regular meetings since March 2014. The personal exchange with the Federal Ministry of the Interior proved useful, in particular with respect to topics that lacked a satisfactory resolution despite intensive correspondence with the Ministry. In 2014, the working group established standards for detention in single cells, including specially secured inmate cells. Great importance was attached to the agreement by the working group that the general standard for detention pending forced return should be open detention. Accordingly, persons being detained pending forced return may only be held in closed detention if very precise exclusion criteria are met. In a decree dated 7 May 2015, the Federal Ministry of the Interior ensured nationwide implementation of the new standards. This took into account the CPT’s criticism of detention pending forced return expressed during its visit to Austria in autumn 2014. The lack of occupational training for law enforcement officers working in police detention centres has been a long-standing deficiency. Based on discussions within the working group, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has decided to implement a basic training course, which all law enforcement officers deployed to police detention centres must complete in the future. Women-specific content will be included in training and continuing education modules. In light of this proven modus operandi and the results already achieved, the Federal Ministry of the Interior agreed to continue the working group in 2015 – and thereafter, if necessary. The NPM repeatedly criticised the restrictions on visiting opportunities at police detention centres. During its last visit to Austria in autumn 2014, the CPT also criticised the fact that persons being detained pending forced return are not permitted visits “under open conditions”. In this regard, the NPM advocated that the Federal Ministry of the Interior should remove the glass partitions from the visiting zone and enable more “table visits” in the future, which are now only permitted in exceptional circumstances. The Federal Ministry of the Interior initially rejected this, citing security concerns. A further proposal by the NPM called for a general extension of visiting hours in police detention centres. In the reporting year, the working group achieved encouraging results with respect to both matters. In general, a distinction is made between table visits and so-called security visits. In the future, table visits will be permitted for persons in open detention pending forced return and for hunger-striking persons being detained pending forced return who were only moved to a closed station to enable special care. Likewise, prisoners serving an administrative penalty and prisoners in administrative custody, i.e. persons detained provisionally and not under the Austrian Code of Criminal Procedure, can have table visits. Table visits can take place in berths with side walls (without partitions) or at free-standing tables to enable undisturbed conversations between detainees and visitors. Physical contact in the form of non-sexual touching is permitted (e.g. handshake, kiss on the cheek, embrace). More table visits permitted soon 122