Written question asked by Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Thursday, 9 June 2011.

Somalia

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Somalia to seek relocation of the British Office for Somalia, currently based in Nairobi, to Mogadishu and to reopen it as a British embassy.

Answer: The Government have made no formal representations yet to the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia regarding the relocation of the British Office for Somalia to Mogadishu, and its reopening as a British embassy. As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary said in his Statement to Parliament on 11 May, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has ““made provision within our budget to open a new embassy in Somalia when the security situation has improved sufficiently””. We will monitor the security situation with a view to relocation when circumstances permit.

Secondary information