Following the Ministerial oral evidence session regarding the House of Lords Inquiry into Frontex on 12 December 2007, you requested further information concerning Liam Byrne's reference to the groups that had been set up to address the issues surrounding the international law of the sea.

  I can confirm that there are two ad hoc groups, one being a subset of the other. The first is the Expert Meeting on the Study of International Law Instruments in Relation to Illegal Immigration by Sea; this group met on 8 June 2007 where it was agreed that a sub-group should be created. That sub-group is the Law of the Sea/ Frontex Guidelines: Drafting Group. This sub-group met three times in 2007: on 19 July, 24 September, and 29 November. It is proposed that a further meeting will take place on 7 February 2008.

31 January 2008