CAT/OP/ROU/1/Add.1 In addition, the legislative proposal for amending and completing the Law No. 35/1997 on the organization and functioning of the People's Advocate Institution, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented and amending certain legal acts, currently pending in the Legal Commission for appointments, discipline, immunities and validations Of the Senate (Law 566/2016), includes the provision that the National Prevention Mechanism is a distinct structure from the other fields of activity, with functional, operational, financial, and personnel autonomy, exercising a preventive role. 3. Budgetary independence by providing adequate independent financial and human resources for the NPM The provisions of art. 2919 of Law no. 35/1997, republished, as amended and supplemented, stipulate that “Current and capital expenditure funding for activities to prevent torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment shall be provided from the state budget and funding for it are part of the budget of the People’s Advocate institution.” Consequently, there is a budget allocated to the Field for the Prevention of Torture in Places of Detention (NPM), which covers the expenses of visiting and any other activities, but its budget is an integral part of the People’s Advocate institution budget. ► The budget for the year 2015 allocated to the Field for the prevention of torture in the places of detention was 1,868 thousand lei; In 2016, the budget was 2700 thousand lei, and for the year 2017, 2546 thousand lei. The legislative proposal for amending and completing the Law No. 35/1997 on the organization and functioning of the People's Advocate Institution, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented and amending some normative acts (Law No. 566/2016) includes the proposal that the annual budget of the National Prevention Mechanism to be proposed and elaborated by the Deputy People's Advocate who coordinates the National Prevention Mechanism, and approved by the People's Advocate and to be used exclusively for the expenses of the Mechanism. Also, the legislative proposal for amending and completing the Law No. 35/1997 concerns the payment of transport, food and accommodation expenses for representatives of NGOs. Taking into account the fact that the NPM was in the first years of its activity and that its activity will be widened, as well as the proposal to ensure the payment of transportation, food and accommodation for NGOs, it is necessary to supplement the budget allocated to NPM. As regards the provision of transportation means for NPM visiting teams to places of detention, we present the steps taken to acquire them: 53