Question Time

ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN

Question Time

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions will be answered today by Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson, Minister Anna Tenje, and Minister Erik Slottner.

A question must be of an overarching and general political nature or concern a subject that falls within the Minister's area of responsibility and concerns his/her performance of duties. Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard answers both general political questions and questions within her own area of responsibility.

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Yasmine Bladelius (S)

Madam Speaker! Yesterday, we Social Democrats invited trade unions and employers within the welfare sector to a round-table discussion to get their view of the situation within healthcare, elderly care, and social services. They gave a dark and worrying picture of the situation.

We have a personnel crisis in large parts of the welfare sector. Sveriges läkarförbund reports that six out of ten doctors are considering changing workplaces or leaving the medical profession entirely. Nearly every third junior doctor is considering leaving the profession. Vårdförbundet reports that more and more nurses are leaving healthcare completely – and that it is entirely manageable factors that lie behind this. Healthcare staff are on their knees, and the need for new thinking and new initiatives is great.

In our budget alternative, we have taken the initiative to appoint a welfare commission, similar to the Defence Commission. My question to the Minister is: What is your position on our initiative for a welfare commission?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Member Yasmine Bladelius for the question.

I completely agree with the member: We must care for the care. If we do not ensure good conditions for an improved work environment and improved working conditions, we will not have the employees we need, whether in the hospitals or in primary care.

When it comes to the question of a welfare commission or what the trade unions themselves have raised, namely that one needs a crisis commission, it can absolutely have a purpose that one occasionally looks at issues long-term. Right now, however, it is measures in the near term that are needed, and they need to be taken at every workplace. Therefore, it is a priority for us to ensure that there are resources and support for the regions so that they can as soon as possible take measures that make it so that more can manage to stay in the profession and perhaps that more can work full-time based on the full-time measure that is in place.

So, work environment measures are required in the near term, but then we are happy to look at long-term parts. There, the budget is a good way to work to ensure good conditions moving forward.

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Yasmine Bladelius (S)

Madam Speaker! All of the country's regions are now reporting that they will run large deficits next year. We Social Democrats have therefore, in our budget alternative, proposed twice as much in general state grants to municipalities and regions as the government has. It is about them being able to manage the crisis.

How does the Minister think that cuts at the hospitals and layoffs of hospital staff will lead to more care beds?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the supplementary question.

It is only with retained staff or more employees that we can manage the crisis in health and medical care. In the coming years, it will be difficult to manage the finances, and therefore it is fantastically good that the regions have two years of record surpluses behind them - it is 20 billion for 2020 and 20 billion for 2021. Some of them have wisely used the surplus to smooth out the economy ahead.

It is very important that money is added. However, I am not sure that the 1.8 billion that separates the government from the Social Democrats is what makes the difference.

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Anna-Lena Blomkvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Ivo has conducted a review of 27 acute hospitals in all regions in the country. The hospitals that Ivo has criticized so far are located in 17 of the country's 21 regions, and all have more or less the same type of problem: a shortage of nurses.

This leads to too few healthcare beds, which results in so-called corridor care as well as patients being cared for in the wrong department. In the media, we can read about how patients in the emergency rooms are placed in corridors due to a lack of space and that pot lids are used as temporary alarms. As if that were not enough, black trash bags are put over the lights in the corridor so that patients placed in the corridor can sleep at night. But even worse is that there are examples of patients having died due to a lack of space.

This is completely unacceptable in our Swedish welfare state. Does the Minister for Health believe, like the Sweden Democrats, that these figures are frightening and very serious?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for your question, Member Blomkvist!

Yes, it is very serious. It is serious considering patient safety, and it is also serious considering the staff's situation. To constantly work with full occupancy - or even 110-120 percent occupancy, that is, overcapacity - and also with outsourcing, that is, that patients are cared for in departments with the wrong competence, entails a patient risk. It affects both patients and staff.

That is why the investment we are making from the government's side is necessary, and I am very pleased that we have a broad majority for the budget whose framework was adopted in the Riksdag yesterday. It is essential that we can now provide 2 billion annually specifically aimed at improving the working environment. We measure this in the form of the possibility to reduce over-occupancy, reduce outsourcing, and lower the occupancy rate. This can then be done in many different ways; it can involve more places in our healthcare hospitals but also an expanded home healthcare. The measures are thus different, but the direction is important.

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Anna-Lena Blomkvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer from the Minister for Health and Social Affairs. It is pleasing to see that the government and the Sweden Democrats stand united both regarding the budget that has been presented and regarding the Tidö Agreement. It is a big step in the right direction for Sweden.

Healthcare is the most important cornerstone of our welfare state. Emergency care must be accessible, secure, and maintain high quality for those who need emergency help. Now, the minister has already answered my second question, which was how she intends to ensure emergency care, but I wonder if she has anything further to add.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is necessary to provide money - absolutely. Then one should remember that it is not certain that money always solves all problems. Indeed, there has been a significant amount of billions that the regions have not been able to use because the money has been temporary.

It is therefore important that it is fixed money that the regions know will be returned and that one ensures that the working environment is improved. This can, however, be done in many different ways. It can be about reducing the administrative superstructure that is not always needed, but it can also be about ensuring that there are more colleagues – and that the person who has a free weekend knows that it will truly be a free weekend.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Madam Speaker! My question is definitely of a general political nature, and the interest in it is great in the country today. It concerns the electricity market.

How does the government view the risks with today's pricing model? Sweden's industries want to make the transition and have already begun making large investments. The uncertainty regarding electricity prices has made the pressure to question the market definitely increase. We have no electricity production in Sweden that costs more than just over 30 öre per kilowatt-hour, and we have large exports. Still, many pay up to 5 kronor per kilowatt-hour on certain days and weeks.

Does the government intend to do anything regarding the pricing model for our own-produced electricity sold to Swedish customers?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Birger Lahti for the question. This is a very pressing issue.

It is probably many both companies and households that have a figurative lump in their stomachs over how the electricity bill will look going forward. That is why it is so serious that the previous government chose to proceed and shut down fully functioning nuclear power which meant predictable power for us.

The government has worked extremely hard since day one to ensure that electricity support can be issued to households. When it comes to Swedish industry, it has also come to be affected by high electricity prices.

The electricity-intensive industry often has a location based on access to fossil-free electricity but naturally still has a great concern regarding the future. The Government has allocated 2.4 billion in the budget in support of electricity-intensive industry during high electricity prices.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Madam Speaker! I heard no answer to my question regarding the pricing model, but I did not expect that either.

Regarding the price support, or the support for industry and consumers, the Minister states that it has been issued. But half of Sweden is without support, even though the price, for example, yesterday in the whole country was 483.73 öre.

Can the government promise that homeowners in northern Sweden who have to take out bank loans to pay the electricity bill can receive support so that they can settle the bank loans, or in any case receive the same form of support as in southern Sweden?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Northern Sweden has had an electricity price that has been significantly lower than the reference price that the government is now basing its calculations on. Someone who wants to bind their electricity contract for three years in Skåne pays just over 4 kronor today. Someone who wants to bind for three years in Luleå pays 1.40.

The electricity death is also financed by capacity fees. These are funds that consumers in southern Sweden have paid in as a result of the large price differences that have existed between the north and the south. In that case, it is also reasonable that those who have paid the fees get to participate in and share in them.

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Many of us probably raised our eyebrows when we read the Tidö Agreement earlier this autumn and the concept of "lack of conduct" appeared, especially when it concerned prostitution. It could be counted as a lack of conduct and grounds for deportation. I have closely followed what both the Minister for Migration, the Minister for Equality, and others have answered when they have been asked these questions. But it does not make the matter any clearer.

Many probably perceive the Tidö Agreement as I do, namely that it is a basis for the government's policy. It is not a document where one is to interpret legal texts from several decades ago regarding whether to reintroduce prostitution as a basis for lack of conduct.

There is a reason why it was removed in Swedish legislation, namely that something better was introduced. The Riksdag introduced the sex purchase law which establishes that it is not the woman who sells sex who is criminal, but the one who buys sex. Victims of prostitution shall be protected and not punished.

My question to the Minister for Migration is: Do the Moderaterna really stand fully behind the six-purchase law, or is it intended to be compromised, which would presumably be the consequence if this issue is investigated?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Helena Vilhelmsson, for the question!

The answer is very simple. Yes, the Moderates continue to stand behind the existing six-year rule. What it is about is letting an inquiry look at the possibility of deporting people due to lack of integrity. It is a piece of legislation that has existed previously in Sweden.

When we have produced the writings in the Tidö Agreement, we have taken examples from previous legislation that we have exemplified with. I want to be very clear that it is absolutely not about deporting people solely because they have been placed in a state of vulnerability solely because they are being prostituted.

This is rather about those who exploit prostitutes. It is about persons who have dealings with criminal organizations.

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for a clear answer!

Once again, that is not what de facto stands in the Tidö Agreement. But I feel reasonably secure in the minister saying that one stands on the side of the vulnerable. Prostitution is about vulnerable people.

My question remains. What is it actually that is missing in the legislation? We have the sex purchase law which protects the vulnerable person who sells sex and criminalizes the one who buys sex.

We have the reflection period in the Aliens Act which ensures that the victim can regain composure and strength to be able to contribute to convicting the one who is actually responsible, namely the scoundrel. What is it that is missing?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! To begin with, I note that there are far too many who are still being exploited by people who choose to exploit vulnerable people. We must work with full force in the entire society in a number of different areas to combat this.

What it is about here is to ensure that people who do not want to be a part of Sweden and have clear ties to criminal organizations can be deported even if they are not prosecuted for a crime where a deportation follows.

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Elin Söderberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! The supply of competence is central to securing both strong business development and welfare in Sweden.

Thanks to the green industrial revolution and companies' climate transition, Sweden's innovative power and competitiveness are also strengthened. It is a development that contributes to a fantastic societal development.

Thousands of new jobs are being created. These are jobs that also must be filled. Skills supply has therefore emerged as a central issue for municipalities, regions, and companies.

Madam Speaker! I am a Member of Parliament from northern Sweden, so I use my home region as an example. Norrbotten and Västerbotten have the lowest unemployment in Sweden. It is expected that 50,000 new jobs will be created in a region with 250,000 employed and 11,000 unemployed.

Competence from abroad already plays a very large and important role for the competence supply of Swedish companies. In the Union's survey of clubs in Norrbotten and Västerbotten, it appears that every third workplace today has people who have moved here to work.

My question to Maria Malmer Stenergard is: What does the Minister intend to do to secure the supply of skills to Swedish companies?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Elin Söderberg, for the long question!

It is an incredibly important issue. No matter which company visit one makes, they are crying out for competence. There is no simple answer to how we solve it.

When it comes to the issue of labor immigration, the government is very clear. That is approximately how I interpret the issue. I am aware of the fantastic development taking place in Norrland. I am aware that it is necessary to attract people from other countries.

That is why we also want to strengthen labor immigration for qualified and highly qualified jobs. But when it comes to low-skilled jobs, we mean that it is more people in Sweden who should be able to take those jobs.

We also view with great concern that those jobs are more clearly linked to the exploitation of people and abuse of the regulations for labor migration. We want to combat this in various ways.

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Elin Söderberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Minister!

Of course, no one should be exploited in Sweden when they are here and working. But we see today that it is not only special specialist skills that are being recruited from abroad.

We have a skills shortage and staffing problems. There is simply a lack of hands and feet. We see it both in companies and in the welfare sector. When we have such large needs as needing to recruit 50,000 people in a region with 11,000 unemployed, the situation is serious.

The government has in the Tidö Agreement signaled several reforms that make it more difficult to move to Sweden. How do we secure the personnel supply?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! It is incredibly important that companies can strengthen their competence. Therefore, it must also become more profitable to work. Arbetsförmedlingen must use the tools that exist. People must also be prepared to move to where the jobs are.

I do not think that sufficient requirements are being set there. That is why the government is very clear that it must pay off better to work. Arbetsförmedlingen shall use the tools that are available.

We shall also ensure that it is possible to recruit top-tier expertise from the other side of the world.

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Carl Nordblom (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

It is reported at regular intervals in the media about persons who have received protection in Sweden but who subsequently visit their home countries.

Can the Minister for Migration now, after today's press conference, tell more and elaborate on what the government intends to do to revoke residence permits that have been granted on incorrect grounds?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Carl Nordblom, for a very pressing question!

It is true that today we had a press conference, Henrik Vinge and I, where we presented a new government mandate to the Swedish Migration Agency. This means that the Swedish Migration Agency must establish routines for handling cases concerning the revocation of residence permits.

An internal audit report last year showed that one does not have those types of routines in place. If indications reach the authority that a person has been granted a residence permit on incorrect grounds, one has no routines for handling it and ensuring that the residence permit is revoked if applicable.

It can be a matter of someone returning to their home country a short time after being granted a residence permit, for example due to a need for protection. That in itself can be an indication that one actually does not have a need for protection. We must use society's resources for those who actually have a need for protection. Therefore, this mission is incredibly important.

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Carl Nordblom (M)

Madam Speaker! The Minister for Migration often mentions that with the new government, there will be a paradigm shift in migration policy. In what way is the issue of revocation of residence permits an important part in this regard?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Carl Nordblom for the supplementary question.

Just as the questioner says, a paradigm shift in Swedish migration policy is required, and that involves a series of measures in a number of different areas to achieve it.

It is about getting immigration and integration in order. And just as I said, we must prioritize using society's resources for those who truly have a need for protection. Therefore, it is so important that one can also handle the situation when information emerges that a person has received protection on an incorrect basis.

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Dan Hovskär (KD)

Madam Speaker! Fraud via fake phone calls affects many elderly people who lose their money by being tricked into disclosing their BankID.

Digital exclusion is a major societal problem even for a number of ordinary consumers. It has become increasingly common for fraudsters to pretend to call from a bank or an authority. The fraudsters are often very skilled at social interaction.

A recently released report from the police's national operational department, Noa, shows that the criminal gangs are making large sums through fraud. The mapping shows that the income from deceiving the elderly and people with disabilities is much larger than feared. This is a worrying development. The elderly should not have to be exposed to crime. Treating the elderly with respect must be a matter of course.

Madam Speaker! My question to the Minister for Civil Affairs is: How is the government working to reduce digital exclusion and to put a stop to fraud against the elderly?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the questioner for a very important question on a very pressing issue.

There are few things that upset me as much as when elderly people are subjected to crimes or exploited, partly due to digital illiteracy. The vulnerability to this type of crime and fraud can be caused by people exploiting individuals' digital illiteracy. But it can also be about people who pretend to be someone else, that is, they say they are from the home care service or the electricity company and gain entry into the elderly's homes that way.

I have said that this is a priority issue for me. Even in my previous role as a municipal politician in the City of Stockholm, this was an issue that I was very engaged in.

The government must return with more concrete plans once we have managed to progress further in our work. But an important issue for IT security is that one can identify oneself electronically in a secure way. The Agency for Digital Government now has a mandate to return in January with a report on how this can be designed technically. After that, the government will return.

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Dan Hovskär (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer.

Yes, the situation is serious. Many elderly and people with disabilities are affected very severely because they have difficulty defending themselves, as Erik Slottner also says.

One feels great shame and guilt. It is not uncommon that after having been subjected to it, one feels very great anxiety and cannot even answer the phone, because one does not know who is calling.

These questions are very important, and it feels good that the government is now working on these. I look forward to what will come in January.

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is absolutely correct that the risk with this type of crime, even if it does not involve as much money as one is defrauded of, is that it creates an anxiety in the individual. Trust in both society and other people risks taking a serious hit, so it is an important issue to work on.

I also believe, even if it is long-term and may sound vague, that it is important with information, not least from the police's side, on how one protects oneself against digital fraud. Civil society plays a very important role in this context, for example.

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Malin Danielsson (L)

Madam Speaker! The spread of covid is increasing again, and with it come memories of how it was two years ago when people in nursing homes were denied visits from loved ones and shortcomings within elderly care became all too obvious.

We have learned a lot since then and are better equipped for future pandemics. Even this winter, there are many sick with both seasonal influenza and covid, and there are still lessons to be learned.

A proposal that we Liberals noted was that the municipalities should be given the opportunity to employ doctors within elderly care. The proposal received a very harsh response from the previous government, but the need remains.

My question is therefore to Minister for Ageing Anna Tenje: What plans does the current government have to meet this need?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Member Malin Danielsson, for a very pressing and important question!

When the pandemic hit hardest, I had another assignment. At that time, I was the chairman of the municipal executive board in Växjö and tasked the then government with the possibility for my municipality to become a pilot municipality to get the opportunity to employ municipal doctors and strengthen the medical competence in my municipality.

This is something that we in the government have picked up and that we will choose to look at. An investigation has been commissioned, and an investigation will soon be on our table regarding many different parts to strengthen elderly care.

We also see the opportunity to proceed in this matter and look further into it in a future investigation.

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Malin Danielsson (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer.

The health of the elderly has been set aside in several areas, ranging from mammography for women over 75 years of age to the testing of medicines for the elderly who cannot participate in these studies.

The possibility for municipalities to employ doctors is one of the pieces of the puzzle needed to meet the needs of the people for better care than what we can see today.

It is an important issue that we will continue to follow. I look forward to us being able to come forward with concrete proposals.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the supplementary question.

Strengthening the medical competence in the municipalities and in elderly care is the most important thing. This is done through nurses with specialist knowledge but obviously also through access to doctors.

We simply have to return a bit further back, when we have the investigation on our table, to exactly how the medical competence is to be strengthened.

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Anders Ygeman (S)

Madam Speaker! In view of the fact that Christmas is approaching, I intend to ask a simple question to Minister Malmer Stenergard. I hope that she will answer the simple question now that I am not permitted to ask a supplementary question.

The government has announced that they are scrapping the previous government's tightening of labor migration in the future. They have additionally announced that they will make exceptions for entire professional groups and that the exceptions are to be investigated and will be released later.

I therefore simply want to ask the Minister: Will we have a higher or a lower labor migration during the next year?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! To think that I have been so unclear in my previous debates with Anders Ygeman! I did not think so. Let me therefore be very clear once again.

So here is the situation. It took the previous government almost eight years to produce a bill, despite very many words about tightening the rules for labor migration. The bill means that the Riksdag delegates power to the government, which can, through ordinance, raise the maintenance requirement. This bill was voted through in this chamber about two weeks ago, I believe. We are now working very hard to get the ordinance on a raised maintenance requirement in place, so it will come very quickly and will be able to enter into force shortly.

After that, we want to introduce a raised wage requirement. This means that we want to go further than the previous government. There may be reason to make exceptions from the raised wage requirement for certain occupational groups. Therefore, it will become a two-stage rocket with a raised subsistence requirement and then a raised wage requirement.

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Daniel Persson (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Social Insurance Anna Tenje.

On 1 January 2023, new rules enter into force which mean that residence time in a former home country shall not be credited as insurance time for guarantee pension and for guarantee pension for transition pension.

However, residence time in a previous home country will continue to be credited as insurance time for sickness benefit and activity benefit in the form of guarantee benefit. This means that foreign-born persons who have lived in Sweden for a very short time can participate in the Swedish social insurance based on residence time in another country.

Will the minister take measures to change this arrangement where foreign-born individuals receive a share of the Swedish social security based on residence time in other countries?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank you very much for the question from the member.

Justice in the different systems we have, depending on how long one has stayed in the country, how much one has worked and where one lives, is an important and pressing issue. The Government has stipulated, even in the Tidö Agreement, that we intend to look at qualification for the welfare systems. An inquiry needs to be appointed and carried out. What it will come to can, of course, not be anticipated.

This is an important area that we have raised on several occasions and where we will deliver.

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Isabell Mixter (V)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for Anna Tenje.

Due to the high inflation, many people are having a very tough time right now. For some, it means smaller sacrifices, such as turning off the heating in the summer cottage. For others, it means a cancelled Christmas celebration.

Approximately 40 percent of all single women live with a low economic standard. The government's broken promises regarding electricity and fuel prices have not made the situation better. The government also does not present any measures to help the families who are now having an extremely tough time. Things could have been done to address the problems. Instead, the government chooses tax cuts for those who have incomes over 50,000 kronor.

In view of this, I would like to ask the Minister for Social Insurance why the government prioritizes tax cuts for the wealthy over support for families with children.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the question, Member of Parliament!

There are many things that currently plague both families with children and all other families in our society. The Member of Parliament raised the issue of inflation. But it is clear that the high electricity prices, the high fuel prices, and a great concern for the war in our vicinity are also things that have an impact.

What strengthens children's families and society most is that it pays to go and work and that more people move from benefits to work.

But when it comes to families with children and particularly vulnerable families with children, we have chosen to extend the support in the form of a special housing allowance to those families who are vulnerable.

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Anders W Jonsson (C)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister for Health and Social Affairs.

Many of the major problems we have in Swedish healthcare are rooted in the competence shortage. This applies regardless of whether it is a lack of care beds, concerns within primary care, or unreasonably long waiting times. One salvation has actually been that we, through labor immigration, have been able to receive healthcare personnel from countries outside the EU. It concerns quite a lot, up to 1,300, 1,400 or 1,500 per year. The majority of them have salaries that are a good bit below 33,000 kronor. Individual specialist doctors may end up above that.

I recently read that the regional management in Sörmland, where the Christian Democrats are included, raised the alarm and said: How are we going to be able to manage this within healthcare if we cannot have labor migration?

My question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is: How will it be guaranteed that the healthcare system's problems do not become even larger? Is it through an exception in the ordinance? Or are there other solutions to manage it?

(ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN: It falls within the Migration Minister's area of responsibility. The question is therefore answered by her.)

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Just as the questioner says, the supply of competence is a huge challenge within healthcare, as well as in other industries that we have heard about here today. And as I explained in a previous answer, we are now looking at an increased supply requirement. We will return shortly with a proposal for a regulation that will be sent out for consultation, as it should.

After that, we intend to raise the wage requirement in accordance with the Tidö Agreement, which the questioner also refers to. In that case, we say that the median wage should be the starting point, but that must also be investigated. There is also an opportunity to look at whether certain occupational groups should be exempted. That must be looked at carefully.

I do not want to anticipate that work, but I can assure Anders W Jonsson that the government is well aware of the strained situation in healthcare. We will not take any measures that further make it difficult for healthcare providers to recruit the right personnel.

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Bassem Nasr (MP)

Madam Speaker! In Sweden, there are over 300,000 people who have permanent residence permits. The authorities have examined their cases and given them positive decisions to stay in Sweden. The Government now wants to investigate whether these people should be deprived of their permanent residence permits and instead be given temporary residence permits, which means there is a risk of deportation.

The government's proposal creates great stress and hinders integration. Parents do not know if they will be forced to leave their homes, jobs, and businesses. Children can be torn away from their classmates. It is not enough to simply refer to a future investigation. There are 300,000 people who deserve an answer today.

How will the Minister for Migration work to ensure that those who have received positive notifications that Sweden is their new home can trust Sweden?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the question, Bassem Nasr!

I want to begin by being clear that the proposal we have stipulated in the Tidö Agreement and which is to be investigated thoroughly concerns phasing out permanent residence permits when it comes to asylum-related immigration. Those are the ones covered by the proposal. Instead, as a general rule, it shall be temporary residence permits that are linked very clearly to the protection need one has.

When it comes to those who already have permanent residence permits, we say that one should look at how they can be converted, for example by finding a clear path for those persons to meet the requirements for citizenship. I want to be clear that if one behaves, tries to support oneself and learns the language, one should not be worried.

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Emma Ahlström Köster (M)

Madam Speaker! It is estimated that approximately 100,000 people reside illegally in Sweden. Thousands of them go underground to become part of a growing shadow society. There, they naturally risk being exploited and facing harm.

The coalition parties have already today presented a number of measures to increase safety and ensure the credibility of an agency decision. A yes must be a yes, and a no must be a no.

It becomes even more upsetting when one hears that many of those staying here illegally also commit crimes but can still remain in the country. Therefore, I wonder what the Minister and the coalition parties will do to ensure that those who commit crimes are deported.

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Emma Ahlström Köster, for a very important question!

It is difficult to point out how many live here without the right to do so. But the shadow society is growing, and there are experts who argue that it concerns over 100,000 people. In the shadow society, people, not least children and women, suffer incredibly poorly.

It is important that the government and society act to ensure that a yes means a yes. If one has received a yes on their application for a residence permit, one should also be given all opportunities to enter into society. But if one has received a no, the regulated immigration requires that one leaves the country.

Even worse is what the questioner is touching upon, if one also commits crimes. People here in Sweden must be able to feel safe. Therefore, we must have all the tools to ensure that we can execute this. It is about breaking down secrecy between authorities and stopping contributions to persons who stay here without having a right to it.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that during our presidency of the EU, we will strengthen the cooperation between the EU countries to establish a functioning return.

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Ingemar Kihlström (KD)

Madam Speaker! I also want to direct my question to Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

Just as previous speakers said, there are many people living in Sweden illegally. Every year, as was mentioned, thousands of people go underground, often in connection with asylum applications. The Christian Democrats have long advocated for a system with asylum application areas, or as they are now called, transit centers, to ensure a legally secure and rapid handling. According to this model, everyone seeking asylum would be referred to these areas, and as stated in the Tidö Agreement, there is the intention that it shall be introduced. Directives shall be developed to analyze how the model can be introduced in accordance with the existing asylum procedure directive. The starting point in the Tidö Agreement is that the entire asylum process shall take place in transit centers.

Madam Speaker! My question to the Minister for Migration is therefore: When does the Minister assess that it could be possible with a change involving that asylum is sought in asylum application areas?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Ingemar Kihlström for a very important question. We have historically had problems with far too long processing times for asylum seekers. This in itself means great suffering. We mean from the coalition parties that if one has transit centers and shortens the asylum period, it also becomes much easier for authorities to have contact with those seeking asylum and ensure that they get in contact with, for example, social services and healthcare, which creates much better conditions for those who are to stay to get a good start in Sweden. It also makes it easier to return for those who have been refused.

Thus, we come to the part of Ingemar Kihlström's question that concerns the shadow society. It is incredibly important that we ensure that a no is also a no. Many go underground in connection with asylum decisions. They are then harder to find and require much more resources from society. If we can shorten the processes and ensure that one has much better contact with the authorities, it will also become easier to enforce this.

This is to be investigated, as has been said. I cannot say exactly when we can return to this, but we are clear that we have a high ambition.

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Ida Karkiainen (S)

Madam Speaker! Laxå, Filipstad, Kramfors, Fagersta - many are the municipalities that bear witness to the problems with social dumping, that is, the phenomenon where predominantly wealthy large city municipalities move people living in social or economic vulnerability to municipalities that have significantly worse conditions to receive people, most often smaller municipalities in sparse and rural areas.

Both county administrative boards and the National Government Offices have witnessed and mapped the problem and can confirm that it is large and common. It is important to take this problem seriously. Government representatives have expressed themselves somewhat evasively on the issue. My question goes to Minister Slottner: How does the Minister view this issue?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! We do not know how extensive this problem is. There is no objective definition of social dumping. We do not have municipal detention in Sweden. This has often been linked to the establishment period for newcomers expiring. Should they then move or stay in the municipality where they have been settled for two years? That naturally depends on the housing situation and the labor market. We cannot force newcomers to remain in a municipality for all eternity just because they were placed there during the establishment period.

I still have to take this seriously. If it is the case that municipalities, for various reasons, deliberately place people in other municipalities to get rid of costs, it is a problem that we need to take very seriously.

As Karkiainen knows, an investigation has been commissioned to review the municipal economic tax equalization system. In that system, the municipalities affected by this type of behavior should be compensated.

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Carina Ståhl Herrstedt (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Social Insurance Anna Tenje.

After a legislative change in the Social Insurance Code in 2013, Försäkringskassan can issue claims for reimbursement to assistance providers. For this to be required, the provider must have realized or reasonably should have realized that the compensation was paid out incorrectly or in an excessively large amount. It is a part of the law that is not followed today.

In practice, it looks like this: A person is granted personal assistance according to a decision from Försäkringskassan and hires an organizer. The organizer, in turn, employs and pays an assistant and reports the time the assistant has worked to Försäkringskassan. Compensation is paid out. Several years later, Försäkringskassan makes a completely new assessment and considers that its previous decision was incorrect. At that point, it is decided to retroactively demand compensation several years back in time, even though the organizer has done nothing wrong.

Does the Minister have any thoughts on introducing some form of prescription period for clawbacks in the future? How does she intend to ensure that the law is actually followed?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to extend a big thank you to the member for a very interesting question. I must actually admit that I have not quite reflected on that specific angle of the question. But I can state that the work with fraud and errors, incorrect payments, and also incorrect assistance payments is a very pressing and important issue that the government in all respects takes most seriously. We are working hard to loosen the secrecy legislation so that more agencies can cooperate to find fraud and errors. But the prescription period for reclamation is actually not an issue I have reflected on. I simply have to ask to be allowed to return to this rather pressing issue, which has sparked some curiosity.

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Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! More than 160,000 people live on subsistence minimum in Sweden due to debts. The Enforcement Authority reports that young people's debts are increasing. Approximately every twelfth child lives with a parent who has debt restructuring. Women are burdened with debt through loans and credit due to oppressive partners. One is expected to manage on the standard amount of 5,158 kronor per month, which is to cover costs for electricity, food, insurance, and clothes.

A fair economic policy is more important than ever, so that people do not end up in poverty where the parent needs to prioritize away new winter shoes for their child in order to pay the electricity bill or where the young person borrows money from their relatives and ends up in yet another debt spiral.

Therefore, my question to Minister Erik Slottner is: Does the government intend to take any measures to adjust the standard amount more frequently during the coming year and to be able to compensate for a recession in the future?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Nadja Awad for the question. This does not fall under Erik Slottner's area of responsibility. Therefore, I take the question as politically responsible for general affairs. Furthermore, I am a former bailiff. This is an issue that is close to my heart. I have seen very many people suffer greatly. Not least single women are in a very strained situation. It is difficult to protect oneself against the events in life that often cause indebtedness, for example, divorce, death, and unemployment.

The government is following the developments very closely. The standard amount is intended to cover the costs of living on a subsistence minimum, but one must be aware that the cost of housing is additional. I want to emphasize the importance of us now ensuring that households receive the electricity support payment in February. It can make a very big difference in the finances for these very strained households.

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Thomas Ragnarsson (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to direct my question to the Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance, Anna Tenje.

In recent years, our society has been characterized by the pandemic. The sickness absence rates have been high. This is something we have had to deal with and perhaps to some extent also have become accustomed to. Now the pandemic is over. But we still have a large spread of corona, and the sickness absence rates remain high. We also see an increase in the sickness absence rates in society.

How does the Minister view this, and what does the Minister intend to do about this problem?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks for the question, Member Ragnarsson!

The increased sick leave and absenteeism is something that I follow very closely. The short-term sick leave that the member raises in their question regarding various seasonal illnesses and so on is one thing, but what worries me very much is long-term sick leave. We have seen that it has increased significantly during 2022. Illnesses that have lasted for 180 days or more have increased by 11,000 - 11,000 more people! Furthermore, very many of these are women.

This creates an exclusion that I take most seriously. It is extremely important to have early measures, to strengthen the rehabilitation chain, and to have early reviews so that those on sick leave get the opportunity to return to work. We know that the longer time passes, the more difficult it is to return.

This is an important issue that I intend to follow very closely going forward.

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Gudrun Brunegård (KD)

Madam Speaker! One of the most acute welfare issues right now is the long waiting times for care and treatment, which more than doubled during the previous government. This can result in all focus being placed on hospital care. However, it is primary care, the local care, that constitutes the basis for health and medical care, and if health risks and medical conditions can be caught and treated early there, hospital care can often be prevented and avoided.

In our neighboring countries, a much larger proportion of healthcare is in primary care than it is in Sweden, where we have it very hospital-heavy. My question is how the Minister for Health wants to change the balance between primary care and hospital care so that more patients can receive care at their health center or primary care center and so that more doctors want to train and work as general medicine specialists in primary care.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the question!

It is clear that it is important to increase the number of healthcare beds. But as I mentioned earlier, it is very complex. The reason for the congestion at the emergency room could be that there are too few beds in geriatrics or in the medical department or somewhere else. It could also be about the fact that we have not expanded the municipal home healthcare sufficiently or that we have too little medical competence at the elderly care home.

It could also be a matter of that much more could be solved by having a continuity, a fixed healthcare or doctor contact, and one of the government's priorities is to both increase the number of healthcare beds overall and to ensure that primary care is expanded and becomes larger.

If one wants to get more people to want to become general specialists and work as district doctors as the member mentions, one must ensure that they have a reasonable number of patients. Today, they have very many patients, which means that one cannot build up continuity and get that relationship that is needed. This needs to change.

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Adrian Magnusson (S)

Madam Speaker! The national broadband strategy was adopted in 2016 and states, among other things, that by 2025 all of Sweden should have access to fast broadband. According to the Swedish City Network Association, Sweden had a broadband connection reaching 95.17 percent of the population in 2021. At the same time, much indicates that the expansion has stalled and that a number of hard-to-reach areas lack access to broadband. For example, only 77 percent of those living in rural areas have access to broadband.

This is concerning, not least because society must do everything it can to ensure that the digital divides are closed. Society must be prepared to do what the market obviously cannot manage.

Last summer, Digg, the Agency for Digital Government, released a report stating that Sweden is at the forefront of digitalization but that we are lagging behind in comparison with other countries that are also at the forefront. Since digitalization is moving fast, it is necessary for strategies to be reworked at a rapid pace if required.

My question to Minister Slottner is therefore: How does the Minister envision the national broadband strategy should look in the future?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the question! I completely agree with the description of Sweden as a country that is at the forefront but which unfortunately in recent years has tended to fall behind while other countries have sprinted ahead.

Broadband across the entire country and that people should be able to live, reside, and work in the whole country is an important issue for the government. It is also why we are now increasing the appropriations for broadband expansion by 600 million kronor so that we will totally during 2023 spend 1.3 billion on the expansion of broadband in areas and in places where market forces do not sustain themselves. Many of those places are not entirely unexpected in the countryside, and that is also why the countryside lags behind the large cities in broadband expansion.

The problem is known, but the goal remains fixed and the government is allocating increased appropriations to this important area so that we can reach the set goal.

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Martin Westmont (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner.

Fake invoices are becoming an increasingly larger problem in society. It affects both private individuals and companies, and the Sweden Democrats have long maintained the line that more needs to be done to protect our consumers in this area. Much has been done, not least for private individuals, but we also see that the protection should be extended to companies.

My question to the Minister for Civil Affairs is whether the government is prepared to introduce sanctions against companies that send out incorrect invoices in order to deceive consumers into paying for something they have not ordered.

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Martin Westmont, for the question!

I ask to return to the question. We have not really explored it during the weeks that the government has been in power and I have been Civil Minister.

What Westmont highlights is obviously a problem. It should be illegal to send fake invoices, but it is very possible that there are loopholes in the legislation that need to be closed. We will have to, within the governing coalition that rules Sweden, raise the issue and see if we can do something about this in cooperation between the relevant committee and the government. It is, however, not an issue that I have taken any initiatives regarding until now.

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Karin Rågsjö (V)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

What happened to the staff's need for more colleagues and a better working environment, and what will happen to primary care? Many are asking this. According to SKR, at least 20 billion would have been needed to be able to maintain the level that is currently held. Instead, you added 6 billion. When one looks a bit more closely at the issue, it is also seen that the targeted state grants decrease by 25 billion during the mandate period.

My question to the Minister is now, after the concern I have felt when I have met healthcare staff and regions: What will happen with the healthcare and with the staff's conditions to get what they have asked for for approximately eight years?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Karin Rågsjö, for the question!

I agree with the member: It is very many lost years. It means that one cannot make a quick decision and so we have reversed the entire development. No - it will take time.

Let me still wrestle a bit with the figures. 23 billion are the costs that SKR sees ahead that need to be covered for pensions and as a result of inflation, electricity prices, and much more. But that is for 290 municipalities and 21 regions, and only one-third goes specifically to the regions.

The money that the state gives directly to healthcare, 18 billion, should essentially be more important than looking at the general contributions. In that way, we ensure that it is 18 billion that goes to health and medical care. The interesting thing is to ensure that we shape them in the right way so that we get what we want: greater primary care, more care beds, and an improved working environment.

How it is done must be decided locally. One of my important focuses moving forward will be to shape the support from the state so that it becomes useful regionally.

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Johan Hultberg (M)

Madam Speaker! Swedish healthcare is fantastic. If one becomes ill, one can feel secure knowing that one will have access to healthcare that is among the best in the world if one lives in Sweden.

But Swedish healthcare is not only of good quality but also suffers from lack of accessibility. During the previous government's time, the situation worsened significantly. The healthcare queues doubled even before the pandemic. For the new government, it will be a very large and important task to try to shorten the queues and improve accessibility.

One of several measures that the new government is taking is to establish a national healthcare brokerage. I want to ask Minister for Health Acko Ankarberg Johansson when this national healthcare brokerage can be in place and, more specifically, what it can mean for the individual patient who has waited illegally long for, for example, an operation.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Member Johan Hultberg for the question.

It is true that we have had a law on the healthcare guarantee since 2013. We have never fulfilled it. It is a betrayal from all of us parties and politicians that we do not fulfill what we promise to the patients who need care.

This needs to be addressed in many different ways. One measure is not enough. Increasing the number of healthcare beds is important. Strengthening primary care is important. But we also have that small piece of the puzzle - it is small in relation to others, but very important - to use available capacity.

The regions are trying today to find care somewhere else when it is full at home. We believe that we can contribute with state support so that patients and healthcare providers can much better see where there is available capacity. It will take some time. I wish I could have started this on February 1st or so, but it is about listening to how the regions currently use the coordination and how we can find a digital support for this so that one can see in real-time where available capacity exists.

We shall use all capacity, and we shall enable patients to get there where it exists.

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Zara Leghissa (S)

Madam Speaker! All elderly people should have the right to equally good elderly care, regardless of where one lives. This must, among other things, include sufficient trained staff, the right to medical assessment around the clock, and a fixed care contact. These are requirements that many organizations set.

In June this year, an investigation was presented regarding an elderly care act, Next steps - Ö quality and equality in care and services for elderly persons. The need for the proposed elderly care act, which strengthens the elderly's right to a meaningful life with good quality, is great. Today, municipalities also prioritize differently regarding elderly care, which means that the quality is not the same everywhere in our country.

My question to one of you is therefore: When will the government ensure that the proposed elderly care act is realized with clear quality requirements throughout Sweden?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Member Zara Leghissa, for your question! It is very important to have equal healthcare throughout the country, but also equal elderly care. I agree with much of what you highlight in your question.

The investigation on the elderly care legislation has been out for consultation, and the consultation responses that have been submitted are currently being processed and compiled. It will be an extensive but very urgent reading for me during the Christmas break. We will return to these parts. I have looked a bit at the investigation and the consultation responses that have come in, and the investigation contains many good parts that can aim to strengthen elderly care in our entire country.

Where and how we land, we simply have to return to. But I am very hopeful.

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Ludvig Aspling (SD)

Madam Speaker! The EU member states are currently negotiating a major reform of the common asylum framework. Within this framework, Austria has submitted a proposal to be able to move the entire asylum process to safe third countries. The purpose is partly harm minimization, that is, to stop the drowning disasters and human trafficking by making it impossible to sell irregular journeys into the EU, and partly to address the selection problem. Those who manage to enter irregularly are very often adult men, who are also resource-strong, and it is very rarely the most deserving group of protection. At the same time, one ensures that persons who actually need international protection also have their cases examined, furthermore without having to risk their lives on the way.

The proposal is not new. Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom and several other countries have discussed this previously. Australia has a similar system in place with good results.

We see this as a logical way forward. But I want to hear: What does the government think?

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Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the question, Ludvig Aspling!

I met the Austrian Migration Minister last week. They are in an extremely strained situation. Not many people are noticing this here in Sweden, but according to his figures, 100,000 people have sought asylum in Austria this year - a country with approximately our population size. A large majority of these have not been registered anywhere else. It is very strange because Austria has no external border.

This shows that the current regulatory framework does not work. The Dublin framework does not work.

This government has a full focus on making the current regulatory framework work and ensuring that the member states actually fulfill their duties and register their asylum seekers, while we continue to work on the asylum and migration pact. Many of the problems that Austria has raised could also be solved if we had a good solution in place. To a large extent, it is about ensuring that we have control at the borders and that returns are functioning. If we can have that in place, it is a great gain.

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Johanna Hornberger (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Anna Tenje.

Age discrimination is a threat to the possibility of utilizing the experiences of the elderly. The prejudices and stereotypical perceptions based on a person's age need to be countered. We are living longer and longer and need to change our view on old age. There is much research showing that learning, development, and creativity are possible well into old age. More and more people want and can work longer. One is not finished in working life because one has turned 65 or perhaps 75. Today we can even see that people in their 40s are being excluded from the labor market. Age discrimination must be countered at all levels.

I want to ask Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance Anna Tenje what the government is doing or planning to do to counter age discrimination, and then perhaps specifically how one facilitates for older people in the labor market.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Johanna Hornberger, for a very pressing question that is very close to my heart.

This touches upon many different areas - not least that which you have touched upon several times in the chamber earlier today, namely the skills shortage and the supply of skills to many of our important tasks, not least within the welfare sector. To see seniors and their capacity, experience, and knowledge as a part of this important construction when it comes to the supply of skills, I believe is very important.

It is largely about behavioral change. It is about the fact that we need to talk about this for real. Far too few cases of discrimination are noticed and taken further when it concerns just the elderly.

One way to ensure that more elderly people work longer is exactly what the government has now done, namely to lower the tax for those over 65 years of age so that they see it as more worthwhile to continue working.

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Kalle Olsson (S)

Madam Speaker! On September 1 of this year, the long-awaited security pension was introduced, which gives older people over 60 years of age who have exhausted themselves in working life an opportunity to apply for sickness compensation instead of taking early old-age pension or living on any savings. With the security pension, a nursing assistant covered by the rules can increase their pension by almost 4,000 kronor a month. The reform thus gives people who have had a long working life a proper economic protection.

The Moderates were in opposition to this reform. It is reasonable to assume that they still are. My question to Minister Anna Tenje is what her message is to the elderly who may now be 58 or 59 years old and whose aching bodies are screaming stop, but who have the hope of being able to apply for exactly the guarantee pension within a few years. Will the government crush that hope?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Kalle Olsson, for the question! We have struggled and struggled with the pension system as such and the pensions for many years. The cooperation in the Pensions Group may not have functioned optimally in recent years, and it has been an urgent matter for me to now resolve and find the way forward for.

We need a safe, stable and good pension system that benefits those who have worked and done it very hard. There must still be a distance of respect between those who have not worked and those who have worked. We also need to create greater security that we can continue to deliver pensions in the future, and that is done by more people working and more people working longer.

I am keen to strengthen pensions moving forward, and I believe we do that best by cooperating in the Pensions Group and not via the budget alongside the system itself.

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Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Madam Speaker! A relocation of newcomers is moving from the Stockholm areas to smaller and poorer municipalities with high unemployment. This is established in a new report.

Kramfors Municipality in Västernorrland is one of the worst-affected municipalities in Sweden. Kramfors was one of the municipalities that first raised the alarm about social dumping. Now, Härnösand Municipality is also taking up the fight against social dumping together with Kramfors and Sollefteå.

Question Time

It is an unsustainable situation when persons are referred to these municipalities by their home municipalities against their will. Moving should occur because one oneself wants and wishes to move to another location - not because one is unwanted in their home municipality.

My question is directed to Minister Erik Slottner. In what way does the Minister intend to act to counter social dumping?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! Ida Karkiainen asked a similar question earlier this afternoon. It is not newcomers who are being bussed. We have the Settlement Act, and municipalities are obliged to receive newcomers. It is when the establishment period is over, when the municipality's contracts are finished, and when one must find housing on one's own that this problem has arisen.

There are inherent conflicts: where the housing is, there is often high unemployment, and where the jobs are, there is often a shortage of housing. This is obviously a major problem. An investigation is now to review how extensive the problem is. There is no objective definition of social dumping, and we do not know exactly how widespread it is. So-called social dumping can also occur among groups other than just newcomers.

We will have to see how we shall proceed with the issue. I do not have very clear answers on that now. But we have no municipal prison, and this is a difficult question. That is why we need to look further into it, exactly as the previous government did.

Question time was hereby concluded.

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