Question Time

FÖRSTE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister Anna Tenje, Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson, Minister Paulina Brandberg and Minister Romina Pourmokhtari. A warm welcome!

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. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Minister Anna Tenje answers both general political questions and questions within her own area of responsibility.

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Markus Selin (S)

Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats warned about this; now the recession is here. Sweden's economy is expected to shrink both this year and next year. Swedish households are under severe pressure. Many families are now struggling financially, not least here in the Stockholm area.

Our food prices are skyrocketing. A Swedish food basket actually costs more than in our neighboring countries. The food price increase is the largest since the 1950s. The Swedish Food Agency warns of risks to public health, with rising food prices and less and poorer access to nutritious food. It is now being reported that new groups are seeking support.

My questions are directed to the Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance, Anna Tenje. What is the government doing and what is the Minister doing to reduce food poverty?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks for a very pressing question, which touches many different parts of our society given that it is inflation that is the main culprit in the drama. It affects households' finances, it affects companies' finances, and it also affects municipalities, regions, and the state.

The cost increases have been very large. Now we see that inflation is heading downwards. Given the difficult situation many households find themselves in, which obviously makes it difficult to make the finances work, we have directed tax cuts towards households with low incomes or average incomes. We have also directed various supports so that it will be easier to live, easier to be Swedish.

It is expensive to be Swedish, and we are working very hard to fight inflation in all respects.

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Markus Selin (S)

Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats cannot accept food poverty. We have presented a long series of proposals, everything from extra child allowance, fair tax cuts, increased maintenance support and abolished funkisskatt to a price commission to gain control over food prices.

What does the Minister think about prioritizing those who are hardest hit by food poverty?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is undeniably very important to prioritize those who are worst off, while at the same time it is important not to take measures that are too broad so that inflation is instead fueled. It is ultimately inflation that is eating the biggest holes in people's wallets right now. It affects household economies, corporate economies, as well as municipalities and regions in general. Precisely for that reason, the fight against inflation is the single most important measure this government can take here and now.

We are also lowering taxes and ensuring that it becomes more profitable to work.

(Applause)

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Clara Aranda (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The question of accurate and effective rehabilitation measures is a decisive factor when it comes to countering unnecessarily long sick leaves. The most common cause of sick leave is stress-related mental ill-health, and it is within that area that we have seen the largest increase in the number of cases of illness.

Behind the high sickness rates lies great human suffering and significant costs for society. The cost of lost work due to sick leave amounted to 71 billion for 2022.

There are today obvious deficiencies in our health insurance system regarding the rehabilitation process linked to mental ill-health. For that reason, I want to ask Minister Anna Tenje how she views working to improve the possibilities for a high-quality and evidence-based rehabilitation process regarding sick leave due to psychiatric diagnoses.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the question. As the member emphasizes, this is an important problem and a difficult and complicated issue to tackle.

Right now, there are two investigations on the government's desk for preparation that concern exactly these issues. It is quite true that half of all ongoing sick leaves are due to psychiatric diagnoses, and they also tend to become more long-term.

Just as the member so rightly points out, it is extremely important to tackle these issues and find good, adequate ways to get more people back to work as early as possible and as soon as possible. We shall also ensure that all relevant authorities help each other to communicate with one another so that everything becomes as good as possible.

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Clara Aranda (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.

For the Sweden Democrats, it is important to work towards developing and improving the possibilities for high-quality rehabilitation. Our hope is that, together with the government, we can work to counteract unnecessarily long sick leaves with accurate rehabilitation as the primary tool.

Our health insurance system is today primarily intended for physical diagnoses, and it is something we need to change.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! I can only agree.

It is also very true that the lack of knowledge is great. Various studies are being conducted here now, and some look very promising. Not least, it seems that the employer's role in the rehabilitation process, that one is an active part in this, has great significance.

I think that Försäkringskassan, the health and medical care, and the employer, but also the individual themselves, have a great and important responsibility in this. It is very important that one cooperates and works together. But we must move forward with seeking more knowledge about things that truly yield results.

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Karin Rågsjö (V)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

A new forecast from Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner shows that we are facing a cutback shock within healthcare. The situation is significantly more serious than when the government presented its budget in September. If nothing is done, we will face layoffs. Clinics will be closed, healthcare centers will have to shut down, there will be longer healthcare queues and so on. It is a rather large darkness rolling over healthcare.

Region Sörmland has it the most difficult of all the regions. In an interview with Marie Engman at Nyköping Hospital, chairperson of the Sörmland Medical Association, it states that she "believes that the people of Sörmland - like many others in Sweden - must prepare for poorer accessibility and even a patient-dangerous healthcare".

Is it not the case that care can become dangerous to patients because of the government's and SD's refusal to provide higher state grants?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, member, for the question! I fully agree that it is a very tough situation for the regions.

The regions are directly affected by inflation, and the SKR's chief economist, in an interview, calls the inflation "smock" due to the pension agreement that has been signed. It is an important and good pension agreement, it is important to say, but the high cost for it this year continues next year. The consequences of the inflation this summer - a 9.14 percent increase - are paid for all of next year even if inflation goes down.

This is the reason why the government has provided a special sector grant that the regions can use directly to pay these costs. But what is also essential and which is my task now is to ensure that all the other billions that are in the government's budget - besides 3 billion for the sector grant, there are an additional 13 billion that go to healthcare - can also be used in the best way from early 2024. It is my mission to do that in the best way now.

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Karin Rågsjö (V)

Mr. Speaker! I believe it is like this, Minister: If one has no foundation to stand on, the measures that the government sends in are not all that much. I think it is very unfortunate.

Before the election, we were all out talking about how important healthcare was, especially the Christian Democrats. I actually think this is a betrayal of the patients, because it is they who will be affected by this.

I am extremely worried. And it is not just me, but it is also 21 regions.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member, for highlighting this important issue!

I am also concerned about the situation. But I am also well aware that each region is self-governing and has its own directly elected politicians. The baseline that the member is calling for is the one that the regions' own councils decide on, because that is what is gathered through the regional tax.

The bottom plate, therefore, owns every region itself. What the state contributes matters, and that is why we are increasing the support both generally and in sector contributions.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Mr. Speaker! Recently, the Minister for Climate issued the following statement regarding the sabotage against Nord Stream and its impact on the climate: "The sabotage of Nord Stream has serious consequences for the climate, with increased emissions of approximately 5.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents within the Swedish economic zone, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. To put that figure into context, it corresponds to 12 percent of Sweden's total emissions last year according to the preliminary statistics from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. It is an act of climate sabotage that causes great damage to our planet." I am prepared to sign off on every syllable.

But in the budget, the government estimates its own emissions to be 6-10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, i.e., 12-20 percent of the annual emissions according to the same statistics from Naturvårdsverket.

So, Minister for Climate and Environment, if 5.8 million tons is a climate sabotage that causes great damage to our planet, how does one describe the own policy that increases emissions by more than that?

In this speech, Jacob Risberg (MP) agreed.

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! Yes, it is undeniably a grim situation we have when sabotage on gas pipelines leads to large emissions that it is then calculated that Sweden and Denmark shall handle within their emission quotas. That is what I have been out and speaking about. If a gas pipeline runs from Russia to, among other places, Germany, which primarily utilizes that gas, why should Sweden and Denmark then bear the carbon dioxide effects of that gas leaking into our sea and into our atmosphere? I consider that to be climate sabotage.

Then there are questions to handle nationally. Not least, we have noticed it during this question period, when my colleagues have had to receive questions about households' tough finances and difficulties in putting food on the table.

It is the reality this government handles when we lower fuel prices. To then take the consequences of that for the climate is a reality we have to handle, where we need to deliver offensive policy that reduces our emissions. But the fact is that in the upcoming budget, it generates increased emissions.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Mr. Speaker! Yes, that Sweden should not have to pay for these emissions, we are in complete agreement on that.

My question, however, concerned the Minister's description of 5.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, which she says have serious consequences for the climate and cause great damage to our planet.

How then does one describe more emissions than that for the climate from the minister's perspective?

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! This is where it becomes so interesting. It is two different issues we are touching upon here.

I do not know if you in the Centre Party yourselves campaigned on raising fuel prices. I did not hear any such tones during the election campaign.

When the government takes office, it is a reality that needs to be managed that households are facing a tough economy. People are finding it difficult to put food on the table and drive their children to school. It is a reality that this government chooses to manage. That it generates emissions, I can only regret. It becomes something for me to manage. But the measure is for the households' economy and so that people can make their reality work, and it is not at the expense of people who are trying to make their reality work that one can conduct a truly sustainable long-term climate policy. So, in any case, this government will not choose to work.

(Applause)

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Ulrika Westerlund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! My question is directed to Paulina Brandberg, who is the Minister responsible for discrimination issues.

The Government has appointed an inquiry where a special investigator shall conduct a review of the Aliens Act and the Aliens Ordinance. The purpose, according to the committee directive, is among other things to create stricter regulation with greater possibilities to remove foreigners from the country due to deficiencies in their lifestyle, that is, what is called misconduct in the Tidö Agreement.

There are many remarkable formulations in this directive. For me, it is clear that the primary purpose is to reduce the number of foreigners in Sweden. Among other things, it states that the deficiencies in lifestyle that can be taken into account may be debts, association or other closer interaction with environments that threaten fundamental Swedish values, dishonest livelihood or abuse. It also states that the examples are not exhaustive.

The investigator shall also analyze whether it is possible and appropriate to also include statements that seriously threaten fundamental Swedish democratic values. This opens the door for enormous arbitrariness.

My question to Minister Brandberg is therefore how liberal democracy and the principles of the rule of law, for example the work against discrimination, can be maintained if proposals such as these become reality.

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! Sweden is a liberal democracy. We have many fundamental values that we have fought very hard to achieve in Sweden and that we should be very proud of. Many of them concern our view on everyone's equal value, equality, and that everyone should be allowed to live in the identity they want and love whom they want.

Within Swedish values, violence-promoting extremism does not belong. We have fought to achieve these values, and we need to fight to preserve these values in Sweden. When we see forces in Sweden being mobilized that threaten these values or actively oppose them, this government does not consider that we should remain passive towards it, but we need to act.

That is why we have appointed this investigation - to address this problem.

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Ulrika Westerlund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I perceive that we share basic Swedish values. But I think there are also other basic Swedish values, for example, that one should not have to be afraid of reprisals from the state for expressing one's opinions as long as these remain within the framework of what is legal.

Now the government wants to investigate whether behaviors and expressions that are legal should be punishable if the government does not like them. But this only applies to certain people, namely those who are not citizens. It is that shift that I want to discuss here today.

People who have committed crimes can already be deported, and we stand behind that. But what will this investigation's proposal add other than reducing the number of foreigners in the country?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! It is simply the case that only Swedish citizens have an unconditional right to reside on Swedish territory. When it comes to other persons, the government has the possibility to set requirements and conditions - and should also do so. We already do that today. We already reject, for example, according to current legislation, persons who threaten public order and security.

We are simply tightening the requirements so that this becomes clearer and higher requirements are set for those who are to be in Sweden.

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Ulrika Heindorff (M)

Mr. Speaker! For us Moderates, it is important that it should pay to both work and to have worked. Next year, the income pensions will be increased by 1 percent and the guarantee pension by 9.14 percent, and even in the current year, the difference in the increase is large. It is therefore becoming increasingly less profitable to work for one's pension. All in all, one can say that the life income principle, that is, the principle that what one earns during an entire working life should matter for the pension, is being eroded and that the respect distance, that is, that we show respect for those who have worked for a whole working life or parts of a working life, is decreasing.

My question is directed to Minister Anna Tenje. What measures does the government intend to take to safeguard the work line linked to pensions?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks, Member, for the question! It is very pertinent. Just as the Member describes, a recent increase was made to the general income pension of 1 percent, while the guarantee pension was increased by 9.14 percent. The previous year, it was also increased by 8.6 percent, and before that, an addition was made to the guarantee pension.

This means that the work line is being eroded step by step. It becomes less profitable to work, and above all, it becomes more profitable not to have worked. This is devastating from many different perspectives, given that our pension system rests on the foundation that one is to work and do right by oneself.

The guarantee pension was obviously adjusted upward due to the high inflation, and it is justified in all respects. But it is still the case that the respect distance is decreasing, and that is not good for the pension system as such.

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Ulrika Heindorff (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks for the answer, Minister! I think you can elaborate on that further in the next contribution, so I will stop there.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks, Member, for the opportunity! A number of different measures need to be taken, partly to strengthen the work line and make it more profitable to work, and partly to make it more profitable to have worked, obviously. We lowered the tax for everyone who works. We also lower the tax for those who are over 65 and choose to remain in the workforce, and we thereby make it even slightly more profitable to stay in work. This is indeed very important, not least from a skills supply perspective.

We are also making it possible to pause the occupational pension, which means that more people can stay longer.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! A question that we Christian Democrats have raised for a longer period is the reforming of the shoreline protection. We see it as deeply problematic that the shoreline protection lays a dead hand over large parts of our countryside. Rural municipalities need people who want to stay but also increased influx. To stimulate this, it is necessary that the rigid shoreline protection is reformed. For many rural municipalities, this is a very important issue that they are actively working on, but today they are being opposed in precisely the shoreline protection issue.

To quote the Minister for Climate and Environment regarding the shore protection: "Shore protection is an important issue when it comes to Sweden becoming freer." I would therefore like to ask the Minister when this very important freedom reform will be launched.

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member, for an important question! We know that the shore protection is first and foremost very important to secure the public's access to beaches and to preserve good conditions for flora and fauna. At the same time, we know that we need to have a shore protection that enables everyone in our society to use the land and the nature that we have at our disposal, also along our beaches and watercourses, in a sound manner.

This is a question that previous governments have tried to tackle without success in order to achieve improvements. Therefore, it is of great importance to me that, when our government looks at the issue, we proceed in the right way and find a good balance so that we can change the shore protection in such a way that it becomes purposeful and takes into account all the aspects involved. Not least, property rights is an issue that is important for a bourgeois government.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! During a previous question period, the Minister of State said that "this issue has dragged on and . should be handled within this mandate period". There is a previous investigation as a basis, but perhaps more documentation is needed. We know that investigations usually take time, and I therefore want to ask the Minister of State if there are plans to appoint a supplementary investigation in the near future or if the Minister considers that the investigation produced during the previous mandate period is sufficient.

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to once again thank the member for a question that is very important and which the member himself knows that I am deeply committed to. We see in this government a need to change the shore protection, but the question is how we are to proceed. As the member himself mentions, it is a question of whether the investigation that the previous government commissioned is sufficient or if one needs to investigate other aspects of the whole. It is a conclusion one draws based on what one agrees that one wants to change in the shore protection. It is, therefore, simply one of the questions we have to handle ahead. But a change needs to occur.

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Camilla Mårtensen (L)

Mr. Speaker! As the former chairman of Skåne University Hospital, I have seen a fantastic development within mobile care. In Skåne, we were first in the Nordics to be able to offer patients advanced, specialized healthcare in the home. This is a development that needs to be encouraged from a national level, for the patients' best but also so that we can manage the healthcare of the future.

In Skåne's work to move out more specialized care, we encounter problems with the pharmaceutical legislation. The medicines that are largely used and managed in connection with these patients are clinical medicines, that is to say, hospital-based medicines. When the administration takes place outside the hospital, the current legislation collides with the practical, daily work.

My question to the Minister is: How can a change in the management of medicines be designed to support the necessary development we see, namely that patients should be able to receive care outside of hospitals when it is patient-safe?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, member, for the question and for highlighting a well-functioning development work that is taking place all over the country when it comes to good and close care! I have myself seen at close range how acute hospital care in Malmö can take place in the home. Acute hospital care in the home - it shouldn't even be possible to do. But it can be done, and it is this that leads to problems today.

All good examples of how care is now being improved are rooted in the fact that the employees themselves see shortcomings in how work is performed and see a need for coordination and more person-centered care - and so good solutions are found. And then this can clash with legislation. We have divided the legislation regarding the financing of medicines by regulating partly what happens in hospitals, and partly what happens in other ways, and that division does not keep up with the way we work today.

We are therefore looking closely at the different examples now. I have also previously asked Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner if they consider that this needs to be changed. And I saw that the question, thanks to Kristdemokraterna, was raised at SKR's congress last week. I perceive that the situation now is such that we can probably review the legislation ahead.

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Camilla Mårtensen (L)

Mr. Speaker! Another problem we see is that when specialized care is provided outside of hospital buildings, those care beds are not counted in the national statistics. Now that the government is making important efforts to increase the number of care beds, this risks becoming directly counterproductive. After all, staff are being allocated to manage these patients in their homes.

How does the government view increasing the possibilities to count these care beds so that we do not hinder the important development?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the supplementary question! What the Member says is completely correct. It is good and well when we can continue to provide the very best care, even if it takes place in the home. We have a division that sometimes becomes contradictory - one does not know where we want to go.

But let me speak about two things. One is that we need to increase the number of healthcare beds in Sweden, for this is a problem every day in healthcare. The other is that we need to increase the healthcare capacity overall, and the member is highlighting an example of how that can be done. We are now looking at how we can support such a development in all the country's regions.

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Sanne Lennström (S)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Tenje. The Economic Crime Authority had a meeting today with the Committee on Social Insurance to describe the risks regarding the government's proposal concerning the ability to transfer days within the parental leave to someone else.

Many fears that have previously been raised by, among others, TCO and LO were confirmed. The vulnerability escalates through the government's proposal, and a system will be created that invites new opportunities for fraud and crime within the framework of the parental insurance.

A major reason for this is that "someone else" is not defined, meaning it is not a relative or acquaintance and there are no age limits. It is simply another person. This becomes difficult to control. Who is it actually that is taking care of the child? Where does the person live? Even if this can be controlled, it can be very costly.

My question is whether it is reasonable to make legislative changes that are assumed to be able to increase cheating and welfare crime.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks, the member, for an important and pressing question!

For the other members, I can state that this is about a proposal that will increase the freedom of choice, the opportunities, and the flexibility for families with children when it comes to combining an active working life with an active family life, by being able to transfer 45 plus 45 days to someone else in one's surroundings.

Just before I entered the chamber, I received a text message from a grandmother who has a daughter who is expecting a child. She is wondering if there is already a possibility to take over some of the parental days when the child arrives so that she can stay home from work and help to support her single daughter. For it is precisely these families we are talking about: single women who are carrying a tough and heavy load.

The Speaker of the House did, however, raise an important issue: Where there is a lot of money – welfare money – there is also benefit crime and welfare fraud. That is exactly why I am proud to be part of a government that is now taking real action against welfare crime and benefit crime and is implementing a number of different measures.

(Applause)

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Michael Rubbestad (SD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Paulina Brandberg. According to a report recently presented by the Gender Equality Authority, equality in schools is still substandard, and boys and girls still do not have the same opportunities. Boys consistently have poorer study results and are subjected to harsher jargon and violence, and girls are stressed over school results and are subjected to more sexual and verbal harassment.

According to the report, furthermore, several political reforms over the last 30 years have landed incorrectly. The introduction of gender pedagogy in the preschool curriculum in 1998, which 25 years after its introduction still lacks support in research, is likely an example of this.

How does the Minister for Equality and the government see that we can reverse this development and ensure that girls and boys have the same opportunities already in primary school?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for an important question.

We need to have an equal school. We need to ensure that we have equal opportunities for boys and girls to achieve good school results, and we must also look at the health among our students. There we see that girls suffer more than boys to a greater extent, while we see that the boys have worse school results than girls.

The report that the member points to arrived just recently, and we will, of course, go through it carefully to identify the evidence-based measures that actually work. It is important to move away from symbolic politics and to find these measures so that we achieve an equal school.

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Nadja Awad (V)

Mr. Speaker! The government's rhetoric and policy are so categorizing of people that many non-white Swedes feel targeted regardless of whether they are born and raised here in Sweden, have a work permit, or are undocumented. They feel that they are being branded as society's problem and as a burden.

The fact is, however, that it is women with so-called immigrant backgrounds who are carrying the welfare on their shoulders now that the entire country is going through a cutting crisis due to the government. Within elderly care, they provide care and support to our elderly, who have been involved in building this strong welfare society.

This is the thanks that the elderly receive from the government. In addition to the fact that the government provides far too few state grants, there is no proper policy in the area, neither when it comes to getting staff to stay nor when it comes to getting new staff through investments in working conditions, the work environment, and skills development.

My question to Minister Anna Tenje is therefore: Does the government believe that it is by spreading racist notions about those who rely on the welfare state that the cuts in elderly care can be solved, or is it by the government taking its responsibility, rolling up its sleeves and working a little bit?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the question. I do not quite share the member's description of reality. I would, however, like to start by saying that it is very many women who carry the welfare on their shoulders within elderly care, as an assistant nurse or a care assistant.

We are now making major investments there, not least through the Elderly Care Boost (Äldreomsorgslyftet). Over three years, 1.7 billion SEK annually, i.e., 5.1 billion, will go solely towards raising competence, getting more care assistants to train as nursing assistants, and getting more to specialize in dementia care or palliative care, which is quite important.

We also support the municipalities and regions with 16 billion SEK in state grants - general state grants and sector grants - precisely so that they can in a good way manage through the crisis we are currently in.

The women in elderly care are incredibly important.

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Mr. Speaker! A year ago, when the Tidö Agreement was presented, it included a point about investigating deportation due to lack of conduct. This point received much justified criticism from both the opposition and from Sweden's collective women's movement because it suddenly changed the view on prostitutes entirely. From being people in a vulnerable situation, they now risk, on the contrary, being labeled as criminals and deported.

The other day, when the government held its press conference on this, the word "vandalism" had been changed to "dishonest lifestyle," and the minister certified that one should not pursue those in a vulnerable situation. But this apparently was not accepted by one of the parties in the government cooperation, as the Sverigedemokraterna stated that as a prostitute, one does not have an honest livelihood and therefore may be covered.

My question to Paulina Brandberg is quite simply: If a prostitute today seeks help from social services or the police, does the person risk deportation or does the person receive the support that they are entitled to?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, member, for the question!

It is correct that prostitution is mentioned in the point concerning so-called misconduct in the Tidö Agreement.

After we have now produced and negotiated the committee directives between the Tidö parties, the word prostitution does not appear in the directives. There is absolutely talk about honest livelihood in the committee directives, but there are also clear provisions there that consideration should be taken of personal circumstances and personal responsibility.

I believe that both I and the member share the view that for women in prostitution, there is an incredibly great vulnerability and very delicate personal circumstances.

The proposal is not about attacking vulnerable people, but on the contrary, we shall increase safety and security in Sweden.

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Mr. Speaker! My question is directed to the Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance, Anna Tenje. The idea for the question comes from my two pupils, Tilda and Sofia, who are also sitting in the gallery today and following this question period.

Home care services employ more than 100,000 people, a large proportion of whom are foreign-born. Last autumn, a new law was passed regarding increased maintenance requirements for labor migrants. I therefore wonder what the consequence assessment, which I take for granted that the government has had carried out, says about what the new law will have for consequences over the coming ten years for home care's ability to provide personnel and the possibility to carry out its mission.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question. I would also like to extend a big thank you to Tilda and Sofia, who I assume are sitting up in the gallery listening to the answer to the question.

When it comes to labor immigration, we have made a decision that one must have a salary of 27,300 kronor to obtain a work permit. When we look at how many are affected within elderly care, it is 300-400 people - nursing assistants and care assistants - in the entire country. And one can observe that not everyone is below 27,300 kronor, which is the median salary for a nursing assistant.

I recently visited a municipality where there were approximately six people affected. At the same time, there were 2,500 unemployed people in that very same municipality. I believe therefore that this shortage can be addressed through matching and education, and that one ensures that everyone who does not work in Sweden today actually works.

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Marie-Louise Hänel Sandström (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Health Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

Right now, the international antibiotic week is taking place. In connection with that, my internship student Anna Petzold from Gothenburg, who is also here and sitting in the gallery, has asked a question about it. And I will ask her question.

Today, antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing threat to both humans and animals. It is estimated that infections caused by resistant bacteria cause half a million deaths annually around the world. If it gets really bad, it could be up to 10 million deaths if it continues at this rate.

To curb antibiotic resistance, several parties need to cooperate and provide more knowledge on how to reduce the use of antibiotics. It is also necessary to develop new types of antibiotics when the old types no longer work.

My student's question is: How are we to get the pharmaceutical companies to invest in new medicines that are to be used as little as possible?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question. It is my colleague Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed who is responsible for the question, but I am very happy to answer it.

Just as the member says, antibiotics are a fantastic medicine to use, and very many need them. In that case, it is perhaps not about what you and I think of normally, that we get it when we get a cold and catch some virus. It is primarily cancer patients and many other seriously ill people who need it to manage the other treatment. It is, therefore, a life-saving medicine that one needs. At the same time, it must be used carefully because of resistance. In Sweden, we are successful when it comes to working against resistance. But we are starting to have too few antibiotics to use.

That is why we now have a proposal to find a replacement system that supports our ability to retain the antibiotics we have and a replacement system that enables us to develop smarter and better antibiotics. This assignment has been given by the Minister for Social Affairs, and I am very much hoping for it. But we need to support this development from the state side, and the government does that.

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Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! In Germany, most hydropower dams and similar dams have been declared as heavily modified water, which ensures that one has water for people and animals and has electricity production.

In Norway, they are expanding small-scale hydropower. And here in Sweden, we have decided on a moratorium, for which I am incredibly grateful. There is just one small problem, namely that several of our county administrative boards have obviously ignored this. One receives a number of signals about this from those who are hydropower owners.

The government is working on developing new regulations. And my question to Minister Romina Pourmokhtari is: When will the new rules be in place, and will the moratorium be extended until they are in place?

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Jacobsson for the question. As the Member knows, we have a pause in the review of environmental permits for hydropower just now. An important measure during this pause is precisely to review how we shall proceed.

But I want to share a few things that we have done during this break. Among other things, we have had meetings with authorities and representatives for different parties within the hydropower industry in order to really see where the problems lie and listen to their experiences. We have tasked the county administrative boards to report in the follow-up on what measures they are taking to clarify their work towards affected actors. We have also tasked the county administrative boards to report on how the materials that emerge in cooperation or in other ways are used for the work that is carried out regarding the review of environmental quality standards and other such matters.

So, a lot is going on. But the preparation is still ongoing, and I therefore cannot yet speak about exactly how we plan to proceed.

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Mikael Dahlqvist (S)

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

We know that access to pharmacies and medicines is crucial for good and equal care throughout the country. That is why I became seriously concerned when I read in Dagens Nyheter on November 17 that more than every tenth pharmacy is at risk of closing due to poor profitability. It concerns, in rounded figures, 850,000 people who could lose their pharmacy in their municipality.

Now, a few hundred million kronor more is being demanded in compensation to support the pharmacies so that they can survive the economic crisis. According to TLV, the basis is the serious economic situation.

Furthermore, there are no pharmacies in over 200 of the country's 290 municipalities. This is, therefore, a dilemma.

My question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is: What does the Minister intend to do about this?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for an important question.

It is important to have access to pharmacies. And thanks to the deregulation, we have received many more pharmacies. It is a big difference today.

But there must also be prerequisites for operating pharmacies. And in connection with the deregulation, the state provided a subsidy for rural areas. We still have that. In 2021, it was around 44 pharmacies that applied for and were granted this subsidy. The number of those who apply and who are granted the subsidy varies.

The more long-term changes that need to occur are about strengthening the conditions for pharmacies to operate. That is why TLV is currently working on reviewing the trade margin. The decision on deregulation also means that TLV has the mandate to ensure that the trade margin is regulated. They have now submitted a proposal to increase it. This proposal is out for consultation. And in the usual order, a minister may not comment until the decision is finalized.

I hope that there will be a good response and that we find a good arrangement and can strengthen and enable the maintenance of pharmacies throughout the country.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Often the word honor violence is associated with concepts such as female genital mutilation, arranged marriages and the like. But there is also gang-related violence in the criminal world that is often honor-related. This is a problem that is escalating among young people, and it is a contributing part to why we see more and more girls being recruited into gangs.

This is an area that is rarely mentioned and addressed when discussing the issue of honor. In order to tackle these problems, we need to be aware of how the concepts of honor and loyalty function within the gang structure, as well as how these factors can influence an individual's choices and actions. We must also ensure that persons who wish to leave such a context of honor receive the protection and support they need.

My question therefore goes to Minister Paulina Brandberg. Does the government intend to work towards identifying more areas where honor-related violence is the cause of conflicts between young people and part of the recruitment into criminal gangs?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for a very good and important question.

In my previous role as a prosecutor, I have worked with honor-related violence and oppression within the framework of gender-related violence and gang crime. And I completely share the view expressed by the member that there are connections between these.

People often speak carelessly about how gang crime is driven by the drug trade. What I have seen in my work is precisely what the member points out, namely that there is a honor code that is very deeply rooted in this issue. And if we are to get rid of gang crime, we need to work precisely with this.

The government is strengthening the work against honor-related violence and oppression, and we do not leave out any area when we work with these specific issues. What I can say concretely is that we are looking very much at how we develop our defector work so that it also works for everyone, both girls and boys, and in different contexts.

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Andrea Andersson Tay (V)

Mr. Speaker! Oxfam has in recent days released a report on climate equality in Sweden. The report shows that emissions are very unevenly distributed between different income groups.

The percentage of the population that has the highest incomes emits ten times more per person than the half of the population that has the lowest incomes. According to the report, this richest percentage must reduce its emissions by 93 percent over the next seven years to be in line with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.

It is clear that we do not all bear an equal responsibility for the climate crisis. Those who earn the least are also those who have the lowest capacity to transition, and yet it is this group that has reduced their emissions the most in recent decades. The richest percent contribute the least to the emission reductions despite being those who bear the greatest responsibility.

My question to Romina Pourmokhtari is: What does the Minister intend to do to rectify this injustice and ensure that the economic elite reduces its emissions in line with what is required to reach the climate goals?

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for a truly interesting question.

I think the class perspective in politics is very relevant and should be given more space. It is something that the Left Party also engages in from time to time, and therefore I find it very interesting to see how the party itself reasons regarding this issue. During the election campaign, it seemed to be discovered that the transition occurs at the expense of economically vulnerable people, and they suddenly turned in many issues, for example in the question of fuel prices. I think this is a perspective that should characterize the politics pursued in the climate area moving forward.

Those who have great wealth often live a life that cannot be combined with a sustainable society. However, it is the case that Oxfam often assumes that people who, for example, have loans because they have studied are poor. They calculate in a way that I do not think is appropriate to rely on. Oxfam's report should therefore possibly be taken with a grain of salt if one has used the same type of calculations as in previously reported reports.

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Malin Höglund (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance, Anna Tenje. It is my student teacher, Ottilia Wiklund from Gagnef in Dalarna, who has formulated the question, and she is sitting up there in the gallery and listening today.

The elderly care boost shall strengthen competence within municipally funded health and elderly care by giving new and existing staff the opportunity to educate themselves during working hours. The government grant is provided as compensation for personnel costs for staff who are studying.

Today we see that more and more municipalities are employing young people within elderly care and nursing during the summer. Several of those who are employed travel between the care recipients with an A-tractor or equivalent. My question to the Minister is whether the government can consider allocating funds - either within the Äldreomsorgslyftet or in some other way - to help the municipalities train these summer workers, who make a great effort to support the care during the summer.

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks, the member and Ottilia, for this important issue!

The elderly care boost is undeniably a very important targeted state grant; I would like to assert that it is perhaps the only one that my former municipal colleagues actually requested when it came to targeted state grants. It aims to train existing staff, that is to say, that the person employed as a care assistant should be able to undergo training to study to become a nursing assistant. It is therefore perhaps not entirely correct or appropriate to use the money for summer workers.

With that said, these municipalities - for example Malung, and I know that it was similarly done in Vilhelmina - have hired young people with epatractors to facilitate and complement the nursing assistants' important work by performing certain tasks. It is undeniably a very good way to get more young people to take notice of this important profession, and it is clear: If one then gets an employment and wants to further educate themselves, yes, then one becomes a subject of Äldreomsorgslyftet!

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Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Paulina Brandberg. It has a connection to what Member Sara Gille took up, namely honor-related violence.

We have in our country a large group of young people, predominantly girls, who live in so-called honor culture characterized by violence and oppression. The extent of the vulnerability to honor-related violence and oppression appears in research, in a number of mappings that have been carried out and in reports that have been presented over the last 20 years.

Many of these reports point out that violence is used as a mechanism of control and a constantly present method of upbringing. Other reports also point out that the honor culture has strong links to organized crime and violence-oriented Islamist extremism.

My question is: What measures is the government taking to ensure that children and young people living in a culture of honor enjoy the basic freedoms and rights that exist in the rest of society?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for a question within an area that I am very passionate about and where the government is really stepping up the work.

The group we are talking about is one of our society's most vulnerable groups, and it is a group that we have turned our backs on because we in Sweden have felt an anxiety about raising these issues. That anxiety will not be present in this government; instead, we move forward at full speed on these issues.

We have already given several assignments to various authorities, including the Gender Equality Authority, to map phenomena such as child marriage and bride price, which is also a commonly occurring part of the honor culture. We are lifting up every single stone to truly address this problem. We are also working on a new action program and a new national strategy to find the right evidence-based measures to truly protect this group and strengthen its civil and political rights.

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Johanna Haraldsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! A conflict is currently underway in the Swedish labor market because Tesla's subsidiary refuses to sign an agreement with IF Metall.

We Social Democrats naturally support the Swedish wage earners' struggle for secure and fair working conditions and for our way of regulating the labor market in Sweden. But from the right, there have been a number of remarkable statements with the point directed at the Swedish model.

On the social media platform X, a Moderate MP asks if we Social Democrats support the electrification of Sweden or the strike against Tesla – as if there were any contradiction at all. A government official describes on the same platform the union's use of industrial action as madness and urges the Moderate Student Union to start a yellow union and sign a blank agreement with Tesla.

What does Minister Paulina Brandberg actually think about these statements? Is it something the government stands behind, or does one stand up for the Swedish model, where the parties regulate the conditions on the labor market through collective agreements?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! I stand here representing the government, and I do not intend to review individual members' statements.

What I can say is that the government has, of course, like everyone else, noted that a conflict is ongoing and that the Mediation Institute has appointed a mediator in the conflict and continues to remain at the parties' disposal. The starting point that the government acts from is that the conflict is a matter for the involved parties and not for the government to handle. I have confidence that the parties will resolve this.

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Daniel Persson (SD)

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

In 2018, the first step towards a reform of the PPM system was taken. It was good and necessary to deal with unserious funds. In 2022, the bill A better premium pension system was submitted to the Riksdag. Sverigedemokraterna demanded a rejection of the bill in its entirety, not least on the grounds of the referral bodies' recommendations against it and their criticism.

The proposal would limit the options for pension savers as small and resource-efficient fund companies with historically good returns would have no chance in the procurement because only large, international fund companies can meet the criteria. Another aspect that was highlighted was that the supply of venture capital could be affected, which could also have negative effects on the Swedish labor market.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister the following: How does the government view evaluating Fondtorgsnämndens procurement of funds already now, when the first round is completed, in order to map out what consequences this has for Sweden's risk capital supply and the labor market?

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Statsrådet Anna Tenje (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks for the question, Member!

It is exactly as the member says regarding the frauds that took place on the fund square and which resulted in both legal proceedings and reduced pensions for certain savers. I want to be clear that I see no contradiction between a safe and secure fund square and a well-functioning capital market. The premium pension system aims to contribute to good pensions for Sweden's pensioners. The purpose of the reform was precisely to ensure that the fund square becomes safe and secure.

Right now, Mr. Speaker, the first procurement on the fund market is taking place. It is not even finished yet. The Government is following the work of the Fund Market Committee and the effects of the reform very closely. In my opinion, however, it is far too early to draw conclusions about the effects of the reform.

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Joakim Järrebring (S)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Romina Pourmokhtari. I also had a question linked to Oxfam's report, but that was just talked down here by the Minister just now.

The link between consumer-based emissions, consumption, and income is quite strongly documented. There are others who point out the link between income and emissions, not least the Stockholm Environment Institute. Given that, I would like to ask if the government sees this problem. Does the government have any thoughts on how one can address the difference in climate impact between different income groups and, if so, how?

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! I must say that I am sincerely pleased to be able to speak about such an exciting part of the climate transition as this one. How can we best ensure that we have systems that, in my opinion, will also encourage a growing economy and companies that can employ people, so that we produce goods and services without increasing emissions?

We do this primarily by ensuring that all companies in Sweden and the products and services imported here come from circular business models where one does not extract new things, produce, and then sell, as in linear business models. One should simply reuse, recycle, break down, and create systems again.

It is this reality we must move towards in order to continue to have a strong economy, many who are employed and many who have wealthy wallets - more than ever - as well as to achieve reduced emissions and reduced impact on our earth and our resources.

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Ulf Lindholm (SD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Equality and Deputy Minister for Employment Paulina Brandberg.

Earlier in November, it was suggested in a prominent debate article that Sweden, like Norway and Iceland, should legislate quotas for corporate boards in order to achieve an equal gender distribution in that way. Quotas risk creating a misleading facade and risk leading to efforts to achieve equal conditions being overlooked in favor of a forced desired outcome without the root causes being addressed.

For a board to function effectively, experience and creativity are required. Gender should reasonably be a subordinate factor. Quotas, however, place gender as a superior factor and see the increase in the proportion of women in corporate boards as a goal in itself.

An argument that is put forward is that it would be in the companies' interest to be regulated in this way. This sounds unlikely given that companies strive for independence from political involvement and do not want to be controlled.

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

One of the gender equality policy goals that the government is working towards is equal power and equal influence in our society. An important part of this is, of course, to look at our business sector and our corporate boards.

The government has no policy aimed at us presenting any proposal on quotas. On the other hand, we think it is important to work with the issue, for example by stimulating women's will and risk-taking when it comes to starting companies. In that regard, an organization such as Ung Företagsamhet plays an important role. There, women can to a large extent be encouraged to dare to take the step to have a larger share in the business sector.

I think it is important that we look at both our corporate boards and at women who own and run companies themselves.

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Marcus Wennerström (S)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs.

The pandemic may be over, but when the infection rates look as they do right now in Sweden, many of us are reminded of the situation and how it looked a few years ago. It is very unfortunate that it is reported that the vaccinations have started very late, because vaccination coverage is A and O for being able to combat the threat from the disease.

For that reason, we have called the Minister for Social Affairs to the Social Affairs Committee, as continued focus on vaccinations is important. Both covid and seasonal influenza and other diseases can be countered with the help of vaccinations.

In addition to the human suffering, in the form of spreading diseases, we see how healthcare is heavily burdened with longer peaks and higher pressure than healthcare may have been prepared for. In view of the situation, I wonder how the government views its role when it comes to helping healthcare in this situation and, more concretely, how the Minister for Health perceives how the state should be able to support the regions in the work they are carrying out right now.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

It is crucial that we can offer vaccines to the population and that many also receive them. By using vaccines, we can bring down the numbers and reduce the risk of severe illness and death. In that way, we can also help those who cannot receive vaccines and thereby make it easier for people to live.

Just as the member says, it is about the vaccination offer to the general public and the consequences for healthcare. Last Christmas, we had three viruses simultaneously: the common flu, RS virus, and covid. This affected healthcare a great deal. The reason was that we had too low a healthcare capacity from the start. That is why it is essential to now continue to maintain a decent healthcare capacity even when we have difficult times. This is part of the work.

The second part is to ensure that the infection does not spread. Many hospitals have already started using protective clothing, face masks, and the like because they themselves assess that it is a way to reduce the risk of infection. These are wise measures that the healthcare system is taking right now.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Mr. Speaker! My question also goes to Acko Ankarberg Johansson. It concerns the doctors' working conditions.

This is literally a vital professional group, which unfortunately in many ways has unreasonable working conditions today. One minute is probably not enough to account for the entire situation. It is about an unreasonable burden that means one hardly has time to eat food during the day. Enormous amounts of administration consume time that the doctors would naturally rather spend with patients. Some doctors have, in principle, double full-time jobs including on-call duties.

I have full confidence that the Minister is aware of the problems. It is being testified, to simplify the whole thing, about a vicious spiral where low wages lead to fewer employees, which in turn leads to a worse working environment. This in turn leads to fewer employees, and so it continues.

This leads to approximately one-third of the licensed doctors, who are in high demand on the market, choosing not to work with patients. It is a major problem. My question is therefore whether the Minister can account for how the government is working to improve doctors' working conditions, not least regarding the administrative burden.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

The last part is what lies on the government's table and what I will return to. The other parts that the member raised do not lie on the government's table. It is not we who are to decide on wages, and it is not we who decide how collective agreements shall function. That is for the parties in the labor market to do.

Not least, the increasing administrative burden is truly bad. A considerable amount is policy-driven administration, which we all help with - from all levels, also from the clinics and the operations themselves. This is work that I am currently undertaking together with Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner so that we jointly - the authorities for what the state does and the regions for what they do themselves - in every way find ways to reduce the administrative burden. This is something that we are looking at very much together. It is a matter of daring to break patterns.

It is also about making it interesting to work. In that regard, the government's new investigation on continuing education measures is very essential. I know that it is in demand by many of the healthcare professions. We must have a regulation for continuing education for healthcare personnel as well.

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Elsa Widding (-)

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

In his speech at the meeting of the World Health Assembly in May 2023, the Minister of State expressed no reservations regarding the proposals for the revision of the IHR, that is, WHO's International Health Regulations. It concerns changes to a long series of articles, not least the hair-raising articles 1, 13 and 42, which aim to give WHO increased powers. Instead, the Minister said in his speech that these increased powers are crucial for achieving the goals of Agenda 2030 regarding sustainable development.

My question to the Minister is: Which goals in Agenda 2030 are benefited by the WHO receiving increased powers, where non-binding recommendations are now intended to become legally binding?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

WHO has no jurisdiction over Sweden. It is the Swedish constitution, that is to say the Instrument of Government, which applies. That is also the reason why we, for example, offer vaccines to the population. We do not force anyone but offer something we know is good for public health, furthermore free of charge when it comes to covid.

WHO's role is to collect knowledge about public health and contribute to the member states' knowledge of what can be done and done better, and the member states work with it in the way they themselves deem appropriate. So does Sweden.

I am glad that I, at that meeting in the spring which the member refers to, was able to represent not only the government but all EU countries and several other countries. I highlighted for all of us that we want to cooperate to find a common effort that leads to better public health. However, we have not come that far yet when it comes to content and decisions, so we in the government are happy to return to the conversation when we know more about the content and what the government will be positive about.

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Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)

Mr. Speaker! I take note of what Minister Paulina Brandberg said about the government being here to answer questions from the members. Therefore, I want to give Romina Pourmokhtari another chance to answer the question from Andrea Andersson Tay that she chose not to answer.

Even though Vänsterpartiet appreciates that the government examines our proposals, we hope, of course, that the government also adopts them and presents them as its own, because it is a much better policy.

But now the question is what the government intends to do. I therefore pose Andrea Andersson Tays' question in its entirety again because the Minister did not care to answer it earlier. What does the Minister intend to do to rectify the injustice and ensure that the economic elite reduces its emissions in line with what is required to reach the climate goals?

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Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Mr. Speaker! Let me repeat what I also explained to Member Järrebring. That the rich generate a lot of emissions is a natural consequence of the fact that those who have a lot of money can use their money for consumption. It is a fact that I have probably never met anyone who has opposed. But how should one ensure that they do not generate emissions? Is it by strangling their wealth and taking more tax out of their wallets, or is it by ensuring that what they consume when they travel, work, shop, put on new clothes, and eat food at the table are pure products that do not generate emissions?

Here I see a major ideological difference between the blocs that I chose to account for and highlight by pointing out that even Vänsterpartiet seems to have some insight into the fact that it is the most economically vulnerable people who largely bear the burden of the climate transition.

Question Time

The way to get the rich to stop generating emissions is to remove the emissions, not the wealth.

Question time was hereby concluded.

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