39. In connection with its consideration of reports, the Committee also had before it the following documents: (a) General guidelines regarding the form and contents of initial reports to be submitted by States parties under article 19 of the Convention (CAT/C/4/Rev.2); (b) General guidelines regarding the form and contents of initial reports to be submitted by States parties under article 19 of the Convention (CAT/C/14/Rev.1). 40. In accordance with the decision taken by the Committee at its eleventh session2 , the following sections, arranged on a country-by-country basis according to the sequence followed by the Committee in its consideration of the reports, contain references to the reports submitted by the States parties and to the summary records of the meetings of the Committee at which the reports were considered, as well as the text of conclusions and recommendations adopted by the Committee with respect to the States parties' reports considered at its twenty-third and twenty-fourth sessions. A. Malta 41. The Committee considered the second periodic report of Malta (CAT/C/29/Add.6) at its 393rd, 396th and 398th meetings on 9, 10, and 11 November 1999 (CAT/C/SR.393, 396 and 398) and adopted the following conclusions and recommendations. 1. Introduction 42. The Committee notes that the report had been submitted with a delay of two years, it was brief and it was not in complete conformity with the June 1998 guidelines for the preparation of periodic reports. However, the report, was supplemented by an extensive and informative oral presentation, updating it, by the representative of the State party, as well as by the complete answers to questions raised by the Committee members. 43. The Committee realizes the difficulties for small countries to comply with their reporting obligations, yet it wishes to emphasize that complete written information is necessary to facilitate its assessment of the implementation of the Convention. 2. 44. Positive aspects The Committee welcomes the following developments: (a) The improvement of correctional facilities and, in particular, the arrangements for the housing of illegal immigrants in dormitories formerly used by police staff; (b) The entrusting of the supervision of asylum seekers to the ordinary police instead of the Special Assignment Group; (c) The ratification of the 1957 European Convention on Extradition; (d) The inclusion of human rights in the training programme of the police academy; (e) The completion and the expected presentation to Parliament of the new Asylum Act which provides, inter alia, for: (i) the removal of the geographical exception limiting the granting of asylum to European 2 Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth session, Supplement No. 44 (A/49/44), paras. 12-13. 10