Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last held formal discussions with his Swiss counterpart; and whether he raised the vote in Switzerland on 7 March 2021 to ban face coverings in public in those discussions.
We note the outcome of the vote in Switzerland on 7 March in a referendum to ban face coverings in public. Ministers regularly speak to their Swiss counterparts on a broad range of issues. We know that human rights protection in Switzerland is strong, and that its domestic legal and administrative systems are fully capable of dealing with any human rights-related issues on this or any other matter, should they arise.