Select committee: International Agreements Committee
Recommendation 51
24th Report - Scrutiny of International Agreements: Agreement with Switzerland on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications
Published 20 Sep 2023
International Agreements Committee UK-Swiss Professional Qualifications Agreement All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Nevertheless, we highlight concerns with the Agreement and its implications, as discussed in paragraphs 22–23 (impact on existing regulatory frameworks), 29–30 ( implementation arrangements), 38–40 (quality of consultation) and 47–49 (use of the Agreement as a model). We call on the Government to address these concerns in implementing the Agreement and in negotiating future RPQ arrangements with other countries.
From: International Agreements Committee, 24th Report - Scrutiny of International Agreements: Agreement with Switzerland on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications, 20 September 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 20 November 2023 (deadline 20 November 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government sets out how the Switzerland agreement will be implemented and states that it is consistent with the Professional Qualifications Act 2022, while "not convinced" that a separate call for input is the best means of consultation for future agreements.
- On regulators' concerns, the government says it sought to balance continuity for businesses with minimising the burden on regulators, and that changes to existing arrangements have been kept "to a minimum".
- On implementation, DBT "aims to have these regulations in force by 1 January 2025", using secondary legislation under the Professional Qualifications Act 2022. Regulator consultations will "likely" take place in the first half of 2024.
- On monitoring, the agreement establishes a Joint Committee that will, among other things, monitor implementation by both countries and develop guidelines for sector-specific arrangements.
- On use as a model, the government states the agreement "is consistent with both the principles and the requirements" of the 2022 Act, and that regulators remain responsible for deciding comparability and compensatory measures.