Question Time

ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance Anna Tenje, Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer, Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner, and Minister for EU Affairs 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 relates to his/her performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance Anna Tenje answers both general political questions and questions within her own area of responsibility.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! More prison places are needed in Sweden, and it is becoming increasingly urgent. The expansion of the correctional services in Sweden is proceeding far too slowly. The government therefore wants to rent a prison in Estonia. We Social Democrats will support this as an emergency solution to the problem and to temporarily buy time for the authority to be able to expand the operations at home. But in the long term, this is not a good strategy because 400 jobs now end up in Estonia, and these jobs are needed at new facilities in Sweden.

Several municipalities have approached the government, and some of them even have ready, detailed-planned land. My question to the Minister of Justice is: Will the government ensure that construction is maximized according to what these detailed plans allow, or will you continue to give away Swedish jobs to foreign countries?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the relevant questions.

First and foremost, I naturally welcome that the Social Democrats, albeit a bit late to the party, are participating in and supporting the very important project of quickly securing 600 places in Estonia. It is true that this reflects a high pressure on the correctional services, a high pressure that was built up with extraordinary systematicity under eight years of Social Democratic rule. When we close the shop after these four years, we will have established prison places equivalent to seven Kumla prisons, which can be compared with the equivalent two that S secured over eight years. It is therefore quite true that the construction pace has been extraordinarily low, but the government has significantly increased the pace.

Let me also emphasize that no jobs will be moved abroad because the staffing will consist primarily of Estonian personnel. The investment we are making in Sweden will provide a fine development of jobs in Sweden.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! If the strategy is to continue to outsource prison places abroad, it automatically means that jobs are lost here at home in Sweden.

We have not yet seen any bill, so one could wonder whether we are late to the ball or if we are actually early with an announcement.

I just want to urge Gunnar Strömmer to in the future devote as much time, effort, and energy to building facilities in Norrköping, Åmål, Munkfors, Hagfors, Trelleborg and in other places in Sweden as he has devoted to Tartu in Estonia and the jobs that are now ending up there.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! As I said, I understand that we have received a pleasing announcement today that S is on board regarding Estonia, so I do not think we need to problematize this step particularly much.

As recently as last week or the week before, I was in Kalmar, and there it can become up to 1,000 places because we and the national coordinator are pushing and maximizing the conditions that exist locally for expansion.

I say it again: During eight years with an S government, the equivalent of two Kumlaanstalter were built. When we close the shop after these four years, it is the equivalent of seven. It is quite true that too little has been built and therefore a pressure has been created. But it is the Social Democrats' responsibility, not ours, and now we are correcting it.

(Applause)

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Ann-Christine Frohm (SD)

Madam Speaker! The municipalities have been responsible for elderly care since the so-called Ädel Reform in 1992. Now we are seeing the appalling result. Several serious cases of neglect and serious crime against the elderly have been highlighted, and several individuals have been dismissed from their positions. Despite this, individuals who completely seem to lack respect for Swedes in general and women in particular have had free access to the elderly's homes through new employments.

The Sweden Democrats have long warned, but despite the risks, elderly care has been used as an integration measure for these newly arrived talents, as parties with blindfolds often call them.

Madam Speaker! It is now a state of catastrophe. What measures does the Minister for Health and Social Affairs consider need to be taken to prevent that the elderly are neglected and subjected to crimes in their own homes by care personnel?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Ann-Christine Frohm for raising this important issue.

The elderly should be able to feel safe and secure, especially when they are dependent on others in their own homes. The incidents we have read about in the media are appalling, and we simply cannot accept such things in our society.

We are working intensively to ensure there is a clear legal basis for being able to perform background checks and extract records from criminal records before an employment. But the municipalities must also do their homework. They must take references, conduct proper interviews, and keep track of whom they hire. Above all, at the slightest indication that something is wrong, they must investigate and report it to the police.

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Ann-Christine Frohm (SD)

Madam Speaker! Vulnerable elderly people in a position of dependency are raped, assaulted, served cat food and filmed in vulnerable situations without any possibility of either defending themselves or protecting themselves. Those who are expected to help them in their homes harm and humiliate them instead. Sweden cannot let this continue.

Will the government find support for change on a national level and ensure safety for our elderly within elderly care?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! What we have seen recently is appalling and, of course, nothing we can accept. We now choose to move forward with clear legal support regarding background checks. We also move forward with making it mandatory to obtain extracts from criminal record registers and suspicion registers upon employment and perhaps also during employment.

But that is not the only thing we do. We are also moving forward with a language requirement so that the elderly can understand and make themselves understood, and we are investing in an increased elderly care boost to raise the quality. We are also moving forward with other measures.

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Isabell Mixter (V)

Madam Speaker! My question is of a general political nature.

Skolverket has inspected 30 schools with English-language instruction, and 27 of them had deficiencies in the instruction. Many independent schools choose to have the majority of the instruction in English because they are then exempted from the requirement for a teacher's license. That makes it possible to press wages and keep them down.

A review comparing Engelska Skolan and the municipal school showed that there is a difference of 3,000 kronor between the teachers' salaries. This is, of course, a way for the independent schools to increase profits. The investigation also showed that there are deficiencies in the teaching and that both English and Swedish are lacking among the teachers, which results in students being forced to step in and interpret for other students.

My question to the Minister is therefore: Does the government intend to take any measures to ensure that the requirement for a teacher's license applies to all teachers?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Isabell Mixter, for a very important question!

We have zero tolerance for poor schools, regardless of the form of operation. We have also moved forward with a solid quality program regarding our schools, both in this budget and throughout the entire mandate period, to tackle the deficiencies that exist in the independent school system we have but obviously also in our municipal schools.

The question, which was very directly posed, I do not have any concrete answer to, but I take it with me along with all other questions concerning what we do to maintain quality and, above all, to ensure that we move away from the vague school that has existed for very many years to the knowledge-based school that we advocate for.

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Isabell Mixter (V)

Madam Speaker! What one hears from the government is a lot of talk about regulating the friskolor and that the unregulated activity must end, where one, for example, hires untrained teachers in order to make as much profit as possible.

We hear a lot of talk, but very little has happened during this government's mandate period. I cannot see that there are any concrete proposals on the government's table to address these matters. A very low-hanging fruit, for example, is to introduce a requirement for a teacher's license. When will the government start acting?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I do not at all share the member's view that little is happening in this area. In the budget that we have just presented, a comprehensive investment is being made in the Swedish school, both regarding reducing mental ill-health and ensuring that student health is strengthened, and regarding the content of the Swedish school itself. It shall move from a more vague-led school to a knowledge-led school where we get more students who succeed in going through school with passing grades and who thereby become equipped for the future and for jobs.

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Madam Speaker! On Tuesday, I was present at the seniors' parliament, organized by SPF Seniorerna and SKPF Pensionärerna. In the politicians' panel, in addition to myself, the party secretaries from the respective parliamentary parties participated. One of the questions posed to us concerned the introduction of a general vaccination program for the elderly. It is an issue that the Center Party has championed for many years to strengthen the preventive work for the health of the elderly, not least regarding infections.

It was therefore very pleasing to receive the message from the party secretaries from Moderaterna, Kristdemokraterna, Liberalerna, and Sverigedemokraterna that these parties now also want to introduce such a program.

My question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is therefore: When will the government take the initiative for the investigation that needs to form the basis for the introduction of a general vaccination program for the elderly, in accordance with the promise that the Tidö parties gave at this year's elderly convention?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Christofer Bergenblock, for an important question!

The Moderates have recently presented the proposals that we intend to take to the party congress to get a decision on. Among those is a general vaccination program for the elderly as one of the important issues we will decide on.

Ensuring that the elderly receive vaccinations, much like children, is extremely important. We know that many refrain from getting various vaccinations because they are very expensive. I am of the opinion that the wallet should not rule here. We also know that many avoid socializing because they are afraid of being infected, and thus the involuntary loneliness spreads.

I am therefore very pleased that my party now stands behind this, and I know that several other parties also do so. This issue will be discussed by the government moving forward and see how we can proceed with it.

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Madam Speaker! We in the Center Party believe that a preventive vaccination program is part of a larger healthcare program that is needed for the elderly, including both vaccinations and health consultations and screening further up in years. Just vaccinations are important to counteract infections. This can involve shingles, seasonal influenza or covid19. This will be for the professionals to determine.

What many who were part of the seniors' parliamentary meeting are waiting for an answer on is: When will the initiative from the government come?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I cannot give a date today, but I am completely convinced that we will be able to reach an agreement on the issue and move forward, given how many other issues we can agree on that are important for both the elderly, the young, and people in the middle of life.

Just as the member says, this is an important part of a larger whole, because when one is offered vaccinations, one also receives a contact. Then one can get help and support with other things that arise, which in turn reduces mental ill-health and, above all, provides a greater physical well-being that ensures more people stay on their feet longer.

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Madam Speaker! The social assistance is the welfare state's ultimate safety net. It is granted to the unemployed, those on sick leave, and others who do not have sufficient income to cover the most absolutely necessary expenses.

Every other income is deducted from the maintenance support so that you cannot receive more than the minimum required to support yourself and, for example, your children. If you receive a hundred kronor as a birthday present, your maintenance support is reduced by the same amount. If someone Swishes you for the ice cream you paid for, the same thing happens.

With the government's new poverty reform, the social assistance is reduced in several parts of the country due to the changed national standard. Families with more than two children will be subject to a cap on how much they can receive. Regardless of the needs and the immediate consequences for adults and children, vulnerable families will be left with less to live on.

My question to the Minister for Social Insurance is therefore: How little money is it reasonable for a family with children to get by on if the children are to do well and manage in school?

(Applause)

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Malte Tängmark Roos, for your question! I would like to turn it around: How long is it reasonable for a child to grow up in a family with long-term benefit dependency, without seeing their parents go to work and perhaps without going to preschool themselves?

The single most important way out of poverty and for one to succeed in life is that both parents or the parent has a job to go to and that one succeeds in school. The benefit reform that we are now presenting aims to break the exclusion and to ensure that more people move from benefits to work and thereby get the opportunity to keep more money themselves, stand on their own feet and support themselves. In this way, one can also get out of poverty and exclusion.

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Madam Speaker! Anna Tenje repeats the claim that the government has made many times, namely that people choose social assistance rather than working and that it goes without saying that people choose social assistance over work if they can. I believe that it is an emotional argument where one completely ignores how difficult it actually is to get by on social assistance.

We in this assembly should base laws on facts, so I request figures and a source from Anna Tenje on how many of those who live on social assistance in Sweden today do so of their own free will instead of working.

(Applause)

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank you very much for the follow-up question.

I have only one quiet wonder: How fair is it that a family with two adults and five children, who every morning set the clock, get up and go to work and toil there all day, receives less money than the family on the other side of the stairwell, who live on benefits despite being able to work? What is the fairness in that the one who works and toils receives less money than the one who lives on benefits?

(Applause)

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Viktor Wärnick (M)

Madam Speaker! A family of five children with two unemployed parents can today receive 46,500 kronor in social assistance tax-free every month. In a corresponding family where both parents work and have a monthly salary of 22,000 kronor, the disposable income is 43,300 kronor, that is, a disposable income 3,200 kronor lower per month for the family where the parents work than for the family living on benefits.

There is no justice whatsoever in this. For us Moderates, it is completely obvious that it should always pay off better to work than to live on benefits. Therefore, it is pleasing that the Moderate-led government is doing something about this. The largest benefit reform in decades has been presented, and a benefit ceiling will be introduced.

My question to Minister for Social Insurance Anna Tenje is therefore what effects the minister sees the proposed contribution ceiling will have for justice, for the individuals it affects, and for society as a whole.

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! A big thank you to Member Wärnick for a very good question, which also follows the previous reasoning!

It is precisely this—that it must pay more to work than to live on benefits. It is both right and fair. The person who sets the alarm, goes to work and puts in the effort must be able to feel that it pays to work and that it pays more to exert oneself than to live on benefits.

Life for those who live on benefits is definitely not a life of luxury. We must not deceive ourselves into thinking so. It is devastating. We know from studies that long-term benefit dependency that becomes entrenched is bad for one's health, both mental and physical. Furthermore, there is a risk that exclusion only grows and that one's children inherit it. That is why it is so important that we break the exclusion and that we do something real so that more people can leave benefit dependency.

We do that with this reform by making it more profitable to work than to remain on benefits. More people will leave benefits and go to work. More children will see their parents go to work.

(Applause)

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Viktor Wärnick (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the Minister for the answer. Finally, we are addressing the subsidy line that the Social Democrats have defended and administered for so many years!

Another part of the Moderates' and the government's subsidy reform concerns the introduction of a mandatory activity requirement in the social assistance. What can the minister say about the expectations for this?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I actually have personal experience in that matter. During my time as the chairman of the municipal executive board in Växjö, we introduced full-time activation in the social assistance, which means two things.

We are setting higher requirements and higher expectations for the individual living on social assistance. If one has a work capacity of 100 percent, one shall be employed at 100 percent. If one has a work capacity of 50 percent, it is 50 percent employment that applies. Then it automatically follows that one does more in order to be able to approach the labor market. One reads Swedish, one attends a vocational training, one has a work placement – all to approach the labor market again.

This also places increased demands on the municipalities. It is an important part of this.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! A major hostage for many of the country's agricultural enterprises is that criminal activists break into farms all over the country. It unfortunately happens time and again and is a real threat to our farmers. They feel both fear and anxiety when there have been burglaries on farms, but also great concern that criminal activists will bring infections into their farms. We who are out among the farmers know that there is a lot of security surrounding visits to farms precisely to protect against infections and diseases.

Recently, the verdict was delivered in a high-profile case. The criminals admit to breaking into farms and stealing chickens, but they deny the crime. What was the punishment? Well, a suspended sentence and a fine of 510 kronor and damages of 7,000 kronor. The verdict feels like a "so what." If it doesn't get worse than that, it is only for the activists to continue.

My question is to the Minister for Justice. What is the government doing to curb this crime?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Magnus Oscarsson for a very relevant question.

It underscores, first of all, the importance of everything we are now doing regarding the penalties, the police's tools, and the growth of the police force. We do this largely to reach and combat organized crime, shootings, explosions, and other things. But we also do it to be able to allocate resources and time to other serious crime that is not necessarily organized but which hits people very hard in their everyday lives. This includes, not least, farmers and other business owners. They must be able to protect their operations against threats, harassment, thefts, and other crimes.

We are now doing several things. We have changed the legislation so that unlawful entry and crimes against privacy also shall cover such situations as Magnus Oscarsson brings up. We have just initiated a project to look at such things as restraining orders, self-defense rights, and other things that give the individual greater opportunities to protect themselves and their property against this type of intrusion.

Finally, the large police growth that is now occurring locally will provide better conditions to solve more of these crimes.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! One of the affected farmers said this after the verdict: ”If it is not taken seriously when farmers are violated by animal rights activists, then many are probably silent instead.”

This is very concerning. The violations cause anxiety and, in the worst case, infection that can affect an entire crew, resulting in significant economic damage. My question to the minister is: How does one intend to proceed with this important issue?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! We shall do as I said initially, that is to ensure that what is being addressed here is criminalized, and ensure that other effective tools are in place to meet it. We shall ensure that the police are present at the local level, both to prevent and deter crime and to solve it.

It is that we will now tighten the penalties so that they will, in a better way than today, reflect the gravity of the crimes. This is particularly significant when one is violated, either in one's home or on one's property otherwise.

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Martin Melin (L)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister for Justice.

The government has given, among others, the police and customs a new law that allows for the installation of fixed cameras along the road network with the ANPR system, i.e., a system that automatically reads cars' registration numbers.

This system can also function mobile, meaning that the police cars are equipped with cameras with ANPR systems. It was tested in Skåne seven or eight years ago with good results, but then nothing happened. Today, there are practically no cars at the police that have that system.

My question to the Minister of Justice is quite simply: Can you do something so that this is implemented and starts being used? The will exists among the police, and the technology exists.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Martin Melin for raising the important question of how we can maximize the police's opportunities to use new, modern technology to both prevent and combat crime.

We have taken major steps during this parliamentary term, not least regarding the police's access to fixed cameras, as Martin Melin mentioned, and additional resources to the police to be able to invest in new technology to maximize this. We will soon come to the Riksdag with proposals aimed at facial recognition and opportunities to use it to both prevent and solve crimes.

When it comes to the cameras in the cars, I am following that question very closely, but I ask to be allowed to return to it if I can do anything about it. It could be either a technical question or possibly a question about the interpretation of a different regulation than the one that the fixed cameras are subject to, namely the data protection regulation. But we have a common interest in ensuring that this type of technology is also used in the police's vehicles, especially since the police have access to the technology and it is effective.

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Martin Melin (L)

Madam Speaker! As usual, I am satisfied with the answer.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! As usual, I am very pleased that Martin Melin expresses that he is satisfied. That is how we should have it more often. We have it relatively often, I understand, but it can become even more of that kind.

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Peder Björk (S)

Madam Speaker! With the SD government's budget now being presented, it is clear that the agencies Post- och telestyrelsen and Myndigheten för digital förvaltning will be merged into a single agency. Today, PTS has its headquarters in Stockholm, and Digg has its headquarters in Sundsvall.

My question to Minister Slottner is: Does the government intend to decide that the future locations for the new and merged agency shall be Stockholm and Sundsvall – in line with the strong recommendation coming from the management of the agencies that are to be merged?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! To begin with, it is probably good to inform Member Peder Björk that we do not have an SD government in this country. The Sweden Democrats do not sit in Sweden's government – the Moderates, Christian Democrats, and Liberals do. We have parliamentary cooperation with the Sweden Democrats in order to, in a democratic manner, pass our policies in the democracy we live in, where these four parties have received over 50 percent of the members in parliament. Peder Björk can therefore stop mentioning that word from now on, hopefully.

Regarding PTS and Digg, it is quite true that we are taking further steps in this bourgeois government's budget regarding merging the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority with the Agency for Digitalisation of the Public Sector. No formal decision to merge these has been made, but now more concrete work will be initiated.

These are currently located in Stockholm and in Sundsvall. I see nothing that indicates that this would change in the future. Exactly which localization decisions the government makes – if we are to make such decisions, or if it will be up to the authorities to decide for themselves – will however be determined at a later time.

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Eric Westroth (SD)

Madam Speaker! The EU Commission has presented its overall proposal for the long-term budget. Not surprisingly, all expenditures will increase, and the proposal could mean a doubling of Sweden's membership fee to the EU.

The Commission's proposal for new revenues is particularly inventive and includes both a removal of Sweden's member discount and fees on plastic and electronics, higher shares from fees and tariffs that are currently shared between member countries and the EU, as well as new EU taxes on large companies.

For the Sweden Democrats, a restrictive budget line in the EU is absolutely crucial, and the need to prioritize things such as defense, support for Ukraine, competitiveness and countering crime is more important than other expenditures.

It is the Finance Minister's responsibility to negotiate the proposal, but how does the EU Minister intend to work towards a tighter long-term budget where the interests of the member states and the EU's limited influence are also ensured?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Eric Westroth, for a very important question! I myself look forward – if one can say so – to tackling these negotiations. They will continue for a long time to come.

I would like to say that the budget that has now been presented is correct in the sense that it has a focus on competitiveness, security, and support for Ukraine. That is something Sweden has pushed for. It is, however, wrong in volume – that is to say, it is far too large. We need a better budget, not a larger budget.

When it comes to this, Sweden will work incredibly actively together with many like-minded [parties] – I want to emphasize that we do not stand alone in this – to ensure that the focus is right to meet the challenges of our time. The volume must, however, absolutely be reduced.

We will also continue to be very critical of the proposals for new own resources, and of course, the Swedish rebate will also be very important in this negotiation. It is about a fair distribution of responsibilities between the member states.

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Gudrun Nordborg (V)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister of Justice that I truly wish I did not have to ask. We have recently decided on strengthened restraining orders, which, together with ankle bracelets, would increase the protection for more threatened and vulnerable persons.

Last week, I received information from several sources that prosecutors do not make decisions regarding ankle bracelets. The reason is that there are still no ankle bracelets with GPS systems. There are therefore not yet any ankle bracelets that can be relied upon.

I want to ask the Minister for Justice if it is now possible to guarantee that Sweden will very soon have leg irons with GPS functionality? This is an extremely important issue, not least for women and children who are victims of violence.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Gudrun Nordborg for that the member has held these issues and has done so consistently for a long time.

I want to say that I am very proud that we are now pushing through legislation on several fronts which ensures that, for example, monitoring with an ankle bracelet shall not be a last-resort option that in practice is never used. It shall be able to be a first-choice option when the security situation, so to speak, justifies it.

Furthermore, we do this in other legislation, with the restraining order legislation as a model. It concerns much more intrusive measures at an early stage in order to be able to prevent and preclude crime. When we expand the legislation as much as we do in that way, a pressure on technological growth arises. There, I can only state that we have inherited a large deficit when it comes to investments in technology. Those investments will come, and the ankle bracelets will come. We monitor this very closely to ensure that the legislation also has the intended effect in practice.

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Catarina Deremar (C)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to EU Minister Jessica Rosencrantz.

The Nordic Council of Ministers, together with the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council, has produced a tax report launched in 2022, Work across the Nordics. The report highlights a number of simplification measures and obstacles linked to the tax area.

Other actors as well, for example the cross-border regional information services, point just as clearly as the report does that tax is a border barrier. We need to take major measures to facilitate mobility and commuting in the Nordic region to achieve the vision.

Until now, we have only seen minor changes to the Oresund Agreement which largely only help authorities and not individual cross-border commuters. When will the government address the challenges pointed out in the report and begin a revision of the Nordic tax agreement?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Catarina Deremar, for an important question! I would like to say that the very core of the Nordic cooperation, in particular, is about breaking down border barriers. This is something the Swedish government took most seriously when Sweden was chair of the Nordic Council last year. We went back to what should be the main focus, that is to say, breaking down border barriers.

Many steps were taken then. Above all, we developed a new program for this and secured a clearer political ownership over the issues of border obstacles. There are several concrete examples.

The revised tax treaty between Sweden and Denmark that the member mentions is an important example for also facilitating things for employees and commuters in the Öresund region. My hope is that this can also serve as inspiration for other Nordic countries when it comes to other tax treaties.

We must, of course, also proceed with tearing down further border barriers in the tax area and have continued monitoring of what is happening within the OECD to follow the discussion taking place there linked to taxes across borders. We continue to keep this issue high on the agenda.

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Jan Riise (MP)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner. We have had a digitalization strategy since last spring and, since last week, a budget bill in which there are a number of strategies and objectives regarding digitalization and the continued development within AI – something that we largely welcome. I think, for example, it is very good that the state takes control over identity data and issues such as age verification.

However, I am missing some questions that need to be clarified. This concerns, among other things, how we relatively uncritically hand over both data and information to private companies. This is particularly common in the USA, where, for example, the police cooperate with companies that collect billions of images to handle facial recognition issues.

My question is how the government views that area. Is it reasonable to entrust so much of the citizens' data to large private tech companies?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Member Riise for a question that is important and very topical not only in Sweden. Above all, this is a very actively ongoing debate within the entire EU.

Later this year or early next year, new regulations from the EU side will arrive with new acts and a new cloud policy with recommendations for the entire union, which I welcome.

In the digitalization strategy that the member mentioned and which the government decided on just before the summer break, a cloud policy is also announced, which we hope will create clearer clarity and clearer guidelines for authorities, municipalities, and regions. This is an issue I encounter often when I travel around the country; not least many municipalities want to make very many AI investments, but precisely the handling of data and sensitive data information is difficult.

It is also against this background that the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection and Digg have developed joint guidelines as support and assistance for authorities, municipalities, and regions in these many times quite complicated issues.

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Noria Manouchi (M)

Madam Speaker! My mother is one of the heroes who work nights within elderly care. She usually says: In elderly care, one does not work for the salary, one works for the heart. Therefore, it is extra nice that the Moderate Party's work tax credits have given a nursing assistant more than an extra month's salary per year.

The government, however, does significantly more than that. It ensures that support is strengthened for those who care for relatives, and it ensures that investments are made in skills development and skills supply. Another thing it is now doing is introducing a language requirement that will ensure that every elderly person is always heard, always understood, and always understands.

Could Minister Tenje account for what effects are expected from this and when?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks for an absolutely excellent question, Member, and a warm welcome to the Committee on Social Affairs!

I would say that the language requirement is crucial. It is fundamental for a safe and secure elderly care. Just as the member clearly says, the elderly must be able to understand, and they must be able to make themselves understood. It is extremely important.

It is also about the fact that greater language skills among the staff give the elderly greater influence over their own lives and that they can make better decisions regarding the care that is to be provided. Furthermore, patient safety and medical safety naturally increase when the language skills of the staff are good, so that no mistakes are made in the care and the nursing.

I would, however, like to say that it is also extremely important for improving the working environment. Misunderstandings and unnecessary frustration are avoided, but above all, the staff can talk to each other at the coffee table and build good friendships. It is good for the working environment.

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Mikael Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I want to tell you about Elsa, 85 years old, in Uppsala. She has home care services, and she raised the alarm when a man in the home care service exposed himself to her. No actions were taken, and a few months later she was raped. There are many things about this that are disgusting and horrific, but the worst of all is that the same thing had happened at the man's previous workplace. But no background check was performed, which is obvious when it comes to childcare.

There are other examples. Recently, an elderly person's life was risked at a residential home in Västerås because no one could speak Swedish with the ambulance personnel.

Madam Speaker! We must have dignity. My question is: When will the measures come? When will a mandatory language requirement for home care and mandatory background checks of all staff be introduced? After these scandals all over the country, it should be a matter of course.

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks for your questions, Mikael Oscarsson!

What has happened both in Uppsala and Västerås, as well as in several other places, and which we have been able to read about in the media, is appalling. It is completely unacceptable, and we cannot have that. We are now working frantically, not least to obtain clear legal support to be able to perform background checks in the belastningsregister (burden register) during new recruitment. An investigation is also looking into the possibility of making extracts from the belastningsregister and the misstankeregister (suspicion register) both at the time of employment and during ongoing employment, all in an effort to try to prevent such incidents.

However, this alone does not help. One must take references, and one must conduct proper interviews. Above all, one must get to the bottom of what happens if something occurs, but in some municipalities we have seen that instead, people bury their heads in the sand. When it is known that something has happened, it must be reported to the police so that it can be found in the criminal record or by taking references when the person in question subsequently goes to the next municipality. It is, therefore, many things that must be done.

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Åsa Karlsson (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Rosencrantz.

The importance of infrastructure that binds together Norway, Sweden and Finland has shown itself to be increasingly important in recent years because we now live in a new security policy situation where we have war in our vicinity as Russia conducts a full-scale war of invasion against Ukraine.

Our eastern neighbor Finland has a long border with Russia – approximately 1,340 kilometers. If something were to happen that stops traffic in the Baltic Sea, Finland is completely dependent on alternative routes out of the country, that is to say through Sweden and Norway. In that case, it is important to have both capacity and redundancy in the infrastructure, as well as for us to have good cooperation between the countries to be able to quickly resolve the border obstacles that arise.

From that perspective, my question is: How does the Minister view the need for a Nordic Council of Ministers for infrastructure in this changed geopolitical situation? To me, it is obvious that it is needed.

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Åsa Karlsson for the question.

This is by this point a known issue that we have discussed a lot between the Nordic Council and the Council of Ministers. I think the member is completely right that we need to strengthen the infrastructure. This applies, of course, both in our country, where we are now making historic investments in building new and not least in making up the maintenance debt that exists, and cross-border.

When it comes to what the formats should look like so that we can have the best possible cooperation in the Nordic region, that can of course be discussed. My primary focus is that the concrete decisions should be good, and I can state that our transport ministers have an extensive and far-reaching cooperation which they, according to information received, feel very satisfied with. Not least, they coordinate their positions ahead of different types of EU meetings.

I would therefore say that we absolutely should have a cooperation and a focus on infrastructure issues, but that a transport minister council is not necessarily the only way to organize ourselves. On the other hand, one should take hold of everything that works well in the cooperation today.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! We have recently been able to read about horrific situations where convicted pedophiles have been coaches for children in Swedish sports clubs, despite the fact that the associations must request extracts from the criminal record register.

It is completely unacceptable that people who commit sexual offenses against children are then allowed to work with children. The Sweden Democrats have for many years talked about a public pedophile registry similar to the model that, among others, the USA and Canada have. We also want to introduce chemical castration of pedophiles who commit sexual offenses against children.

The Sweden Democrats are doing a great deal in this area together with the government. Among other things, repeated sexual offenses shall be able to lead to life imprisonment, and an indefinite custodial sentence shall be introduced for serious violent and sexual crimes.

My question goes to the Minister of Justice: What measures does the Minister consider important in the near term to ensure that we get pedophiles off the streets and squares?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Sara Gille, for a very important question!

To begin with, I want to emphasize the sentencing increases that the Riksdag will make decisions on in the near future, which are very important for us to be able to imprison dangerous individuals for longer periods. This includes, among other things, the possibility that repeated crimes of this kind should be able to lead to life imprisonment, even if that, so to speak, does not exist in the sentencing scale for individual crimes.

The Speaker also mentioned what has been called security sentences or detention sentences, that is, an indeterminate sentence for those who are truly dangerous. Persons who have committed this type of crime and who are dangerous to others should, of course, also not be released early from the prison sentence they are serving. All of that is very important.

The second process I would like to point out, and which I also believe will be able to handle some of the issues that were raised, is that we recently commissioned an inquiry that takes a broad approach to background checks. There will be an opportunity to monitor and raise questions also regarding pedophiles and how we can, in a better way than today, ensure that they do not come into close contact with children, whether in civil society, in schools, or in other places.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Anna Tenje, as it is of a general political nature.

Yesterday, the announcement came that the government is withdrawing the green credit guarantees that Swedish companies can receive for their transition here in Sweden. Yesterday, the announcement also came, via a revelation in DN, that the government is prepared to review the regulatory framework in order to be able to sponsor fossil projects with credit guarantees in other countries. It concerns high-risk projects abroad.

So the government is hindering the green transition here and facilitating fossil projects in other countries. It is completely backwards. We must do exactly the opposite – growth must go up and emissions down. Yet the government does exactly the opposite.

I have two questions for the government. The first is: What signals does the government think this sends to the Swedish companies that want to transition? The second is: Where did the government lose its moral compass for the well-being of future generations?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Rickard Nordin for the question.

I can state that Sweden is one of the EU countries with the lowest emissions. Now the government has placed a budget on the Riksdag's table that continues to reduce emissions and brings us closer to our climate goals. That is something I am proud of, and it is something the government is also proud of.

The state credit guarantees have fulfilled a function when it comes to enabling new technology and new initiatives, but it is – in all areas – important to sometimes evaluate whether the money has gone to the right things according to the right criteria. That is the reason for this pause.

What Rickard Nordin describes as fossil investments concerns the fact that there is an acute energy shortage in many low- and middle-income countries. Where investments that we can contribute to can be demonstrated to be better than alternative investments from an environmental and climate perspective, there is a role for the Export Credit Board when it comes to being able to provide different types of investments. This applies, as said, if it is better than the alternatives. In this way, we can benefit the environment in these countries and in the world as well as Sweden's economy. Many countries do so in a similar way.

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! In Sweden, we have had universal welfare for over 70 years. This principle has built our country into one of the world's leading welfare nations. The government's poverty reform now breaks with this fundamental principle. The purpose is to use people who have come here as deterrents. This occurs at the expense of equality and means that children who already live here and struggle for their daily lives do not receive good upbringing conditions.

That some will have to qualify for welfare means that welfare is no longer universal and that we are abandoning the idea of equality. My question to Minister Anna Tenje is therefore: Now that welfare is no longer universal, which will be the next group to be excluded? Is it poor pensioners, low-wage earners, or perhaps those on sick leave?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Jacob Risberg, for the question!

The subsidy reform we have developed aims at two things. For the first, more people shall move from subsidies to work and quickly enter employment. For the second, more children shall see their parents go to work. We shall, therefore, break the exclusion and create conditions so that children can avoid inheriting their parents' exclusion. Above all, more people shall get out of financial difficulties and be able to support themselves.

There are three parts to this benefit reform: a benefit ceiling with an associated job premium, full-time activation in the social assistance, and qualification for certain social insurance benefits. This will collectively lead to more children seeing their parents go to work and thus also to a better future for the children and their families.

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Adam Reuterskiöld (M)

Madam Speaker! A few weeks ago, the National Police Commissioner Petra Lundh and Deputy National Police Commissioner Stefan Hector wrote a debate article in Svenska Dagbladet regarding the importance of combating volume crime. The article stated that the proceeds from the so-called vishing frauds have decreased by 40 percent since 2023. In the long run, this means less money being reinvested into other types of serious organized crime involving weapons and narcotics, which is pointed out in the latest joint agency situation report regarding organized crime.

Even though the trend looks promising, there is much left to do. My question to the Minister for Justice is therefore what measures the government intends to take to ensure that the positive trend continues and fraud crime decreases.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Adam Reuterskiöld for a very important question.

First and foremost, I want to say that it is an outstandingly great success that the profits from telephone scams against the elderly, which is what this is about, have gone down by 40 percent. This means that fewer elderly people have been cheated out of their savings and that fewer have been subjected to the violation that it entails to be cheated in that way. Fewer elderly people then become afraid when the phone rings. It is, however, quite true that 60 percent of the profits remain, and we are now doing several things to get at them.

What was it that caused the profits to go down? Well, it was that the banks – finally, one must say – pulled themselves together after the government, together with the police, summoned them. They have taken a lot of preventive measures to stop the fraudsters and make it difficult for them to access the money. We recently had a meeting regarding further measures in that direction. The fraudsters adapt, and we must follow suit.

The Financial Intelligence Centre, which was established in April this year, is the second one I would like to highlight. It is a physical collaboration between the police, banks, and other institutions that is now being built up within the police so that they can share information together and push back the fraudsters.

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Arber Gashi (S)

Madam Speaker! Child poverty is increasing in Sweden, despite government representatives promising that it would not happen. At the same time, it is now 50 years since one received so little in purchasing power from the child allowance. All other Nordic countries have chosen to increase the child allowance in times of increased costs for food, rent, and interest, but in Sweden, the government has prioritized other things.

I cannot help but remind of a debate I participated in, regarding holiday poverty, with Social Insurance Minister Tenje this summer. We noted then that fewer and fewer families with children can afford to go on holiday. The Minister highlighted in particular that the government is investing in road maintenance, which possibly facilitates the car journey but hardly makes it easier for families with children to afford holiday activities or food.

Therefore, I have a simple question. Why has the government, despite the fact that child poverty is increasing, despite the fact that we are alone in the Nordic countries, and despite the fact that it was 50 years ago that one received so little for the child allowance, once again chosen not to increase the child allowance?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Arber Gashi, for the question!

I want to remind that the question of road maintenance possibly entered the discussion about the large investments being made in infrastructure in our country, which in turn lead to more jobs, which means that more people who do not have a job today might be able to get a job to go to. It can also stimulate the economy so that construction workers and road maintenance workers do not lose their jobs and end up in financial difficulties. The whole is often a bit larger – more things often come into this.

In this budget, we have invested very heavily to strengthen Swedish households. We have invested in families and pensioners precisely so that people will have more money in their wallets. We have lowered the food VAT, the electricity tax, and the preschool fee. We have also lowered the tax on work and pension. We have done all of this to strengthen households. We have also raised the ceiling for the housing allowance. It is a very accurate measure for the households that are struggling financially.

This is what we have done. You did not do that.

(Applause)

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Martin Kinnunen (SD)

Madam Speaker! The right to hunting and fishing is a fundamental part of Swedish culture and tradition. At the same time, legal processes are currently underway where a number of Sami villages have sued the state regarding the granting of hunting and fishing rights in the same way as in the case of Girjas. Such a development would limit the majority of the Sami collective's rights to hunting and fishing on state land as well as Swedish citizens' opportunities for the same. According to the Sverigedemokraterna, it would be a completely unacceptable development.

At the beginning of the summer, the Chancellor of Justice took a high-profile stance in the ongoing proceedings, which has been interpreted as the JK not intending to safeguard the interests of Swedish citizens, but rather acting in a way that results in a favorable outcome for the minority of Sámi who happen to be members of a Sámi village (sameby).

My question goes to the Minister for Justice. How does the government view the Chancellor of Justice's actions, and does the government welcome the development – should some thousand members of the samebys have full authority over who shall be allowed to hunt and fish?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Martin Kinnunen for an important question. Since it concerns an ongoing legal process, my scope is limited – I cannot go too deep into the matter. But on another level, I can at least say a few things.

These legal processes actualize a conflict of rights between different individual interests. The State has, naturally, through the Chancellor of Justice, the task of fully safeguarding a number of those individual interests. Fundamentally, it is the Chancellor of Justice who designs the legal process in order to achieve the goals and satisfy the interests that the Chancellor of Justice safeguards in this case. I know and agree that it concerns very important individual interests. Therefore, I am following this process very closely.

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Magdalena Thuresson (M)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister for EU Affairs.

The war between Israel and Hamas began on 7 October 2023 after the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel in one of the most horrific terrorist attacks ever carried out. Since the start of the war, the Government has emphasized Israel's right under international law to defend itself against terrorism, while consistently expressing strong concern regarding both Israel's and Hamas's compliance with the laws of war and international humanitarian law, and stating that the way the war is currently being conducted is completely unacceptable. The Government has therefore worked for a number of measures at the EU level to put pressure on the parties, get the hostages released, and alleviate the distress of the heavily affected civilian population in Gaza.

Now the EU Commission has presented several of the proposals that Sweden has pushed for to increase the pressure on Hamas and Israel. Can the EU Minister say anything about what will happen now?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Magdalena Thuresson for an important question. I completely share the description of the horrific act on October 7 and Israel's right to self-defense, but also the obvious fact that Israel must stay within the boundaries of international humanitarian law. Therefore, Sweden has pushed for a freezing of the trade part of the association agreement, as well as for sanctioning extremist ministers. We simply see that the situation in Gaza is deplorable today. It hurts to see images from there.

We have received support for the Swedish position. The Commission has now presented proposals both to freeze the trade agreement and to sanction-list extremist ministers, and has expressed an ambition to have harder and tougher pressure on Hamas. Right now, these proposals are being discussed in the EU. There are still countries that do not fully stand behind these measures. But we notice that new winds are blowing, and we will, of course, continue to work for stronger support among all countries so that we can reach an agreement. It is important.

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Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Madam Speaker! The Government proposes in the budget that the appropriation for the National Advertising Board shall be reduced, while at the same time more and more disputes concern foreign companies that often do not follow the decisions. This risks undermining consumer protection.

The Consumer Agency is receiving more assignments, for example, AI supervision to monitor gigantic platforms that manipulate consumers in real-time, while the resource additions are marginal.

My question to the Minister for Civil Affairs is: Does the government really believe that these agencies have sufficient resources to be able to fulfill their mandates and protect our consumers?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I believe there are few instances in society that claim to have enough resources. It is clear that one always wants more, but resources are often a limited commodity.

The National Board for Consumer Disputes is receiving reduced appropriations because the need for money has decreased due to very good internal work within the authority. They have lowered the rental costs despite a better working environment and better premises. With the help of AI, they have achieved more efficient work processes and thus been able to free up some resources. They have also introduced a fee for having cases handled within the National Board for Consumer Disputes, which has caused the number of complaints to decrease. They have created a good balance. This is therefore not a sign of a reduction in ambition from the government's side, but it is simply the case that the needs within the authority have decreased. The authority itself is completely comfortable with it, so to speak.

Anna-Belle Strömberg told a bit about the investment the government is making in the Consumer Agency, including among other things strengthened consumer guidance and new ways to detect product defects and dangerous products with the help of AI – good so!

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Björn Tidland (SD)

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

The Consumer Agency recently presented a very thorough and comprehensive report on telemarketing, in which a very large number of areas are analyzed. Customer perspectives, market perspectives, legal and ethical perspectives, as well as industry and market perspectives are analyzed thoroughly. The Consumer Agency's unambiguous conclusion is that telemarketing should be banned. There are surveys showing that only 1 percent of the population want to be called by companies where they are not already customers. It is a figure that one should take seriously.

There are many examples of inappropriate telemarketing. One example that has received significant attention is the telemarketing of lotteries. These telemarketers specifically target the elderly and have established systems to claim that an oral agreement has been reached, even though an unsuspecting customer believes they have said yes to something that is free.

Does the Minister consider that current laws, regulations and agency oversight are sufficient to prevent unwanted and inappropriate telemarketing?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I believe we need to tighten these screws a bit further. It was also for that reason that the government tasked the Consumer Agency with producing this report. We see that we need to do more to strengthen consumer protection in telemarketing, which is often perceived as very intrusive and downright aggressive, many times with questionable sales methods.

Just as the member says, this is an ever-growing problem for authorities and other public actors, who cannot get hold of citizens – many choose not to answer when it is a number they do not recognize from before. We know that specific industries, including gambling and lotteries but also others, are particularly problematic. We also see that there are certain groups who are extra vulnerable, not least the elderly, those with limited language skills, and persons with certain disabilities.

I believe, therefore, that we will need to do more. We are now analyzing the Consumer Agency's proposal to see a bit further ahead what the government will proceed with regarding this.

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Mikael Damsgaard (M)

Madam Speaker! The development of crime over the last decade has resulted in Swedish prisons being heavily burdened. The previous Social Democratic government started the expansion of the criminal justice system far too late. Alongside the massive expansion of Swedish criminal justice that is currently underway, the Swedish government has signed an agreement with Estonia to rent 600 prison places. Last week, I visited the prison in Tartu together with a delegation from the Committee on Justice. I believe that we all received a very positive impression of Estonian criminal justice during the visit.

It is gratifying to note that there now seems to be a broad consensus here in the Riksdag behind the government's plan. This is particularly important against the background that the Social Democrats in the Committee on Justice as recently as in April requested that the plans to lease prison places abroad be abandoned.

My question to Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer is how he views the possibilities of providing high-quality correctional services for Swedish detainees in Estonia.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Mikael Damsgaard for the question. I think it is obvious that the conditions are very good. I am also convinced that not only Mikael Damsgaard but also the other travelers from the Committee on Justice who visited Tartu last week can confirm this after having visited the prison in question.

Then I want to emphasize that we are not now basing the Prison and Probation Service's overall expansion on renting detention places in Estonia. It is a very important complement. These are places that we can gain access to already during the second half of next year, while, for example, building prisons takes a bit longer.

It is an indispensable contribution in this situation. We will be able to carry it out in a legally secure manner with high quality. We will return to the Riksdag with legislation so that everyone gets the chance to stand behind this.

Speaking of questions asked earlier today, I want to say that in eight years under Social Democratic rule, facilities equivalent to two Kumla facilities were built. In four years, we will have managed to complete at least seven. It is true that we are emerging from a very difficult situation. But now we are undeniably underway with the expansion here at home.

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Åsa Eriksson (S)

Madam Speaker! Bus drivers, nursing assistants, and pediatric nurses lose thousands of kronor in sick pay deductions every time they stay home because they are ill. For a family that already has a strained economy, it can be the difference between being able to afford food for the whole month or not.

Four out of ten retail employees report that they cannot afford to stay home from work when they are sick, but they must go and work in any case. But many people with other types of occupations, often white-collar jobs, can sometimes work from home when they have a cold and thus avoid the sick pay deduction.

This is a deeply unfair system. It affects those with low incomes the most. Therefore, we Social Democrats want to abolish the care deduction. Sweden's workers want a clear statement. Does the Tidö government want to keep or remove the unfair care deduction?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks for the question, Member Åsa Eriksson!

We know that an abolished care allowance leads to a reduced number of hours worked. We know that an abolished care allowance increases short-term absence. We know that an abolished care allowance costs several billion kronor. Different calculations have been made. Some investigations say that it costs 18–24 billion. Someone will have to pay for this.

Madam Speaker! The question is whether it is the taxpayers who should bear that bill or whether it is the employers who should bear that bill. Looking at what the Social Democrats usually do, it is to either raise the tax or instead place it on the employers.

We are lowering taxes for those who work so that it becomes more profitable to work. Instead, we will ensure that measures are taken to create a better working environment and, above all, to reduce short-term sick leave.

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Daniel Persson (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance, Anna Tenje.

The government and the Sweden Democrats are working intensively to counter benefit fraud and incorrect payments. We have, among other things, made it easier for authorities to share information with one another. We have the Swedish Payments Agency in place, and we have more tools to tackle the benefit fraud.

Last year, Försäkringskassan released a report titled Lägesbild – Försäkringskassans allvarligaste risker för felaktiga utbetalningar och bidragsbrott 2023. The report shows that foreign-born persons are overrepresented among those suspected of benefit fraud, with a risk that is 2.1 times higher than that of the general population. Domestic-born persons with foreign-born parents are also overrepresented, with a 1.9 times higher risk compared to that of the general population.

My question is: Do more targeted measures need to be taken to curb the subsidy crimes among just these groups?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Daniel Persson, for a very good question!

The crime of benefit fraud has been high on the agenda for the entire government and especially on my desk from day one. We have taken very many measures, because very little had been done previously to combat benefit fraud.

We know that 10–15 billion every year are distributed in incorrect payments, of which half are estimated to go to organized crime. It is a very important work that needs to be done. We know that 8 percent stand behind 80 percent of all the incorrect payments that are made. It is a very small part that accounts for a very large amount of the benefit crimes.

I do not have time to go into all the measures we have taken. One thing that I particularly want to highlight is that we are now moving forward with sanction fees and, above all, a grant ban for those who repeatedly commit grant fraud, so that they can simply be stopped and barred from the various benefits.

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Daniel Riazat (-)

Madam Speaker! I perhaps do not need to remind the Riksdag that a genocide is taking place in Palestine. It is a genocide being carried out by a right-wing extremist government in Israel and which is being carried out with the support of large parts of the Western world's governments through arms trade, silence, and complicity.

I am not here today to speak about all the tens of thousands of children who have been massacred by Israel in this genocide. However, I want to point out to the Riksdag, which does not seem to have understood it, that it is not a war between Israel and Hamas. It is a war that Israel has started and which stems from an occupation. One can keep several things in mind at the same time. It is Israel that is behind the genocide.

My question is quite simply: Will the Swedish government ensure support for all the hundreds of people who are now on boats in the Freedom Flotilla to break the blockade against Gaza? Spain and Italy have provided their fleets. Will the Swedish government protect its citizens who are on these ships to break the illegal blockade against Gaza?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks to Daniel Riazat for his question!

We view with the utmost seriousness what is happening in the Middle East right now. As I mentioned in a previous post, we can both state that Hamas started this on October 7, 2023, that Hamas has an obligation to release the hostages, and that Hamas needs to be disarmed. At the same time, Israel must remain within international humanitarian law. We see that the situation in Gaza right now is appalling in every respect. There, the government is pushing for further measures to put pressure on precisely Israel.

Regarding the flotilla that is on its way to Gaza, we can state that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Government Offices view the developments with great concern. We note that Israel has publicly communicated its intentions to maintain the blockade off the coast of Gaza.

We want to remind that there has been a travel advisory against all travel to Gaza for ten years now. That means in plain language: Do not go there! It is a signal that the security situation is very serious and that individuals should think carefully about their decision to travel. We remind that Sweden does not have the possibility to provide consular assistance at sea.

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Joanna Lewerentz (M)

Madam Speaker! The forestry industry is one of Sweden's most important primary industries. It creates jobs and contributes to a vibrant countryside throughout the country.

I would also like to assert that the Swedish forest and forestry are Sweden's most important climate work. The forest industry contributes with great climate benefit. If one were also to count the benefit that products from the forest contribute, it would be even greater than what is recognized today.

The government has recently announced that Sweden will not meet the EU's climate goals for carbon sequestration in forests and land without being forced into significant restrictions in Swedish forestry. This implies an obvious risk that thousands of jobs will disappear and that the climate benefit in the long term will be drained.

I wonder how the EU Minister and the government view this and how they intend to work to ensure that Swedish forestry is not hindered.

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Joanna Lewerentz, for a very important question!

If there is anything Sweden can do, it is forest and forestry. We know that the forest fulfills an important function for storing carbon dioxide and also, as the member says, for pushing out fossil alternatives. We all want to build houses in wood, make clothes from wood fibers and do everything we can to push out the fossil. Sweden is best in class, but we also have very high demands on ourselves.

When it comes to the forest, in order to reach the forest goals that have been set for Sweden and which the previous red-green government negotiated – in a rather poor way – we would basically need to stop all logging for an entire year. That is not good for Sweden, for the jobs, for growth, or for the climate.

That is why we are now working strongly together with Finland to achieve a greater understanding in the commission that this rather disadvantages the transition and lays a wet blanket over Swedish forestry. I have good hopes that we can achieve success – significantly better success than the previous red-green government, which largely ignored the needs of Swedish forestry.

It is of course important to work towards reaching the goals, but in a reasonable way. They must be goals that are reasonable for Sweden and which mean that the forest fulfills the important role for the transition that it has.

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Stefan Olsson (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for EU Affairs.

It concerns the discussions that have been held in the Council of the EU regarding the Western Balkans. I have understood that this was up for discussion recently, and it would be interesting to hear how the discussions went regarding the expansion. I am thinking particularly about what line the Swedish government is pursuing, and then with a special focus on what is happening in Serbia. It would be very interesting to take part in that.

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Stefan Olsson for an important question.

I would say that the expansion is one of the EU's most important geostrategic tools to secure peace and freedom on our continent. If the EU is not in these countries, someone else is.

Therefore, we welcome the development that in many ways is moving in the right direction in several countries in the western Balkans. But we regret the regression we see in Serbia, where journalists, civil society, and academies are under heavy pressure from the government and authorities. We see extensive demonstrations, which have been met with violence and police brutality, which is completely unacceptable in a country that wants to join our European Union. It is therefore not just a geographical union, but it is built on values.

My clear message to all Serbian representatives whom I have met is that no success can be achieved in the negotiations for EU membership when democracy and the judiciary are in decline.

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Ulrika Heindorff (M)

Madam Speaker! It is of course possible to combine work life and family life. But for parents who have children with chronic illnesses, for example diabetes, it has been quite difficult until now.

These parents often have many and recurring contacts with both school, health and medical care, and other actors. Parents who do not have a flexible job where one can control their own time have even been forced to take leave from work. It is not reasonable. Therefore, the government now proposes the long-awaited expanded right to vab.

My question goes to Minister Anna Tenje: How will the extended VAB be implemented, and in which situations can it be expected to apply?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Ulrika Heindorff, for a very good question!

The budget that the Minister for Finance presented on Monday is undeniably filled with very many good reforms. But there are certain things in the budget that make even my heart beat a little extra and that one has fought very hard for. The reform that the member is now highlighting, that is to say an expanded possibility for vab for, for example, parents of children with diabetes or other chronic diseases, is precisely one such.

It is simply a matter of not having to take leave or, for that matter, be granted leave from work in order to go to school and instruct the staff on how one's child needs help and support. Above all, it is about instructing the self-care.

One should also be able to get the extended possibility for vab to participate in meetings with school or preschool due to the child's illness or functional variation. It can also concern children where there is a concern that they risk falling behind and where the child is in need of support and protection. In that case, the extended possibility for vab should also be able to apply to the social services' investigations. This is very important and very good!

The question period was hereby concluded.

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