It is not enough to plead that obligations of supervision and assistance have been fulfilled, but it is necessary to demonstrate compliance in the specific case. Many complaints have been received against concessionaires of car parking areas, due to alleged abuses of the law enforcement staff. Culture On the other hand, not many complaints involving cultural rights issues were lodged with the Ombudsman (11 complaint procedures out of a total of 885). Most cases were concerned with the deterioration of cultural monuments, so often irremediably affected by misguided interventions. Sometimes, even though the claim is made against the licensing of civil works the true motivation is the protection of historic building and monuments. Leisure Regarding the leisure activities, there were 24 complaints addressed. Most of the requests received concern pet animals, gambling and sports federations. In 2016, the amounts of the prizes awarded in recognition of the value and merit of the remarking sporting results of the Paralympic athletes were equaled to those attributed to the Olympic athletes. This amendment was based on a suggestion of the Ombudsman that had pointed out that the value of the prizes Awarded to Olympic players were twice the value of the prizes awarded to Paralympic players. The Ombudsman considered it an intolerable discrimination, in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In addition, the suggestion to amend the Statutes of the Portuguese Skating Federation, bringing to an end the violation of the right of access to justice and the right to effective judicial protection enshrined in article 20 of the Constitution, was also accepted. Provision of public services (utilities) Regarding the provision of public services, the Ombudsman, as a general rule, forward the complainants to the regulatory authorities. However, in critical situations where the urgent provision of services is concerned, the Ombudsman simultaneously makes inquiries directly with the companies involved. | 35