§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment(a) British and (b) other EU nationals receive from the Swiss justice system; and if he will make a statement. [131929]
§ Mr. MullinAs in other countries we would expect any British or other EU nationals to be treated in accordance with the accepted standards under international law. We are currently unaware of any particular concerns about the treatment British nationals receive under the Swiss justice system.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of bilateral agreements on the free movement of labour and trade, between the EU and Switzerland; what steps the Government is taking to ensure these agreements are adhered to; and if he will make a statement. [131930]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe bilateral agreements on trade provide an effective framework for trade between the EU and Switzerland. Switzerland is the EU's most important trading partner after the United States. In 2002 Switzerland was Britain's fourth biggest market for goods outside the EU with exports valued at £3.3 billion. The UK is Switzerland's fifth biggest export market, valued at £4.9 billion in 2002.
391WThe 1999 Agreement relating to free movement of workers between the EU and Switzerland allows member states and Switzerland to maintain quotas on granting residence to Swiss or EU workers respectively for a transition period up to 2014. The Agreement has been operating smoothly. The UK, like many member states, has chosen not to maintain such quotas, in the interests of reaping the full economic benefits of free movement of labour. Negotiations are now underway to amend this Agreement to take account of EU Enlargement.
The Commission is directly responsible for monitoring the bilateral Agreements and does so through a framework of Joint Committees that meet at least once a month. The Government follows this process and can raise any relevant issues in Council Working Groups in Brussels.
Job Levels by Main Sector in the UK, 1997–2002 Thousands August 1997 August 1998 August 1999 August 2000 August 2001 August 2002 Public Sector 4,954 4,944 5,094 5,094 5,212 5,298 Private Sector 22,811 23,083 23,272 23,537 23,521 23,610 Total 27,765 28,027 28,366 28,631 28,733 28,908 Source:
Labour Force Survey and Administrative Returns from public bodies