tidisciplinary balance provided for in the OP-CAT. The National Agency does avail itself of the possibility to consult external experts on inspection visits. It nonetheless appears necessary for persons with medical or psychological expertise for instance to become members of the National Agency. In order to even come close to complying with the requirements of the Optional Protocol, the Commission of the Länder would need at least 16 honorary members. Such a significant expansion of the number of honorary members would then however also entail a considerable increase in the number of staff at the secretariat in Wiesbaden. However, the level of staffing is of fundamental significance, and not only with regard to the proper performance of the mandate issued by the Optional Protocol to the National Agency for the Prevention of Torture. The latter also plays a major role when it comes to the international impact. Germany, which in international terms is regarded as one of the forerunners in the field of human rights protection, could also serve as a role model to other states with regard to the resources provided to its national preventive mechanism, and should not be taken as a negative example. The inadequate staffing of the National Agency is also recognisable if one makes an international comparison with the preventive mechanisms of other countries. For instance, the national preventive mechanism of France is responsible for 4,896 facilities, as its activity report reveals.9 It alone has 16 full-time “contrôleurs”, as well as 16 part-time “contrôleurs” and additional staff in its secretariat. It had a budget of EUR 3,346,308 in 2010.10 With this staffing and funding, it has been able to inspect almost one-third of all the facilities within its remit since taking up work in the autumn of 2008.11 The Swiss National Commission for the Prevention of Torture has twelve honorary members and a current budget of 360,000 Francs per year,12 roughly corresponding to EUR 290,980. Approximately 358 facilities fall within its remit, 13 of which it inspected in 2011. 9 cf. Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté – Rapport de l’année 2010, pp. 270-271 cf. http://www.cglpl.fr/en/ [most recently retrieved on 10 November 2011] 11 cf. Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté – Rapport de l’année 2010, pp. 270-271 12 cf. National Commission for the Prevention of Torture, http://www.nkvf.admin.ch/nkvf/de/home.html 10 14