Question Time

TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing Andreas Carlson, and Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson.

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 performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Minister for Health and Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

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

Sweden has, thanks to ambitious and clear goals, long been a pioneer when it comes to climate work. However, after three years with the government, emissions have increased more than in 15 years, and we have lost our leading position.

Many agencies are now criticizing the work, and most recently we also saw how the Swedish National Audit Office reacted to the climate work regarding agricultural policy. The effect of the government's and the agencies' climate work may have been overestimated, and according to the Swedish National Audit Office's review, the underlying data for the decisions do not measure up.

People criticize that the measures are too limited, that the steering instruments do not cover large emission groups, that the measures are too small-scale, and that certain measures concerning fuel, for example, favor fossil fuels.

The National Audit Office also says that the transition is proceeding too slowly. Emissions from agriculture stand out here. The government receives very many recommendations. What measures has the Minister for Rural Affairs taken?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Jytte Guteland for the question!

Firstly, I want to say that revision is always welcome. My attitude is that if you revise things, you can become better and get other eyes on things and matters.

One of the parts that the National Audit Office criticizes is what Jytte Guteland also mentions, namely the tax reduction on agricultural diesel. It is a reform that the Social Democratic government and this government agree is important. We have extended a measure that Jytte Guteland's government proposed. We have also strengthened it, because it is important that we increase Swedish food production. We have agreed on that, and as far as I can recall, this is nothing that the Social Democrats have removed in their budget proposal either.

There are thoughts and ideas about other ways to benefit food production, but we have no finished proposal.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! If we Social Democrats had been in government, we would probably have been significantly more concerned about the criticism that the National Audit Office is directing. It is about the fact that the reductions in emissions from agriculture are proceeding very slowly – significantly slower than in industry. About three times less is being done in agriculture.

It would be pleasant if the Minister for Rural Affairs had a plan for how they want to reduce emissions. Instead, the Minister seems more irritated by climate activists. Why is that?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! There is much that I am worried about. One example is that we produce far too little food in Sweden and import too much food that is produced in a way that is worse for the environment, worse for the climate, and worse for the animals. I want to increase Swedish food production. It is also good for the climate.

Some parts of the National Audit Office's criticism have we already addressed through the budget the government has presented. For example, they criticize the measures in Klimatklivet. There, we have now increased the resources and raised the authorization framework.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! Several European countries have chosen to speak out. France, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Bulgaria and Switzerland have already introduced bans on full-face veils in public environments. Germany and Norway have partial bans within education and authorities. Now, Portugal's parliament has also voted for a ban that imposes fines and imprisonment for those who force someone to wear the garment.

In Sweden, however, no clear marking has been made, despite the fact that these garments are often used as symbols of female submission and segregation. Freedom of religion must never be used as an excuse to turn a blind eye to women's lack of freedom.

Does the Minister for Equality intend, in line with other European countries, to take the initiative for a ban on full-face veils in public environments?

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! We have freedom of religion in Sweden, which is a completely central foundation. The wearing of religious symbols is something we truly must safeguard.

With that said, I welcome Member Sara Gilles' question, which touches upon a current social debate that I judge we also need to conduct. Full-body clothing where the face is concealed is often, just as the Member is pointing out, something that symbolizes the worst form of oppression of women when we talk about Afghanistan and the Taliban regime and the compulsion to wear the burqa there.

These are questions that we need to discuss further. It is also an important balancing act with the freedom of religion.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! Yes, we have freedom of religion in Sweden, but that does not mean it should provide a protection for oppression. Where is the line between freedom and oppression?

The burqa and niqab are not about faith. They are about control. What signal does it send to the women who are fighting for their freedom here in Sweden when the state does not dare to say no to symbols of female submission?

I would like to ask the Minister if she really thinks it is compatible with Swedish equality policy that women are completely hidden from the public eye – often under social oppression.

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! I believe that Member Sara Gille raises an important and pressing discussion that we need to have. I believe it is important that we problematize this type of expression which many times can be seen as – and which I also see as – the worst form of oppression of women.

We need to find a good balance that ensures women's opportunities to dress as they wish but also provides sharp clarity against this type of oppression.

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Ciczie Weidby (V)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Nina Larsson.

The Institute for Gender Equality reports that women consistently earn much less than men do. Currently, the difference is around 22 percent. The absolute largest difference is seen in lifetime income: men have much higher lifetime income than women, regardless of education level. The difference lies between 27 and 33 percent regardless of whether one has pre-secondary or post-secondary education. This means that it does not matter if women educate themselves – men will always earn more.

One of the gender equality sub-objectives concerns economic equality and that women and men should have the same opportunities and conditions throughout life. My question therefore is: Does the minister have any proposals for concrete and good measures to address this major societal problem?

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank Ciczie Weidby for the very important question.

The Medlingsinstitute's report showed that it does not pay off for women to get an education. It does not pay off to take an academic degree; that group of women receives, so to speak, no return at all for their efforts. This is extremely important to address.

Next year, we will return from the government's side with a proposition linked to the pay transparency directive. It is an important tool for increasing transparency in wage formation because one can compare their pay setting within the professional groups. I believe it is extremely important that we get it in place, and it will have a very positive effect. We also need to ensure, for example, to promote the enabling of a more even uptake of the parental insurance.

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Ciczie Weidby (V)

Madam Speaker! That sounds really great, because it is precisely these things that one must address. We have a gender-segregated labor market and so on, and we have a very unequal uptake of the parental insurance.

We also have very unequal capital and pension systems. Is there any possibility for the Minister to say something about those issues? It is precisely there, not least in the pension issue, where women are disadvantaged throughout life.

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank Ciczie Weidby for an important follow-up question.

When we look at the distribution of capital between men and women, we see that it is incredibly skewed. If we look, for example, at access to venture capital, we see that it is only a fraction of the venture capital, in various forms, that reaches female entrepreneurs and female innovators. It is something we must address. It is also important for Swedish competitiveness.

Here the banking sector needs to take increased responsibility, and I have initiated various forms of round-table discussions to push on that issue.

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Anders Karlsson (C)

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

The Government, together with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, announced last week that Sweden will already this year begin purchasing grain for emergency storage. It is a welcome announcement, and the purchase of grain is particularly well-suited for Sweden when the harvests have been good and the price is relatively low.

However, for there to be grain to deliver to the transition warehouse, viable agricultural enterprises that have the capacity to produce are required. Swedish agriculture, just like many sectors in society, is dependent on inputs from other countries. As an example, it can be mentioned that 70 percent of all protein feed is imported. The same applies to 87 percent of the nitrogen for fertilization and 100 percent of all plant protection products.

My question to the Minister for Rural Affairs is whether the government will also begin purchasing critical input goods for agriculture this year.

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! No, we will not have the opportunity to do that. The larger budget funds available for that purpose – in a relatively steep upward staircase – will be established by the budget that we have presented now and which applies from next year.

However, I must say that I am very pleased that we have been able to prioritize the procurement of grain storage so that we can begin it already this year, partly based on aspects such as those that Anders Karlsson mentions, namely that we have had very good harvests. Building up this type of storage is not entirely simple – on one hand, the product must be on the market, and on the other hand, it must be done at times when we, from the state's side, do not enter and disturb the market too much. Therefore, it is an exceptionally good situation to do this now.

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Anders Karlsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Sweden is in a state of war where all of Europe is exposed. The government's own investigator Ingrid Petersson's view regarding increasing food preparedness was that it would go quickly. You yourselves have worked on obtaining food from the local level, Peter Kullgren. Is it an important new initiative for the preparedness?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is extremely important that we strengthen our preparedness with more robust primary producers and that we have an even more robust production part, i.e., robust food companies. On top of this, it is also extremely important that we have a preparedness storage of both, for example, grain, that is to say food, and input materials, and this will now come at a fairly rapid pace. If one looks at the expansion of the civil defense, one sees that it has actually gone relatively fast.

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Linus Lakso (MP)

Madam Speaker! Many people want to be able to travel sustainably by train in Sweden. Over the last 30 years, rail travel has doubled. This means that we both need to catch up on maintenance and expand the railway.

One of Sweden's most heavily burdened routes is the Ostkustbanan. Therefore, many, especially in Central Sweden and northern Sweden, were likely very disappointed by Trafikverket's announcement that it is not included in the proposal for the national plan. It is very important for both companies and residents in central and northern Sweden.

In a written question, Andreas Carlson answered that he intends to uphold entered agreements between the state and the municipalities, and Ulf Kristersson promised most solemnly during the election campaign that the New East Coast Line would be built. My question is therefore quite simple: Will the government keep this promise?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Linus Lakso knows very well that the starting point the government has is that we need to get more money out for infrastructure and more infrastructure for the money.

The previous national plan, which was co-developed by Linus Laksos's party, among others, received criticism from the Swedish National Audit Office for promising more than it could deliver. That was, in fact, the headline of the National Audit Office's report. That is why we now have a starting point where approximately half of the historically large investments of 1,200 billion kronor need to go towards maintenance. This is something that has been very well received in the – large – parts of the country where maintenance specifically has been neglected for decades.

When it comes to the specific proposals in Trafikverket's proposal for a new national plan, Madam Speaker, the fact is that they are now out for consultation. Comments will therefore be received from regions, municipalities, and the business community, and after that, the government will make a decision during the first half of 2026.

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Linus Lakso (MP)

Madam Speaker! I suspected that this matter regarding maintenance would come up, so I have prepared some figures.

Under the previous government, we increased maintenance by 100 percent. It was, therefore, a doubling. This government is increasing maintenance by 5 percent. It is almost no increase at all. The difference in level of ambition is quite marked.

My follow-up question is: How is it that one can stand in an election campaign and promise that the New East Coast Line will be built, but one cannot say that once one has held government power?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! We will, as said, return when we have reached a decision on a new national plan.

When it comes to maintenance, it is remarkable that Linus Lakso beats his chest for these insignificant investments, which did not lead to more maintenance being performed. Of course, more money is important, but what we see so far this year is 1,700 maintenance measures. Never before has so much happened during a single year, and even next year will be a record year. It will also need to continue to be so for us to catch up with the gigantic maintenance debt for the railway.

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David Josefsson (M)

Madam Speaker! Seven out of ten Swedes want to live in their own house. At the same time, it is a distant dream for many in our country. As an example, we can take a newly graduated police officer and a newly graduated nurse – it is practically impossible for them to save up for the down payment within a reasonable time or meet the income requirements to take out a loan and buy a villa in Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö.

One of the reasons is that during the last decades, villas and terraced houses have not been built in proportion to the demand, which has pushed up the prices. My question to the Minister for Housing is therefore: What measures is the Minister prepared to take so that more Swedes will have the opportunity to live in their own house?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, David Josefsson, for a very pertinent question!

We know that approximately seven out of ten want to live in detached houses, but for many, it is almost an unattainable dream. There is much to be done here, and the government has taken many measures to shorten lead times, simplify regulations, and make more land available. We are changing the coastal protection regulations. We have commissioned an investigation into rent-to-buy to lower the thresholds. We have appointed a housing commission with a broad mandate to work for a larger share of detached houses in new production. Boverket has been tasked with preparing proposals on how type approval of detached houses can be implemented to realize Sverigehus and other type-approved houses. This will reduce the regulatory red tape and make the process shorter, cheaper, and more predictable.

Yesterday, Madam Speaker, the Riksdag reached a decision according to the proposal in the government's proposition A new regulatory framework for building permits. This is the largest reform of the building permit regulatory framework in 15 years.

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David Josefsson (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Housing, for the answer!

It is obvious that the minister and I agree on this issue.

In the second political block, the Social Democrats instead talk about forced mixing and building rental barracks in existing villa areas. Does the Minister for Housing assess that this is a viable path for more people to be able to get their own dream home?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! No. We shall ensure that we build based on people's housing preferences and proceed from how people want it as well as how safety can be increased. We shall ensure that we get better construction in several different forms of tenure and that it happens in a wise and reasonable manner.

The Egnahemskommissionären has, among other things, the mandate to work with garden cities. In addition to this, the tightened amortization requirement will be abolished and the mortgage ceiling will be raised, which will mean that the threshold to an own owned home is lowered for more people.

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Ingemar Kihlström (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to direct my question to Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren.

The forest constitutes a large part of Sweden's area and has through the years been an economic asset for our country. Those who today own and manage this important resource range from sole proprietors to large forestry companies.

How the forest is managed has sparked and continues to spark debate. It is regulated by various rules, and logging must be examined before implementation. Recently, however, we saw several activists take the liberty of preventing a logging operation outside Arjeplog by chaining themselves to the forestry machines, even though the required inventories regarding nature values had been conducted before the start. This activism causes concern among forest owners in our country.

How does the Minister for Rural Affairs view the possibility and the conditions for conducting active forestry in Sweden in light of activists taking the law into their own hands, despite necessary measures being taken by forest owners and contractors before the start of the logging?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is too difficult to conduct forestry in Sweden today, and there is too much uncertainty. Half of the Swedish forest is owned by over 300,000 private individuals, and not infrequently the forest has been inherited for generations. We have far too uncertain regulations when it comes to species protection, which sometimes means unreasonable consequences for landowners.

This is what we are now trying to review from the government's side through the forest inquiry and via other initiatives that we have taken to address this.

I may find it frustrating and annoying with the type of irregularities and activism that the member mentioned, but it is probably not possible to compare my frustration with how it is for the private forest owners who are affected.

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Ingemar Kihlström (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.

In the discussion on unnecessary obstacles to logging, it has been stated that the Birds Directive has been mistranslated. This has, in that case, prevented or hindered an active use of the forest, as restrictions have been made to an excessively large extent.

How is the government working to rectify any linguistic errors in the birds directive and at the same time ensure that the directive combines an active use of forest resources with a manageable environmental perspective?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! Regarding the mistranslation, the Council's legal department is currently working on reviewing the Swedish version of the Birds Directive so that it corresponds with the other versions.

The forest investigation that we appointed, which has now submitted its proposals, states that this is something we should change. That is also our intention.

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Jakob Olofsgård (L)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed.

Yesterday, SVT presented a survey. To the question of whether alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis, 51 percent of those surveyed in the age group 18–29 answered that alcohol is more harmful. In the segment, three alcohol researchers also confirmed that this is the case, even though cannabis is obviously also dangerous.

We know today that alcohol increases the risk of mental ill-health, for example depression and anxiety. A major problem within addiction care is that many patients suffer from both mental ill-health and alcohol abuse. What does the Minister see as the most important counteracting measures where there is both addiction problems and mental ill-health?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Jakob Olofsgård, for a very important question!

Alcohol is not just any commodity, but entails risks for both mental health and other diseases. Mental ill-health can, in turn, also lead into abuse of alcohol or other drugs.

In Sweden, we have not had sufficiently good care and treatment for persons with harmful use and addiction who simultaneously have mental ill-health, mental diagnoses, or mental illness. We must change this, and therefore we are planning a comorbidity reform. The regions shall receive a much greater responsibility to ensure good care and treatment so that persons who belong to the most fragile and most vulnerable in our society are not bounced around between different care and support interventions in the way that occurs today. This is not worthy of a country like Sweden, and we shall change that.

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Jakob Olofsgård (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for a very clear answer regarding this vulnerable group.

According to the Public Health Agency, individuals with harmful use of alcohol or drugs run a greater risk of dying by suicide, and women run up to twelve times the risk compared to men. What measures is the government taking for this very vulnerable group? Very many in society – family and relatives – have given up when it comes to these people.

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would say that the situation that Jakob Olofsgård describes has been somewhat of a forgotten situation. It is not always these people one thinks of when discussing this group.

It is extremely important that we do more. We have a strategy for suicide prevention involving 28 agencies. This summer, we also tasked nine agencies with developing a plan for better addiction care in Sweden where women's situation and the gender equality perspective are given special attention.

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Dzenan Cisija (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed.

The government raised the high-cost protection cap for medicines from 2,900 to 3,800 kronor.

There is a great concern among pensioners and multi-morbid patients, and some are forced to choose between food and medicine. The pensioners' organization PRO warns that many elderly people cannot afford to pick up their life-saving medicines. Healthcare staff can also confirm this.

We Social Democrats are allocating 2 billion in our budget to roll back the deterioration.

My question to the Minister is: What concrete measures does the government intend to take to guarantee that the sickest and most medication-dependent patients do not suffer from healthcare harm or deteriorated health?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! New medicines bring enormous opportunities to have a better life. But they also bring significantly increased costs. To have a sustainable system, we have an arrangement, which I believe has broad support in the chamber, where a part of the cost is taken by the patient while the large part of the cost is taken by us collectively. Here, there needs to be a reasonable balance, and to achieve just sustainability in the system, the government has chosen to move forward with an adjustment of this balance. However, we particularly protect those who have the greatest need for medicine. For example, the limit for the high-cost protection remains in the system. It is therefore primarily those with lower medicine costs who now have to pay more due to the changed high-cost protection.

After the turn of the year, we are making extensive reliefs for households. We are lowering the tax for those who work, those who have a pension, and those who have sickness and activity compensation, and we are lowering the food VAT and increasing the housing allowance. We are making a long series of reliefs that well correspond to the increased costs for medicines.

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Martin Kinnunen (SD)

Madam Speaker! It is almost a year since the government concluded the Renmark Committee's work prematurely. It was a wise decision, which the Sweden Democrats supported. When the committee's work was concluded, it was announced that a new investigation would be appointed.

The questions regarding the Sami villages' rights to use land for reindeer grazing, hunting, and fishing are highly topical, not least in view of the ongoing legal proceedings in Gällivare District Court.

Many are waiting for a new order to be put in place, so my question to the Minister for Rural Affairs is quite simply: When will the new investigation with significantly better directives than the old one arrive?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Martin Kinnunen for the question.

I cannot answer as to when exactly it will arrive. Preparation is ongoing in the Government Offices, and we have announced that a new investigation will be launched.

We could conclude after the referral process that the previous investigation did not constitute a basis upon which we could enact legislation. There was no parliamentary support, and it was extremely divided among the referral bodies that submitted responses. This was the fundamental reason why the work was concluded.

As mentioned, a new investigation will be launched, but I cannot answer as to when exactly. Preparation is underway.

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Kajsa Fredholm (V)

Madam Speaker! The future of cows' right to summer grazing has been uncertain during this parliamentary term. Last year, a government inquiry proposed that the grazing requirement should be removed to strengthen competition and profitability within Swedish milk production. The proposal was met with strong criticism, not least from the Swedish people, and 65,000 signatures for cows' right to graze were submitted to the Riksdag. The government changed its mind, and the grazing requirement will not be abolished during this parliamentary term, which is very pleasing.

My question to the Minister for Rural Affairs is: Can the Minister promise all of us who safeguard the cows' grazing rights that the government is working to ensure that the law remains in place over a slightly longer period than just during this mandate period?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! The Government has not changed its mind. The Government had no position; rather, it was an investigation that came with a proposal that was prepared and discussed. Since the Government had no position, it therefore cannot have changed its mind either.

What we have done in parallel with working to strengthen the competitiveness for, among others, Swedish dairy farmers is to work towards the EU so that Sweden, like all other EU countries, should be allowed to receive a compensation for grazing cows. The basic argument, even in the investigation, is that it is deeply unfair that, for example, a Finnish dairy farmer receives a corresponding 700–900 SEK per dairy cow per year in support compared to a Swedish farmer as a result of us having the grazing requirement in national legislation.

Now there is a proposal on the table at the EU level that Sweden should receive compensation. If it is implemented, we have ensured that there are funds in the budget to offset the competitive difference that has existed.

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Anne-Li Sjölund (C)

Madam Speaker! The heavy rainfalls in Västernorrland hit people, businesses, and entire communities hard. Roads were washed away, railways collapsed, and parts of the county were practically cut off from the outside world. Municipalities, emergency services, volunteers, and neighbors have made an incredible effort, but many families still have a tough daily life as a result of the damage.

In the midst of this, there are also worrying signals about a slowdown of Nya Ostkustbanan, just when we in northern Sweden need to hear that the whole country is equally important and needs to be built together instead of being divided.

Much of the traffic is flowing again after the damages, but the restoration is far from complete. Trafikverket needs to do more work, and an evaluation is underway. The Accident Investigation Board is also looking into the incident.

My question is directed to Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson. What measures does the government intend to take here and now to guarantee that Västernorrland also has a robust and functioning infrastructure moving forward?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Anne-Li Sjölund's question is truly pressing. It is not the case that the government is only now providing information on various measures. Already the day after the very severe weather events, I was on site and saw the devastation. I then assured myself, above all, that Trafikverket had all the resources needed to be able to take the measures seen as necessary as quickly as possible to be able to resume and restore important infrastructure.

This highlighted how important it is to have a robust and sustainable infrastructure, both in a north-south and east-west direction, and this is a priority for the government in its very powerful budget for maintenance. Furthermore, Trafikverket has submitted several proposals, which are now out for consultation. I look forward to receiving the comments that come in on these proposals, before the government makes a decision on a new national plan next year.

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Mats Berglund (MP)

Madam Speaker! I have noted that the government parties are marketing the leisure card as a success. But when I met municipal politicians from all over the country as recently as last week, the picture was completely different. In the entire Växjö municipality, only 16 associations have joined so far. Skellefteå has a free-of-charge culture school and cannot participate, and in Hudiksvall, it is the same situation. "Disaster reform," was the comment. In Borås, they have been forced to appoint a full-time position at the culture school just to handle the administration. In Luleå, they argue that it is too cumbersome, and parents and associations are complaining. In Malmö, rumors about the card have spread, and the municipality needs to devote large resources to running an information campaign. Furthermore, the five-year limit closes the door for the scouts' hubs in marginalized areas.

The system is not fully equipped, and the card is cost-driving for municipalities and associations. My question to Jakob Forssmed is: How will the government compensate municipalities and associations for the additional costs of the leisure card?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! Yes, the leisure card is truly a success with over 235,000 cards downloaded in a month. Of these, 35,000 have been downloaded for children in particular economic hardship and can only be used for their active and meaningful leisure time, such as learning to play lacrosse or luta or trying out parkour or percussion. I think it is a fantastic opportunity for those children who previously have not had a chance to join the culture school, the association life or the outdoor life.

Does everything work perfectly from the start? No, it doesn't. Not least do the association systems that the culture school and various associations use need to be fully integrated with the leisure card. The work is underway, and we have also made decisions to support them financially so that they can carry out this work more quickly. I know that the leisure card involves some increased administration for some associations because it is a manual process. I am humble before that and very grateful to those who make this extra effort so that more children and young people can get the chance.

Tone down the litanies! This is an enormous opportunity for Swedish children and young people.

(Applause)

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Marléne Lund Kopparklint (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Andreas Carlson. National Road 62 constitutes a vital lifeline in Värmland. It is currently at risk of collapsing straight down into the Klarälven in certain sections due to serious erosion problems.

With regard to the Natura 2000 framework, Trafikverket is prevented from taking long-term and short-term safety measures to protect the communities around the area. Last week, Trafikverket decided on measures with sensors, but it is no solution to the serious risks that actually exist.

My question is therefore: How does the government intend to ensure fast decision-making paths to secure people's safety and important societal functions over high natural values?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Trafikverket has applied for water activity permits and Natura 2000 permits to build erosion protection at several different locations along Klarälven. The Land and Environment Court has rejected Trafikverket's applications, which means that planned measures cannot be implemented at this time. Trafikverket has appealed the decision.

It does not fall to me as an individual minister to comment on an ongoing legal process, but safety is a high priority for Trafikverket and for the government. Trafikverket is taking measures to reduce the risks. It is important that our roads maintain a high standard and that accessibility is upheld.

With this said: As I mentioned earlier, a legal process is ongoing which governs the procedure. I cannot anticipate this process or comment on this further.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Larry Söder (KD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Andreas Carlson. Today, there are 59 particularly vulnerable areas in Sweden, characterized by high crime and parallel social structures. A frequently discussed way to break the segregation is to create more mixed residential environments, for example by building more villas and condominiums in these areas, which consist of rental apartments, so that people can feel safe and have the opportunity to build a housing career.

The Social Democrats argue that the solution is to build more rental apartments in villa areas to create a mix instead of enabling ownership in vulnerable areas. My question to the Minister is: Should we build villas in rental areas or rental buildings in villa areas?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is an urgent issue that Larry Söder raises against the background of the insecurity that many experience in the areas described as vulnerable and particularly vulnerable. There are many good examples of what can be done to address the structure in these areas, through different types of tenure forms, both detached houses, owned apartments and condominiums, to achieve a variation in tenure forms that contributes to safety.

What is important is to address the problems where they exist and not to destroy or change already well-functioning areas where people thrive and feel safe. It is where people experience insecurity that we need to deploy resources and focus the work.

The answer to the question is: Preferably more different forms of tenure in areas that classically have a large amount of rental housing. This means that, just as the member said, one can build a housing career and continue to contribute to the security in the area where one wants to thrive and shape one's future.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! Swedish gender equality policy rests on six sub-goals that have been adopted by the Swedish Riksdag in broad political agreement. These six sub-goals concern equal distribution of power and influence, economic equality, equal education, equal distribution of unpaid work, equal health, and that violence against women by men shall cease.

When the new important sub-goal on honor-related violence and oppression is to be adopted, the government chooses to make the decision itself, as one in a series of many, and not to submit it to the Swedish Parliament. Why does the government choose to undermine the new, seventh sub-goal on honor-related violence and oppression and not give it the same important legitimacy as the other six sub-goals have, when there is a broad political consensus here in this chamber?

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Sofia Amloh, for the question!

It is extremely important to emphasize the last point that Member of Parliament Sofia Amloh noted, namely that there is a broad consensus in this chamber regarding a seventh sub-goal. With this as a basis, we need to continue the work at a rapid pace to achieve good and proper governance in these matters towards our authorities, towards the regional resource centers that we are now strengthening around the country, and towards other parts of the public sector and also civil society. They need increased clarity in order to be able to continue their important work.

That is why it is important to get this in place now and move forward as soon as possible. As Member Sofia Amloh said, there is a broad consensus on the gender equality sub-goal.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Anette Rangdag (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing. Jämtland County has a large share of local entrepreneurship and has great potential to increase it, especially within small business ownership.

Unfortunately, development is limited by deficient infrastructure. For example, it is often poor road maintenance, inadequate road connections, limited air and public transport, and weak digital coverage. These factors hinder both the establishment and expansion of companies in the county's smaller rural towns.

How does the Minister intend to ensure that smaller towns in the countryside in Jämtlands län that struggle with these problems are given opportunities for business development and investments that are equivalent to those found in other parts of the country?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! From many different parts of the country, one witnesses exactly what the member points out: that deficiencies in the infrastructure and deficiencies in trust in the infrastructure are competitive disadvantages for the business sector and are even growth-inhibiting.

When it comes to Jämtland, where the roads do not measure up, it is news that the government has now given that we are making a historically large investment in upgrading Swedish infrastructure, which is very welcome, and that we are allocating approximately 350 of 1,200 billion kronor for road maintenance over the next twelve years.

This means that we can now say that we will catch up with all the deferred maintenance on the state road network in all of Sweden and in all of Jämtland during the upcoming planning period. We are also strengthening the support for individual roads, which are also an important part of our collective road network in Sweden.

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Madam Speaker! Just over a month ago, the district veterinarians in southern Halland closed their operations. It is one of Sweden's most animal-dense areas, and it also occurred shortly after the largest outbreak of bluetongue in over ten years.

The closure has been harshly criticized by both the County Administrative Board and LRF as well as practicing veterinarians. The Swedish Board of Agriculture referred to insufficient appropriations from the government. The Minister for Rural Affairs, in turn, referred to an upcoming investigation on veterinary preparedness. Now the investigation has arrived, and it proposes, among other things, the introduction of a preparedness compensation for private veterinarians who take responsibility on call duty, which is therefore not the case today.

My question to the Minister for Rural Affairs is the following: How long will the farmers in Halland have to wait before the state again takes responsibility for ensuring that there is full access to veterinarians at all hours of the day?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! The questioner and I have had an interpellation debate about this before, and basically there is not much more to say. We received this investigation relatively recently.

Access to veterinary competence is extremely central, not least for fulfilling the food strategy's goals of increased food production. Now we have proposals on the table that are to be prepared and will most likely be referred for to get this in order.

As we discussed in our previous interpellation debate, the district veterinarians have a responsibility to fill the gaps where it is not seen that there is an opportunity for the market to solve these issues. In an area with an enormous number of animals, which is a correct expression here, the market should exist. This was also included in the reasoning when it was decided to terminate the operations there.

Now we have this underway. I hope that we will get a replacement system in place as quickly as possible so that we can guarantee better access to veterinarians throughout the country.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jan Riise (MP)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for Minister of Rural Affairs Kullgren. To my slight surprise, I heard exactly the same question asked by Member Kinnunen a short while ago. But I think I am not worse off than that I can continue a little further on that question.

So it is about the Renmark Committee, which was wound down a year ago. There are no directives for a continuation yet, and we have no date.

For other listeners, we can say that the committee's mandate was to present long-term sustainable solutions for land-use planning and other issues concerning Sápmi. It concerns reindeer husbandry and hunting and fishing and such.

One could follow up on that question like this. What I hear from representatives of the Sami people, both Sami villages and others, is that efforts of a confidence-building and trust-building nature are very welcome. I assume that this has been part of the reasoning in the preparatory works for the directives we will soon see.

I wonder if the minister has anything to say about this.

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! As said: The reason why the previous Renmark Committee was disbanded was that the report that was presented met with extremely strong criticism. We could quite quickly conclude that there was no parliamentary support. It was very fragmented. Within the Sami population, there were major conflicts. In the authorities' referral responses, it was very fragmented. It was not possible to proceed with it.

Just as is said here in the question, it is sensitive. I am very keen that we get a directive that also moves in the direction that we are able to secure parliamentary support for what an investigation concludes. In that case, it is a matter of us doing this carefully and discussing our way forward.

This is nothing that we are intentionally dragging out, but we will try to get this investigation in place as soon as possible.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carl Nordblom (M)

Madam Speaker! On January 1 of this year, the government introduced democratic conditions for the granting of subsidies to civil society and religious communities. If one now wants to participate as an association or religious community in the taxpayers' money, one must sign on to certain fundamental democratic values.

Madam Speaker! I am a strong advocate for a far-reaching and robust freedom of religion and freedom of expression. But these freedoms are no guarantee that one should automatically be entitled to share in our common resources.

That is why I wonder how Social Minister Jakob Forssmed thinks the implementation of the democratic conditions has functioned and also how the government during the mandate period works to combat religious extremism and other undemocratic forces that attempt to infiltrate and exploit our free and democratic society.

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Carl Nordblom, for an excellent question!

It is very important with these democratic conditions and that they become clearer, sharper and more legally secure so that we have the opportunity not to provide undemocratic and extremist movements, regardless of whether they have religious characteristics or not, with funds from the public sector.

We expect that these democratic conditions will also become normative for how municipalities and regions handle grant awarding.

In addition to that, we are working on an investigation that is to review the foreign possibility of financing extremist organizations in Sweden in order to ban or strictly regulate such.

In addition, we have established a support function at the Center against Violence and Extremism precisely to become even better at identifying these types of environments and being able to implement measures against them. I believe this is necessary so that all the communities and organizations that do a fantastic job in Sweden are not viewed with suspicion, and so that there is good support for what we also do for them.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Denis Begic (S)

Madam Speaker! I listened with interest to the exchange between David Josefsson and the Minister for Housing.

I just want to remind that the construction rate in the construction industry is currently the lowest in 30 years. Small house construction is the lowest in 100 years. One out of every four jobs in the timber industry is gone. Bankruptcies are hitting record highs.

The long-established small house construction company Anebyhus has gone bankrupt. There worked, among others, Patrik, who is now unemployed together with his 30 comrades. The Minister for Housing says that it was a very good decision in this chamber yesterday, which will probably cause Patrik and his 30 comrades to return and start working in the long-established Anebyhus.

My question to the Minister for Housing is: Does the Minister for Housing believe that Patrik, together with his 30 comrades, will return to work after the decision we made in the Riksdag yesterday, or does he not believe that?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I recommend Denis Begic and everyone else listening to this question period to rewind a little bit. There is such a function on the Riksdag's website – one can go back and listen to what I actually said to David Josefsson in the answer to his question. I enumerated a number of different measures that the government has taken to ensure that we get an increased construction of small houses in Sweden.

This has been a neglected area for a long time. That is why the government has taken measures. The example I mentioned, for which a decision was made here yesterday, concerns major simplifications regarding building permits that shift the power from the municipal bureaucracy to the individual. It is about forty simplifications and the largest simplification of the building permit regulations in 15 years.

With that said, it has been a tough situation. There has been a recession and high inflation. But there are also structural obstacles that affect housing construction and have done so for a long time. We are tackling them one by one.

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Per Söderlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed.

The discussion regarding foreign real estate purchases in the vicinity of protected objects and military installations has been ongoing for a number of years now. Both Finland and Norway have implemented changes in their legislation to counter such real estate purchases. Finland has even gone so far as to seize Russian properties and enacted a law that, under certain conditions, prohibits Russian citizens from acquiring real estate in the country.

Sweden has, during recent years, appointed two inquiries that have looked into the matter, but despite the situation in Ukraine, we have not seen any concrete proposal yet.

Sweden, which during the Cold War had extensive legislation in this area, should have good opportunities to introduce modernized and updated legislation such as the Finnish and Norwegian. It is of great importance that we, like our neighboring countries, strengthen security and mark against foreign activities that can have a negative impact on our security.

When can we expect the government to return to the Riksdag with a proposal based on the investigation SOU 2024:84 Skärpt kontroll av utländska fastighetsförvärv?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Per Söderlund, for a good question!

The government is carrying out an extremely offensive work to strengthen Swedish security and safety broadly. We are expanding the defense very significantly. We are strengthening the civil defense very significantly. We are implementing a long series of measures. Not least, we have made decisions on new legislation to prevent certain investments in Sweden by foreign actors.

It is very important that we continue to investigate where there are deficiencies in the Swedish legislation and how we can rectify them. Preparation is ongoing of the proposals that the member points out. We will get back with an announcement regarding when and in what way the government intends to proceed.

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Cecilia Gustafsson (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed.

The government has now introduced the leisure card for children and young people aged 8–16. The purpose is that more people should be able to participate in sports, culture, and association life regardless of the family's finances. This will contribute to improving and strengthening our physical and mental health.

My question to the Minister is: Which key figures and follow-up measures will the government use to ensure that the leisure card actually leads to increased participation, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups? And when do you plan for a first report?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! We are following this very closely. It is possible to follow almost in real-time via fritidskortet.se how many cards are being downloaded, not least how many are at the higher amount. There we get a direct receipt of how many we reach in the relevant target group, children and young people in economically vulnerable situations, where we know that many today quit their sports because it competes with the food package and the electricity bill. Already now, 35,000 cards have been downloaded in such families. It is a fantastic opportunity.

It is also an opportunity for clubs, not least through the support we give to Riksidrottsförbundet to work with more associations in vulnerable areas, which in turn can use the leisure card to recruit children and young people. That combination feels very good.

We have also tasked the Public Health Agency with monitoring the reform closely. We want to be able to adjust it if we see that it is not working. But already now, I believe many have received the information that is now being sent out to households regarding this. Ambassadors in vulnerable areas are also being utilized to reach out.

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Anna Vikström (S)

Madam Speaker! Soon, a new high-cost protection for elderly dental care will become a reality. But the proposal in the dental care investigation regarding a municipal type supplement, a higher compensation for rural municipalities and mixed municipalities, is not being presented. At the same time, there is an increasingly unequal access to dentists and dental hygienists between north and south and between city and country.

In the healthcare investigation, the investigator writes that the current imbalance between urban and rural areas regarding staffing levels constitutes a threat to the entire system's purposefulness and resource efficiency.

The proposal on the municipal type supplement is an important measure to make dental care more accessible, including in rural areas. The government is vaguely positive about this but has not presented any proposal, which risks leading to unequal access to the new high-cost protection.

That is why I ask the Minister for Social Affairs if, and if so when, a proposal regarding a municipality type supplement will be submitted.

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! At the turn of the year, dental care will arrive, this reform which will significantly lower the costs for all common procedures in the mouth for everyone who is 67 years of age or older. It will make it possible for more people who today see no possibility of going to the dentist to actually do so. I think that is excellent. It is the largest dental care reform in 20 years, and we are allocating many resources to this – over 3.5 billion.

We also add 400 million to the budget for more activity-based training so that we can extract more competence in dental care and be able to ensure the competence supply in a better way than until now.

We are also continuing to work on the municipality type supplement. We are part of what is called the EU, and there are state aid rules there that make the preparation a bit complicated. But the government still has the ambition to move forward with this or a corresponding support. It is very important that access to dental care becomes good throughout the entire kingdom.

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Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Agency for Support to Religious Communities distributes millions of kronor annually to various Muslim umbrella organizations. A common denominator for these is the lack of transparency. After several scandals surrounding various mosques, these Muslim umbrella organizations have stopped reporting on their websites which mosques are affiliated with their organizations. It is evident that several of these organizations that receive state funds are keen to hide which actors they actually represent, despite being financed with public funds.

My question to Social Minister Jakob Forssmed is the following: Does the Social Minister intend to take measures so that the Agency for Support to Religious Communities no longer pays out state grants to Muslim umbrella organizations that do not report their member associations?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

A change that occurs with the introduction of the new democratic conditions for grants is that each respective community needs to apply for grants separately from the authority. The possibility that previously existed to apply for grants via this type of umbrella organization, which can include a multitude of different types of communities and organizations, is now disappearing. Now, one needs to apply community by community, precisely so that this will become a bit clearer and more transparent.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sten Bergheden (M)

Madam Speaker! I direct my question to Minister for Rural Affairs Kullgren.

Several motions have been submitted to establish a wildlife authority to handle hunting and wildlife management issues. Furthermore, several motions have been submitted to move the firearms licensing management from the police to this wildlife authority, which would be welcomed by hunters and shooters.

There is a large and broad majority for these proposals in the Riksdag. An investigation has recently been conducted, and the matter is now being prepared at the ministry.

Moving weapon licensing and supervision of shooting ranges would relieve a heavily pressured police authority. Today, the Police Authority is burdened with 70,000–80,000 license cases per year, and the police must also inspect thousands of shooting ranges in the country. This could instead be carried out by a wildlife authority. The police should hunt criminals, not work with licenses or measure the grains of sand on a shooting range.

My question is: How far have the minister and the department come in the work of establishing a new wildlife authority?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! There is much wisdom in what Sten Bergheden says.

We have been working on it. We have commissioned an inquiry, we have received an inquiry back, and we have sent it out for consultation. With the reservation that I do not have all the dates in my head, I believe the consultation period is possibly just finished, otherwise it is still out for consultation.

In the investigation, there are proposals. There is a main proposal where the license management is not to be moved, but there is also a proposal where the license management is moved. That was also what we requested in the directive.

The referral process is ongoing. We will compile the referral responses and then prepare the matter in the Government Offices in the usual order.

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Azadeh Rojhan (S)

Madam Speaker! The Minister for Public Health and I have both been in Solna today and listened to the seminar on match-fixing by the Swedish Sports Confederation and Svenska Spel. We have learned about how betting within sport can pose a risk to the credibility of sports.

Another risk we see is that more and more young people today develop an unhealthy behavior when it comes to gambling. 51 percent of young people state today that they have at some point gambled for money, and 44 percent say that they have a friend who they believe gambles far too much. These are worrying figures. This is one of our time's great public health problems that we need to address.

Therefore, my question to the Minister is whether the Minister considers that the state is doing enough today to prevent unhealthy gambling behavior among young people. And what does the Minister think about initiating a national initiative on gambling prevention equivalent to what has been done in the alcohol area, for example the IQ initiative?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Azadeh Rojhan for the question.

I believe it is difficult, with the development we have, to say that we are doing enough. It is very worrying with the signals we receive, where it turns out that younger people are being drawn into this type of abuse.

We are already doing quite a lot, but we can consider making additional efforts. We have an agreement with Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner where we provide funds so that they can work more actively with these issues within the framework of mental health and suicide prevention. We have a national strategy for mental health where it also includes that some authorities have a special responsibility to work with these issues. We have provided more funds to Spelinspektionen so that it can be tougher against these companies that exploit young people in a way that I do not think is reasonable at all.

We are, therefore, doing quite a lot. We have also joined a number of international conventions that facilitate this work. I do not, however, rule out further measures. I will take note of what the member says and consider whether there is more we can do, because the development is not good.

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Zara Leghissa (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Andreas Carlson.

Public transport is absolutely necessary for us to reach the climate goals, for us to increase growth, and for us to have a functioning welfare state. But during recent years, the market share for car travel has increased while public transport's share of total travel has decreased.

The development is moving against both the climate goals and the goal of a sustainable transport system. To achieve the set environmental and climate goals, an increase in travel by public transport and reduced emissions for passenger car transport are required.

Will the Minister and the Government act to reverse the development and increase the proportion of journeys that are made by public transport in Sweden?

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Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! We are doing a lot to increase reliability in transport both on the tracks and on the roads. The maintenance debt that has been allowed to grow into a gigantic mountain over decades has caused some to not know if they dare to take the train. Will I make it in time if I take the train, or should I choose another mode of public transport?

We know that deficiencies in the infrastructure and other deficiencies in railway traffic may need to be addressed. Here is the government's announcement that approximately half of the 1,200 billion kronor to be invested in Swedish infrastructure over the next twelve years will go towards maintenance, so that we get a reliable, robust and sustainable infrastructure that can be relied upon, so that people dare to take the train or, for that matter, get around in public transport. Even cars that have switched over shall be able to travel on roads that hold up.

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Jennie Wernäng (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren.

We find ourselves in, at the very least, uncertain times right now, and we are increasing our preparedness, preparing agriculture, and sharpening our arguments for a self-sufficient country. What does the work look like to strengthen Swedish fishing? More landing sites and filleting opportunities are needed, but efforts are also needed so that consumers will choose just fish for dinner.

Today, much of our fish disappears to the neighboring country due to how exactly infrastructure and demand look. The possibilities to import our fish back to Sweden in a war situation risk being small. But the work to get Swedish fishing back should be good in this situation.

How is the government working to strengthen Swedish fishing and our opportunities to secure protein for an entire population in the event of a crisis or war?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! This has been mentioned before, but the government has made an update to the food strategy. For the first time, we are marking significantly more clearly the importance of blue nutrients for the food supply in Sweden. There is a long series of projects and activities to increase the landings in Sweden, which is extremely central.

Perhaps the most central thing for us to eat Swedish fish is that there is fish to catch. Therefore, during the coming week, I will work hard so that we can achieve, according to the Swedish view, low quotas, not least for herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea, so that the stocks can recover. Then, in the long run, we can eat more fish in Sweden.

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Sofia Skönnbrink (S)

Madam Speaker! Swedish veterinary care has shifted from being a community-oriented service to being a market failure. The majority of the country's animal hospitals and veterinary clinics are today owned by private companies and venture capital firms. This is about companies that earn large sums of money, many times at the expense of animal owners and their pets.

Over the last five years, the price of veterinary care has increased by as much as 50 percent. This has serious consequences. A survey from Agria shows that nine out of ten pet owners are worried about their veterinary care costs. One in three pet owners avoids seeking a veterinarian because they are so afraid of what the bills will amount to. It has thus become a class issue whether one can afford to have a dog or cat in the family. So, we cannot have it that way.

I have the following question for Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren. In addition to the Swedish Competition Authority's mandate to review price transparency, what other measures does the government intend to take to protect our Swedish animal owners from skyrocketing veterinary prices?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! Now Sofia Skönnbrink has no opportunity to answer, but rhetorically I want to make the point: What is Sofia Skönnbrink's proposal? Should the state step in and pay veterinary costs for cats and dogs in Sweden? I have not seen any such proposal from anyone.

The Competition Authority's assignment has come halfway, and we intend to focus on the Authority's report and see what we can do based on the price structure. I am aware that the veterinary market is facing challenges, not least those linked to the price structure.

The assignment has, as mentioned, reached its midpoint, and the Government Offices have, in a project dialogue with the agency, received an account of how the work is being carried out. I look forward to having the assignment reported by March 1st next year at the latest.

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Lena Bäckelin (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Rural Affairs Kullgren.

Last week, the shocking news arrived that Härjeåns Energi AB is shutting down its wood pellet production in Sveg in Härjedalen. It has been concluded that market conditions do not make continued production possible. The factory has 30 employees who now risk losing their jobs.

30 jobs may sound like a little, but for a small municipality like Härjedalen, it has major consequences. Let me give a calculation example. 30 jobs in Härjedalen corresponds to approximately 3,000 jobs in Stockholm. Just over a year ago, the news came that 100 people would lose their jobs at a data support company in the municipality. That, in turn, corresponds to 10,000 people in Stockholm. With this calculation example, I want to show how serious this is for a rural municipality like Härjedalen. No jobs – no living countryside.

What does the Minister for Rural Affairs intend to do to ensure that industries and other businesses remain in rural areas so that people can stay, even in municipalities that are not primarily agricultural?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! This is a very important and broad issue. Not everything may fall under the Minister for Rural Affairs' umbrella, but the forest industry policy and the forest policy definitely lie with me.

I still want to start with the broader perspective. We are, and have been for some time, in a recession. We have heard in previous debates that it affects construction. The government is making major efforts to try to turn the economic development with the help of fiscal policy. It is absolutely most central for the sawmills and the forest industry that we move from a recession to a better economic situation.

Additionally, I have mentioned that we are reviewing the forest policy. We ensure that there is access to raw materials. That is another important part of turning the whole thing around.

I also understand, and appreciate, the comparison; seemingly small numbers in small localities have a completely different impact if one translates them to the perspective of the large city.

The question period was hereby concluded.

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