Question Time

ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Finance Niklas Wykman, Minister for Education, Research and Innovation Lotta Edholm, Minister for Climate and Environment Romina Pourmokhtari, and Minister for Health and Care Elisabet Lann.

A question must be of an overarching and general political nature or concern a subject that falls within the Minister's area of responsibility and concerns his performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Mats Wiking (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to the Minister for Education, Research and Innovation, Lotta Edholm. Today's grading system is characterized by inequality, profit-seeking, and grade-rigging. Since the government refuses to tackle the fundamental problem—profits in schools—they instead try to patch and repair with increasingly complicated systems. Now, digital national tests are to be the solution, but they fail time and again. How does the Minister imagine that a new grading system based on digital tests will function when the government cannot even manage to carry them out without recurring chaos?

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Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for this very important question!

Of course, the digitalization of the national tests must work. Therefore, it is important that these different types of tests are conducted now. The new grades will, if everything goes as planned, be introduced starting from 2028. At that point, it is naturally important that it works, quite simply.

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Mats Wiking (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister, even if it was not entirely comprehensive.

We Social Democrats believe that it is the pursuit of profit and grade-fiddling that has damaged the trust in our grading system. Instead of stopping the profits, the government chooses instead to lean on a digital system to try to restore trust in the grades. How does it add up that a government that in other contexts distrusts digitalization is now placing all its hope on digital solutions when it comes to the national tests?

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Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! When it comes to the new grading system, it is not just about digital tests or not, but it is an entirely new grading system that will more accurately reflect the students' knowledge. Digitized tests are a part of this, but we must naturally introduce a new grading system so order so.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister for Health and Social Affairs Elisabet Lann. We have all now been reached by the tragic news that a woman died during childbirth at Akademiska sjukhuset, when she was supposed to give birth to her second child. This is perhaps the most heartbreaking thing one can hear. It will be a matter for the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, of course, but even if it concerns a albeit terrible but pure accident, people naturally want to know what the policy is to minimize the risk of such things happening.

I know that the Sweden Democrats, together with the government, are doing a lot of good in this area, not least the maternity care billions that go to the regions every year. But in light of what has happened, it is perhaps not the time to be completely satisfied. In view of this, I would like to ask the following question: What concrete initiatives is the government making right now to improve maternity and obstetric care, and how do you ensure that every woman, regardless of location, receives safe maternity care?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I want to begin by thanking the member for an important question. Just as the member states, Madam Speaker, this is heartbreaking and the worst imaginable. We share that view. Regardless of what the government does moving forward, this tragedy cannot be undone. That is what makes these issues extra difficult.

With this said, the government is doing a lot in this area. We have just produced the first national maternity plan ever. During the mandate period, we have allocated a number of billions to maternal healthcare and women's healthcare. We are also investing money in the coming year, 2026, to develop a knowledge support so that this maternity plan truly has an effect throughout the entire country. We know, after all, that there are very large differences between the regions.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Minister, for the answer! It was important for us to hear, and it is important to talk about this when such things happen. I am very pleased with the consensus that exists.

This is also an important issue, not least with regard to demographics. For the Sweden Democrats, it is both obvious and a priority that every woman in Sweden should be able to feel secure in becoming the finest thing one can become, namely a mother.

This means that we must move away from the society of previous governments and, not least, Social Democratic regions, where women need to give birth in cars and so on. I thank you very much for the answer.

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I can only agree with that observation. This work must continue so that we improve and secure this important care, not least considering that more and more people hesitate to bring children into the world. Therefore, it is incredibly important that this care becomes safe and secure.

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Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)

Madam Speaker! The Christian Democrats call themselves the Care Party, while at the same time they have systematically chosen to present budgets that make it impossible for healthcare to balance. None of the election promises made before the 2022 election have been fulfilled. Instead, we have seen cuts in healthcare that hit patients and staff incredibly hard. There are 80,000 more in the queue than there were in the middle of 2022, a shortage of care beds in all regions except three, and a need for an additional 1,864 care beds, which corresponds to a shortage of care beds of 12 percent. Intensive care should increase by 10 percent – now we have fewer intensive care beds than we had during the pandemic. It is the sick who have to take the hit.

The government proposes tax cuts of over 50 billion instead for 2026. Why have the Christian Democrats and the government failed so capitally in fixing healthcare?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I want to begin by saying that I do not agree with that description and that in some parts it is not even consistent with the truth. We have fulfilled several promises. More work is underway. It takes time to reverse a long-standing healthcare failure. The queues grew dramatically when the Social Democrats took over healthcare from the Christian Democrats eleven years ago – from 45,000 they tripled quite quickly even before the pandemic.

Now we see that the queues are decreasing. Regardless of which figures the Vänsterpartiet chooses to use, we see that the queues are decreasing somewhat. We will continue with this work so that the queues decrease even more.

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Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)

Madam Speaker! We know that the high inflation caused the purchasing power of the municipalities and regions to decrease by 27 billion kronor during 2025. It is a decrease that is due to the fact that the government has chosen not to compensate the regions for the cost increases they are facing.

What the Minister for Health and Social Affairs says is actually not true. It is as I described earlier. It is this government that is responsible for the fact that healthcare in the country does not function. They have broken their election promises.

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I want to remind the members that it is the regions that are responsible for healthcare. It is not the government that is responsible for healthcare, so in that sense, the failure is not the government's. I also want to remind that much of the healthcare works very well.

But we are aware that the regions are struggling. That is the reason why we have only so far during the mandate period allocated 18 billion kronor to shorten the queues – that only concerns the queues. We are also making other gigantic investments. But this year, the regions have 25 billion less in pension costs, and that means the regions stand significantly stronger today than before.

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Fredrik Lindstål (C)

Madam Speaker! I wish to direct my question to the Minister for Climate and Environment.

Is Sweden becoming boring? If we ask all those clubs and live venues that are threatened with closure, the answer is yes. The reason is complaints about noise.

We have cultural organizers to thank for a lot. Thanks to them, we get lively and attractive places that put people at the center. But in the issue of noise, they feel very abandoned.

Madam Speaker! Nightlife is under threat. With today's legislation, it is enough for only one person to complain about noise for the entire establishment to have to be closed. This is happening throughout Sweden.

These meeting places, which are important for strengthening a place's identity and attraction, are also major employers for young people. Often, the first line in the CV is created in the nightlife.

Many express their support in the matter, but nothing happens and the problems are pushed into the future. We must move from thought to action.

My question is: How is this government working to save Sweden's nightlife?

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks to the member, who I know has a lively commitment to cultural life, not least in this city! But now we are in the Riksdag, and there is a need when it comes to the national laws.

I assume the reason I am receiving this question personally is that noise regulations are often closely linked with legislation that I, among others, work with. This is an issue that engages many.

The answer to the question of whether Sweden is becoming a little, little more boring, I would say is yes. We need to do more to ensure that we have a better social space in our common areas. It is also affected by which laws we have and what limitations they impose, not least for small actors trying to make their operations work.

This is an issue that we will work actively with. If one wants to know a bit more specifically what I, as a politician, think, one can look in Sydsvenskan or listen to P4 Stockholm today, where I have made some statements on behalf of my party.

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Fredrik Lindstål (C)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer.

The commitment is clear. I have also read about this commitment, and it feels very pleasing.

It is difficult to measure sound. The permitted indoor level after 10 p.m. is 25 decibels, which can be compared to a whisper or rustling leaves. Measurements are difficult to carry out. They are arbitrary, costly, and time-consuming. The legislation, which is indeed regulated in the Environmental Code and where recommendations are provided by the Public Health Agency, is outdated and blunt and anything but created to handle nightlife issues.

How do we create more accurate noise legislation?

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! I mean that if we are to have more purposeful legislation, we must also consider that people do not only feel good because there are optimal noise levels everywhere. People also feel good by socializing, by meeting, by being able to sit at an outdoor café, or by listening to a concert.

Sweden shall be a country where we have a vibrant cultural life, and the Environmental Code shall also be able to contribute to that. Therefore, the government is working intensively on this issue. Some of the proposals that are now being requested will be discussed further.

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Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Climate Pourmokhtari.

COP 30, the UN climate summit, is currently underway, where the work on the Paris Agreement is to be followed up and that all countries and regions do their part. At the meeting, focus is placed, among other things, on the work of phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and the use of fossil fuels.

The previous government has so far worked in the opposite direction, which has increased emissions in Sweden. When the Climate Goals Commission presented that Sweden's national climate goals for 2030 shall remain, the Minister for Climate and Environment said that she hoped we are finished with the nonsense about allegedly abolished climate goals or lowered ambitions. That is good.

Goals and ambitions remain, but Sweden's climate policy is not sufficient today for us to do our part of the work. It is not sufficient either when it comes to the Paris Agreement or for reaching the climate goals. I want to ask the Minister for Climate what she wants to do so that Sweden's climate goals can be reached by 2030.

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! What the government wants to do to strengthen Sweden's fulfillment of its EU commitments, which in the end becomes what we deliver regarding the Paris Agreement and in the UN context, is primarily to ensure that the EU legislations that are now in place are implemented. If all countries implement them in a correct manner, it would mean that we actually deliver in terms of the Paris Agreement, that the EU fulfills the Paris Agreement.

This requires that we succeed with the implementation. It is a difficult question. It is primarily about how we are to obtain all the electricity that is required to phase out the fossil fuels. It is about replacing them with the new wind power and nuclear power that is needed for the industry to dare to transition and phase out coal, oil, and gas from their processes and from their industries.

It is a very important focus for the government – together with the infrastructure. We mean that we must expand the infrastructure required to live up to the laws that the EU now has towards us and which Sweden will also work harder to succeed with.

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Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! According to the EU's new climate plan, or NDC, the emissions trading for fossil fuels is pushed back by one year. When it comes to the transport sector, it will therefore require further sharp national measures.

After three years with the Tidö government, the climate goals are further away than ever. I would therefore like to ask the Minister for Climate Action if she believes that Sweden's climate goals for 2030 will be able to be reached if the Tidö parties are given the opportunity to continue governing Sweden together.

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! Let me begin by mentioning that this climate plan, which the EU developed after many, many hours of negotiation, is actually one of the world's most ambitious climate plans in terms of what it tries to deliver from the outside. That must be taken into account. We need, in fact, a stronger commitment from more parts of the world if we are to succeed in achieving the Paris Agreement.

But when it comes to Sweden living up to its part in this, I mean that it is a challenge when one, for example, pushes forward legislation. Therefore, I opposed it as strongly as possible during the 22-hour long negotiation. Unfortunately, Italy ultimately put a stop to it. Unanimity was required in the decision.

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Adam Reuterskiöld (M)

Madam Speaker! Sweden's future competitiveness and prosperity are built on the availability of secure, fossil-free, and predictable electricity. As the industry now largely transitions to green production, the demand for electricity increases dramatically, and without new nuclear power, both jobs and investments risk being lost.

It is therefore very positive to see that several Swedish industrial companies are now joining forces to invest in new nuclear power. It shows that the business community has confidence in Swedish energy policy and wants to be involved and take responsibility for the country's future electricity supply.

At the same time, it is important to understand how the risk profile is affected when several large industrial companies enter as partial owners in a nuclear power project. It is about both financial risks and how responsibility is distributed between the state, investors, and energy companies. Therefore, I would now like to ask the Minister for Finance: How is the risk affected when more industrial companies invest in nuclear power projects in Sweden?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

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

When I took responsibility for the nuclear power financing issue in the government, my starting point was that the equilibrium or the normal state for energy policy in Sweden needed to change. A long period of many conversations and attempts at agreements had then only led to an increasingly worse outcome in reality.

The starting point was therefore clear: have leading experts prepare a proposal so that one could discuss the substance instead of the form and, furthermore, anchor and discuss how one can create broad support around Swedish industry and the Swedish trade union movement regarding how this is to be achieved. It is very pleasing that it has now turned out in the way it has. We have a model that has won broad support and, for that part, also a great deal of international envy. We have now also seen how Swedish industrial companies want to enter and invest. All things being equal, it of course reduces the risks in this type of project.

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Adam Reuterskiöld (M)

Madam Speaker! It is fantastic to see how quickly such a project has landed and how well it will turn out. However, it is not only the power industry that is affected by the construction of new nuclear power, but also society as a whole. How does the Minister for Finance view the overall economic development for Sweden now that we are investing in these large projects?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

Madam Speaker! It can be observed that the decommissioning of fully functioning nuclear power in Sweden hit Swedish households and Swedish industry hard. The corresponding decision in Germany to shut down nuclear power also had negative consequences for the Swedish economy, as Germany is one of our most important economic partners. There, they faced massive problems in their economy following the restructuring of the energy policy.

Just as the questioner points out, access to base load, a secure and stable electricity supply, is a prerequisite for jobs, welfare and growth. That is also why the mobilization has become so great.

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Gudrun Brunegård (KD)

Madam Speaker! In Sweden, municipal self-government has been statutory since 1862. For 163 years, the county councils, now called regions, have also been responsible for healthcare, among other things.

The interest organization for municipalities and regions, Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner, is often the state's counterparty, for example when it concerns state grants to develop healthcare in different ways, for example to clear the healthcare queues in a systematic and strategic way and ensure that the patient receives care in the right time. But no one can turn a blind eye to the fact that the state grants do not always reach the region's citizens and that the healthcare with the 21 self-governing regions becomes both unfair and unequal, despite what the Health and Medical Services Act says.

In what way does the government intend to work to ensure that the state's investments in healthcare actually reach patients and staff?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the member for an important question.

It is a correct observation that the arrangement with SKR as the counterparty in the distribution of the funds that the Riksdag decides on in the budget is problematic and has not reached the desired result. It has also been criticized by the Swedish National Audit Office.

This is also the reason why, starting from the current year, we have instead distributed these funds via ordinances and the National Board of Health and Welfare. The National Board of Health and Welfare has a direct relationship with all regions where goals are set for how these funds shall be used.

It is in two areas that we distribute state grants in this way, and our view is that it is appreciated by the regions and that it is easier to direct the money where it can actually be used in a successful way.

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Gudrun Brunegård (KD)

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

I wonder if there are any kind of sanctions when SKR, for example, fails to use the allocated state grants in a way so that they reach the purpose for which the money is intended.

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! The funds distributed via ordinance are performance-based in a way that means the regions are involved in setting ambitious goals for what they are to achieve with the funds. If they do not take these measures and do not use the money for what they have received money for, they shall repay those funds. Otherwise, there are no sanctions against SKR in this distribution.

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Jakob Olofsgård (L)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to the Minister for Health, Elisabeth Lann.

Today, Sweden has a high mortality and great suffering among people living with drug abuse. The narcotics investigation highlighted the possibility of introducing consumption rooms for the purpose of reducing overdoses and infections, but above all to be able to reduce the users' suffering and provide them with care and support.

We are talking here about people whom everyone has given up on. The family has given up. Friends have given up. Perhaps even they themselves have given up. Then society needs to step up.

Today, their suffering is relegated to a stairwell or a public toilet. What is the Minister for Health and Care's position on the proposal to introduce a treatment room on a trial basis in some region, in order to be able to land in knowledge and proven experience to help these people?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking the member for a very pressing but also an extremely difficult question.

I genuinely think that this is one of the most difficult issues we have to handle. It is associated with so much suffering and hopelessness, and it is also a complex issue with a number of different factors that we need to consider.

It is important to emphasize that Sweden has made a shift in how addiction care looks. That shift has been long-awaited, and I believe it will yield a better result. We already see that mortality has decreased without us being at the finish line.

The specific proposal is still being prepared at the Government Offices. With today's legal framework, there is no possibility of conducting a pilot because it is not legal to use drugs.

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Jakob Olofsgård (L)

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

I can see that within the framework of research there is room to do things, for example a pilot project, to investigate whether it can then result in a legislative proposal.

The narcotics investigation, together with the mental illness investigation, addresses several issues concerning prevention and harm reduction for people living in a dependency on drugs. Therefore, I would like to ask the question: What else is the government doing to improve addiction care and help this very vulnerable group?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! Good things are happening in the area. You yourself mention the Mental Illness Inquiry and the ongoing work.

What I assess has made a big difference is Naloxone, which can be purchased without a prescription today. We also see a need to reach out better with information so that it can have a greater effect; we already see an effect, but we believe it can have an even greater effect.

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Anna Wallentheim (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is of a general political nature and therefore is addressed to the Minister for Finance.

In the media, we have been able to read about how it is possible to buy realistic sex dolls depicting children on large e-commerce platforms. This is, of course, completely unacceptable. We have for a long time had a broad consensus in the Swedish Riksdag that child pornographic material should not be permitted, but despite that, these pedophile dolls can still be purchased.

In light of this, we Social Democrats in the Committee on Justice have today submitted a committee initiative to put a stop to it. When the same issue was highlighted in France, the government acted quickly and forcefully. Yesterday we could read that Sweden's government is inviting a conversation about this, but only in a couple of weeks.

We consider this to be too little and too slow. My question is therefore: How and when does the government intend to act to actually stop the sale of pedophile dolls?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the question! This is obviously completely reprehensible. Just as the Member points out, the government has already acted and invited talks on this. I also note that a police report has been filed. I shall not comment on the merits of that. It is the justice system's matter to act in such cases.

It is fundamentally easy to understand Anna Wallentheim's perspective. I believe we share it broadly, just as the questioner himself said. It has been called to a meeting. I note that there is a police report. If I understood the media reporting correctly, the products have also been removed.

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Robert Stenkvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister Edholm.

The Government has appointed an inquiry into stricter requirements for citizenship. The basis for this is the report SOU 2025:54. The requirements are also in the Tidö Agreement. One of the conclusions is that a citizenship test shall be the basis for citizenship. Minister Forssell has tasked Stockholm University and the University of Gothenburg with designing it. According to reports in the media, these institutions – which are tax-funded state agencies – have not been all too eager to carry out the task. Since then, we have not heard much on the issue. It has been quite quiet. How is the work progressing in producing the citizenship tests? Has the work stalled, or what is happening?

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Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for a very important question!

The government is working very hard to ensure that the work on the citizenship tests is carried out so that we can have them in place as quickly as possible. The Swedish language is incredibly important for a well-functioning integration.

In parentheses, one could say that my party, Liberalerna, already more than 20 years ago demanded that one should have good knowledge of the Swedish language to become a citizen in Sweden.

The test shall consist of two parts. It will be, on the one hand, a test in Swedish and, on the other hand, a test in social studies. The government is now working very hard to ensure that the tests are in place as soon as possible. It is, therefore, underway.

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Andrea Andersson Tay (V)

Madam Speaker! Right now, the climate summit is taking place in Brazil, and the world is still far from the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. We are emitting too much, but the emissions are also extremely unequally distributed. This applies, of course, between countries but also to a very high degree within Sweden.

Oxfam has shown that the ultra-rich in Sweden, i.e., the richest per mille of the population, emit more in a year than an average Swede does in 30 years. While we others have reduced our emissions, the ultra-rich have instead increased their emissions significantly in recent decades. They glide around in private jets and luxury yachts while ordinary people toil. If the richest do not reduce their emissions, we will not meet the climate goals.

My question to the Minister for Climate and Environment is what she intends to do to ensure that the wealthiest in society reduce their emissions in line with what is required.

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you to the member! We have on several occasions had the opportunity to discuss this issue, which again takes its starting point in reports from just Oxfam. Where I argue that if one counts every person in Sweden who has, for example, a student debt as being as poor as someone who hardly has food for the day in another country, it becomes a very strange view of who is rich and poor in different societies. In such reports, in order to achieve a healthy balance between who is rich and who is not, one needs to take into account that a student debt in Sweden does not mean that one lives in a way as it is portrayed in these reports. I mean they do not constitute a good basis for this debate given how one counts.

Regarding the question of how we should regulate the behavior of the super-rich, we must first and foremost ensure that when they consume in an extravagant way, they do so sustainably. That means, for example, that the luxury yacht should be an electric yacht instead of running on diesel. We are not to regulate wealth, but regulate emissions.

(Applause)

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Anders W Jonsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Swedish healthcare produces healthcare of absolute world-class quality. But there is one area where we have and for a long time have had major problems. It is about queues and lack of accessibility. This was described during the election campaign by the leader of the Christian Democrats as illegally long queues.

Now, the Christian Democrats have been responsible for the national health and medical care policy for nearly three and a half years. Much of the previous Social Democratic policy has been rolled forward, including the idea that there should be an office in Stockholm to communicate available healthcare capacity. The result is not impressive, I must say.

My question to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs is whether she considers that the healthcare queues in Sweden can still be described as illegally long. Why have more structural changes not been made that could address this rather unique problem for Sweden?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

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

Yes, since the healthcare guarantee states that one should receive a first visit within 90 days and an intervention, treatment, or operation within 90 days, and in many cases this does not happen, the queues are still illegally long. That is why we continue the work of trying to help the regions to shorten the queues.

Just as the member is aware of, Madam Speaker, healthcare is the responsibility of the regions. It is the regions that are unable to provide care within the limits of the law. It is therefore the Vårdansvarskommittén's proposal to investigate the possibility of introducing sanctions against the regions if they break the law that is being moved forward. That was what we in the Vårdansvarskommittén – which the member also was a part of – were completely in agreement on. The government has therefore taken that work forward.

Additionally, I would like to refer to previous answers regarding the fact that we are working in a new way with direct support to the regions through Socialstyrelsen.

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Mats Berglund (MP)

Madam Speaker! We know that the government's policy is causing rehearsal rooms to close on a rolling basis all over Sweden. It is utterly deplorable. But now, at least the Opera and the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra have received a rehearsal room, and that is very good. But the problem that arises is that Musikaliska vid Nybrokajen risks closing completely to the public. It is an important stage for Stockholm's living culture and a historic stage – Sweden's first and oldest concert hall.

The Minister for Culture is completely uninterested in doing anything, so I want to ask a pleading question from the cultural life to Niklas Wykman, the minister responsible for the landlord Statens fastighetsverk. Will Niklas Wykman and the government do something so that Musikaliska can continue to have public activities, at least in periods or some day a week, and not close completely?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

Madam Speaker! First and foremost, one must note the bizarre nature of the question. If Miljöpartiet or any other party is involved in closing rehearsal rooms under municipal management around the country, it is obviously not something the government is doing, but it is something they are doing. Furthermore, a bizarre claim that Sweden's perhaps most engaged culture minister over the ages doesn't care one bit. It is a very strange claim. Even stranger would it be if it concerned a municipal or regional activity that the state had no responsibility for. Mats Berglund may have party colleagues who could care more about the activity, if that were the case.

Mats Berglund and his red-green friends failed year after year, but we are now getting a renovation on site. It is very pleasing. Furthermore, it is being done with a private capital injection. Where everything stood completely still while Mats Berglund and his friends were responsible, we are therefore getting a major boost and a renovation of one of Sweden's great cultural treasures. It is a fantastic bourgeois success.

(Applause)

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Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker and Minister for Finance! Every year, a large number of people fall into the debt trap, and not infrequently the cause is easily granted credits. A bright spot is that the debts at the Enforcement Authority are decreasing for the first time in several years. What is the government doing to ensure that the positive trend continues so that people do not end up in a debt situation that they cannot get out of?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

Madam Speaker! The situation we have had in Sweden with a growing mountain of debt and a growing number of people who are suffering very badly is absolutely terrible. I am very pleased with Boriana Åberg's question and for her commitment in this area. It is not uncommon that it is the people who are most vulnerable who are hit hardest by over-indebtedness, for example, people with anxiety issues, addictions of various kinds, or bipolar disorder.

Here, the government has acted powerfully and changed the logic. While the previous government placed very heavy burdens on those who wanted to borrow for their homes and allowed exploitation of people to continue – with 40 percent interest on quick credits and with gambling advertisements and loan advertisements every other one – we have now taken action. A bank license shall be required to lend out, according to the proposals we have put on the table. We have removed the right to deduction for this type of loan. We have also halved the interest that can be charged.

In area after area, we are strangling a completely deplorable industry so that it can develop and improve, and so that it can be in the service of the Swedish people instead of being its ruin.

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Mathias Bengtsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Dalarna is something quite special; I believe everyone in this chamber can agree on that. From the villages around Siljan to the mountain regions in the north and the industry in the south, Dalarna is both a heart in Swedish history and a powerhouse for the future.

There are, of course, also challenges. Healthcare is one of them. The accessibility of healthcare is a completely decisive issue of safety.

The government's initiatives to shorten care queues have shortened waiting times for several operations in Dalarna, in some cases by as much as 41 percent. This shows that the queues can be shortened when the state participates and steers in a smart way. Still, however, many in Dalarna wait illegally long for care or surgery.

I would like to ask the Minister for Health and Social Affairs what the government is doing to step up the work of supporting patients in queues throughout Sweden.

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for raising one of the government's most important issues.

Shortening the queues is a priority for the government and has been so throughout the entire mandate period. We have allocated 18 billion so far to shorten the queues. We are beginning to see results, but it is still uncertain. We must also be aware that the reporting is somewhat uncertain, partly because several regions are changing their medical record systems.

We are ramping up the work with new funds for the coming years. We will also increase the number of interventions where the state pays for the entire operation. We have seen that it has had very good effects regarding hip joint operations and anterior cruciate ligament operations, which have decreased by almost 40 and 60 percent respectively.

I am glad to hear that the queues are decreasing also in lovely Dalarna.

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Malin Larsson (S)

Madam Speaker! We Social Democrats are convinced that it is possible to reconcile modern hydropower and functioning fish migration routes with care for cultural environments and landscapes. But after the government paused the reassessment of the environmental conditions for hydropower for two years and has now restarted it with weakened directives, concern has grown. At the same time, the Hydropower Environmental Fund has also been paused.

I recently visited the Viforsen power plant. There I stood and watched the salmon jumping in the rushing water – straight towards the concrete under the dam gate. It was a powerful but also sad image of what is actually at stake.

My question to the Minister for Climate and Environment is therefore: How does the government intend to ensure that the review of hydropower leads to real environmental improvements, free migration routes and living aquatic ecosystems and not just to watered-down compromises?

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for a well-posed question.

Just as the member mentioned, it is important that we ensure we maintain the high environmental requirements that we want to see in our hydropower in Sweden. Not least my own party, Liberalerna, has fought and struggled so that we have national rivers in Sweden that are not exploited for hydropower but constitute a fantastic environment for many species to thrive in.

The hydropower plants we have are to receive modern environmental conditions. When these processes were handled by the red-green government, we saw enormous resistance, great dissatisfaction, and a genuine concern for the survival of hydropower. It is not a healthy balance.

We must, as the Tidö Government has done in the Tidö Agreement, be clear that we will work for fish migration routes and other matters when we update hydropower to become modern. The processes must also be designed so that they do not only lead to decommissioning, because that does not solve the problem fundamentally.

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Clara Aranda (SD)

Madam Speaker! We see a worrying development today. Infertility has become increasingly common in Sweden, and 10–15 percent of all couples are affected by involuntary childlessness. This can be due to medical factors but also to the fact that many choose to start a family later in life.

IVF care in Sweden maintains high medical quality and has given many hope of being able to become parents, but despite this, there are clear deficiencies. The care is not always perceived as accessible, equal, or fair. Today, rules, waiting times, and age limits vary between the regions. The possibility of starting a family is thus partially determined by where one lives.

Therefore, I want to ask the Minister for Health and Social Affairs what measures the government intends to take to make IVF care more accessible and equitable throughout the country.

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

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

This is an issue that affects very many and which affects many very deeply over a long period as life is put somewhat on pause in waiting, longing, and frustration. I share the frustration that it differs so much across the country. I want to say, however, that this is not the only area where this is the case. Inequality in healthcare is one of the Swedish healthcare's biggest problems.

That is why the government has worked for – and will continue to work for – clearer guidelines. When it comes to women's health, we have developed several national guidelines. We have developed a childbirth plan and national guidelines for menopause care.

This work continues. Socialstyrelsen receives more and more assignments to spread knowledge and help the regions catch up and use the latest state of knowledge.

It is however still the regions that are responsible for the care, and they do it somewhat differently.

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Ulrika Westerlund (MP)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Education, Higher Education and Research.

The Government has appointed an inquiry to propose amendments to the Education Act so that children and young people in care can receive at least parts of their education remotely. Currently, this group of young people is located in Sis-residences. According to information from Sis, the absolute majority of these young people have great needs for various support measures to be able to absorb the teaching, which is currently conducted entirely on-site.

My question is therefore: How does the Minister assess these young people's chances of engaging with distance learning?

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Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! This is an incredibly urgent matter. Many young people who today are in HVB homes or Sis homes do not receive the education they are entitled to. When the state takes over the responsibility for a young person in that way, it is also, I believe, the state's responsibility to ensure that the person receives an education. To this is added that many of these young people have a poor educational background already from the beginning.

The absolute best is, of course, that one receives education on-site; I believe most people agree on that. Then there may be reasons, just as for other students around Sweden, to sometimes have distance learning.

I intend to follow this question closely, because it is a very important question.

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Cecilia Gustafsson (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Health and Social Affairs Elisabet Lann.

The investigation "A safe upbringing without nicotine, alcohol, and nitrous oxide" contains several important proposals to strengthen the health of children and young people. One issue that many municipalities and schools have particularly noted concerns the possibility of a completely smoke-, tobacco-, and nicotine-free school day, even for students over 18 years of age.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister: How does the government view these proposals, and when can we expect the work on tobacco- and nicotine-free school time to proceed?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

The widespread use of tobacco and nicotine products among young people is worrying, especially since we see that it is going up and furthermore increasing in groups that previously have not used nicotine products. The use of snus, including white snus, and e-cigarettes is increasing sharply among young people. The latest measurements showed that as many as one in four ninth-graders, i.e., minors who are not allowed to use tobacco or nicotine, had used nicotine in the last month.

Since the investigation was handed over, we have proceeded with the part concerning nitrous oxide. The other parts are currently being prepared at the Government Offices, so as of today I have nothing more to say regarding the timeline and which questions will be taken forward, how and when. I will have to get back to you.

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Karin Sundin (S)

Madam Speaker! The preparedness of the health and medical care system was just debated in the chamber. Sweden is sharpening its plan for acute medical care in the event of crisis and war, and that is good. But in the government's bill on the preparedness of the health and medical care system, the words rehabilitation or assistive devices are hardly mentioned. At the same time, experience from the first and second world wars and not least from Ukraine tells us that if war comes, it is more important than ever that people receive help to quickly be able to return to socially important tasks, for example, so that wounded soldiers can return to the field. Functional care chains are also needed in the event of crisis and war.

My question to Minister for Health and Care Elisabet Lann is: Does the government have any proposals on how Sweden can arrange rapid rehabilitation for patients who have sustained injuries during war on Swedish territory?

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Sjukvårdsministern Elisabet Lann (KD)

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

Preparedness has never been more important, and no government has ever invested more in preparedness within healthcare. The investments moving forward are record-breaking.

I am aware of the concern regarding rehabilitation, but we must remember that the healthcare system's work to strengthen preparedness and resilience concerns the entire care chain. All regions are working on how to involve the entire care chain and be able to pivot based on needs in the event of a crisis, disaster, or even war. This work also includes making the prioritizations that are needed at that time.

It is interesting to see that knowledge is increasing in this area. I have visited Aleris in Stockholm, which works with precisely the rehabilitation of injured Ukrainian soldiers. This shows that we are increasing the preparedness and knowledge of what we need in the event of war.

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Mikael Eskilandersson (SD)

Madam Speaker! Changing banks may sound simple, but it is far from as easy and smooth as it should be. Some examples of problems that arise are that e-invoices do not follow and must be uploaded again, that autogiro must be moved and approved again, and that Swish needs to be activated again, which means that one is completely without that service for a while. Furthermore, accounts can take an unreasonably long time to close, and standing transfers and salary deposits must be changed – not just with the employer, but payments from Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan, and other places risk not working. If you miss something, you risk late fees or that you never receive the payment. In short, changing banks is unnecessarily complicated because everything cannot be moved in one go and account numbers are not transferable.

What is Finance Minister Niklas Wykman and the government doing to make things easier for bank customers?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for a highly relevant question. It is in many ways larger than one might perhaps imagine at first glance because for many people, good competition in the banking market is about a great deal of money. It is, among other things, about what one can get for fees on one's various savings investment products and what one can get for interest on one's mortgage loans. It is therefore completely central that we have a well-functioning and large competition when it comes to financial services, banking services, and payment services, both in the consumer end and in all the links behind.

Here, the government has taken a number of measures; among other things, we have raised the issue of requirements for digital amortization statements, which was previously a concern. However, a number of concerns remain, some of which we can consider political measures for if we do not see improvement, others where technical development and entrepreneurial drive in fintech and other sectors can improve the situation. We are working on this continuously, and I share the member's view on the matter.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Prime Minister has chosen not to send any minister to the ongoing climate summit in Brazil. But Swedish officials are on site and are highlighting the business sector's role and argue that Swedish companies can showcase solutions for reducing emissions and strengthened resilience.

A major reason why Swedish companies are at the forefront is previous governments' ambition regarding climate policy. But today, the business community criticizes the current government for not being clear about driving the green transition. For example, Teknikföretagen is concerned and wrote a couple of weeks ago that Europe needs a clear and predictable climate policy more than ever – in contrast to the ongoing one, that is.

The Prime Minister and the Minister for Climate call us in the opposition climate posers when we want to reach the 2030 goals or have ambitions for 2040. It is the language of SD that is being used, and SD often says that a strong climate policy was not needed.

My question is therefore: How can one then show [progress/results] with the business sector's transition?

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! The reason why Sweden has low emissions, especially in comparison with other countries in Europe, is that there were parties that fought the battle so that we would not, as the Social Democrats proposed, build coal power plants along the entire Baltic coast, but instead build nuclear power. Among others, the Liberals fought for this.

Since before I was born, Sweden has also had a carbon tax. We have required companies to pay for the emissions they generate. It is this that forms the basis for the business community's commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.

It is not the new inventions of previous red-green governments that have led to Sweden being at the forefront of climate work, but it is the clean electricity. It is precisely this clean electricity that the business sector is now crying out for and will be able to obtain thanks to the Tidö government. We have joined forces, the business sector finances, and clean electricity will enable Sweden's emissions to actually continue to decrease even in the future.

(Applause)

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Staffan Eklöf (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Climate and Environment Romina Pourmokhtari.

Sometimes I feel that Swedish citizens become extras when politicians set and drive their ambitions. During the last parliamentary term, I often felt it, for example when Swedish hydroelectric power plants and other dams were subject to reassessments for the sake of the environment.

The process risked resulting in mass evictions of dams, significant loss of power and regulating power, destroyed cultural values, reduced property values, and reduced well-being. The assessment was one-sided, and the local anchoring did not work.

Due to these deficiencies, the reassessment was paused, and the legislation was changed. Some critics say that the new legislation and the assessment do not go far enough. The question then becomes: Will it be possible, in the new reassessment of hydropower, to take into account preparedness, cultural heritage, and well-being? Will the voices of the local population play any role? In other words: Will there be any real difference?

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Klimat- och miljöministern Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! I share the view that sometimes, from a political perspective, it can happen that when environmental legislation comes into play, only the environment is to be the basis for the work that is carried out. Then you face setbacks. Then you get paused environmental conditions and setbacks when it comes to fuel taxes and reduction obligations.

One must be more responsible when designing climate and environmental policy. This also includes hydropower. Therefore, we have used the break to review how the assessments are conducted, and we have landed on a sound balance where we ensure that environmental assessments do not lead to decommissioning. We have a better level of requirements, and hydropower shall be assessed against the right level. We shall utilize the spaces that exist for exemptions, something that the previous government refrained from doing.

I am convinced that we, in this way, together with all those who own hydropower in Sweden, will be able to strengthen the environmental conditions while taking into account our cultural heritage and, not least, the electricity capacity that we hope even the small hydropower owners will also be able to contribute to.

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David Perez (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Finance Niklas Wykman.

The so-called green investments are in crisis. Recently, the British company Scottish Power made the decision to scrap two large hydrogen projects, despite targeted support of nearly 5 billion kronor.

There are similar projects in Sweden, not least in Ånge. Everyone also remembers that Northvolt was recently placed into bankruptcy, with investments from the public sector of almost 88 billion kronor. And then we have Stegra, among others, which also recently requested more money from the public sector, in particular the Energy Agency, for its project.

My question is therefore: Is the Minister concerned that more grand green initiatives risk going bankrupt or, at best, being paused? How is the government working to reduce the state's risk in such large projects?

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Finansmarknadsministern Niklas Wykman (M)

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

Here, one can be worried about many things at the same time. I understand those who feel anxiety regarding how tax money is used or how investments risk losing their entire value. It is also easy to understand those who worry about their job, their employment opportunity, and their daily occupation when they see that the companies they work for are not doing as well as one would like. It is also easy to understand the perspective of those who worry that the transition and the capacity for innovation are losing momentum.

In the question that was asked, there are therefore many different underlying issues, both for costs and risks for the taxpayers, for people's employment opportunities, and for our opportunity to transition our economy. For all these parts, there is a broad political consensus that we must succeed. To mention one example, I am responsible for the green credits that we have paused to conduct a major evaluation. It is important to take in new knowledge and draw the right conclusions.

I would very much like to answer much more extensively on this, but one minute is, after all, quite short.

Question time was hereby concluded.

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