According to the 2022 annual report, to which Lusa agency had access to, 31 more bailiffs are needed to comply with the legal framework, which should total 305.

Currently in office are 274 bailiffs, whose average age exceeds 56 years.

The report, signed by the presiding judge of the Judicial Court of the District of Coimbra, Carlos Oliveira, who was referred to the Superior Council of the Judiciary, points to the need to "increase the number of bailiffs, especially deputy clerks and deputy justice technicians".

In addition to requesting the full completion of the staff of bailiffs of the District of Coimbra, it is also requested that its rejuvenation be promoted.

"[It is recommended] to add operational assistants, technical assistants to the archive and administrative staff," he added.

According to the document, the judicial secretariats struggle with difficulty of human resources, "continuing to increase the vacatur of seats of judicial staff, caused by the only internal movements, without admission of new employees, by retirements, but also by absences and commissions/dismissal of service and the departure of employees under the mobility regime and by competition for other public administration services".

"Repeating what has already been stated in the previous annual report [2021], this reality exposes the situation of serious need arising from the structural insufficiency of the number of employees aspersed in the District, noting that the legal framework is clearly insufficient to adequately respond to the desire to provide an expeditious and quality service to the citizen," he said.

The situation is "so serious", that "virtually all services and judgments are at the minimum threshold for human resources".

"If they lose any more employees, they will go into operation rupture, which can not be closed by recourse to other Judgments, also they already depleted and operating at the limit, and geographically distant", warned.

Therefore, it underlines the absolute need for new employees, in order "to allow the filling of the departmental staff" and "the review in future movements of bailiffs of their number of employees".

In addition to the lack of bailiffs, there is also a need to provide the framework of the Cantanhede Local Civil Court with another judge of law.

"Pondering the unequivocal increase in the number of cases entered in the Family Court and Minors of Coimbra, and in the Local Civil Courts of Coimbra and Cantanhede, certainly reflects a change in local society and economy combined with the already evident work overload that the legislative change to the legal regime of the inventory process (with its partial judicialization) entails, it becomes increasingly pressing, at legislative level, the option of creating another place of judge of law in the frameworks of these Judgments", he explained.

The report also highlighted that, throughout the year, in order to maintain the normal functioning of the various Courts, the District of Coimbra implemented measures of accumulation of service for judges, in addition to having been allocated judges of complementary staff.

In regards to the number of prosecutors of the Republic, the legal framework should have 51, however, only 43 are in office.

"The absence of judges, combined with the lack of bailiffs, continued to be one of the most sensitive management problems of the District, and the Supplementary Board of Judges did not have, despite its judicious, intelligent and skilled management by the Superior Council of The Judiciary, the possibility to respond to all the needs felt, due lack of judges", Concluded.

The area of competence of the District of Coimbra covers the geographical space of the municipalities of Arganil, Cantanhede, Coimbra, Condeixa-a-Nova, Figueira da Foz, Góis, Lousã, Mira, Miranda do Corvo, Montemor-o-Velho, Oliveira do Hospital, Pampilhosa da Serra, Penacova, Penela, Soure, Tábua and Vila Nova de Poiares.