and its own bank of mental health first-aiders.
The content and impact of the programme is kept under review by a stakeholder group made up of representatives from the department and external partners, such as the Charity for Civil Servants and the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Department is committed to the health and wellbeing of its staff and has developed a wellbeing strategy with a ‘5 steps to improve wellbeing’ approach.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Michael Fallon
Special Advisers provide policy, political, and communications advice to Ministers, across the business of the Department in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Mike Penning
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Library of the House and online at
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has sought advice on the re-classification of powerful handheld lasers as offensive weapons since 14 February 2016; whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to so classify those lasers in the current Parliament.
Mike Penning
The sale and use of laser pointers is an issue that cuts across a number of Government Departments, including the Home Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department of Health and the Department for Transport.
The Home Office is working closely with the other interested Departments and we are looking at a number of options.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the likelihood that the UK would lose access to use of the European Arrest Warrant in the event of a vote to leave the EU.
James Brokenshire
As set out in the Government’s White Paper on the process for withdrawing from the European Union, should the UK leave the EU, any arrangements for future cooperation under measures such as the European Arrest Warrant, would be curtailed. Aside from those States that are not in the EU but are in the Schengen border-free area, there are no precedents for non-Members being able to cooperate with these mechanisms. Even Switzerland, for example, does not have an equivalent to the European Arrest Warrant. Norway and Iceland are negotiating an agreement similar to the EAW, but that includes the option for countries to continue to refuse to surrender their own nationals. Negotiation of that deal started in 2001 and it has not yet entered into force.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-06-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the rate of VAT levied on over-the-counter medicines; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Gauke
VAT is a broad based tax on consumption, with the twenty per cent standard rate applying to most goods and services.
A zero rate of VAT is applied to drugs provided on prescription and dispensed by a dispensing chemist.
The Chancellor keeps all tax policy under review but has no plans to change the VAT treatment of medicines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of delays in the publication of the hepatitis C framework on (a) all people and (b) members of the South Asian population in England with hepatitis C.
Jane Ellison
No such assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.
Harriett Baldwin
HM Treasury takes the wellness of its staff seriously. Wellness is incorporated within the Treasury’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy.
In 2015/16 the following wellness initiatives were given priority:
reducing levels of sickness absence relating to Mental and Behavioural Disorders (including stress, depression, anxiety) and Musculoskeletal Disorders;
increasing the usage of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP); and
In addition the Treasury has signed up to two key external initiatives:
the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Every April the Treasury reports to the Dept of Health on the activities carried out to meet the six pledges signed up to; and
the ‘Time to Change’ pledge. Following this a Mental Wellbeing Network was set up and a range of associated activities take place focusing on improving the mental wellbeing of Treasury employees.
In addition we support and provide reasonable adjustments for a variety of physical and mental conditions and requirements.