The Ombudsman has sent a recommendation to the Order of Nurses to amend its Disciplinary Regulations, in order to remove the prohibition on the presence of a lawyer when witnesses are examined in disciplinary proceedings. To read the Recommendation, click here [in Portuguese only].
Vulnerable families who are part of the convergent social protection scheme are still not receiving the extraordinary support to mitigate the effects of inflation created by Decree-Law 21-A/2023 of 28 March, and the Ombudsman recently renewed her call to the Secretary of State for Public Administration in July for the problem to be resolved. The law establishes that, among others,…
On the eve of its half-century anniversary, on 15 November the Ombudsman has moved its headquarters from Rua do Pau de Bandeira, in the residential neighbourhood of Lapa, to Palácio Vilalva, located between Rua Marquês de Fronteira and Largo de São Sebastião da Pedreira, in one of Lisbon’s central hubs. This fulfils a long-standing ambition to place the state institution…
The Ombudsman has submitted a request to the Constitutional Court for a declaration of unconstitutionality, with general binding force, of rules in force in the Autonomous Region of Madeira that limit the activity of individual passenger transport in uncharacterised vehicles, known by the acronym TVDE. At present, TVDE activity in the Autonomous Region of Madeira is subject to a numerus…
The Ombudsman has submitted a request to the Constitutional Court for a declaration of unconstitutionality, with general binding force, of rules contained in Law no. 13/2023, of 3 April, which amended the Labour Code and related legislation “within the scope of the decent work agenda”. The rules in question are those contained in Article 10(3) of the Labour Code, which…
The Ombudsman’s Office welcomes the decision by EMEL – Empresa Municipal de Mobilidade e Estacionamento de Lisboa, E.M.S.A., to reverse the imposition of a fine for non-payment of a parking fee after it was proven that the nearest parking meter was out of order. This review followed the intervention of the Ombudsman’s Office, which found that the metadata of the…
The Ombudsman’s Office has suggested that parish councils offer citizens an alternative to the use of the white stamp as a means of authenticating certifying documents signed by the respective presidents, namely certificates of residence or economic situation. The recommendation came about following a complaint in which it was found that citizens may find it impossible to use these documents…
The Ombudsman has sent a recommendation to the Minister of Finance to repeal, as soon as possible, the regime on which the so-called Additional Solidarity Tax on the Banking Sector (“ASSB”) is based. After an in-depth study of the tax, carried out following the receipt of a complaint, it was concluded that it violates the principle of ability to pay,…
The Ombudsman submitted a request to the Constitutional Court for a declaration of unconstitutionality, with general binding force, of rules contained in Law 45/2012, of 29 August, which approves the legal regime for access to and exercise of the profession of driving examiner and the recognition of training bodies. The provisions in question are article 4(b) of the law, according…
The increase in the number of complaints from foreign citizens regarding delays in procedures for granting residence permits justified an intervention by the Ombudsman’s Office specifically aimed at the Aliens and Borders Service (SEF), whose conclusions and recommendations are presented in the report now released. Bearing in mind the recent publication of the legislation creating the Agency for Integration, Migration…
