However, the National Agency also had to reject several requests for support because of a lack of personnel resources. In the period under review, the National Agency also continued the participation which it had commenced in 2009 in the project to improve networking between the national preventive mechanisms (NPM project), as well as between the CPT and the SPT, launched by the Council of Europe and the European Commission. In December 2010 and in 2011, respectively, it attended the annual meetings with all the directors of the national preventive mechanisms and with the contact persons in Strasbourg and Ljubljana organised by the Council of Europe. Staff members of the secretariat, furthermore, took part in the content of several workshops funded by the Council of Europe within the “NPM project” on topics such as police custody, methods of inspection visits, security and human dignity in places where people are deprived of their liberty. Many states have taken the opportunity to obtain information at the workshops on current developments in Germany and on the initial experience of the National Agency. This made it very clear how much international interest there is in the work of the German preventive mechanism. The workshops moreover led to several bilateral contacts with other European OP-CAT states. Finally, the National Agency attended the presentation of the Fifth State Report of the Federal Republic of Germany concerning measures to implement the Convention of 10 December 1984 against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, in Geneva on 4 November 2011. The Director of the Federal Agency and the Chairman of the Commission of the Länder reported to the Committee on the work of the National Agency and were available to answer further questions. 3. Overview of enquiries by individuals The National Agency received a large number of written, telephone and electronic enquiries and various pieces of information from individuals in the period under review. The enquiries related exclusively to facilities within the remit of the Commission of the Länder, roughly half of them concerning prisons and psychiatry. Particularly when it came to psychiatric institutions, a visit to a facility was soon followed by suggestions from individuals. The secretariat always wrote to these individuals to let them know that their concern had been acknowledged and that they would receive a written response at a later time. The persons were informed in individual cases that they could have their report passed on to either the competent Ministries of Justice, or to the secretariat of the CPT. In other cases, advisory agencies or contacts could be named who are able to help with regard to the concerns. Furthermore, individual applications following a visit formed the basis for a renewed enquiry to the facility in question. The National Agency is neither legally empowered, nor is it able, to remedy individuals’ complaints or to give them legal advice. It however proved to be challenging to convince the persons concerned of this in many cases, even though it is explicitly pointed out to each person who turns to the National Agency. This notwithstanding, information on concrete incidents is of great practical relevance for the work of the National Agency. It is available as background information in inspection visits, and can help focus on specific problem areas. Furthermore, concrete information and indications may influence the selection of the facilities to be visited and the priorities consequently set. 82