Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the closure of churches in Algeria.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in Algeria. We engage regularly with groups from different faiths to understand their circumstances and any challenges they may face. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, raised the ability of religious minorities to freely practice their faith with the Algerian authorities during her visit to Algiers in September 2022. The Minister for North Africa, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised church closures when he met the Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs in June 2022 and also with the Algerian Ambassador to the UK in March 2023.