Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that a UK-Switzerland trade deal includes provisions for the (a) digital, (b) data and (c) investment sectors.

The Department for Business and Trade is making good progress in negotiations on an enhanced UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement. Both the UK and Switzerland agree this should include outcomes in areas such as digital, data and investment.

For investment, UK negotiators are seeking legally guaranteed preferential access to the Swiss market for UK investors and companies. On digital, the UK aims to enhance trade commitments such as those supporting paperless trading. For data, UK objectives include seeking to prevent unjustified localisation, facilitating the free flow of data, and upholding the UK’s high standard of personal data protection.