B. Infrastructure Facilities - Living conditions dit and under clearly more adverse conditions. In the meanwhile, the Ombudsman had the opportunity to ascertain with on-site inspections conducted by its teams of experts the State’s inability to meet these increasingly more pressing needs both on the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, and in accommodation facilities of the mainland. In June 2015, teams of experts from the Ombudsman’s office carried out inspections in Lesvos, Leros and Kos, where they discovered, inter alia: “A serious problem reported to the team was the issue that the cost of the meals is not covered through the Returns Fund, but from the state budget, a fact that results in gaps and delays. There are 3 catering companies operating on a rotating basis, which means that the quality of the food varies. Three meals are provided each day. The suppliers (3) have not been paid for months at the time of the on-site inspection and were complaining, a fact that was reflected in the quality of the food. The food is rice, pasta, potatoes, and sometimes chicken. The detainees complained about the quantity. In the area outside the fence there is a canteen, licensed by the Municipality, while an employee from a mini market comes each day at the pre-removal center to take any orders from the detainees. The Municipality informed us that a relevant license was granted to anyone that requested it”. (Greek Ombudsman’s on-site inspection, Lesvos, Moria, 16-17 June 2015).157 “The meals were offered by the Hellenic Police, while a canteen operated on the site licensed by the Municipality. However, residents of the Park informed the team that their needs in food were not met (possibly due to small quantity and delay in distribution)”. (Greek Ombudsman’s on-site inspection, Lesvos, Kara Tepe, 16-17 June 2015).158 “For feeding an average of 80 people on a daily basis, 160 portions (two meals per person) are distributed each day, which are provided by local businesses. The expense is covered by the police and the food includes mainly pasta and rice. For the time being, the police allegedly owes more than 45,000 euros to the local busi- nesses. The refugees from Syria usually have the funds and stay at a hotel until they board the ship to Piraeus. Some eat in local restaurants”. (Greek Ombudsman’s onsite inspection, Leros, 24 June 2015).159 “Part of the needs in food is covered exclusively by the voluntary offers of local hotel owners, who in cooperation with the solidarity network package and distribute around 400-450 portions a day. This corresponds to one meal a day for those who present themselves at the distribution point at Captain Elias, while the others are fed either through the charity of private individuals or (mainly the Syrians) using their own funds”. (Greek Ombudsman’s onsite inspection, Kos, 25 June 2015).160 The Ombudsman addressed on 23 July 2015 the competent services of the ministries involved and requested that measures be taken promptly, noting that: the local solidarity networks, non-governmental organisations such as the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, and the UNHCR, cover the actual and important gaps, which emerge related to issues of daily maintenance of the buildings and management of the needs of the third-country nationals, and the collection and distribution of food, the collection and distribution of bed covers and clothing, as well as issues of health care.161 In the same document the Ombudsman noted that the financing of the food provided to arrivals in Lesvos is covered by the Hellenic Police, based on the JMD for the establishment of pre-removal centers, however, the long delay of several months in the payment of the catering expenses to the suppliers, led them in early July to declare inability to cover the relevant expenses in the future. This fact, in combination with the imposition of the capital controls and the large number of third-country nationals requiring alimentation be fed in Lesvos, created an explosive situation, which coincided with the issue of JMD 8038/23/22-λ/2015 (Government Gazette Β 1287/296-2015) for the extension of the operation of pre-removal centers and the coverage of expenses by the state budget. The failure of the competent authorities to provide alimentation to third-country nationals in Kos, in June 2015, is a typical example of the inherent problems of the entire 159 http://www.synigoros.gr/resources/leros24-06-2015.pdf 157 http://www.synigoros.gr/resources/lesvos16-17-06-2015.pdf 160 http://www.synigoros.gr/resources/kos25-26-05-2015.pdf 158 op. cit. http://www.synigoros.gr/resources/lesvos16-17-06-2015.pdf 161 http://www.synigoros.gr/resources/150727-stp.pdf 50