Question Time

TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer, Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, Minister for Pensions and Social Insurance Anna Tenje, and Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner.

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 Justice Gunnar Strömmer answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! I would like to start by thanking the Minister for Justice for accepting the invitation to come to my hometown Norrköping earlier this week and, after all the bombings of recent times, meet the frustration that exists there – as well as around our country – over the fact that the development has not turned when it comes to gang violence. It was very much appreciated and important for many to see the united front from politics in a difficult time. Thank you for that, Minister for Justice!

The shootings have indeed decreased, and the police have become increasingly better at preventing and solving serious violent crimes. At the same time, the bombings have increased significantly, and many more innocent people are affected. The same applies to the arson attacks; tonight we had a new arson attack in Norrköping. Gang violence has simply changed form, and that is what I would like to ask the Minister for Justice. What is his analysis of the fact that the shootings have decreased but the bombings and arson attacks have instead increased?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Teresa Carvalho, for the opportunity to be together in Norrköping earlier this week. It was my sixth visit to Norrköping during this parliamentary term, and it was a very nice reunion with the police, social services, and other parts of Norrköping that I have had the pleasure of getting to know very well during these years.

It is quite true that the shootings have gone down – and gone down significantly. Between 2012 and 2022, the fatal shootings in Sweden tripled, and from the record level of 62 fatal shootings that year, we can state that the shootings have more than halved. It also means that the number of injured and killed has gone down by just as much.

Now the same turn must occur when it comes to the explosions, which are a form of violence of a partially different character. The answer to how we solve it is found in how we have turned the development regarding the shootings: secret coercive measures, new resources and new methods of work from the police side.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! I and the Minister for Justice are in complete agreement on the need for more police, more crime-fighting tools, and harsher penalties. What we Social Democrats lack is a Swedish mafia law and an offensive to break new recruitment.

I believe it would be very good for Sweden if we Social Democrats and Moderates could also reach an agreement on these issues. It would provide a stable and long-term sustainable policy against gang crime and also against the bombings and arson attacks. I wonder if the Minister for Justice agrees with that and how we can, in that case, take the idea further.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! The majority that exists in the Swedish Riksdag and which is supported by four parties in our cooperation represents precisely the direction we are talking about here. The only thing that can jeopardize that direction is that the Social Democrats' friends in Miljöpartiet and Vänsterpartiet gain influence over that matter. I will take a very concrete example in the near future, namely the incredibly important preventive step of being able to direct secret coercive measures even against children under 15 years old. Vänsterpartiet said no, and Miljöpartiet said no to this preventive part.

Yes, full speed ahead – then we'll keep it going!

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Ludvig Aspling (SD)

Madam Speaker! Recently, charges were brought against a couple suspected of having cut open one of their children's genitals during a ritual in a mosque. If they are convicted, they have committed one of the worst things I have heard of in Sweden. It is not only about bestial violence being committed against a child, but also about the abuse having occurred with the broader family's, and even the broader local community's, good wishes. It is almost as if this is some kind of normal part of the local culture in some parts of Sweden.

Right now, new legislation regarding the revocation of citizenship is being prepared. It is an issue where we have good cooperation with the government parties. I would therefore like to take the opportunity to ask the Minister for Justice if he agrees with me that the type of completely insane act of violence that is at issue here should entail a strong presumption for revoked citizenship in cases where persons are convicted of responsibility.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Ludvig Aspling for the opportunity to discuss this very important issue.

That we are talking about a horrific crime, there is no doubt whatsoever. That society's reaction to that crime has in no way stood in parity with the gravity of the crime – the mutilation and the violation that it entails – there is also no doubt. Therefore, we are doing several important things, and I shall mention two of them.

We have a penal reform that, above all, is intended to ensure that the full range of sentences is utilized. In the serious cases, it concerns up to ten years of imprisonment. We have also ensured that travel bans in these cases are used in a way that allows one to protect the children.

When it comes to citizenship, it is quite correct that we are now jointly preparing a reform that will make it possible to review and revoke citizenship. This, however, concerns crime that is organized and threatening to the system. This means that the gang leaders are affected by the reform, but not necessarily those who commit other bestial crimes that are not part of organized crime.

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Ludvig Aspling (SD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Justice for the answer.

The reform of the constitution is basically finished; there is a proposal that is almost complete. I note that the provision proposed there allows for a regulation stating that even this type of crime can be covered by the rule on revocation of citizenship. It does not exclude it. There are also no obstacles in international law against having such an arrangement.

Therefore, I must still ask the question back: Why is the Minister for Justice taking this position? Why does he not agree with me that even these crimes should be covered and that these persons should be subject to revocation of citizenship?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! There is no doubt whatsoever that we are talking about heinous crimes that should be punished more severely. We also agree that people who engage in such things should not enter the country and become citizens at all.

However, there is a body of international law that we have adhered to in the form of conventions, which determines what kind of criminality makes a review of citizenship relevant. That is why we use the term the state's vital interests. It concerns crimes directed against the state in an organized form, that is, terrorist crimes and the activities of gang leaders – that type of criminality.

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Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! The Government and the Sweden Democrats have left the elderly care in a walkover. Staff testify to stress, sick leaves, and constant worry that the elderly will come to harm. They run between the elderly, which leads to them not having time to take their break. They are even forced to change tampons in the woods.

Elderly people alert about stroke but do not receive help in time. Twelve people have died in connection with deficiencies in home care. This is the worst outcome of the political deprioritization of elderly care.

The government must do something about staff shortages, pressured schedules, and wages that are not livable. The only initiative presented when the government held a press conference together with the Sverigedemokraterna was an initiative on language training.

Will the government make any further investment? Will you abolish the minute-by-minute management? Will you provide state resources to the municipalities so that they can truly invest in the staff?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

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

The testimonies regarding deficiencies in elderly care that we have read about and watched recently are unfortunately nothing new, but regardless of that, this is completely unacceptable.

Elderly care is a priority issue for the government. During the mandate period, the government, even though the member does not seem to have realized it, has put forward numerous reforms to achieve a more secure and safer elderly care. This includes, among other things, a protected professional title for nursing assistants and reinforced relative support for all those who care for a loved one. We are now introducing a fixed care contact both within home care and in special housing. We are extending and strengthening the Elderly Care Boost so that competence can be raised, the bar can be set higher, and freedom of choice can be protected. In addition, we have a long series of other measures.

In addition to this, we are now introducing a language requirement.

(Applause)

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Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! Abolished minute schedules and more resources for the municipalities so that they can invest in the staff is what is required, but this government and the Sverigedemokraterna have not complied with any of this. Therefore, the staff cannot be granted the right to reduced working hours so that they can manage to work a whole working life. They also cannot be granted increased wages or the right to full-time employment.

We, from the Left Party's side, will change this when we are given the confidence to be part of leading Sweden after the 2026 election, but now this government is in power. Is there anything else the government can invest in that will result in improvements for the staff and the elderly?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the opportunity to inform the member about what the government is doing in this area.

In addition to what I mentioned earlier, we are increasing the requirements for working in elderly care step by step. We are now moving forward with a competence initiative via Äldreomsorgslyftet. We are also introducing a language requirement so that the elderly can understand and make themselves understood. In addition to this, we are moving forward with clear legal support for the municipalities so that they can perform background checks with extracts from the suspicion register and the criminal record register. The purpose is that the elderly should be able to feel safe and secure with the people they let across the threshold.

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Ulrika Liljeberg (C)

Madam Speaker! The Centre Party has agreed to temporarily rent prison places in Estonia to ensure the safety of staff and inmates. Crucial to our decision were the plans that exist to significantly expand the correctional services in Sweden with an additional 15,000 places before 2032.

We know now that the construction projects that were initiated three years ago will be commissioned at the earliest in 2029. The project time is at least seven years. The facilities being built have an average of 500 places each. This means that we should have 30 constructions underway, but we only have 4.

On Monday, I was in Hagfors municipality in Värmland. They have for three years had a dialogue with the Prison and Probation Service regarding building a prison there. They have adopted a planning program and are proceeding with a detailed plan, despite the fact that the Prison and Probation Service has not been able to provide any decision in three years. The country's municipalities are ready, but where is the state's powerful action?

My question to the Minister of Justice is whether he thinks that the expansion of prisons is keeping pace with the situation requires.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! The answer to the question is no – it is not going fast enough. Unfortunately, it also went very slowly during the eight years preceding this government. Far too little was built for far too long. Crime has increased and the crime clearance rate has gone up, which has caused the pressure on the criminal justice system to increase.

Now we are taking a long series of measures to get this moving. We are simplifying planning rules and reviewing the legislation as a whole. We have a coordinator on site who is to bring together municipalities, the Prison and Probation Service, property owners, and builders into more efficient processes. We also see how this is yielding results – most recently in Kalmar, where it was possible to announce that now twice as many places can be built as was initially discussed.

It is quite true that the pace must increase, also for the important reason that we must be able to change the sentences in such a way that more dangerous people are locked up and all honest citizens can be out.

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Ulrika Liljeberg (C)

Madam Speaker! The Minister of Justice and the Center Party agree on very much of this. However, leading the country is not just about enacting laws and allocating budgets; it is also about having leadership and delivery in these issues. In the Center Party's Sweden, states and municipalities join forces for this development across the entire country.

My question is actually whether we could get a more concrete answer from the Minister for Justice regarding what is intended to be done in the near future to get this in place.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! The straight answer is that the coordinator – the former municipal councilor Olov Holst, former chairman of the municipal executive board in Sigtuna – has been tasked with bringing together existing initiatives from the municipalities with the Prison and Probation Service's plans and ensuring that it goes much faster than until now.

It is quite true that there are many municipalities that want to contribute. One can certainly have views on some of the calculations, but there is no doubt whatsoever that there is still very much power out there that has not been sufficiently well managed on the state side. One can discuss why the system has functioned in that way, but now we are changing it.

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Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

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

We see that more and more people are becoming indebted and ending up with the Enforcement Authority. Consumer protection is truly more important than ever. In this tough situation, the government chooses to choke – to completely zero out – the state subsidy to civil society's consumer organizations and to Sveriges Konsumenter.

Sveriges Konsumenter was formed when Sweden joined the EU so that Swedish consumers' interests could be protected in the EU lobbying apparatus before the governments can come in and negotiate. As far as I know, no impact assessment has been made regarding this reduction. My question to the Minister for Civil Affairs is therefore: How can Swedish consumers' interests be protected in the EU when Sveriges Konsumenter is silenced by the state subsidy being zeroed out?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

This was included in this mandate period's first budget. The contribution was to be first reduced and then removed. It was a prioritization that this government made in order to be able to invest money in things that one went to the election on and considers important for Sweden.

Sveriges Konsumenter does, however, remain. It is not the case that the organization stands or falls with the state subsidy; it remains and is still active. It engages much in opinion-forming, for an active debate, and returns to the government with various inputs and views within the consumer policy area.

The government has instead chosen to invest in increasing the appropriations to the National Advertising Board so that consumers can have disputes handled within a reasonable time. We are now allocating extra money to the Consumer Agency's consumer guidance so that many vulnerable consumer groups can be supported.

The government is therefore making investments in this area but is allocating the funds somewhat differently than the previous government did.

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Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Civil Affairs for the answer, but I do not quite think I received an answer to the question.

The reason why Sveriges Konsumenter is such an important organization is that one can get involved very early in the EU process. The EU is, after all, like a large lobby apparatus. Sveriges Konsumenter still exists but is having a very tough time. One is in a period of warnings, and we have not seen the end of it yet. I am strongly concerned about how this development looks. The state subsidy is very important for us to have independent organizations, such as Sveriges Konsumenter.

I would like to have an answer to the question I asked earlier.

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! The answer will be roughly the same: Sveriges Konsumenter remains. One is not entirely dependent on the state subsidy. It is very possible that the organization needs to lay off some of the staff; I am not fully up to date regarding that question. Sveriges Konsumenter remains, however. The organization is still active. One has other funding and can therefore also operate at the EU level, where there is a lot of activity regarding consumer issues.

The Swedish government is active in strengthening consumer protection at the European level. This is particularly important given the increased e-commerce we see today, especially with countries outside the EU.

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Mikael Damsgaard (M)

Madam Speaker! Every year, approximately 15 women are murdered in Sweden by their current or former partner, and every fourth woman is at some point subjected to psychological or physical violence in a close relationship. Men's violence against women is a fundamental attack on women's freedom and dignity, but it also affects all the children who grow up in families where violence occurs.

The government has since day one prioritized the work of strengthening the protection for women and girls. Toughened contact ban legislation, tougher penalties for sexual violations, and removed secrecy barriers are just a few examples of what the government has done so far.

I now ask Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer what the government intends to do further to counter violence against women.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Mikael Damsgaard for the opportunity to discuss this extremely pressing issue.

It is quite true that we have done and are doing an incredible amount to address what must be said to be one of our society's latent and most dark problems, namely men's violence against women – and for that matter, also other types of violence in close relationships. The sentencing changes we are making are immensely significant, and I am thinking of those aimed at sexual and physical violence, but also that in the near future we will return to the Riksdag regarding the criminalization of psychological violence. It is therefore about addressing even this type of violence that affects women. We have also finally taken hold of the issue of economic violence, an issue that has been brooded over since the beginning of the 2000s and which is now finally the subject of substantial investigative measures.

We shall also ensure that the legislative changes occurring on December 1 regarding secrecy also involve real shifts in this area as well.

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Mikael Damsgaard (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Justice for the answer.

Can the Minister elaborate on what the consequences of psychological violence can be and what is being done to make it easier for women to leave destructive relationships?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! The consequences must, of course, be in relation to the severity of the crimes. One difficulty with the violation that psychological violence entails is that an individual act may not reach a particularly high penalty value. It is therefore a matter of finding a tool to address a destructive pattern over a longer period, and here the penalties must, of course, be in parity with the severity of the crimes. We will, as stated, return to the Riksdag in the near future with this.

There my speaking time ran out. We must also return to the other question.

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Mikael Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! TV4 recently showed a reality that should worry us all. According to Ivo, the abuses increased last year, especially regarding women who are subjected to [abuse] in their own homes. Let me take two examples. In Skellefteå, a male caregiver sat with his genitals out after having showered an elderly woman, and in my own hometown, 85-year-old Elsa was raped by a male caregiver. Both of these women had wished for female caregivers.

At an airport, a woman can of course choose female staff for a search, but as an elderly person dependent on home care, she is powerless regarding who enters the home and who helps her in the shower.

The Christian Democrats took a decision at the Riksdag to change this so that the elderly can be able to choose the gender of the staff during privacy-sensitive interventions. We also want to introduce a national barring register so that caregivers who have been barred for suspected abuse cannot change jobs without it being detected.

What does the Minister for Older People say about these demands?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Mikael Oscarsson, for this important question!

Firstly, we are now increasing the requirements for working in elderly care step by step. It concerns competence requirements and language requirements, but also about the municipalities receiving clear legal support to conduct background checks. It concerns extracts from suspicion registers and criminal record registers so that suitable staff are on site. We are also moving forward with mandatory background checks so that it is not optional work. This will strengthen the safety and security for the elderly.

When it comes to Mikael Oscarsson's second question, it is fundamentally about the freedom of choice for the elderly that both I and the member admire and safeguard immensely. This is about putting the elderly at the center, not the system.

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Mikael Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Everyone here has been to Arlanda, and many have surely at some point been selected for a search and then been given a choice. An elderly woman should not have to be subjected to a man performing intimate hygiene; she must also be able to choose. When one has this respect at airports all around the world, one must also be able to have the same within elderly care. I therefore hope for the dignity of the elderly that this can be resolved and that we get this freedom of choice and this register.

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I truly share the member's description that the elderly must be put at the center, not the system. The elderly should have the right to choose and be able to influence their own situation, both regarding the content of the care and services they need and are entitled to, and who performs this care. I believe that the elderly should, of course, be able to choose the provider and both in home care and in special housing have great influence over who performs these life-important tasks.

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Mauricio Rojas (L)

Madam Speaker! Search services like Mrkoll make it possible today, with a few button presses, to map out people's names, addresses, and other personal information. This is not only used by the general public but also by criminals to select and map out crime victims, especially the elderly and other vulnerable persons.

The investigation on search services proposed changes to the constitution, but the government has decided to await the European Court of Justice's review before making interventions in the constitution.

My question to the Minister for Justice is therefore: How does the government intend, within the framework of ordinary law, to strengthen the protection of people's privacy and make it more difficult for criminals to abuse search services until the legal situation is clarified?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Mauricio Rojas for the question.

It is true that on the one hand, it is an enormous problem in society that sensitive, private and personal information is easily accessible through search services, which in practice makes it possible for criminals to map out their crime victims, not least the elderly, as a basis for their criminality. On the other hand, many actors in society have a legitimate need to be able to perform background checks in order to protect themselves against criminals, infiltration and pressure.

As the icing on the cake, we also have a rather tangled legal situation for resolving this, and in that case, we have chosen the following path forward: When it comes to constitutional changes, which would also affect the background checks, we are refraining from this. On the other hand, we will now investigate the conditions in the ordinary secrecy legislation, and we have announced an inquiry in this part which will look at exactly the problem Mauricio Rojas raises, namely the mapping of crime victims in the search services that enable it.

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Mauricio Rojas (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.

The Liberals would have preferred to see that one had already gone further, but we accept that the government has chosen to await the European Court of Justice's judgment. It would, however, be interesting if the Minister could briefly explain what we can expect from this judgment.

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! What is at issue here, as many are aware, is that today we have a constitutional protection for this type of search service through so-called publishing certificates. This applies to the search services that, for example, provided material to the Social Democratic municipal councilor Boel Godner in Södertälje when she wanted to create robustness around her organization for very legitimate reasons. It also protects the type of services that are used for completely different purposes. We will have to see what the ECJ says about our constitutional protection. But for the time being, we will be able to rely on the secrecy with much greater precision.

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Mikael Dahlqvist (S)

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

At the launch of the new dementia strategy, the minister emphasized that people with dementia and their relatives should be given the support and care required to live a dignified and meaningful life, which I can sign off on.

At the same time, it is reported in these days that many municipalities lack the resources to be able to fulfill these promises. There is a shortage of specially trained staff, long waiting times, and uneven access to, for example, daily activities.

My question is therefore: How does the government ensure that the ambitions of the dementia strategy are implemented in practice in all municipalities, regardless of the municipality's size and economy?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Mikael Dahlqvist, for a very important and pressing question! I am very pleased that you are raising the question about the revised dementia strategy that we submitted in the spring. It is undeniably very important.

It is of the utmost importance that we now raise the bar regarding competence in all the country's municipalities, but also that we strengthen the cooperation between regions and municipalities so that it becomes a reality. We are now moving from a time where we have seen dementia and dementia diseases as a part of natural aging to seeing it for what it truly is, namely diseases.

It is diseases that need to be addressed with a care and treatment plan, good rehabilitation and preventive work in the municipalities with the five-finger model, that should be implemented. There is also a need for an incredibly good and high-quality care when one reaches perhaps the final years, which are significantly more care-intensive.

Here we have developed and extended the Äldreomsorgslyftet, which the municipalities can take part in precisely to increase competence. We see that much of Äldreomsorgslyftet goes towards precisely educating specialist nursing assistants within dementia.

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Katja Nyberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! In the investigation "Police Preparedness in Peace, Crisis and War," it is proposed that the Swedish police shall also remain strictly civilian during ongoing attacks. This is remarkable given the deteriorating security situation. We all remember the image from Drottninggatan, where the police run towards the danger with drawn weapons.

The Sweden Democrats are concerned that, in the event of an attack, the opposite would happen. Swedish police without clear powers to act as combatants would be forced to stand passive when foreign soldiers move towards Rosenbad and the Riksdag.

Lessons from Ukraine show that the police had a decisive role during the first critical hours of the war. A temporary combatant status would not hinder the police's civilian mission once the Armed Forces and the Home Guard are mobilized.

My question to the Minister for Justice is therefore against the background of the Armed Forces' very clear referral response: Does the Minister for Justice consider that a strict civilian status for the police best serves Sweden in the event of war or coup defense?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Katja Nyberg, for the opportunity to discuss this very important issue for Sweden's both internal and external security!

I completely share the view that we must, above all, have a focus on what the police can contribute as well in such a situation. There are undoubtedly lessons to be drawn from the war in Ukraine, both initially and during the years that have passed.

This question is subject to the investigation's handling. I can state that different referral bodies highlight the issue from slightly different perspectives. We have mentioned the Armed Forces. The Police, the Swedish Security Service, the Swedish Defence University, and the Swedish Defence Research Agency, on the other hand, take the investigator's side on that question.

One thing is certain in any case: We are not rushing forward in this matter. It is extremely important that our authorities talk to each other about the task, how it should be solved, and which status will be best suited to solve that task. We will return to the matter further ahead.

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Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)

Madam Speaker! Researchers and major authorities such as the Prosecution Authority, the Police Authority, and the Prison and Probation Service are critical of lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years and of imprisoning children. It is a criticism that they share with the Children's Ombudsman, Save the Children, and the Parliamentary Ombudsmand, to name a few.

The proposal conflicts with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Sweden was one of the first countries to sign. Research shows that the proposal could have the opposite effect and instead increase youth crime. We have seen this, among other things, in Denmark. Instead, gangs are beginning to recruit even younger children.

We need instead to break the gangs' opportunities to recruit children by investing in our children and young people. Children shall have the right to a good school, be met by safe adults and have access to good leisure activities – not sit in prison.

Do you intend to listen to the research, the authorities, and the children's rights organizations and withdraw the proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years?

(Applause)

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Lotta Johnsson Fornarve, for the opportunity to discuss this extraordinarily important issue today!

At the turn of the month of October/November, there are 40 children under 15 years of age who are subjects of a forensic investigation where the question concerns murder or participation in murder. It is those children we are talking about. We are not talking about children in general.

The children have to a very great extent been known to the social services for a long time and have been the subject of the surrounding society's interventions for a very long time.

Our society must in one way or another both protect the children, protect the surrounding society and provide redress for the victims of crime.

This is the broad reason why we should transition to youth prison. I believe there is a broad majority in the Swedish Riksdag for this when it concerns youths in the age group 15–17 years.

Why do we do it? It is because the Sis-homes have been a catastrophe. Talk about reproducing crime! It is over 90 percent of those with links to the gangs who are sentenced to closed juvenile care at Sis who relapse into serious, grave crime.

The one who does not want to change that order has a rather substantial burden of explanation.

(Applause)

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Madam Speaker! Let me begin with a quote: If one thinks that 100 years ago, people like me were locked up in institutions, and now we are locked up in our own homes. One thinks that we should have come further. That is what 24-year-old Emelie Pålsson from Helsingborg said in an interview with SVT on November 12. Emelie is blind and wheelchair-bound. She is completely dependent on assistance to be able to live a life on equal terms, but this is denied to her.

During the last ten years, two out of three people with visual impairments have lost their assistance. Emelie is just one of these. It is not only unreasonable – it is indecent. The parliamentary majority demanded one and a half years ago that new legislation be developed to guarantee Emelie and others affected the right to a reasonable living situation.

My questions to the Minister for Social Services are the following: What has happened? When will the new law arrive? When can Emelie and everyone else expect a reasonable life situation?

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Socialtjänstministern Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the question, Christofer Bergenblock! The Government truly shares the member's concern when it comes to persons who are in need of guidance.

The LSS legislation was a piece of legislation introduced by a center-right government that we were very proud of. The starting point was that people with disabilities should have the right to participate in society in the same way as all of us others. That legislation is a municipal legislation. A very heavy responsibility falls on our municipalities to live up to it.

When the government took note of the way different municipalities are now handling this, Socialstyrelsen was tasked to provide a report, which it has done. It is now being prepared in conjunction with the announcement that has been made by the Riksdag.

(Applause)

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Madam Speaker! The waiting period deduction means that an employee who stays home due to illness loses the equivalent of a full day's sick pay. This affects workers very differently depending on what profession they have. Many have a job where it is possible to work from home if they are ill, which means they do not need to report sick and therefore are not affected by the waiting period deduction. But in many other essential professions, not least within health and social care or childcare, one does not have the possibility of working from home, which means that one must either report sick and lose an important part of their income or continue to work despite actually being too ill.

The care deduction is therefore fundamentally deeply unfair, and Sweden should do as the other Nordic countries and completely abolish it. Despite this, the government parties, Sverigedemokraterna and Centerpartiet, chose to vote no to abolishing the care deduction this week.

My question to the Minister for Social Insurance is: Does the Minister consider the injustice in the quarantine deduction to be justified, or will the government implement any other measures to compensate the workers who are disadvantaged by the quarantine deduction?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to extend a big thank you to Malte Tängmark Roos for the question. It is important that we discuss this and resolve it.

As I see it, the proposal to abolish the quarantine deduction is a costly and irresponsible proposal being revisited. We have tested this, and we know how it went last time. The elderly did not receive help and support because care staff took sick leave. Bus lines were cancelled because bus drivers did not come to work. Sickness benefits and sick leave skyrocketed.

Madam Speaker! What I consider to be unusually unserious about this proposal right here and right now is that it is completely unfunded by the parties that have submitted it. We all know that this costs a lot of money. As recently as this spring, Magdalena Andersson herself stood and stated that it would cost at least 5 billion kronor. But in the opposition parties' budgets, it stands at zero. My question is: Who is then going to pay?

(Applause)

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Charlotte Nordström (M)

Madam Speaker! The stories are increasing about elderly people who let in home care staff and are then subjected to thefts. There are staff members who are known for serious crimes. We have seen violence and abuse against the elderly in their own homes, where safety should be a given. We know that social workers and municipal officials are pressured, threatened, and influenced. We know that organized crime is a threat to the system. Deficient regulations must not become an obstacle to necessary controls.

Municipalities that risk being infiltrated must be able to defend themselves. They want to protect citizens and staff but lack the right tools. The government's proposition on expanded register checks is therefore an important first step to protect the elderly and children as well as the municipalities' most central functions.

My question to the Minister of Justice is: What concrete improvements does the bill entail to increase safety and reduce the risk of crime within the municipalities' operations for children and the elderly, and how does it give the municipalities better opportunities to protect themselves against infiltration?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Charlotte Nordström for the opportunity to also discuss this very important issue today.

We have all only in the last few days received new testimonies of absolutely horrific abuses against the elderly around Sweden. One can be very surprised that there have not already been real tools in place for the municipalities to carry out necessary background checks. Fortunately, this is coming into place now. It will be in effect from March 1 next year.

What is it that we are doing then? Yes, we are providing an opportunity for municipalities to access information from load and suspicion registers for persons to be employed in the municipalities when it concerns elderly care, childcare, and disabilities. It will be crystal clear which pieces of information one may access. It will also be crystal clear which checks are to be made when it concerns children. We also have the opportunity to perform corresponding checks regarding leadership positions.

This is completely necessary, both so that we can maintain a decent society and so that we can protect those who in different ways are very vulnerable.

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Larry Söder (KD)

Madam Speaker! Many are taking advantage of shopping now during Black Week. We want to get bargains and perhaps buy some Christmas presents. Most of the time we believe that we are getting bargains. But unfortunately, that is not always the case. As a consumer, one must be on guard in order to be able to get these bargains. There are ambiguities in pricing and, in the worst cases, also dangerous products. This applies particularly if one buys products from China, for example on the platforms Temu or Shein. It has been shown that one sometimes does not receive the product one expects, that the product is of poor quality, or that it contains toxins that are prohibited in Europe but in this way enter our markets. This situation is to the disadvantage of the consumer, who does not receive the product they expect, but also bad for Europe's business sector, which through this has to put up with unfair competition.

I want to ask the Minister for Civil Affairs how customers in Sweden are to be protected from being manipulated in this way or from buying dangerous products.

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for this both important and highly topical issue. This is truly on the table now, not least through revelations that sex dolls depicting children are sold on some of the platforms. It is distasteful, outrageous, and unacceptable in every way. We naturally need to spare ourselves from this. I can truly give a warning to Sweden's consumers. If one wants to be sure that the products one buys uphold European standards and are safe and free from dangerous chemicals, one should shop from platforms that are stationed in Europe. Do not buy from Temu and Shein! That warning was worth using most of my speaking time for.

Then we are doing a great deal to strengthen at the European level and increase the safety of the products one buys. We are also making many efforts to reduce the import of dangerous, unsafe and illegal products from these platforms.

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Ida Karkiainen (S)

Madam Speaker! This week is being highlighted internationally and in Sweden as Orange Week, a week free from violence. We must do more to detect and prevent violence in close relationships and, above all, men's violence against women.

Försäkringskassan has for several years had a mandate from the government to work towards improved detection of violence, including by asking questions in the processing procedure. However, we have now been reached by worrying signals that Försäkringskassan, as a consequence of a JO decision, chooses to no longer ask questions about whether violence occurs in close relationships. There are also signals that the changed routines have been affected by the savings that Försäkringskassan has been forced to undergo in recent years.

My question to Minister Anna Tenje is whether she can guarantee that Försäkringskassan can in the future fulfill its mission to detect violence in close relationships.

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks to the Member for the question! This was new information for me, and I truly sincerely hope that it is not correct. I have repeatedly emphasized that the systematic work and the routines that are in place within Försäkringskassan are incredibly important and that they should be spread within more agencies and within more parts of our society – precisely because it is so important to ask the question.

Försäkringskassan has received large resource supplements in recent years and also has large resource supplements ahead of it. In the current year, one is also not getting rid of the money that has been received. It would surprise me if this is due to having too little money.

I think it is extremely important that this continues, and I will definitely ensure that is the case. As recently as this week, I have emphasized the importance of municipalities using Äldreomsorgslyftet to train their staff within elderly care. Violence does not go into retirement.

(Applause)

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Rashid Farivar (SD)

Madam Speaker! The use of cloud services within the public sector is fundamentally both necessary and positive. Today, authorities often use a mixture of in-house IT operations and operations outsourced to private actors; sometimes international cloud service providers are also engaged. This, however, occurs without any coherent national governance or strategy.

At the launch of Sweden's digitalization strategy for 2025–2030 on May 28, 2025, Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner announced that the government is working on developing a cloud policy. Against this background, I would like to ask Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner: On what principles does the government intend to base this cloud policy, and when does the government plan to present it?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for this question, which is very topical and in high demand, not least in the public sector, just as the member says. We see an increased need for cloud services. We need to be able to store data in a secure and good way, but it also provides room for innovation and not least new AI services.

For this reason, the government stated in its digitalization strategy that we will also present a cloud policy. We will do so relatively soon, that is, it will be presented during this parliamentary term.

The guiding words and principles for the policy will be functionality, security, and innovation. That is what we want to achieve. But it shall, therefore, create complements to the cloud services we have today, and it shall create increased guidance for the public sector regarding what type of data can be delivered in the different types of data storage services.

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Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! What do Brå, Civil Rights Defenders, the Children's Ombudsman, DO, the Prison and Probation Service, and the Bar Association have in common? Well, they all reject the government's proposal that 13-year-olds should be able to be sentenced to prison. They reject this due to legal certainty, children's development, risk of negative consequences, and lack of evidence.

Why is it so important for the government to implement a change when they completely disregard what the referral bodies say? Their mission is, after all, to provide the expertise that politics sometimes lacks.

I find it difficult to understand how a government that speaks about the importance of evidence and proven experience within child and youth care proceeds with proposals that imply the exact opposite. The children are both victims and perpetrators. We are talking about primary school children with a size 158 in clothes. Does the government seriously mean that 13-year-olds should be imprisoned, despite the sharp criticism saying that it will not help?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! We will return to which path we choose regarding this at the beginning of the new year.

I want to say: There really is no one who thinks that 15-year-olds or 16-year-olds should be in prison either. But it is a reality that our society has developed in such a way. I mentioned the 40 children under 15 who are now the subject of murder trials, so-called evidence-based cases. This has exploded in recent years.

It is 500 children who are involved in murders and murder plots if we look at it over a longer period, and 125–130 of them are under 15. What are we to do with these children? People say: foster homes. But there is no one out there who wants to offer foster homes anymore.

What happens to all the other children when the social services and the state youth care, due to pure displacement effects, no longer have the possibility to work with the children who are in the so-called risk zone? People say: Children in the risk zone should not be thrown into prison! Of course not, but the problem is simply that the system does not have the capacity to work with children in the risk zone, nor does it when it comes to broader prevention.

We must achieve a different distribution of work between different parts of our society if we are to succeed at all in the task of ensuring that children do not end up in serious crime.

(Applause)

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Thomas Ragnarsson (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to ask a question to Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall.

We have experienced a paradigm shift in Swedish politics with the introduction of a new Social Services Act. The staff within the social services whom I meet in my work are extremely positive about this change. But of course, it is the case that the Minister, in their work, meets many more from these staff groups across the country. My question to the Minister is: How does the Minister perceive the reception of the new Social Services Act in the country, and how is the implementation of it going across Sweden?

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Socialtjänstministern Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Thomas Ragnarsson, for the question! I have actually never experienced legislation being as long-awaited and in-demand as the new Social Services Act. The Government has chosen to work with a historically early implementation and give the municipalities the conditions already from January 1, 2024, i.e., one and a half years before the introduction, to work on beginning to analyze what the needs look like in that specific municipality.

The fact that we have worked so closely with the professional unions in the work of developing the legislation is also something that guarantees that it will have the right effect. It is wonderfully fun. It has been a very nice reception. We will also have an early evaluation. But this finally provides tools to be able to work preventatively for real.

(Applause)

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Jonathan Svensson (S)

Madam Speaker! Statens servicecenter plays a very important role for many people in our country who need to get in contact with our state authorities. For that very reason, we Social Democrats have been critical of the government's cuts to the agency and the closure of about thirty offices around the country, which, among other things, has resulted in entire counties being left without state service offices. We have protested together with several other actors.

Madam Speaker! It seems that our demands have been heard to some extent. Yesterday, we could read in the Althing that a number of new offices are to be opened, while at the same time some offices that were recently closed are to be reopened. It is obviously very positive that this is being done. But at the same time, it points to the inconsistency in the government's policy when one opens an office that one closed as recently as in October.

Therefore, I want to take the opportunity to ask the Minister for Civil Affairs if they have now realized their misprioritizations. When can we see these offices opened?

(Applause)

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is interesting to note that the Social Democrats, in their shadow budget, do not put the money back to the agency. They put back approximately half of the money that has been saved at Statens servicecenter. It is an interesting observation given the incredibly high tone that the Social Democrats have had on the issue in this chamber.

It is the authority that decides where the local service centers shall be located. But the government has given a number of guidelines, including that there shall be at least one service center in each so-called FA-region. The number of FA-regions is now being increased by eleven at the turn of the year, following Tillväxtverket's revision. This means that Statens servicecenter has to revise slightly when it comes to where the centers shall be located geographically. This also prompted the government to increase the appropriations by 10 million kronor per year to secure such coverage.

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Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)

Madam Speaker! Last week, an 18-year-old Islamist confessed plans to commit a terrorist act in central Stockholm. Even though the threat of terrorism against Sweden is not as great as before, it is quite obvious that there are many individuals in Sweden who are prepared to commit terrorist acts against Sweden and against Swedes.

Previously, Säpo has been open about the number of violent Islamists or at least been able to provide a rough estimate of how many there are in Sweden. Säpo now refuses to do this, despite the question having been recurring in our meetings in the Justice Committee.

We know that Islamism is a threat to the entire Western world. In order for politics to be able to take necessary and appropriate measures, Säpo must be clear about how large the problem actually is. Is the government prepared to task Säpo with mapping the number of violent Islamists in Sweden?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! This is a very important issue, and I will discuss it shortly. I just want to correct an important point. The Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen) refuses nothing. The Swedish Security Service is a very constructive party in dialogue both with the Committee on Justice and with the government regarding how this issue is best described.

It is because of the Security Service and its extensive work against violent Islamism that a person is now being brought to justice. I just wanted to start with that part.

On the other hand, we have a dialogue with the Swedish Security Service in light of the fact that the police have not reported the extent of gang crime in that way, but are now doing so in a way that creates a quite large and precise perception of the size of the problem. We have a dialogue with the Swedish Security Service on how, in a corresponding manner, all relevant extremist threats can be described. Now we are talking about violent Islamism, right-wing extremism, and the autonomous left.

There is no refusal anywhere. Perhaps there is a respect for the difficulty of the task in order to then be able to provide a relevant and adequate picture both to the members here and to the general public. I am happy to return to the question.

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Noria Manouchi (M)

Madam Speaker! Imagine that you are old and ill. You have slept poorly, and when you wake up, the nursing staff is in the room. You try to explain that you are in pain, but no one understands you. Someone hands you your medicine, and you see that a part is missing. You try to explain, but no one understands you.

This summer we witnessed an incident in Västerås, where ambulance personnel were called to a residence. When they arrived, no one could answer questions about the elderly person's condition.

Now the government is implementing a language requirement within elderly care. My question goes to Minister Anna Tenje. I wonder: What improvements in quality but also in safety does the government expect to see when this is implemented?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Noria Manouchi, for this important question!

I can only state that language is fundamental. Just as the member describes, it is literally a matter of life and death.

The government is now introducing a language requirement, which actually concerns three parts that, taken together, will increase quality, safety, and security.

The elderly must be able to understand and make themselves understood in order to have their freedom of choice and be able to influence the situation and the content of the care and support that they receive and are in great need of.

It is also about patient safety, just as the member describes. It must be safe and secure among the staff, but also between staff and the ambulance personnel who arrive at the scene and, for that part, between staff and relatives and the elderly themselves.

It is also about the work environment. In order to have a safe, secure, and good work environment, the staff must be able to talk to one another. This is, of course, about safe patient handover, but it is also about being able to talk to one another at the coffee table about how life is in general and in small details.

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Ingela Nylund Watz (S)

Madam Speaker! A number of very small municipalities in our country will be hit by a financial death blow and lose millions of kronor in revenue annually when the government now chooses to proceed with a very small part of the cost equalization.

At the same time, representatives for Sverigedemokraterna stood here in the chamber as recently as yesterday and declared that, for Sverigedemokraterna, they support the entire parliamentary committee's proposal regarding the tax equalization. Obviously, the government base is split on the question of how to move the tax equalization proposals forward.

Therefore, my question to Minister Slottner is: Does the government have support within the entire government base to worsen conditions for the very smallest municipalities, as the proposal currently stands? Or why is there no proposal regarding the parliamentary inquiry, which all parties agreed upon?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! To begin with, I would like to say that the entire premise of the question is incorrect.

The submitted proposal from the committee would improve things for very many small and sparse municipalities. The government has now chosen to proceed with a memorandum where it shall be seen how sparseness can be compensated to a greater extent than what the committee proposes. We suspect that sparseness costs more than what we compensate for today. On the other hand, we do not proceed with smallness as strongly as in the committee's proposal.

The whole point of the tax equalization system is to compensate for things that are not influenceable for the municipalities, which is to say, structural differences between the municipalities. Sparseness is a structural difference, while smallness is not in the same way. It has to do with which municipal boundaries one chooses to have.

This is a memorandum that is now out for consultation. The Government has not taken a stand on the issue yet but has signaled in the budget that a bill shall be submitted during the next year.

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Daniel Persson (SD)

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

After an EU judgment, it is not possible for pensioners born in 1938 or later who live outside Sweden to participate in the guarantee pension.

The Government and the Sweden Democrats are working actively and broadly to counter welfare crime and incorrect payments. This has, among other things, enabled cooperation between the Pensions Agency and the border control at Arlanda, and it has stopped incorrect payments in the millions to foreign countries.

To check whether pensioners live abroad, one can compare registered addresses with actual residential addresses. It is also of great help to obtain information from other countries or for pensioners themselves to report that they have moved from Sweden.

My question is: Will the government develop more tools to facilitate controls to curb incorrect payments of guaranteed pensions to foreign countries?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Daniel Persson, for a very pressing and important question!

As recently as yesterday, we received information from the Swedish Payments Agency showing that persons staying illegally and unlawfully in Sweden are obtaining money that they are not entitled to. The government intends to curb this.

We have also moved forward with several measures regarding exactly what the member is now raising. It concerns people who say they live and reside in Sweden but who do not. They may not even have stayed here for very many years.

It is estimated that 15–20 billion are paid out in incorrect payments. Half of this is pure and simple benefit crime. Here, the government is taking many and large measures both legislatively and by providing more money to Försäkringskassan and, in this case, to Pensionsmyndigheten.

They are working proactively. There is more to be done. But I expect that they will definitely increase the controls, not least for those who no longer live in Sweden but who nevertheless acquire settlement-based benefits and guaranteed pension.

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Ann-Charlotte Hammar Johnsson (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Erik Slottner and concerns public procurement.

There are great opportunities with this legislation, where one can use innovation and functional procurement. But unfortunately, this is used far too rarely, even though it could create so much more value for AB Sverige through business deals.

Another part of this is that municipalities and regions occasionally use the idea of buying just ideas from the companies, which means that the companies cannot reuse them. And the municipalities are supposed to put the ideas in the box, because they are not allowed to use them. It is a problem, because then we also miss out on deals.

The third part is that there is a perception that one is not allowed to set requirements that are actually possible to set according to the procurement legislation. It concerns things such as the belief that it must always be the lowest price that applies.

My question to the Minister is therefore: How is the government working with public procurement so that we can gear up and make better deals in our country?

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

This is truly an untapped potential for municipalities, regions and authorities when it comes to getting more value for money and getting more quality for every tax krona that is spent in public procurement.

We see examples of both municipalities, regions and authorities that work very strategically with public procurement in order to be able to lower costs significantly while simultaneously having succeeded in keeping criminals and other unscrupulous actors away from the public business. This is how we want to work.

The government made a decision in October regarding a roadmap for public procurement that is very concrete and which presents various measures that the government has decided on to promote, for example, specifically innovation procurement. It is also about being able to reject the lowest bid if one understands that it is an abnormally low bid that is at the bottom. It is also about very much other things precisely to reach the criminal actors.

The roadmap is full of tips and recommendations from the government to achieve better functioning procurement.

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Mattias Vepsä (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer.

A few weeks ago, four young men were sentenced in the Stockholm District Court for involvement in and responsibility for very serious violent activity. All were linked to activist clubs, i.e., the Nazi clubs that have grown strong across the entire country and where one is ideologically and physically trained in order to eventually be able to influence democracy, all of Sweden, and the way we choose to live.

We have debated this issue previously. The Minister for Justice has said that there are plans to table legislative proposals in the Swedish Riksdag to deal with the activist clubs.

It is good that these four men have been held accountable for their acts of violence, but we need to address the growth in the Nazi, far-right environment.

Can the Minister for Justice guarantee that the Swedish Parliament will be able to take a position on new legislative proposals to deal with the activity clubs?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Thanks to Mattias Vepsä for another opportunity to discuss this issue!

To begin with, I can say that the Swedish Riksdag could have already taken a position on such legislation if the Social Democrats had not blocked it during the previous parliamentary term. What it fundamentally concerns is the possibility of criminalizing participation in organized contexts engaged in serious crime. It was that legislation we pushed forward to have implemented through a constitutional amendment during the previous parliamentary term so that we could have had it in place together with the corresponding regulation against terrorism and violent extremism that we have been able to have in place during this parliamentary term.

Now we have nevertheless received a constitutional committee that has stood behind this amendment. The work is already underway – admittedly four years late, but S can take that on. When the amendment is finally in place, we will be able to reach all types of organized contexts engaged in serious crime – including the issues that Mattias Vepsä, admittedly creditably, raises.

(Applause)

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! Children living with violence in the home do not always receive the protection they need. Social services have large differences in assessment and follow-up between different municipalities across the country. The result is that children who are already traumatized encounter a social service that, in some parts of the country, is fast and competent, but in other parts is passive, uncertain, and perhaps even understaffed.

It is unacceptable that a child's safety is determined by which municipality happens to be handling their case. A child should never have to rely on luck for the state to manage to fulfill its responsibility. A national standard and clear requirements are necessary if we are to ensure that all children, regardless of place of residence, receive the protection they need.

When does the Minister for Social Services intend to ensure that children who witness violence receive equal protection regardless of where in the country they live?

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Socialtjänstministern Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the question, Sara Gille!

I want to start by saying that I share the member's view and the intentions behind the question, that is to say that all children have the right to receive early support. I can unfortunately state that for quite many years there have been quite many governments that have not worked with this as a priority issue.

But this government does! That is why we, in a number of different areas, have now strengthened the protection of children. It may be about obtaining own rights linked to protected housing. It may be about the bill Safer homes for children, which means that no child who feels afraid of, for example, a guardian shall be forced into custody, visitation, or housing with the same. It may be about the extended travel ban or the new Social Services Act, which means that one can receive an early preventive protection.

We are also building on knowledge-enhancing measures and giving assignments to Socialstyrelsen which can involve reinforcement teams or the various parts where Socialstyrelsen is now working very proactively to support the municipalities with knowledge.

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Agneta Nilsson (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall.

The question regarding the indexing of the flat-rate for assistance payments, which the government promised would be included in the budget for 2026 but was subsequently withdrawn with the explanation that an error occurred in the presentation and that it was not the government's intention to implement the indexing but rather to postpone it to the future, seems to have fortunately taken a turn.

The Minister has at times recently stated that there is no timetable. This week, however, one could read interviews in the online newspaper Heja Olika with representatives for the government base – Sverigedemokraterna, Kristdemokraterna and Liberalerna – where it was opened up that they want to raise the assistance allowance in the spring and see an indexing in 2026.

My question is quite simply: What is the Minister's position on this? Can the Minister provide a clear statement regarding how the government intends to proceed?

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Socialtjänstministern Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

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

The government truly considers personal assistance to be a freedom reform. It must be protected. The government also intends to ensure that there are long-term and stable conditions. Part of this is to investigate the conditions for introducing an indexation, something that the government presented in the budget presentations just over a year ago.

It is a matter of the prerequisites having to be examined. This work is still ongoing. Just as it states in this year's budget text for 2026: This work continues, and the prerequisites are being examined now.

All the Tidö parties stand behind this. The budget text and the budget bill are signed and negotiated by all the Tidö parties, so this is a joint position.

(Applause)

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Laila Naraghi (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is to Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer because he is the head of the Ministry of Justice and not the head of the Government Offices, SB. It is the Prime Minister who is. Nevertheless, it is Gunnar Strömmer who is to answer an interpellation to the Prime Minister concerning SB and why they have withheld evidence from law enforcement authorities and why SB has not handed over documents, which JO has initiated an investigation into. JO is, however, prevented from investigating the Prime Minister; that falls upon the Riksdag in accordance with the Instrument of Government.

SB is not Gunnar Strömmers responsibility. He doesn't even work there. Or has that changed? Otherwise, this appears to be yet another of Kristersson's sham maneuvers to avoid responsibility and scrutiny – as if some party strategist decided that the more popular Gunnar Strömmer should take this.

I have myself experience of good cooperation with Gunnar Strömmer, and I appreciate the Minister for Justice. But the way in which it is covered up for the Prime Minister's missteps is very troubling. Is the Minister for Justice responsible for the errors that the Prime Minister and his chancellery have committed, or why else should he answer these questions?

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Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! First, I must thank you for the compliment. I perceived that there was talk both between and between the lines about my popularity. One can be happy about that, especially when it comes from a Social Democratic Member of Parliament from Oskarshamn.

No, it is quite right: I do not work at the Government Offices but two flights down. We help each other. I believe that Laila Naraghi is well aware that issues can be distributed in the government depending on what area of responsibility one has. Now I also get the opportunity to discuss these issues twice, both today and, I assume, in connection with an interpellation debate further ahead. I look forward to that discussion, in the same way as I think this exchange has also been both pleasant and rewarding.

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Ulrika Heindorff (M)

Madam Speaker! The upcoming benefit reform is important for strengthening the work line and breaking exclusion. It must always pay to work. The benefit reform takes a holistic approach to the benefit policy that has led to thousands of children every day not seeing their parents go to work and, furthermore, risk inheriting their parents' exclusion.

The three parts of the benefit reform are benefit ceilings, qualification for the social insurance, and activity requirements. Activity requirements mean that persons receiving social assistance shall participate in activities to approach the labor market.

My question to Minister Anna Tenje is: When does the government intend for the activity requirement to enter into force, and what is the government's expectation for this entire reform, but especially for the activity requirement?

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Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)

Madam Speaker! A big and sincere thank you to Ulrika Heindorff for an extraordinarily good question.

I have high expectations for the entire subsidy reform and for the activity requirement in particular. We propose that the activity requirement enters into force on July 1, 2026, and it will be the first part of the subsidy reform that rolls out then.

I have high expectations because I myself have been involved in introducing the reform. When I was the chairman of the municipal executive board in Växjö, we introduced full-time activation in the social assistance. This means that if one has 100 percent work capacity, one is expected to be employed in various activities at 100 percent.

We pushed back exclusion in Växjö by 20 percent when we introduced full-time activation in the social assistance. We broke the exclusion, and more children got to see their parents go to work. This led to jobs and further studies. These are real reforms to reduce child poverty and take people out of exclusion.

I have high expectations. By combining the entire subsidy reform with the activity requirement, we will push back exclusion even further.

(Applause)

Question time was hereby concluded.

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