Activities during the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 Activities during the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 Visits 16. The CPT organised nineteen visits totalling 166 days during the twelve-month period covered by this General Report. Ten of the visits (totalling 111 days) formed part of the CPT’s annual programme of periodic visits and the remaining nine (55 days) were ad hoc visits which the Committee considered were required by the circumstances. Basic details of all these visits (countries, dates, places of detention visited) are provided in Appendix 7, page 61. 17. As already indicated, the volume of the annual visit programme remains insufficient to cope effectively with the workload generated by 47 Parties to the ECPT. Development of the programme continues to be hampered in particular by staff-related factors (see paragraphs 106-109, page 49). Periodic visits 18. Periodic visits were organised to Austria, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The visit to Montenegro was the first by the CPT to this country since it became an independent State. 19. The treatment of persons detained under aliens legislation was a focus of many of the visits. Further, particular attention was given during certain visits to the situation of persons held under conditions of high security (Hungary, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom) or of prisoners serving life sentences (Russia, Slovakia). Psychiatric issues figured prominently in the programmes of the visits to Austria, Hungary and Italy. The visit to Turkey provided, inter alia, an opportunity to review in depth the treatment of detained persons whilst in the custody of law enforcement agencies. Ad hoc visits 20. The nine ad hoc visits carried out by the CPT during the period covered by this General Report were to Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, France (French Guyana), Georgia (Abkhazia), Greece, Italy, Moldova and the Russian Federation (North Caucasian region). 21. The main objective of the ad hoc visit to Azerbaijan in December 2008 was to review steps taken to improve the situation following the recommendations made in the reports drawn up after previous CPT visits to the country. The Committee’s delegation focused on the treatment of prisoners – and more specifically of inmates sentenced to life imprisonment – and of psychiatric patients. 15