Oikeuspalveluvirasto to close over 100 offices nationwide
Oikeuspalveluvirasto plans to close more than 100 offices across Finland, shrinking its network from 158 to 38 by 2027 and concentrating services in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio and Joensuu. The reform would also affect staffing, with 81 percent of the soon-to-be-closed offices currently without staff.
Oikeuspalveluvirasto plans to close more than 100 offices across Finland, shrinking its network from 158 to 38 by 2027 and concentrating services in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio and Joensuu; 81 percent of the to-be-closed offices currently have no staff, YLE writes.
The reform also consolidates the agency’s structure: mainland Finland would have nine legal-aid offices and five advocacy offices instead of 22, with five financial and debt advisory offices remaining. The aim is to improve uniformity, quality and accessibility, reducing fragmentation that the agency says hampers leadership and resource use.
It could save money: at least half a million euros yearly in premises costs, plus about 630,000 euros from slimmer management, while the agency’s operating costs have already been trimmed by almost six million euros under a state productivity program. The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Justice on February 27 and is slated to take effect from the start of 2027; the nationwide Oikeuspalveluvirasto began operating last year.
Catch the full story over at YLE
