A/66/44 (b) Continue to put into effect plans to improve and expand the prison infrastructure; (c) Take steps to improve staffing levels generally and increase the number of prison officials in particular; (d) Augment the health-care resources available in penitentiary institutions and ensure that the medical assistance given to detainees is of high quality. Free legal assistance (23) The Committee notes the positive impact of efforts by the Public Defence Service to reduce the numbers of people held in pretrial detention – 501 on 31 August 2010. As stipulated in article 191 of the Constitution, the Public Defence Service “shall have human and material resources and working conditions equivalent to those of the Office of the Public Prosecutor” (arts. 2 and 11). The State party should assign to the Public Defence Service the human, financial and material resources it needs to accomplish its objectives in order to extend the scope of its efforts and make the system more efficient. Redress, including compensation and rehabilitation (24) The Committee takes note of Decree No. 1317 of 9 September 2008 making the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights responsible for “coordinating the execution of sentences, precautionary measures, provisional measures, amicable settlements, recommendations and resolutions originating in the inter-American human rights system and in the universal system of human rights”. It regrets, however, the slowness of the State party in giving full effect to the amicable settlements and decisions reached in the interAmerican human rights system and the shortage of information about the redress and compensation, including rehabilitation, awarded to victims of human rights violations. The State party should ensure that the appropriate steps are taken to provide the victims of torture and ill-treatment with redress, including fair and adequate compensation, and the fullest possible rehabilitation. In its next periodic report, the State party is asked to provide the Committee with statistics and full details of cases in which victims have obtained full redress, including investigation and punishment of the perpetrators, compensation and rehabilitation. Optional Protocol and national preventive mechanism (25) The Committee takes note of the legal and constitutional proceedings which will give rise to the establishment or designation of a national mechanism to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in conformity with the Optional Protocol to the Convention. The State party should accelerate the designation of the national preventive mechanism and ensure it has the resources it needs to pursue its mandate independently and effectively throughout the country. (26) The Committee also recommends that the State party include in its next periodic report information on compliance with obligations incumbent under the Convention on Ecuadorian armed forces deployed abroad. (27) The State party is urged to disseminate widely the report it has submitted to the Committee, and the Committee’s concluding observations, through official websites, the media and non-governmental organizations. 40 GE.11-45568