Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Algerian Government on the closure of places of Christian worship in that country.

We are concerned about the recent church closures in Algeria. Our Embassy in Algeria has been in touch with the Protestant Church of Algeria, most recently on 20 February. The Minister responsible for Human Rights and I met with a delegation of Algerian Christians this week. The Protestant Church of Algeria has raised the closures with the Algerian Ministry of Interior. We stand ready to raise the subject with the Algerian authorities, should the Protestant Church of Algeria wish us to do so. The promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief is an important priority for this Government. The Minister responsible for human rights , discussed the importance of Freedom of Religion or Belief with the Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs in October 2017, our Ambassador to Algeria followed up this conversation, with the Minister for Religious Affairs, in January.