Social care homes continued to be included in the programme of visits for 2017 (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, Ukraine). 3. In line with standard practice, the CPT announced in April its programme of periodic visits for the following year. It announced its intention to examine in the course of 2018 the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the following eight countries: Albania, Andorra, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Norway, Romania and the Slovak Republic. In the past, the CPT carried out ten periodic visits per year. It has decided to reduce the number of periodic visits to eight for 2018, in order to increase its capacity to carry out ad hoc visits. Ad hoc visits 4. In the course of 2017, the CPT carried out ad hoc visits to Albania, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Italy, the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Serbia, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and the United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus. 5. The main purpose of the ad hoc visit to Albania in February was to review progress made as regards the implementation of recommendations made by the CPT in the report on its 2014 periodic visit. Particular attention was paid to the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in police custody and the situation of remand prisoners and forensic psychiatric patients. 6. The objective of the ad hoc visit to Azerbaijan in October was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in the custody of law enforcement agencies and in penitentiary establishments and to review the measures taken by the Azerbaijani authorities in response to the relevant recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits. 7. In the same month, a delegation of the CPT also travelled to Hungary to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held under aliens legislation. The CPT’s delegation visited the two transit zones at Röszke and Tompa, as well as police detention facilities in Szeged and Röszke. During this visit, the delegation also held interviews in Serbia with foreign nationals who had recently been escorted by border police officers to the other side of the Hungarian border fence. 8. The purpose of the visit to Italy in June was to examine the situation of persons held in immigration detention in Italy. The delegation visited the so-called “hotspots” in Lampedusa, Pozzallo and Trapani (Milo), as well as a mobile “hotspot” unit at Augusta port. Further, it observed a disembarkation procedure at Trapani port and visited closed removal centres in Caltanissetta, Ponte Galeria (Rome) and Turin, as well as the holding facility at Rome Fiumicino Airport. 9. In November/December, the CPT carried out an ad hoc visit to the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation in order to review the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police and examine the effectiveness of investigations into allegations of ill-treatment of detained persons by law enforcement officials. General Report of the CPT, 2017 ► Page 8