To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on responsibility for the treatment of Sahrawi refugees on Algeria’s territory; and if he will make a statement. (317280)

While Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials do discuss the Western Sahara dispute with their Algerian counterparts on a regular basis, these discussions always take place within the context of supporting the UN Secretary General and his Personal Envoy, Ambassador Christopher Ross, in their efforts to resolve the dispute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on allowing exit visas for Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps; and if he will make a statement. (317281)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed Sahrawi exit visas with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN-led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, which I will host on 2 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Algerian Government on the case of Mr. Sghair, a Sahrawi refugee, detained by the Polisario for three months for attempting to cross into Morocco; and if he will make a statement. (317282)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not made any representations to the Algerian authorities about the case of Mr. Sghair, who was allegedly detained by the Polisario in 2008. The FCO has also not received any prior representations about this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on allowing entire families overland visits from the refugee camps in Tindouf; and if he will make a statement. (317283)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed overland visits from the refugee camps with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN- led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, which I will host on 2 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his Algerian counterpart and (b) the Polisario on a census to count and register the Sahrawi refugee population in the Tindouf camps; and if he will make a statement. (317284)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had discussions with either his Algerian counterpart or the Polisario about a census to record the population of the Tindouf camps. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Algiers and London have discussed this topic with the Polisario as part of their regular dialogue with all parties to the Western Sahara dispute.

My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN-led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on Algeria’s obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees in relation to the Sahrawi refugee camps; and if he will make a statement. (317285)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell) then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN-led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his Algerian counterpart and (b) the Polisario on the United Nations High Commission on Refugees’ confidence-building measures programme for the Sahrawi refugee population in the Tindouf camps; and if he will make a statement. (317286)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had discussions with either his Algerian counterpart or the Polisario on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confidence-building measures programme. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Algiers and London have discussed confidence-building measures with the Polisario as part of their regular dialogue with all parties to the Western Sahara dispute. The most recent discussions took place in February between the Polisario and Foreign and Commonwealth officials in London.

My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN-led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Ambassador of Algeria on conditions imposed by the Algerian Government and the Polisario on refugee camps in Tindouf; and if he will make a statement. (317287)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the conditions in the Tindouf refugee camps with the Algerian Ambassador. My hon. Friend Bill Rammell, then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN-led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US Ambassador on the report of the United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants on conditions imposed by Algeria and the Polisario on refugee camps in Tindouf; and if he will make a statement. (317288)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants report with the US ambassador. Our officials in Algiers have discussed the report with the US embassy in Algiers and the head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, also in Algiers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on permission for entire families to leave the Sahrawi refugee camps to travel to Mauritania; and if he will make a statement. (317289)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed families travelling between Tindouf and Mauritania with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend Bill Rammell, then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN-led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March 2010.