2014-2015 REPORT ON NATIONAL PREVENTION OF TORTURE We note with great pleasure the willingness to cooperate with the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office, to take into account the provided recommendations and make efforts to implement them demonstrated by the majority of institutions. Unfortunately, failure to implement the recommendations is often related to the lack of funding. In 2015, more follow-up visits were conducted. The Seimas Ombudsmen made follow-up visits to one imprisonment institution, three care institutions for adults and two police custody facilities and premises of temporary detention. Seeking to ensure proper implementation of recommendations, the Seimas Ombudsmen carry out follow-up monitoring of the situation of human rights. Therefore, a lot of attention was paid to observing the implementation of the recommendations, namely the information on implemented recommendations or recommendation implementation plans submitted by institutions was carefully analysed and lacking information was requested. To the extent possible, follow-up visits were carried out. While performing the national prevention of torture, it is crucial to involve experts, namely persons with special knowledge and competence who are capable of providing assessment of a situation based on their expert knowledge supported by practical skills. INVOLVEMENT OF EXPERTS In 2014, a preliminary roster of experts including representatives of various state institutions, research establishments and NGOs who expressed their consent to assist the Seimas Ombudsmen in the performance of the national prevention of torture, draft Rules of procedure for inclusion of experts in inspections of places of detention, and a draft model agreement on provision of expert services. This preparatory work was finished in 2015 adopting the Rules of Procedure for Inclusion of Experts in Inspections of Places of Detention (approved by 24 August 2015 Order No 1V-4 of the Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office), A Model Agreement on Provision of Fee-paying Expert Services with annexes: Certificate of Confidentiality (Annex 1) and Declaration of Objectiveness (Annex 2) (approved by 24 August 2015 Order No 1V-42 of the Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office), A Roster of Experts for Inclusion in Inspections of Places of Detention (approved by 3 December 2015 Order No 1V-65 of the Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office) as well as the plan of the content of introductory training for experts and the memorandum of monitoring. FOLLOW-UP VISITS The purpose of follow-up visits is to clarify the results of implementation of recommendations issued by the Seimas Ombudsmen since the control of recommendation implementation is a very important aspect of the national prevention of torture making it possible to establish whether the recommendations were implemented and what specific actions were undertaken by the institution to implement them. In 2014 only one follow-up visit was carried out in a case where doubt arose as to whether the recommendations were indeed implemented. The institution was visited after the working hours and the information submitted by the institution was verified on site. 8