SECTION 2. the rights and freedoms of prisoners the Ombudsman sent a submission to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, who assigned the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine to establish an inter-agency working group for developing an appropriate action plan. This group included, inter alia, the experts of the NPM Department of the Ombudsman’s Office. The Ombudsman’s Secretariat informed management of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine about all identified instances of ill-treatment of criminal defendants/ convicts, including those related to their detention conditions. In September 2013 PGO management officially notified the Ombudsman that certain provisions of the building codes of Ukraine (namely, Buildings and Premises. Courts. DBN B.2.2-26:2010) are contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights and the national legislation and may amount to cruel or degrading treatment (letter dated September 4, 2013, No. 16116196-13). 119 The Prosecutor General of Ukraine proposed to SCAU and to the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Utilities to initiate harmonization of the detention conditions in such premises with the international standards and current legislation. At the initiative of the Ombudsman and with participation of her Representative for matters of NPM implementation the current status of compliance with the legislation in response to applications and petitions on torture and other ill-treatment on the part of the police and the issue of protection of the constitutional rights of prisoners with regard to proper material, medical and sanitary conditions of their custody were considered at the open meeting of the PGO Board on April 4, 2013 and at the meetings of the boards of the regional prosecutor’s offices. However, PGO management did not specify tasks of its territorial authorities with regard to oversight of compliance with the legislation in premises for criminal defendants/ convicts in courts. 2.7. Results of monitoring of institutions of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Institutions of the education system subject to monitoring by NPM staff are boarding schools of general education (including such for orphans and children with no parental care), special boarding schools of general education and educational rehabilitation centers (including such for orphans and children with no parental care), health care boarding schools, children’s homes and social rehabilitation schools of general education and vocational training (Annex 1). As compared to the previous periods the number of some institutions and the number of children in their custody tend to decrease. This is illustrated by the comparative tables below (according to the State Committee for Statistics). The number of special boarding schools and of children’s homes, at the beginning of the school year (left), and the numbers of residents thereat (right)