The Ombudsman’s Office suggested to the Secretary of State for Social Security that she reassess the classification of “single-parent household” in the context of family allowance eligibility. It was concluded that the terms of this classification are leading to decisions that are out of step with the reality of the families this benefit is intended to protect. The problem was…

On May 12, 2026, the Ombudsman submitted a communication to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the context of monitoring the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the Petrescu v. Portugal group of cases. Among other responsibilities, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the execution…

The Ombudsman submitted, on 29 January 2026, a communication to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the context of the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case Fernandes v. Portugal. Among its various responsibilities, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the execution of ECHR…

Two years after the deadline for submitting applications to the Support Programme for More Sustainable Buildings (PAE+S 2023), the Ombudsman continues to receive new complaints on the subject. Marking these two years, a new assessment of the programme’s implementation was sent to the Secretary of State for the Environment. The document is being released at a time when thousands of…

The Ombudsman sent a letter to the Government following the persistent lack of action by Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. (IP) in controlling environmental noise in the transport infrastructure under its responsibility. Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. has not yet prepared or submitted a significant part of the strategic noise maps and action plans for the 2021-2026 control cycle, which is therefore…

The Ombudsperson has been monitoring the issue of citizen services in public services. Approximately a year and a half after the publication of the thematic report, and based on its 25 recommendations, the Ombudsperson’s Office has completed a Follow-up Report, published today, 14 October 2025. It addresses the same broad areas analysed in 2023, namely information for citizens, waiting times,…

The Ombudsman has sent an official letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, highlighting serious irregularities in both the framework and the implementation of the extraordinary rent support scheme, and calling for its urgent revision. This initiative follows a significant volume of complaints revealing systemic failures, some of which had already been flagged in the last two annual…

On 18 July, the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security informed the Ombudsperson of its “full acceptance” of Recommendation No. 2/B/2025 of 7 May, which called for the correction of irregular practices by Social Security when demanding the repayment of unduly processed social benefits, as well as a review of the respective legal regime. These are practices that have…

The Ombudsman has published a Thematic Report on noise control which identifies the main problems found and presents a set of recommendations on an issue which, despite its significant impact on public health and quality of life in Portugal, is often undervalued by the public authorities, which contributes to a certain lack of civic awareness of the issue. Under the…

The Ombudsperson’s Office has suggested that the National Directorate of the Public Security Police (PSP) improve practices in the planning of police operations, in order to guarantee the predictability, rationality and proportionality of police action. The Ombudsman’s intervention followed the analysis of complaints about a police operation in December 2024. The suggestions result from the attention given to the requirements…