- 19 39. In their letter of 1 February 2000, the Greek authorities informed the CPT that the Athens Transfer Centre for prisoners had been cleaned and disinfected. Nevertheless, the Committee considers that more vigorous action is required in order to bring conditions of detention at the Centre up to an acceptable standard. The CPT therefore recommends that immediate action be taken in order to: - reduce the official capacity of Athens Transfer Centre for prisoners; - supply all detainees with clean mattresses and blankets; - improve the ventilation and artificial lighting in the cells; - ensure regular disinfecting and cleaning of the premises; - repair the toilet facilities and ensure a regular supply of hot water; - ensure that prisoners are supplied with an appropriate range of personal hygiene items. Further, means should be sought to enable prisoners held at the Transfer Centre to have outdoor exercise on a daily basis. 40. As regards food, the delegation was told that prisoners were allocated 1,000 drachmas for every day spent in travel/transfer, with which they could purchase food from outside. This sum of money is equivalent to a sandwich and a soft drink, and is clearly insufficient for the adequate feeding of adult persons. The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities take steps to ensure that prisoners in transit are being provided with food which is sufficient in quantity and quality. 4. Safeguards against ill-treatment 41. The CPT has already stressed in its 1997 visit report that persons detained under the Aliens' legislation should - in the same way as other categories of persons deprived of their liberty - be entitled, as from the outset of their detention, to inform a person of their choice of their situation and to have access to a lawyer and a doctor. Further, they should be expressly informed, without delay and in a language they understand, of all their rights and of the procedure applicable to them. In addition, such persons should be entitled to maintain contact with the outside world during their detention, and in particular to have access to a telephone and to receive visits from relatives and representatives of relevant organisations. 42. The situation observed by the CPT’s delegation in the course of the 1999 visit falls considerably short of meeting the above requirements. Numerous foreign nationals met by the delegation stated that they had expressed a wish to contact the consulate of their country, but had not been given its telephone number. Access to a pay-phone was not always ensured (e.g. there were no pay-phones in Glyfada and Kolonos Police Stations).