To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received since July 2009 on the number of tunnels between Egypt and Gaza; what further steps he is taking to assist the government of Egypt to prevent the flow of weapons through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza; and if he will make a statement. (293289)

There have been a series of meetings of key partners in Copenhagen (February 2009), London (March 2009) and Ottawa (June 2009) to discuss potential counter-smuggling efforts. But given the Egyptian sensitivities to have been seen accepting assistance and the challenges of “upstream” interdiction, these have remained largely discussions and no further discussions are planned.