The Ombudsman notes as positive the changes introduced by Decree-Law no. 20-C/2020, of May 7, to Decree-Law no. 10-A/2020, of March 13, in order to strengthen support for self-employed workers and members of statutory bodies of legal entities in the current economic and financial climate caused by the epidemiological outbreak that the country and the world are facing, but points…
Established by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 14, 1990, today we celebrate the International Day of Older Persons. Given its particular vulnerability in the current pandemic context, it is recalled that the promotion and protection of the rights of the senior citizens is one of the priorities of this State body, currently headed by the Ombudsperson…
The National Prevention Mechanism (NPM) decided to gradually resume monitoring visits to areas where people are deprived of their liberty, after the suspension of face-to-face activity decided in March following the OVID-19 pandemic, in line with the guidelines of the Directorate General for Health (DGS, in Portuguese) and the option of other international NPMs. During this month of October,…
The issuing or revalidation of medical certificates of multipurpose incapacity has experienced very significant delays. This conclusion was the basis of a recommendation addressed last February by the Ombudsman to the Government, with proposals that are still under analysis. The outbreak of the pandemic has made this situation much worse. The public health doctors, who generally composed the medical boards…
In 2019, the Ombudsman received 51,313 requests through the various channels available to citizens (6.6% more than in 2018), and 9823 complaint procedures were opened, representing an increase of 5% in relation to 2018. Compared with 2017, the growth in new complaint procedures is 26%; taking 2016 as a reference, the increase is 42%. In 2019, therefore, the activity indicators…
The Ombudsman sent a recommendation that the social water tariff be applied to the first m3 of consumption/month legally provided for consumers who meet the requirements for its benefit, regardless of whether they may exceed this monthly consumption. It is up to municipal councils to set maximum consumption limits on which discounts or exemptions are applied, but not a maximum…
The Ombudsman issued a new communication on how the Tax Authority (TA) is interpreting and applying the rule contained in Decree-Law 10-F/2020, which suspended tax executions until June 30. After exchanging correspondence with the Director General of TA, the Ombudsman now addressed the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, drawing attention to the issues addressed in that correspondence that are…
The services of the Ombudsman’s Office resume face-to-face service on May 18, at normal hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., requiring, however, prior appointment by telephone (213926600) or by electronic means (relações.publicas@provedor-jus.pt). Attendance will be provided on an individual basis, being the presence of accompanying persons not permitted, and will take place in compliance with the rules of hygiene…
The Ombudsman sent a recommendation to the Minister of Labour and Solidarity and Social Security suggesting a set of changes to the measure provided for in article 26 of Decree-Law no. 10-A/2020, of 13 March, of extraordinary support for the reduction in the activity of self-employed workers due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. To read the recommendation, click…
As part of the state of emergency, the Ombudsman sent the Minister of Justice a recommendation on prison establishments. To read the recommendation, click here [in Portuguese only].