Administration of the judiciary In 2011, 646 complaints regarding the judiciary were addressed to the competent Ombudswoman Gertrude Brinek; this was 13.8% of all investigative proceedings. For the second consecutive time, a decrease in the number of complaints has been observed; the AOB considers this to be the result of improved information and complaints service. In 2007, the Austrian judiciary introduced ombudsoffices (Justiz-Ombudsstellen) which are located at the higher regional courts and are headed by experienced judges. Anyone involved in court proceedings may turn to the ombudsoffice if they have questions or complaints concerning the work of the courts. The AOB's remit covers administration of the judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the penal system and investigations into delays in court proceedings. In 2011, a large part of the complaints, however related to court rulings by the independent judiciary. Internal security Ombudswoman Terezija Stoisits recorded 1,306 complaints regarding internal security issues in the year under review. This means a rise in the number of complaints by 67% (2010: 781). Like in previous years, this is due primarily to the large number of complaints relating to the law on aliens and the law on asylum. Complaints did not relate solely to matters involving the Federal Ministry of the Interior and agencies subordinate to it, but primarily concerned the Asylum Court and the Independent Federal Asylum Senate (UBAS). Beginning in 2012, the AOB introduced a separate complaint register for these complaints to enable a more precise presentation and allocation of responsibilities. Investigative proceedings: 2010 Vienna 848 817 3.8 Lower Austria 570 575 -0.9 Styria 365 345 5.8 Upper Austria 328 298 10.1 Carinthia 184 166 10.8 Salzburg 164 166 -1.2 Burgenland 163 120 35.8 2,622 2,487 5.4 regional & local authorities TOTAL 18 Change 2011 in %