- 76 149. At Ioannina Prison, the delegation observed that there is no separate visiting room, all visits taking place in a corner of the busy entrance hall of the prison, which offered very limited space and no privacy at all. The CPT recommends that appropriate conditions for visits be provided at Ioannina Prison. f. transport of prisoners 150. In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation had the opportunity to inspect vehicles used for transporting prisoners between different establishments and courts around the country. The detention area within the vehicle for placing prisoners consisted of two rows of cubicles, separated by a narrow corridor. Each cubicle, measuring approximately 1 m², was designed to hold a maximum of two persons seated on benches. However, the delegation observed that up to four prisoners were crowded into these cubicles. Prisoners complained that they had to stand up during the journey due to a lack of space to sit. Further, there were no safety belts, ventilation was extremely poor and lighting minimal. Moreover, some prisoners complained that they were not provided with drinking water or food, despite the journeys lasted several hours or longer. Prisoners met in the vehicles examined by the delegation confirmed that they had access to a toilet during the journey (for example during the stop at Larissa Prison). However, the delegation received allegations from several female prisoners at Diavata Prison that they were not always given an opportunity to access a toilet during a transfer journey and they had had to satisfy the needs of nature inside the vehicle. The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities take the necessary steps to ensure that the cubicles in the above-mentioned transport vehicles hold no more than two persons and that the vehicles are properly ventilated and fitted with safety belts. Further, all prisoners being transported should be provided with water as well as with food at appropriate intervals and regular stops should be made on long journeys to allow prisoner to satisfy the needs of nature. g. foreign national prisoners 151. At the time of the visit, approximately two-thirds of the prison population were foreign nationals. Nevertheless, there were no specific provisions in place in the prisons visited to address this situation. The existence of such a large foreign national inmate population raises a series of challenges for the Greek prison system such as language problems, diet and contact with the outside world. It also requires enhanced inter-personal skills from staff due to cultural differences and attitudes. Further, the approach towards work, vocational training and education should be reviewed bearing in mind whether a foreign national will remain in Greece at the end of his/her sentence or be returned to his/her country of origin. In this context, the inclusion of foreign nationals into early release schemes needs to be addressed (see paragraph 94).