A/HRC/25/17 asylum applications per 1,000 inhabitants for 2008–2012. The delegation stated that the asylum recognition rate was high, at around 50 per cent or more, and it had reached 90 per cent in 2012. 16. The delegation stated that asylum seekers were given all the necessary information about the asylum procedures, including information on their rights and obligations during the entire process, and were assisted by interpreters. Detainees were informed about the right to appeal their removal and detention order, and about the right to apply for asylum. 17. The Government ensured that refurbishment of closed and open centres was carried out regularly. Vulnerable persons, such as unaccompanied minors, families and single parents with minor children, were not subject to the detention requirement. Minors received the same rights as Maltese minors, including the right to attend State schools. 18. Malta continued to fully respect its international legal obligations regarding the rescue of persons in distress at sea, regardless of the provenance and legal status of the persons requiring rescue. The delegation noted that a total of over 13,000 persons had been rescued by the Maltese authorities over the past decade. The number of chambers in the Immigration Appeals Board and the Refugee Appeals Board had been increased so that decisions were reached more expeditiously. In that respect, the delegation concluded that the developments outlined in the areas of search and rescue, irregular migration and asylum illustrated that Malta approached those sensitive issues with a strong human rights focus. 19. The delegation pointed to a network of specialized entities covering a wide range of human rights. The Office of the Refugee Commissioner, which had been set up by the Refugees Act in 2000, was responsible for receiving, processing and determining asylum applications. The Office had offered individual assistance in filling in registration forms and provided information sessions to potential asylum seekers to inform them about their rights and obligations in relation to applying for asylum. Since 2009, the Office had upgraded its operations through the provision of additional staff and better-equipped premises in order to process asylum applications in an efficient manner. 20. The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities had served as the watchdog on government initiatives on the rights of disabled persons with the capacity to suggest changes to legislation. It was mandated to investigate complaints and carry out needs assessment of persons with disabilities, their families and voluntary entities working in this field in order to feed into policy formulation. 21. The Commissioner for Children had been empowered to promote compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other international instruments that further the rights of the child. 22. The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) had worked to safeguard and promote equal treatment on the grounds of sex/gender and family responsibilities, sexual orientation, age, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief and gender identity in employment, banks and financial institutions, as well as education and vocational training. It also worked to ensure equality based on racial or ethnic origin and gender in the provision of goods and services and their supply. It carried out training on equality and non-discrimination issues, investigated complaints and provided independent assistance to persons facing discrimination. Its role also extended to monitoring the implementation of national policies with respect to the promotion of equality for men and women through gender-mainstreaming. The delegation stated that the Government had been working to extend the remit of NCPE to a human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles. 23. The Parliamentary Ombudsman, an Independent Officer of the Parliament, was mandated to investigate complaints about any decision or action, or a lack of action by 5