S.L. 217.8 Art. 5Visits and inspections by the Board.

(1) The Board shall visit and inspect detention centres not less than once a month in such manner as the Board deems convenient.

(2) If the Board so requests, such visits and inspections shall be attended by the Head and any other officer designated by the Head. Provided that no sanction shall be ordered, applied, permitted or tolerated against any person or organization for having communicated to the Board any information, whether true or false, and no such person or organization shall be otherwise prejudiced in any way.

(4) Neither the Head nor any other officer shall be present while a detainee is making a complaint before the Board. The Head, however, shall be heard on any such complaint.

(5) The Board shall keep a record of all complaints made to it by detainees and its decision thereon, and shall, if it deems necessary, take the sworn evidence of the complainant and of such officers and other detainees or other persons as the Board may deem relevant. The oath shall be administered by the Chairman or other member presiding.

(6) Unless it is evidently frivolous or groundless, every request or complaint shall be promptly dealt with and replied to without undue delay.

(7) Where it is not considered practicable by the Board to carry out a visit or an inspection under the foregoing provisions of this regulation by all the members of the Board, a visit or an inspection carried out by not less than two members designated for such purpose by the Board shall be deemed a visit or an inspection carried out by the Board, and the foregoing provisions shall apply to any such visit or inspection in the same manner and to the like effect as to one carried out by the Board. Any record kept by the members carrying out such a visit or inspection and any complaint received by such members shall be referred to the Board at its next meeting and entered in the minutes, provided that if it is necessary to hear any evidence on oath during any such visit or inspection the oath may be administered by any one of the members conducting the visit or inspection.

(8) The members of the Board may also make such visits or inspections either together or separately at any time, whether by day or night, whenever they consider it desirable to do so. Such visits or inspections may also be made without prior notice to the Head. A report of such visits or inspections shall be made to the Board at its next meeting unless the members carrying out the visit or inspection consider to inform the Board earlier through the Chairman.