Appendix III NPM correspondence with the SPT UK National Preventive Mechanism c/o HM Inspectorate of Prisons Clive House 5th floor 70 Petty France London, SW1H 9EX Phone: 020 3334 0358 E-mail: louise.finer@hmiprisons.gsi.gov.uk Mari Amos UN Sub-committee on Prevention of Torture Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais Wilson 52, rue des Paquis CH-1201 Geneva 15 November 2017 Dear Mari, Advice from the Sub-Committee on the Prevention of Torture I am writing on behalf of the National Preventive Mechanism of the United Kingdom to request the advice of the Sub-Committee on the important issue of compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. As you know the members of the UK NPM were designated by the UK government in 2009, with additional designations in 2013 and 2017.53 All the organisations designated to the NPM were already functioning, many of them from before OPCAT was agreed by the UN, and the government decided that they were already carrying out the functions necessary for OPCAT. At the time of the initial designations, the Chief Inspector of Prisons (England and Wales) was asked to take on a co-ordination role for the NPM.54 53 Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), Written Statement - 490 c56WS, 31 March 2009; Convention Against Torture, Written Statement - 571 c41WS, 3 December 2013; Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), Written statement - HLWS412, 12 January 2017. 54 HMI Prisons’ coordination role is set out in Protocol between The Ministry of Justice as the Department and HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (27 February 2017) at paragraph 3.3. 52