NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and Ill-Treatment ANNUAL REPORT 2015 12 the NPM with specified information ahead of or during the visit. The NPM obtains reports from relevant supervisory authorities and other sources, and the advisory committee is asked to share information and provide input. In connection with unannounced visits, information is primarily obtained by reviewing openly available sources, but also through other sources such as complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman and tip-offs. The duration of the visits depend primarily on the size of the place visited. In 2015, the NPM made visits lasting from one to three days. The visits have the following main components: ››Inspection of the place of detention ››Meeting with the management ››Private interviews with detainees ››Interviews with staff, health care personnel, safety representatives, trade union representatives, next of kin, experience consultants and other affected parties. ››Review of documentation ››Concluding meeting with the management The sequence and scope of these components can vary, depending on whether the visit is announced or not, the time of day, the size and organisation of the place of detention, logistics and other factors. Some of these components can also be carried out simultaneously by the visit team splitting into smaller groups for parts of the visit. " The NPM never uses other detainees or staff as interpreters during private conversations " When necessary, the visit team uses an interpreter during interviews with persons deprived of their liberty. The NPM tries, as far as possible, to use interpreters who can meet in person at the place of detention, but it has also used telephone and video interpreters when this has been the only alternative. It never uses other detainees or staff as interpreters during private conversations. The NPM is subject to a duty of confidentiality. Information that can identify a person deprived of his/her liberty must be treated confidentially and not be used in a way that can reveal the person’s identity without first obtaining his/her consent. During the visits, the conditions are documented using the NPM’s own camera. It also has other equipment at its disposal, such as measurement tools for measuring the size of cells and rooms. Follow-up of visits The NPM writes a visit report after it has conducted a visit. It describes findings and risk factors identified during the visit. The report also contains the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s recommendations on how to reduce the risk of people deprived of their liberty being subjected to torture and ill-treatment. In accordance with Article 22 of the Optional Protocol and Section 10 of the Act relating to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the authorities are obliged to consider the recommendations and initiate dialogue on possible implementation measures. The places visited by the NPM are given a deadline for informing the Parliamentary Ombudsman about their follow-up of the recommendations. Maintaining a dialogue with the places visited about their follow-up of the visit report and its recommendations is a very important aspect of the NPM's preventive work (see section 5).