National Dialogue It was important for the Parliamentary Ombudsman to acquire › an overview of implemented and planned infection control measures applicable to those deprived of their liberty during the COVID-19 pandemic › information about the consequences of temporary legislation adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic › knowledge of the consequences of infection control measures for the human rights situation of those deprived of their liberty In March, we contacted a number of civil society agencies and authority bodies, including super­ visory authorities. This was mainly carried out by telephone; however, letters were sent to the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Children and Families. It was important for the Parliamentary Ombudsman to acquire an overview of implement­ ed and planned infection control measures for those deprived of their liberty during the COVID-19 pandemic, information on any temporary changes to regulations, and knowledge of the consequences of infection control measures for those deprived of their liberty. 59 In parallel we worked on disseminating informa­ tion. In May, we set up an information page on our website about our work and COVID-19. The page contained information about the NPM’s efforts during the pandemic, national and international resources, and news from international human rights bodies, among them the European Commit­ tee for the Prevention of Torture and the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. As we temporarily suspended visits in March, it was important for us to develop a methodology that would enable us to resume visits to places of deprivation of liberty in line with infection control guidelines. To this end we had a constructive dia­ logue with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Competence development via external experts In the autumn of 2020, we developed internal competence concerning risk issues and regu­ lations within the two new sectors in which we conducted visits. This concerned care homes for elderly in which residents in some cases can be admitted without their consent, or de facto be held back involuntarily. Additionally, it was necessary to enhance the NPM’s competence on legislation and conditions for persons with intellectual disabilities who receive municipal health and care services in their own homes. Some of those who receive these services experience circumstances similar to an institution, including practices that are so intrusive that the NPM considers them to be covered by the OPCAT mandate. External experts with a high level of expertise were engaged to hold five lectures for the NPM staff (for an exhaustive list of lectures, see Activities 2020).