Question Time

FÖRSTE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions will be answered today by Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson, Minister Lotta Edholm, Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall and Minister Jessica Rosencrantz.

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 performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Karin Sundin (S)

Mr. Speaker! It has now been a year since the Prime Minister promised a state budget that would mean that no one would be laid off in Swedish healthcare. Now we know that the state budget contains significantly less money for healthcare than before. We have seen record-breaking layoffs within health and social care, over 6,000 people during 2024. And despite the government's claims that things are brightening on the horizon, the layoffs continue to come. This far into 2025, it concerns over 500 people within health and social care.

At the same time, problems are accumulating for the healthcare's managers and employees when they do not have the resources or staff to fulfill the mission.

What does the Minister for Health and Social Affairs want to say to all those who are setting the healthcare schedules for 2025 and who are to solve days, evenings, weekends and holidays? When will it brighten for them?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

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

It is an extremely prioritized issue. When inflation hit the regions extra hard, depending on the pension agreement they had signed, we chose to allocate an extra 9 billion to them, just to cover the costs of inflation. The extra support they have received corresponds to 10,500 nurses. They received it so that during that year which was so troublesome, they could retain staff. And that has indeed led to the fact that we have not had mass layoffs.

We feared, when we presented the final part regarding 6 billion, that perhaps 5,000–6,000 would risk being laid off depending on the notices that existed. That has not happened. I am pleased both that the money has had an effect and that the regions have been able to handle the situation better than they first thought.

However, changes have occurred regarding, among other things, administrative staff. But it has been possible to protect healthcare staff. That is important.

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Karin Sundin (S)

Mr. Speaker! The fact is that people who are needed in Swedish healthcare have been laid off in Swedish healthcare, and the layoffs continue.

The question remains: What should one do when one does not have enough resources and people to fill their schedules? What does the Minister for Health and Social Affairs have to say to those who, with scarce resources, are to fill schedules during 2025?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The member! Just as the member points out, it is about having enough staff. I am pleased that the regions have now made the shift from previously having many agency workers to now having permanent staff.

It has also become a change for employees, who have not always been part of the change. It has entailed great problems and challenges for the staff. I am aware of that. But the direction is right. Permanent staff is better for the patients. It also builds continuity and is better when one is to develop the quality in the operations.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is also directed to Minister for Health and Social Affairs Acko Ankarberg Johansson, on the occasion that we were recently reached by a debate article where the Minister for Health and Social Affairs states that the government does not rule out that Sweden should receive patients from Gaza.

With knowledge of what the healthcare situation looks like in Sweden, I can think that it is a rather surprising but also partly alarming position. The Sweden Democrats and the government are of course doing very much good for healthcare in Sweden. I am also aware of that. But we are not at the goal yet. The problems are not solved yet. The healthcare queues remain, with very much suffering and actually also deadly consequences for the Swedish population.

Mr. Speaker! How can the Minister for Health and Care consider it appropriate to receive patients from the Middle East when Swedish patients are dying in the care queues?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Members of the Committee! I do not appreciate when my opinion is reformulated. The opinion that the government has held all along is that we do not rule out that Sweden should receive patients from Gaza. But the situation in Gaza comes first, that is to say how we can best provide help and humanitarian support to the population on site. That has been the choice that the government has faced.

That is why we have ensured to provide multi-million support, most recently with an additional 400 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza to support the population. It goes to UN agencies that work with healthcare, maternal care, health care and social support in various ways. Those funds, in fact, reach the most people.

Medical evacuation reaches very few. Furthermore, it is linked to great difficulties. Norway promised this summer to receive very many. After five to six months, six people arrived, which shows how difficult it is.

Our assessment is about how we provide the best humanitarian support. We must also manage the healthcare in Sweden.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Our priority is primarily how we solve our healthcare situation in Sweden. I still think the Minister has been quite clear that it is not ruled out that Sweden should receive patients if it were possible. The Government may not rule it out, but the Sweden Democrats do. I want to be clear about that.

It is still somehow a changed position from the government. As recently as November, the minister said in an interpellation debate in this chamber that it was not intended for Sweden to receive any patients.

Therefore, my follow-up question is why the government has not, if not changed its position, at least changed the communication regarding the issue.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Members of the Committee! If one reads everything I said – it was quite a lot – one can see that I was clear that it is not a no to doing it, but that it is about the situation. How can we best support the civilian populations affected by an immense humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the situation?

We have so far chosen the method that we judge to be best. That is to provide support and help on site. But that does not mean that one excludes ever helping in other places, for example when it concerns the great catastrophe that also exists in Sudan. We see it also in Congo. We see it in many more places now.

So there is no prohibition, but we proceed from the situation.

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Tony Haddou (V)

Mr. Speaker! Food prices are skyrocketing again. Soon, coffee will cost 100 kronor per pack. Food prices continue to rise while the government watches passively. The food giants are making record profits while households and families with children struggle to afford food. In just two years, food prices have risen by 30 percent.

Vänsterpartiet does not accept this development, which hits ordinary people. We demand that the government acts to stop the price shock on food. Sweden needs powerful measures to stop the food giants from pushing up prices.

Firstly, the government must force the food giants to account for their price increases. Secondly, unreasonable price increases must lead to fines. Thirdly, the food giants' oligopoly must be broken. These are three concrete measures to push down prices. When will the government act?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question. We are all affected by this daily. When one shops for groceries, it is tough to pay for them. There is no doubt that a price increase has occurred.

We understood the price increases when inflation was at its highest. That is also why the government has put all the energy we could from a government perspective into bringing down inflation. It has been of great importance for households that we are now back at normal levels. Then the rest of the market also needs to adjust to the new situation. I believe it is necessary that the food industry also looks at its costs and what can be done to find the right levels.

However, it is difficult for a state and a government to control prices, unless it is Venezuela's methods that are used – I did not hear the member propose that. But it is difficult to steer to find the truly wise balance in a market. It is about demand and what is possible to produce. Above all, the producers need to be paid.

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Tony Haddou (V)

Mr. Speaker! It sounds a bit like the Minister is saying that the market will solve this. But when the market is abused in the way that has been the case with the food giants, politics needs to act to protect households. We cannot have these rising food prices. They have risen by 30 percent in just two years. One of every three food items has become more expensive. We cannot have a government that sits and watches. The only thing we have received is a statement that it has become more expensive – or else one has had coffee with the food giants. When will the government act?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the follow-up question. There are quite a few different things that can be done, not least the work being done within the food sector to ensure that we become more self-sufficient in food. Today, far too many food products need to be imported, and there, the prices have increased significantly. I believe it is almost only carrots that we are self-sufficient in. We therefore need to increase the amount of food for which we have better preparedness in the surrounding area. If we have more production at home, we would handle the fluctuations in the market better.

It is inappropriate to run a market, but being able to manage the household economy is a priority.

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Mr. Speaker! Yesterday, the Riksdag was visited by the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired, who monitored the debate in the Committee on Transport regarding transport services. The fact is that the right to transport services has been significantly curtailed over the last ten years, and this has hit the visually impaired particularly hard without the government choosing to act.

Another thing that has also hit the visually impaired very hard is the changed rights to assistance. It is so bad there that it prompted the Riksdag in June to issue a notice to the government to investigate new legislation regarding assistance.

I asked the Minister for Social Services about this last autumn and received the answer: A state of readiness is now being initiated in the Government Offices. That, Mr. Speaker, prompts me to ask: Has this state of readiness now transitioned into practical work to strengthen the rights of the visually impaired to assistance?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member very much for an important question. Questions regarding society's most vulnerable with disabilities are important and prioritized.

When there is a state of readiness or a preparation is underway in the Government Offices, it is about work being carried out.

The government is very aware of the importance of guidance and these different parts, not least for persons with visual impairments. Therefore, we are following the development very closely.

It must however be emphasized that the municipalities have an immensely important responsibility when it comes to meeting the individual's needs, regardless of whether the accompaniment is provided according to LSS or according to the Social Services Act.

We are following the developments closely, and preparations are being made within the Government Offices in this area.

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Mr. Speaker! It still feels good that one has moved from preparedness, which was the word used in the autumn, to preparation. In that case, it is clear that I wonder if the preparation currently taking place in the Government Offices also involves looking into the question of new legislation. What does the work look like to strengthen the rights of the visually impaired to assistance according to LSS?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! The announcement that the Riksdag made regarding free accompaniment and the possibility of a specific law linked to this is being prepared as I just said in the Government Offices. It is work that is ongoing. I intend to return later in this work with an announcement regarding the government's next steps in the matter.

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Märta Stenevi (MP)

Mr. Speaker! This week, Sveriges Radio published a review of custody cases decided in the Court of Appeal between the years 2016 and 2020 where the father was convicted and served a sentence for sexual offenses. In a hair-raising 19 out of 32 cases, the father had been granted sole or shared custody or the right to unsupervised visitation against the mother's will. As a reason, it was stated in very many of these cases that the mothers had not cooperated sufficiently well with the perpetrators. In other words: A mother who tries to protect her children from a convicted perpetrator runs a great risk of losing custody and being forced to leave the children alone with just that perpetrator.

We have long demanded that the view on parents' rights to their children should be changed and that children should have the right to legal counsel in all cases concerning custody, residence, and visitation, so that the children themselves are truly heard.

My question to Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, Minister for Social Services, is: How will the government act to stop these conditions immediately and once and for all put the child's best interests first?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Märta Stenevi very much for an extremely pressing and important question.

The government's extensive work is about strengthening the situation of vulnerable children. It is an ongoing work. We have presented a number of proposals regarding various legislations. We continue to work so that children's rights shall take precedence over parents' rights. This shall run as a common thread through all the legislation we are working with.

It is a self-evident fact that children should never have to be afraid of guardians they have contact with or meet in any other way. That was also why the bill Safer Home for Children, which this Riksdag has passed a decision on, began to apply on January 1 this year. I want to emphasize that no children should be afraid of having to stay with guardians who have used violence against them or their relatives.

(Applause)

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Märta Stenevi (MP)

Mr. Speaker! In the investigation that the Minister refers to, there was also a preparatory document on the issue of securing children's right to legal counsel in custody disputes. This could have been introduced as early as January 1st of this year. It is not more investigations we need now, but change. I want to urge the government to stand behind the opposition's proposal on legal counsel for children, which will soon be put to a vote in this chamber, and then proceed with legislation. Our children need protection from their perpetrators now.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! As I described in my previous contribution, the government is now working step by step further to secure the protection of vulnerable children. We are far from finished. Nor are we finished with the investigation that Märta Stenevi refers to. The next step in the area of family law is now to review how children's position in cases concerning custody, residence, and access can be further strengthened. In that regard, we now intend to appoint an investigation linked to the introduction of legal representatives.

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Ludvig Ceimertz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Breaking the recruitment to gangs is absolutely crucial in order to be able to combat serious crime. For that reason, I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Social Services for the extensive work being done to strengthen social child and youth care.

I also want to ask a question to the Minister for Social Services. We know that many young people who risk being drawn into crime are placed in HVB or within the state youth care Sis. There, we have been reached by reports that young people are being recruited into criminal gangs. There are drugs, and young people continue to commit crimes in there.

What is the government doing to ensure that state youth care can function better and become a better protection for young people who are heading towards crime, instead of becoming a path into crime as it has sometimes shown to be?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks to Ludvig Ceimertz for the question!

That society has an enormous responsibility for children and young people who are placed in social care is a self-evident fact. It is naturally very important that the form of placement chosen corresponds to the child's needs and circumstances and that the care shall be safe and secure.

What the government has done so far includes, among other things, ensuring that Sis now has completely different powers to be able to ensure that, for example, one cannot use mobile phones to be controlled from the inside, which has occurred. At HVB, those powers do not exist today. But the investigation working on equivalent powers will be presented within a few months.

In the long term, we see that child and youth care needs to be reformed fundamentally. Therefore, the investigation that is now reviewing the entire child and youth care, and which will also be presented in a few months, is an immensely important link in this.

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Ludvig Ceimertz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much for the answer, Minister!

We all look forward to the investigation that is to be presented in a couple of months to see how we can improve state youth care even further in the long term. Thank you for the answer regarding the measures at Sis! It is pleasing that they are also underway at HVB.

Can Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall tell us more about in which direction the measures at HVB will go? Are increased powers for the staff regarding drugs, searches and the like on the way?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much, Ludvig Ceimertz!

Just as I describe, an investigation is currently underway. I will have the proposals presented in a few months. The directives have been clear. The staff at HVB homes are very clear that they cannot, today, stop the criminal networks from picking up these children and young people. It is to a very large extent about being able to limit access to mobile phones. That is what I envision.

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Roland Utbult (KD)

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

The healthcare queues are a problem in Sweden. Many sick people do not receive care in time. Recently, the government presented new measures to shorten the healthcare queues.

My question is: How does the government intend to follow up on whether the regions are taking advantage of the new opportunities and using the new tools and funds to shorten the healthcare queues?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I agree with the member that the healthcare queues have truly become entrenched. It is almost to the point that a patient does not expect to receive an operation in time without a long waiting period.

There are also large differences. We have regions where the 90-day healthcare guarantee is met and other areas where there are great difficulties. This means that the measures need to look different.

It cannot be the same in all regions, one must work based on local conditions. Therefore, we are providing 5.9 billion to increase healthcare capacity, where one can work in the way that fits best.

We now have the state one-off measures where we highlight three special operations. In those, the regions are paid after the operations have been performed. This implies a clear steering. Complete more operations, and you will be paid for that part.

We will return in the near future regarding how it will take place. But it means that patients who today are waiting for an operation for a hip prosthesis, for a fall, or for cataracts can expect funds to have the operation in the near future.

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Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! My follow-up question is then: What is the Minister's assessment of the available capacity in the country to be able to shorten the healthcare queues?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I would have wished that we had a national picture of healthcare capacity. We lack such a picture. But work is ongoing in the Government Offices and within agencies to produce it.

For example, Region Jämtland Härjedalen visited the department yesterday. We were just talking about the upcoming one-time state interventions. They told us that they have available healthcare capacity in certain areas where they can assist other regions. Region Jönköping gave the same information this morning at a meeting.

There are also private providers. I have visited both Ersta here in Stockholm and Carlanderska in Gothenburg. Both are foundations, and the money goes back into the operations. They have capacity.

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Johan Andersson (S)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Nordic Affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz.

We live in a very restless time. Despite that, it is important that the work on border obstacles continues in the Nordic Council.

Sweden is the chair of the Nordic Council this year. One of our priority areas is precisely about removing border obstacles so that we become as integrated as possible in that part.

A question that we have discussed in our selection in the Nordic Council, the committee for a sustainable Norden, concerns a Nordic deposit system. That question has lived in the work since 2010.

Today, a very large number of cans and bottles are not being recovered. Just on the ferries between Sweden and Finland, there is a large number, 1 billion aluminum cans, that are outside the system. This naturally has major disadvantages.

My question is: What will happen? What is the minister's answer?

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

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

I truly share the commitment to the work on border obstacles. Sweden was the chair of the Nordic Council of Ministers last year. Now Sweden is the chair of the Nordic Council.

It is very pleasing to see that both the Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council now have a focus precisely on border obstacle issues. I would like to say that it is a common Swedish priority.

What we did during the past year under Swedish leadership was to really bring the issue of border obstacle work closer to the political leadership. It is ultimately a political responsibility to really take on the border obstacle issues.

Last year, we developed a program for free mobility. We strengthened the design of the Border Obstacles Council to assist the policy by actually developing concrete solutions in the area of border obstacles.

I just came yesterday from a meeting in Copenhagen with my colleagues. The next step will be to, from a political side, very clearly identify: Which barriers shall we tear down? It is clear that even this question is one of those that we need to look closer at.

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Clara Aranda (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Over the last five years, reports of violence in primary and secondary schools in Sweden have increased by almost 60 percent. The teaching profession has for a long time had to take the blame for the bad behavior of rowdy and norm-breaking students.

This is something that the Sweden Democrats have worked for a long time to change. We believe that the focus instead should be placed on measures to help students with school difficulties while we safeguard the teaching for students in the rest of the class.

Therefore, it is now pleasing that the Minister for Education has expressed a positive view towards introducing the old so-called "obsklasser" (grade classes) in Swedish schools. I would therefore like to ask if the Minister can provide information on when we can expect the "obsklasser" to be reintroduced.

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Mr. Speaker! Swedish school has for quite many years been characterized by an inclusion mindset that is fundamentally good, that is to say that all children should go together. But it has also shown that much of this does not work, and I would say that it is among other reasons why we have such large problems when it comes to, for example, reading learning, as well as that we here in Sweden have schools that are rowdier than in all other comparable countries. We can, for example, see that the reports to the Work Environment Authority regarding violence and threats have increased by 150 percent over ten years.

What the member is requesting is a form of support classes, and the Liberals have raised the idea that such classes were needed for students with very significant behavioral problems. However, it is too early today to say how we can proceed with that proposal, so I ask to be allowed to return to it.

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Ilona Szatmári Waldau (V)

Mr. Speaker! In Sweden, food prices and rents are increasing more than wages and benefits. People in Sweden cannot afford to eat their fill when they have to choose between rent and food. Now the trade sector announces that it will raise food prices further. Even in the EU as a whole, increased food prices are a problem.

Sweden's Finance Minister's solution to the problem of increased food prices and high profits for the food retail trade has been to have a coffee with the representatives of the food giants. I hope that the EU Minister tackles the problem in a better way.

The EU ministers have just met in Brussels. We know that it is EU rules that are currently pushing up Swedish food prices. My question to the EU minister is in what way she is driving lower food prices and changed rules for rent setting. What else is she driving that can make life better for ordinary people?

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is quite obvious that many people, both in Sweden and around Europe, experience that the margins in life are very pressured. Food prices are rising, and we see electricity prices that are very high around Europe. Households are pressured from several sides. This is, of course, a recurring issue that in some sense lies on the EU Minister's table but which is also discussed in many other constellations within the EU and in various ministers' areas of responsibility.

We are actively working on several fronts, not least with addressing the issue of the very high electricity prices, which we know hit both households and companies hard. It is something that affects both the competitiveness of Europe and the margins of households. To take that area as an example, it is quite obvious that we now need to work offensively to expand electricity production in order to thereby bring down energy prices.

There are things to be done in area after area, but to a large extent it is also about national measures.

(Applause)

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Anna Lasses (C)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Jessica Rosencrantz.

We all stand here by Ukraine. We also see that the pressure on Ukraine is increasing, and regardless of which agreement happens to be on Trump's desk tomorrow, it is time for Ukraine and Europe to be able to stand up against Russia on their own feet.

Therefore, I now wonder if the government is prepared to do what is required. Is the government prepared to work in the near term to increase the EU's borrowing limit so that we can offer the support that Ukraine needs to defeat Russia in the short term and, in the short term, also secure the collective defense of the EU countries? In the long term, naturally, the EU's competitiveness must increase so that the financing can take place in a more sustainable way. But my question is about here and now.

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Anna Lasses, for the question!

Let there be no doubt that the support for Ukraine is this government's absolutely most important task to maintain and to increase. It is something that we are very clear about from the Swedish side as well towards all EU colleagues. Right now is truly the time to step forward and increase the support. Sweden has done this in several areas, including by now directing the largest military support package to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.

It is also quite obvious that there are now many proposals on the table regarding how one can further increase investments in our own defense capability. It is important to do just this, and we rule nothing out. But it is a well-known opinion that joint borrowing is not the first stone Sweden is lifting, and there we are critical.

There are many proposals on the table right now. It is about mobilizing more private capital, it is about budget rules that are being discussed, and it is about using more of the frozen Russian assets. Here I believe that it will move forward quite quickly, not least when the leaders meet next week.

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Yesterday, the Curriculum Inquiry submitted its report to School Minister Lotta Edholm. There are many interesting proposals there. The most important thing that I and Miljöpartiet take away is, however, that what the investigator himself highlights as the biggest reason for worsened knowledge results is not deficiencies in the curriculum, but a lack of funding as well as the school's regulation. The investigator also highlighted that it is absolutely crucial that the school receives sufficient resources for the Curriculum Inquiry's proposals to have an effect.

The sitting government has, during recent years, not provided the resources that the municipalities need to finance the school's activities. They have also avoided making any restrictions on the market school, which I hope will change after this.

My question to the Minister for Education is therefore: When will the government provide the school with the resources it needs? Can Lotta Edholm guarantee that the school will receive the resources required in the autumn budget?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks to the member for the question!

When it comes to the financing of Swedish schools, it is a responsibility primarily for the municipalities. The responsibility for the school has been municipalized for about 30 years now. I belong to a party that believes it was a major mistake.

It is clear that the state also has a great responsibility, and therefore we invest large resources every year to improve the school also in those municipalities that invest relatively little money on their school. We invest, for example, in textbooks, more fiction, more special education teachers, school social teams, emergency schools and more smaller teaching groups, all in the act and intent of strengthening the rule-governed school so that we get a school that is equal across all of Sweden. So that is not the case today.

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Josefin Malmqvist (M)

Mr. Speaker! Swedish students need to learn more. Therefore, we need to ensure that we get rid of the harmful view of knowledge that has characterized Swedish schools for far too long. We need to ensure that subject knowledge returns to the center. We need to ensure that it is the teacher who leads the teaching in the classroom. We need to reduce the students' influence over the teaching content, and we must ensure that the knowledge requirements we set are adapted to children's cognitive development.

Yesterday, the curriculum investigation that many of us have longed for was finally presented. It contains many proposals that are heading in the right direction. My question to the Minister for Education is therefore: How do we ensure that the important proposals that the Curriculum Investigation, among others, now proposes will also gain traction in the teaching of our Swedish students in classrooms all over Sweden?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Mr. Speaker! Thanks to the member for the question!

This is an incredibly important investigation. One could say that it sweeps away the last remains of a postmodernist view on knowledge. We are getting rid of the relativistic view of knowledge; instead, there is a very, very strong focus on basic knowledge and skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. I am fundamentally very positive about this investigation.

What is happening now is that the investigation will be sent out for consultation. It will take some time. Then, in addition to us making decisions on the curriculum, there must also be syllabi for each subject. It remains to be seen how that work will take place. It is, however, clear that with a clear curriculum at the base, the possibilities for clear syllabi also become significantly greater. There are also examples in the investigation of how syllabi in different subjects could be designed.

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Gudrun Brunegård (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Getting care at the right time is important for both young and old, not least in acute situations. In the case of cardiac arrest or stroke, every minute of waiting is decisive for the outcome. This naturally also applies to other acute conditions such as childbirth or a severe accident.

In many parts of our elongated country, it is already a long way to the nearest hospital today. In Sollefteå, now, following the region's majority decision, patients will have to travel approximately one and a half hours to the hospitals they will instead be referred to.

My question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is how the government is working to ensure that people throughout the country have access to acute healthcare in a timely manner.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question. Of course, we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone, regardless of where they live, receives the healthcare they need.

As I mentioned, I was in Region Jämtland Härjedalen yesterday. You know what the geography looks like. The majority of everyone in the region lives within a three-mile radius of Östersund, but then there are still quite a few who live very far away. How do you go about ensuring them the healthcare they need with emergency transports and other things?

Now I took Jämtland Härjedalen as an example. It requires quite a lot of resources for helicopters and for ambulances that are stationed far away, perhaps in Gäddede. It becomes a high cost, and it is tough for a region to manage that.

We do, however, have the arrangement that it is the regions that are responsible for this and not the state. We have no state healthcare. The regions solve it in different ways. It is also wise if the regions cooperate. The borders are, in that respect, fictitious. It can be about cooperating between the regions to solve it.

This is a high priority, and the government supports the work the regions are doing.

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Aylin Nouri (S)

Mr. Speaker! Recently, SVT revealed that a radical Islamist, who was also accused of eight rapes, was able to work at schools, HVB homes, and Sis homes for a period of ten years. Despite Säpo identifying the man as a security risk and preventing him from becoming a security guard, he was able to obtain a teaching license.

It is obvious that society must act more firmly against particularly unsuitable persons obtaining teacher licenses and being employed in schools. The government must take more powerful measures to protect our children and young people in school.

Why is the Minister for Education doing nothing to ensure that persons who are deeply unsuitable to work as teachers also lose their teaching license?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for this extremely important issue. I fully share Aylin Nouri's reasoning. What has happened naturally should not happen. It shows, among other things, that employers are far too poor at requesting references. I would say that is a problem in the public sector, and certainly also in the private sector, to an all too high extent.

What is happening now is, for example, that we will expand the number of crimes for which one can obtain a criminal record. Previously, very serious crimes and sexual offenses were the only ones for which one could obtain a criminal record. Now, that possibility will be expanded to more types of crimes.

I am, however, not at all unfamiliar with taking further measures if required. This should not be allowed to happen.

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Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Through the Tidö Agreement, we are strengthening the work to powerfully counter the recruitment to gangs. During the mandate period, youth prisons will be introduced for young people who commit serious crimes. Preferably, however, we do not want the situation to have to go that far.

On April 1, the proposals in the government's bill Increased information flow to crime fighting, which the Sweden Democrats also supported, will be introduced. Through this, the police and our crime-fighting authorities can receive information earlier about young people who risk being drawn deeper into crime.

It sounds a bit false from parties in this chamber who at one moment speak about how the whole society needs to stand up against crime, but at another moment do not agree with the proposals that Sverigedemokraterna and the government put forward.

In what way will the expanded cooperation between social services and the police contribute to reducing the recruitment of young people into gangs?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much, Pontus Andersson Garpvall, for an important question!

I share the member's position that we naturally must prevent and stop this recruitment. In that case, it is extremely important that the collective power of society is given an opportunity to act. There, confidentiality has been a major concern – that one has not been able to sit around the same table and provide each other with information early when the first signals began to emerge. The earlier the signals can arrive, the more we can, of course, use preventive measures. There, the new Social Services Act will be important.

The bill that the member mentions, however, is only about information in one direction. We are not satisfied with that, but we are now drafting legislation that means one can sit around the same table. School, social services, and police can then share information with each other early on. That is where we break the recruitment.

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Anders W Jonsson (C)

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

Many children and adults with rare diagnoses in Sweden do not receive treatment despite the existence of effective medicines. Before the election, KD was driving the point that the social democratic government had to act. Seven out of eight parties stood behind a motion here in the Riksdag.

The Minister for Health and Social Affairs has, since she took her seat, referred to that she would wait for the answer from TLV on a mission they had received from the Social Democratic government. TLV's answer has arrived, and everyone says that it does not solve the problem. Continued, many children and adults with rare diagnoses in Sweden will not receive their medicines. The disappointment among those affected is strong.

What will the government do to stand by its promise? Or will it be for the Minister for Health and Social Affairs as Johan Pehrson said – one says one thing before the election, then it is the election, and then one says another thing after the election?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

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

The proposal from TLV is really good. It is about finding a new method, a new structure, where one does not go on the usual premises but actually enables more medicines to be considered specifically regarding rare diseases.

The proposal came on January 2, I believe, and the member is already drawing the conclusion that it will not lead to more medicines. It is impressive that the member has that knowledge and that ability to see into the future.

I am very pleased that TLV has now come forward with this proposal, which expands the possibility of releasing more medicines. Pleasantly enough, we already see that new ones have arrived, to the benefit of people with very severe conditions who have now been granted the right to the medicines they need. SMA is what has been specifically pointed out.

We will, however, need to do more. Therefore, we are working on a strategy for rare diseases that has just been out for consultation. Socialstyrelsen is now working on compiling the responses. Many measures will be needed, both regarding medicines and regarding the rest of the work, for it to truly become good for everyone with rare diseases and conditions.

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Nils Seye Larsen (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I have a question for Camilla Waltersson Grönvall.

For us users with personal assistance, it is invaluable to be able to retain our personal assistants over time. For that, reasonable working conditions are required, and there, the wage conditions are a decisive factor. The problem is that the flat-rate setting has been held back for years and has not developed in line with the wage and price development in society as a whole.

Therefore, it is pleasing that an investigation has been commissioned to look into this regarding indexation. My questions are: How is the investigation progressing? Will it adhere to the promised timetable? Is there anywhere a possibility to increase the flat-rate setting before an indexation so that one can reduce the economic gap that has built up over time?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Nils Seye Larsen for an important question.

I can give a positive answer to the question. The work is proceeding according to the schedule. There is a working group that, together with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, is now developing an indexing model. I know that it has been greatly awaited and requested for a long time. It is naturally extremely important for the long-term conditions for the assistance.

The group is working right now, and I have very good hopes that we will be able to deliver in accordance with the timeline we have set for ourselves, namely in time for the budget presentations before the autumn.

The work is ongoing, and I will gladly return when we have come a bit further.

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Johan Hultberg (M)

Mr. Speaker! The Moderates and I personally have for a long time and persistently pushed to modernize the Swedish abortion legislation. Why? Well, because medical development has outpaced the Swedish legislation. The abortion law is 50 years old and needs to be modernized.

Specifically, we Moderates have therefore, among other things, pushed to open up for so-called home abortions. The woman should, of course, be able to undergo a medical abortion where she feels most safe and comfortable.

During the previous parliamentary term, all parties eventually stood behind the Moderates' proposal on exactly this. After that, the issue became part of the Tidö Agreement, and recently an investigation was submitted to the government with proposals to strengthen a woman's right to abortion and abolish the requirement in the Abortion Act that an abortion must be performed in a hospital.

When does the Minister for Health assess that a bill strengthening women's self-determination and women's right to abortion can land on the Riksdag's table?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question. Today, I believe, the proposal is sent out for consultation, and that work will take a couple of months. It is not possible to determine in advance because everything depends on what the consultation bodies think. Sometimes we receive consultation responses that are scattered, if I may put it that way. Then one needs to make a choice and see how to weigh them. Sometimes the responses are unambiguous. The Government thinks the same, or the Government thinks the opposite.

How quickly the work proceeds can involve different points in time. We want to do the work as quickly as possible because we perceive that there is a broad political consensus. We have proposals in the investigation that – at a quick glance, it is best to say – still look feasible. But in the investigation, there are some things that need further investigation. Not least there, it will be interesting to see what the referral bodies think moving forward.

We hope that we can return to the Riksdag as soon as possible for a decision.

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Gustaf Lantz (S)

Mr. Speaker! The police examined 18 HVB homes and found links to organized crime in all homes. Most of the HVB homes are still operational. We have received reports from Ivo, who is to inspect the HVB homes, and it appears there that when Ivo arrives at private HVB homes, they are often met by staff who threateningly photograph them with mobile cameras. Furthermore, in threatening situations, they are asked to show identification.

We therefore see how tax money flows into organized crime, but what is much worse is that young people fall into the clutches of organized crime.

My questions to the Minister for Social Services are: Can we talk about a Swedish youth care system of young criminals who are corrupt? What is the Minister, in that case, prepared to do about it?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Gustaf Lantz for an important question.

I know that we both harbor a warm commitment to ensuring that children and young people who are in the care of the community shall be safe and secure. We share the outrage that taxpayers' money has gone to criminals. Therefore, the government is currently undertaking extensive work to ensure that we, in all areas and corners, work against the extensive welfare crime that we see eating its way into all of society's capillaries.

When it comes to child and youth care, I wish that much had been done earlier, not least that the 40 constitutional proposals that Ivo placed on the previous Social Democratic government's table had been processed earlier. Then Ivo would have had different conditions.

Last year, the government allocated 30 million kronor to a number of different assignments, and we are now working consistently with a number of different agencies to be able to ensure that child and youth care will also be safe and secure.

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Angelika Bengtsson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! During the recent months, several cable breakages have occurred in the Baltic Sea, which has naturally caused concern among the Nordic countries. These cable breakages have affected important underwater cables used for data communication and energy supply.

One of the recent incidents involved a data cable running between Finland and Germany which has now been damaged for the third time in a short period. The police are investigating the incidents as sabotage, and there are suspicions that ships from the so-called shadow fleet may be involved.

I wonder if there are more plans to increase cooperation between the Nordic countries to prevent cable breakages in the Baltic Sea.

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for a very important question.

It is clear that we live in a very serious security policy situation in the world, in Europe and, frankly, in the Baltic Sea. The Nordic and Baltic countries have a common responsibility, in close cooperation with Poland, Germany and other countries, to truly ensure that we have order and clarity regarding what is happening in the Baltic Sea.

This is about both addressing the issue of cable sabotage and meeting the Russian shadow fleet. Cooperation is ongoing within both Nato and the EU. We know that strategies are being discussed to increase security around the cable infrastructure at the EU level, and we have a close cooperation between the Nordic-Baltic countries. This is an issue that we return to in every forum where we meet our colleagues from other countries. Not least, this has entailed increased maritime surveillance and increased information exchange between the countries.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Mr. Speaker! In line with the government dismantling the climate work and increasing Swedish emissions, not least from transport, more and more responsibility is being placed on individuals. One example of this is that more people shall have the opportunity to refuel with completely renewable fuels, for example HVO100, i.e., renewable diesel.

HVO100 has previously had tax exemption, and has so until December 31 this year. Now there is no new state aid approval, and therefore, EU Minister, I wonder how the government is working with the Commission to ensure that we will still have tax exemption on high-blend fuels even after December 31, 2025.

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

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

It is extremely important to continue the climate work at both the Swedish and European levels. Not least, it is important that we are 27 countries that truly act to curb climate emissions and do not just act at the member state level.

Intense work is underway here. Sweden is one of the countries clearly pushing for the EU to adopt a new offensive climate target for 2040 to reduce emissions by 90 percent. In that context, we are also careful to emphasize each member state's responsibility to do its part and consider the bioeconomy's important role in the transition. We are, of course, acting in many different tracks to find good and constructive solutions, and we have an active dialogue with the Commission and other member states to secure the support required to implement solutions that are as effective as possible.

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Marléne Lund Kopparklint (M)

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

I have a wise intern with me this week who has actually contributed to the question I am going to ask, and I am also engaged in the issues.

We know that the statistics for how many children are subjected to sexual abuse look dark. We also know that the waiting time for children to receive trauma care is sometimes very long. They need specialized care. We can also see that there is a shortage of trauma therapists with expertise in this complex area of trauma.

What measures does the government plan to take to strengthen care for vulnerable children but also for adults who have been subjected to sexual abuse in childhood? Measures are needed, not only to strengthen care but also to prevent mental ill-health, substance abuse, and everything else that can follow after a horrific experience like this.

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question, and not least for raising it. Regarding events such as these, there is a stigma surrounding telling about them. There are many who carry experiences and horrors that they have not dared to speak about, but they haunt them for their entire lives and can affect health and the opportunity for development and work for the rest of their lives.

It is very important that there is a well-developed healthcare and care system with help available when one says that they are vulnerable and need help. It is also important that adequate help is given.

We have two measures in the near term that I can tell you about. In an agreement with Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner, we have this part. One must work specifically with this, and there are funds set aside. We have also tasked Socialstyrelsen to help with knowledge support. The regions thus have this specifically in the agreement that we have concluded with them. Then we also have the knowledge support from Socialstyrelsen. This together makes that I hope we will see an improvement this year, because it is necessary.

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Per-Arne Håkansson (S)

Mr. Speaker! I direct my question to EU Minister Jessica Rosencrantz, also Minister for Nordic Cooperation.

At the latest session of the Nordic Council, on the theme of peace and security in the Arctic, a recommendation was put forward to the governments to appoint a Nordic defense and security commission where elected representatives from the parliaments would be included in order to promote and strengthen the anchoring in people's everyday lives.

We are now reached by the news that the Nordic governments choose to reject the Nordic Council's decision on a defense and security commission. Reference is made to the governments' forums, such as Nordefco and the Nordic-Baltic NB8, but these collaborations do not include the elected representatives in the parliaments, that is to say both the governments and the opposition. It is precisely such things that create unity.

Even though defense and security policy is not explicitly mentioned in the Helsinki Accords, which have been guiding for several decades, there is a strong need for a forum where cooperation in this area can be deepened.

Why is the Council of State uninterested in involving the parliaments in this commission? Is there not a potential to strengthen the popular anchoring?

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

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

I personally participated in the Nordic Council's session in Reykjavík. A discussion we had there resulted in a recommendation from the Nordic Council to review the Helsinki Accords and what can be changed over time for the various parties involved today. It was also to be reviewed which areas the Nordic Council and Nordic cooperation should address.

At the meeting I attended yesterday together with the Nordic ministers, decisions were made to appoint an investigator who shall examine the legal and juridical conditions for reviewing the Helsinki Accords. How do EU law, our different constitutions, and international law affect the possibility of reviewing which issues we shall cooperate on and which countries or self-governing territories shall be included in the cooperation as full-fledged parties?

The next step is to appoint an inquiry to review this. Then we will return later on.

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Christian Lindefjärd (SD)

Mr. Speaker! On January 2 of this year, the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency, TLV, submitted its final report on orphan drugs. After two years of investigation, more concrete and powerful proposals to improve access to orphan drugs were expected. Unfortunately, such measures are missing from the report, which is deeply worrying, not least for the patients and families who are directly dependent on these life-saving medicines.

Sweden strives to be a leading nation within the life science sector. We risk falling behind if we do not take decisive action to improve access to orphan drugs. It is about both protecting patients' health and ensuring Sweden as a competitive welfare and research nation.

What measures does the government intend to take to ensure, based on TLV's report, an improved access to orphan drugs for the patients who are in greatest need of them?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The member's question relates to a previous question.

I do not make the same assessment as the member. The statement that TLV gave was not a question of whether they intend to start working in a different way to enable more medicines for rare diseases and conditions to be included in the pharmaceutical benefit. I truly look forward to their work and to seeing what effect it has, if they find a method and structure for this.

We are simultaneously working on the strategy for rare diseases and conditions, which is a complement and is somewhat broader and affects other areas.

I fully agree with the member regarding the importance of me receiving the medicine I need for the disease or condition I have. Just the fact that more and more medicines are becoming more precise and are targeted at a smaller group also poses a challenge for all of us, economically. Costs are constantly increasing. It is important for us to jointly find good solutions that ensure we can get the medicines that patients need.

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Thomas Ragnarsson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to ask a question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs, Acko Ankarberg Johansson. We have for a very long time seen growing healthcare queues, and it is not worthy of a welfare state like Sweden. On the one hand, it means great suffering for the people who are affected, and on the other hand, it is a major socio-economic problem.

The government has decided on a major investment to cut the queues in three areas, and that is very good. But I wonder if more measures will be taken in the near future. And how will the issue be addressed in the long term?

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Statsrådet Acko Ankarberg Johansson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Just as I have mentioned earlier, healthcare queues seem to have become a natural phenomenon, something one almost expects to be so. That is not the case.

It is absolutely necessary that we break the development and tackle this collectively. On one hand, we have given 5.9 billion to the regions to increase healthcare capacity. This means that all kinds of operations and treatments shall be improved. More people shall receive care in time. On the other hand, we are adding a method with state one-off interventions for three specific diagnoses in order to be able to follow them and see a more direct connection between performed operation and payment. Then we can follow what happens.

We have, in fact, spent billion after billion without getting the effect we wanted. We also do not know why it has turned out this way or that way. Now we intend to follow the whole thing closely and learn from what we do so that in the next step we can become even more accurate and ensure that all patients, regardless of where they live in Sweden, receive the care they need.

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Marie-Louise Hänel Sandström (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister of Education Lotta Edholm.

During the past weeks, many thoughts have gone to Örebro and Campus Risbergska. So many were affected – the victims, relatives, students, staff as well as police and emergency services. Some questions that have arisen after the acute phase are: What can we do so that it does not happen again? How can the students feel safe in school again? How can this affect mental health, which is also a great concern?

Last week I attended a seminar organized by Sveriges Elevkårer, Sveriges Elevråd and Tim Bergling Foundation, and there it was spoken about precisely the preventive work and the increasing insecurity that students feel in school.

How can we improve the preventive work, and how can we strengthen student health so that this does not happen again and so that one can continue to feel safe in school?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for an important but also very difficult question. Mental ill-health in society is not just about what the school does or does not do, but this must be seen in a much larger context.

Regarding school, we have appointed an inquiry into student health. The idea is that student health should regain its primary care mandate. Part of the inquiry also concerns the importance of providing special support early to students who have different kinds of problems, for example, that they have difficulty learning to read. Some of these individuals have problems on many different fronts.

It is also about pure security issues. Schools should, for example, be able to ensure that unauthorized persons are not present there. But this is not just an issue for the school but also for the rest of society.

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Fredrik Saweståhl (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is directed to EU Minister Jessica Rosencrantz. In the European Commission's work program for 2025 and beyond, which was recently presented, it is extra pleasing that the Commission so strongly prioritizes strengthening growth, strengthening European competitiveness, and reducing the excessively large regulatory burden, which affects companies and thus also jobs and growth. For us Moderates, this is good news, and it is completely in line with our own policy and our own priorities.

But now the ambitions within the EU must be translated into real action. Therefore, I want to ask the Minister how the Moderate-led government views the possibilities of succeeding with this work and what Sweden and the government prioritize in the work, which is extremely important for a better Sweden and a better Europe.

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member, for a very important question! It is exactly as the Member says: the EU is lagging behind globally. We see how more than 90 percent of the world's growth is expected to occur outside of Europe in the coming years.

Under the Swedish presidency, this government placed competitiveness issues high on the agenda. I would also say that we have high credibility. Many look to the Nordic countries and Sweden as models.

We in Europe must build on our strengths. We have one of the world's absolutely largest home markets. We have good potential for innovation. Now we must ensure that it becomes easier to start and run businesses and to remain as businesses in Europe.

It is about several parts. It is about deepening and broadening the internal market, simplifying our regulatory frameworks, investing more in research and innovation, establishing a real capital market, and producing more fossil-free energy so that our industries can transition.

We have many new proposals on the table. It is a matter of moving from words to action, and this government is strongly pushing for that.

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Malin Höglund (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall. Against the background of the acute shortage of places within child and youth care and the growing crime among young people, we see how the municipalities are struggling to ensure safe, long-term placements for children in vulnerable situations. Children and young people need long-term and purposeful placements so that they receive the care and support they need – to protect them themselves but also to break the recruitment into serious crime.

What is Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall and the government doing concretely to meet these challenges?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much, Malin Höglund, for the question! Just as the member describes, this is a major challenge for the country's 290 social services: that regardless of whether one is a large or a small social service, one must call around and ensure that one finds the right place for every young person.

While the government is now working on getting a national placement function in place, I am extremely pleased that the government has entered into an agreement with SKR regarding this. It will help municipalities find the right placement and make the right matching for each child when it comes to the form of placement. It is very clear that municipalities and the state must work together to be able to ensure high quality and the right form of placement for every young person.

The question period was hereby concluded.

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