34 3. The NPM’s cooperation with civil society organizations NPM. In its report on its visit at the Márianosztra Strict and Medium Regime Prison, based on Section 33(1) of the Ombudsman Act, the NPM asked the Prosecutor General to have the competent public prosecutor to inquire into the practice of the use of the security isolation ward. The representative of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee thanked the Deputy Head for the detailed information, and based on the information received at the meeting, but not described in the report, she concluded that the series of visits conducted by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee in 2016 was successful because apparently, numerous problems highlighted by them came to be resolved. She was not convinced that the efficient rights enforcement could be expected from the competent public prosecutor concerning the use of the security isolation ward. She deemed it advisable to ask at least the detainees during the inspections whether they have a possibility to talk to the public prosecutor, and if yes, in what circumstances. The Head of Department briefed the participants about the applications to be submitted to the Fund set up in accordance with Article 26 of OPCAT. He said that applications may be submitted to the Fund following the SPT’s visit, and if the State or National Preventive Mechanism concerned publishes the report drafted on the visit. The SPT’s report about its visit to Hungary in 2017 addressed to the NPM was published by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights; its report for the state, however, is not public. Applications may be submitted for the implementation of the recommendations put forth in the SPT’s report. According to the regulations on the Fund (“Guidelines for the Applicants and the Grantees”), applications must be submitted by 1 March of each year, and they may be implemented in the next calendar year. The SPT has not yet announced the public call for applications for 2019, but it is expected to do so by 1 January. The NPM intends to submit its application in 2019, but the project would be implemented in 2020. The amount the NPM will be applying for would cover the costs of a workshop on special interviewing techniques to be held with the participation of foreign partners (e.g. experts of the South-East Europe NPM Network, APT,70 SPT, OSCE 71 and UNHCR72) and the members of the CCB. The NPM hopes to have an exchange of experience on four topics, about the specificities of interviews made with children, persons with psychosocial disability, foreigners and/or members of national/ethnic minorities, and LMBTQ persons. The exchange would take place in panels moderated by a member of a Hungarian or international civil society organization. The NPM would welcome the contribution of the CCB member 70 71 72 Association for the Prevention of Torture. See: https://www.apt.ch Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. See: https://osce.org United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. See: https://unhcr.org