National Preventive Mechanism 3.2.5 Human resources Personnel In order to implement the OPCAT mandate, the AOB has received 15 additional permanent positions to fulfil its responsibilities. Since then, one permanent position was eliminated due to budgetary restrictions. As an organisational unit the “OPCAT Secretariat” is responsible for the coordination of the collaboration with the commissions. It furthermore examines international reports and documents in order to support the NPM with information from similar institutions. The AOB employees who are entrusted with NPM responsibilities are legal experts who have experience in the areas of the rights of persons with disabilities, children’s rights, social rights, police, asylum and the judiciary (see the list of names in the Annex). The commissions To fulfil its responsibilities in accordance with the Act on the Implementation of the OPCAT (OPCAT-Durchführungsgesetz), the NPM must entrust the multidisciplinary commissions it has appointed with the tasks they have to perform. The commissions are organised according to regional criteria. They each consist of eight members and one head of commission (see the list of names in the Annex). If required, the regional commissions may involve experts from other specialist areas provided that members of other commissions are not available for this purpose. The NPM now has access to a pool of external experts with somatic or psychiatric impairments who can also support the commissions in “traditional places of detention”. Human Rights Advisory Council The Human Rights Advisory Council was established as an advisory body. It is constituted of representatives of non-governmental organisations and federal ministries (see Annex). The Human Rights Advisory Council supports the NPM regarding the clarification of monitoring competences and questions that arise during visits by the commissions that go beyond the problems inherent in an individual case. 89