60 Dialogue with the authorities Regular meetings and good dialogue with official bodies, such as ministries, directorates and county governors, are an important element in the preventive work. During the year, the NPM had meetings with, among others, the Ministry of Health and Care Services, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Directorate of the Norwegian Correctional Service and the Norwegian Police Directorate. These meetings have provided opportunities to exchange information, discuss matters highlighted by the NPM following visits, and to follow up the recommendations made. The authorities in charge also receive the visit reports as they are published. On 22 September 2015, the NPM attended the County Governor of Rogaland’s annual meeting with the supervisory commissions and personnel with professional responsibility for administrative decisions in mental health care in the county. The NPM gave a talk on observations and findings from visits to mental health care institutions in 2015, with a particular focus on segregation practices at different inpatient units. The Parliamentary Ombudsman also submitted a consultation submission on a proposed amendment to the Execution of Sentences Act that will allow inmates to serve their sentence in another state, and attended the Standing Committee on Justice’s open hearing on the matter (see article on page 26). Seminars, conferences and teaching The NPM’s employees have attended a number of seminars and conferences during the year in order to present various issues linked to the deprivation of liberty and also obtain information from expert communities and increase their own knowledge and expertise. NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and Ill-Treatment ANNUAL REPORT 2015 The NPM has attended and given talks at the following events, among others2: ››Seminar at the Correctional Service Eastern Region office on exclusion from company and the use of coercive measures ››The Norwegian Bar Association’s Human Rights Seminar 2015 on children and human rights ››Supervisory Commission Conference ››The Norwegian judicial policy association’s autumn seminar 2015 on the use of force in the child welfare service and psychiatric treatment ››The 8th national conference on human rights, the use of force and ethics ››Day-long national conference – Female inmates and convicts, organised by the Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy (KRUS)/ the Directorate of the Norwegian Correctional Service On 26 March 2015, the Parliamentary Ombudsman launched its annual reports for 2014.3 This was the NPM’s first annual report, and the occasion was marked by a panel debate on the prevention of torture and the challenges currently facing correctional services. The panel members were Leif Waage, assistant regional director of the Correctional Service Western Region; Nora Sveaass, member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), and Helga Fastrup Ervik, head of the NPM. State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Vidar Brein-Karlsen, gave the opening speech on the significance of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s new mandate for the justice sector in Norway. The NPM has also participated in and led classes for students studying for vocations that work with 2 A complete list of the NPM’s activities in 2015 is enclosed in this annual report (see page 66). 3 Since 2014, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has submitted two annual reports to the Storting. Document 4 is the annual report on the work of the Parliamentary Ombudsman in general, and Document 4:1 is the annual report on the Parliamentary Ombudsman's prevention work.