asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they last discussed the continued functioning of the Guantanamo Bay camp with the United States authorities; and when they expect the United States to comply with the United Kingdom's official request for the camp to be closed down quickly. [HL1653]

The Government have an ongoing dialogue with the US Government on how best we can work with them to see the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Recent discussions have focused on the Government's request for the release and return of five men who, while not UK nationals, were legally resident in the UK prior to their detention. Three of these men were released from the detention facility and returned to the UK on 19 December 2007. We will continue to encourage our allies to consider taking steps similar to our own, such as accepting the transfer of detainees deemed eligible for release, in order to reduce the number of those detained at Guantanamo Bay and hasten the closure of the detention facility.