Section two The NPM in 2019–20 During the reporting year, the IMB made a successful bid for an increased budget allocation for the year 2020–21. These additional resources will allow the organisation to increase visits across the prison and immigration removal estate. In the reporting year, the Independent Monitoring Boards Northern Ireland (IMBNI) carried out a recruitment campaign in 2018–19, and in April 2019 10 new members were appointed to join the three Boards monitoring prisons in Northern Ireland. Jonathan Hall QC was appointed to be the new Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation (IRTL) in April 2019. He published his Annual Report which expressly considers the conditions of TACT detainees in March 2020 (for more information on the findings from this report, see ‘Political context, policy and legislative developments’, p.13).194 In 2019–20, Lay Observers (LO) developed their National Development Plan, which aims to improve their governance structure, recruitment processes, monitoring, training, quality assurance and communications. They introduced a new ‘Visits Protocol’ in November 2019 to develop their systems of monitoring and reporting on the conditions for people detained in court custody and transport. In the year, the LO also held their second volunteers conference, which set out the LO’s vision for improving the role of LOs in accordance with OPCAT and international human rights standards. Several workshops were held which focused on the treatment of women, children and young people in court custody, as well as on specific medical issues LOs should be aware of. The LO highlighted three key standards for volunteers to work to: respect, decency and welfare. New monitoring guidance is now being produced to bring these standards in line with HMI Prisons’ most recent court custody Expectations. The LO have also been working on new models for introducing prison visits to their methodology. Prison visits would allow monitors to assess the treatment of detainees who had recently been involved in journeys to and from prison. In 2019–20, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWCS) continued work on the Deaths in Detention Review, which was announced by the Scottish Government in 2018. The review is looking into investigations into the deaths of people who were subject to mental health legislation or being treated for mental illness (and some neurological conditions such as dementia) or a learning disability. MWCs aims to present the review to the Scottish Government by June 2021. 194 IRTL, The Terrorism Acts in 2018, https://terrorismlegislationreviewer.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ Terrorism-Acts-in-2018-Report-1.pdf [accessed 10/11/2020] 69