1.3.4. The Administrative Support The specificity of NPM and the requirements of autonomy and independence determined that the Ombudsman as NPM affected a member of the staff to provide all necessary administrative support. 1.4. Financial resources In 2014 - which marked the beginning of EMNP functions - the NPM did not have an autonomous budget relative to the one that was approved for the operation of the Ombudsman qua tale. Nevertheless, the Ombudsman affected the necessary funds, , to withstand the foreseeable expenditure for implementing the planned activities, in particular with regard to carrying out visits to places of detention, ensuring the functioning of the NPM(20). 2. National Preventive Mechanism activities 2.1. Visits In this year 2014, in the period between July and December 31, 19 visits were carried out to different places of detention, seven of which with the participation of the Ombudsman himself. Visits were planned to cover the largest possible geographical area and to be representative of the diversity of places of detention (e.g., prisons, psychiatric hospitals, educational youth centers, temporary installation centers for foreigners, places of detention of police forces and places of detention in the courts). The teams were composed from two up to four elements. (20)  Despite this fact, in 2015, the NPM is registered as a separate activity in the budget of the Ombudsman. 12 |