providing information in advance to persons being removed and their lawyers. The CPT comments favour­ ably on the procedures in place in the Netherlands although it recommends that access to legal advice be maintain­ed until the moment of departure (i.e. until the doors of the aircraft are closed) and that a “last call procedure” be put in place before the disembarkation of the detain­ees in the country of destination. As regards staff training prior to departure, the CPT welcomes the KMAR custom of organising short practice sessions for the escort staff before every charter removal flight. It, however, highlights the need to improve ground staff communication skills, facilitating thereby the handling of difficult/ resistant detainees. The Committee also takes note of the efforts made to ensure good medical/nursing coverage during the removal operation. That said, the CPT supports the principle that every person being forcibly removed by air be given the opportunity to undergo a medical examination a few days prior to his/her departure. The Committee recommends in particular that a medical examination be systematically carried out whenever the prolonged use of force or means of restraint during removal is expected or highly likely. It also comments on the need for a fast, smooth and adequate transfer of medical information between healthcare professionals at every stage of the removal process. 51. As regards the execution phase of the removal operation, the report de­scribes the conditions during the first flight segment (Rotterdam to Madrid) as generally good. The Dutch and German escorts made genuine efforts to reduce stress and relieve the atmosphere by engaging in dialogue with their respective detainees. One small incident (involving a detainee being returned by Slovenia and his escorts), which involved an allegedly prolonged use of means of restraint, was quickly dealt with by the determined and skilful intervention of the Dutch back-up team, thus preventing a further escalation of the problem. In the CPT’s view, this incident highlighted the need for further detailed discussions among Frontex member states with a view to develop­ ing precise rules on the use of means of restraint. Two further incidents occurred during the second flight segment (Madrid to Lagos), the first of which gave the CPT’s delegation the opportunity to observe a particularly skilful, empathetic and professional intervention by a Spanish escort staff member. On arrival, the hand­over to the Nigerian authorities which took place on the aircraft was carried out smoothly. 52. The report examines several other issues related to the CPT’s mandate, such as the use of force, the role of national monitoring bodies, staff-related issues and complaints procedures. In addition, it raises technical issues such as the inclusion in future readmission agreements of explicit references to the possibility for national or international monitoring bodies to observe removal operations, including the handover procedure to the local immigration authorities. 53. The response of the Dutch Government to the CPT’s report can be described as globally positive. The Dutch authorities indicate that they are prepared to include a reference to the desire for monitoring to be carried out by international monitoring bodies when carrying out negotiations on readmission agreements. They also confirm that an Immigration and Naturalisation Service Publication highlights ► Page 23