(cont. from § 4) Municipal issues (cont. FiU26)
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
S argues that the welfare system, particularly elderly care, suffers from a lack of resources and competence 1 2. S believes that the government and SD are not providing enough resources 1 and that they are not making more general investments than S previously did 2. SD argues that they and the government have negotiated large funds for municipalities and regions 3. SD believes that they are increasing the general state grants so that municipalities can plan their own operations and structure them according to their own needs 3. SD argues that they are removing the administrative burden for the municipalities 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Eva Lindh (S)
Madam Speaker! The cracks in the welfare state are becoming increasingly clear, not least within elderly care. The working conditions for those who work there have been sidelined in many municipalities and will likely have to be sidelined in the future as well because the government and the Sweden Democrats are not providing sufficient resources to the welfare state.
The Sweden Democrats usually talk themselves into a lather about elderly policy and a better policy for the elderly. I have spoken with quite a few who believed what they say. But now, after the election, the truth is showing. In the policy that the Sweden Democrats actually want to pursue, they do not invest at all in elderly care and in the welfare for the Swedish elderly who have worked their entire lives to build up society. What do the Sweden Democrats want to say to them?
Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Eva Lindh, for the question!
It is the case that in the budget negotiated by the government and the Sweden Democrats which applies this year, we are allocating large funds to Sweden's municipalities and regions. They receive together over 13 billion in both general and targeted state grants for 2023, plus the upcoming electricity support of over 5 billion. This is included in SKR's own report, and it is assessed that it will be able to provide extra supplements to the operations.
The Sweden Democrats and the government have made changes compared to the previous Social Democratic government. We choose, for example, to increase the general grants to the municipalities and regions so that they will have a better opportunity to plan their own operations and structure them according to their own needs. What the previous government did was perhaps above all to focus on the targeted state grants, which lock municipalities and regions into a great deal of administrative work in applying for them, fulfilling the requirements set for obtaining them, and then managing them within the period they exist.
By us now having increased the general state grants to the municipalities and regions, they get, in addition to the supplement, also as mentioned the opportunity to plan their operations. If there is a surplus in a municipality or region, they can save those funds for coming years in order to be able to continue providing a good operation. This will naturally have an effect within the school and healthcare, but also within elderly care as Eva Lindh herself mentioned.
The Sweden Democrats and the government have thus negotiated an investment in municipalities and regions.
Eva Lindh (S)
Madam Speaker! I do not share Mattias Eriksson Falk's picture. One: It is not sufficient resources for the welfare system. Two: It is not at all the case that this government and the Sverigedemokraterna are making more general investments – the Socialdemokrater also did such things. In our budget, we put twice as much money into the welfare system, and they were also general so that municipalities and regions could decide for themselves.
Now, elderly care is lacking staff in a very clear way. This also applies moving forward, and it is one of the other major problems. In addition to insufficient resources to expand, strengthen, and have the good elderly care that I hope we are still in agreement that we want for Sweden's elderly, it is also the case that there is a lack of competence.
The elderly care boost was a very good initiative. At least almost everyone I have spoken with says so. They mean that it was a good initiative to get more people who have the competence to work within elderly care, which is very important.
After 2023, there will be no money left for it. There is therefore a shortage of both money and competence. It will be devastating for elderly care.
I spoke with a man on the phone yesterday. He called me and said that he had voted for Sverigedemokraterna because he believed in them. He believed that they wanted to make elderly care better. They do not do that, he said. This does not speak for everyone, of course, but he said that he will not vote for Sverigedemokraterna anymore. He no longer trusts them.
He said to me: Please, ask them why they are not keeping what they promised before the election but are doing something else!
Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)
Madam Speaker! Eva Lindh and I have debated the issue of Äldreomsorgslyftet before as well when we discussed the state budget and the effects of the fact that it will eventually disappear. It will be a halved investment this year.
What the Sweden Democrats and the government have negotiated are more general state grants that allow the municipalities to decide for themselves how they choose to manage the funds they receive. They can, for example, allocate them to elderly care. They do not, however, become locked to a label, in this case Äldreomsorgslyftet.
I can only look at my home municipality Gävle, which is ruled by the Social Democrats. There, they didn't even apply for this support. Now, one does not need to apply for these funds, because the Sweden Democrats and the government have negotiated so that the municipalities will receive money in a general support instead. One has the opportunity to allocate them to elderly care or the school.
We are therefore allocating the funds, but we are removing the administrative burden for the municipalities to handle the issue, which is very pleasing. This also saves money for the municipalities in times like these.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.