Question Time

TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson, Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner, and Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand.

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. The Minister for Energy and Enterprise answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Johanna Haraldsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! High electricity prices and increased grid fees risk making the next electricity bill very difficult to pay for many families in Sweden.

We Social Democrats demand that the promised electricity support be activated. For three years, we have demanded that the government prepare an electricity support that works for Swedish households and companies, but nothing has happened. The government has not made it possible to pay out any electricity support. There is not even a decree in place regulating the support.

The government promised that no one should be left alone with high electricity bills. Therefore, my question to the Minister for Energy and Business: Will the government now activate the electricity support?

(Applause)

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Johanna Haraldsson for the question.

What she says is not quite correct. We have prepared what the Social Democrats were not capable of doing during their eight years in power, that is, having the preparedness to support households in a very tough situation with high electricity prices for a longer period.

Furthermore, electricity prices have decreased every year since I became Minister for Energy in Ulf Kristersson's government. A typical average villa now has 10,000 kronor lower electricity costs than when the Social Democrats handed over power.

We have an electricity support that stands fully ready to be paid out if there is a need for it. It is, however, a support that is based on retroactivity. It is when we see that the price has remained above a certain level for a longer period that we trigger the final part.

All preparatory work has however been completed. The responsible authority that would be tasked with paying out the support is also ready.

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Johanna Haraldsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! I believe few will recognize themselves in the Minister for Energy and Industry's description that there is no need to pay out the support now, given how the electricity bills have looked so far and risk looking like that even in the future.

We Social Democrats have allocated the same amount of money in the budget as the government. We think that they should be used, which this government does not seem to want to do.

How should we interpret the minister's promise that no one shall be left alone with high electricity bills when the electricity support is not activated?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! It is not true that I have claimed that we would not see a need for the support. We see a need to be able to have an electricity support. That is why we have developed this, which the Social Democrats did not do.

Why do we have such high and volatile electricity prices? Well, it's because we have a weather-dependent system. Who are the ones cleaning up in that? Well, it's our four coalition parties. Who are the ones who, through their policies, have ensured that an ordinary, hard-working family has 5,000 kronor more left over per month? Well, it's the four coalition parties.

We stand ready to assist the households.

(Applause)

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Per Söderlund (SD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister of Defence Pål Jonson.

The Sweden Democrats consider the nation's defense to be an issue for the entire population, both men and women. We therefore consider that women have a natural place within the Armed Forces, but that the same requirements for competence must be set regardless of gender. Studies have pointed out that quotas can rather have a negative effect on both women's credibility and the operational effect when requirements are lowered. Studies have also pointed out that women who meet the same requirements as men pass the training with results equivalent to those of men.

We believe that the individual can choose for themselves and that everyone can find their role in the total defense. We are therefore concerned that it states in the regulatory letter for the Armed Forces that requirement profiles and medical assessment grounds shall be reviewed for increased equality.

Previous governments have gladly rewritten reality when it did not match the target image. It is regrettable if the Moderaterna continue in the same rut.

I therefore wonder if the Minister can explain in what way lowered requirements strengthen the Armed Forces' operational capability.

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Pelle Söderlund for the question.

It is really very simple. The Armed Forces consider that one becomes better if more women are brought into the agency. They are working actively with this, in slightly different ways.

If we look at the conscription cohorts, we can see that they increased by approximately one hundred more women this year than last year. On the other hand, we have seen that they have become fewer proportionally as a percentage.

We see that women perform proportionally better than men when it comes to getting into the officer training. They make up approximately one quarter of those who study to become officers.

At its core, however, it is about the Swedish Armed Forces assessing that one becomes better if more women can be included. What differs is that fewer girls at the recruitment center express interest in performing the conscription. That is one reason why, in the end, fewer women perform the conscription.

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Per Söderlund (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister for Defence!

During the muster, muscle strength is measured on a scale from 1 to 9. A large proportion of the requirement profiles for the basic training have had a requirement for muscle strength 3 and upwards for the conscript to meet the harsh demands of war.

In the Swedish Armed Forces' latest budget proposal, it can be read that the number of positions with a requirement for muscle strength 2 has increased and that this enables an increase in the number of women who undergo basic training. The assessment requirements have thus been lowered, and that was also essentially what was stated in the regulatory letter.

Does the Minister for Defence consider that lowered requirements for muscular strength strengthen our defense capability, and if so, how?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is about the right person in the right place. There are many positions within the Armed Forces, 175 different ones. If one is to be a ranger, muscle strength can be very important. If one is to work with logistics, maintenance, or other parts, muscle strength is not the essential factor.

It is reasonable to review the position requirements so that the right person is in the right place. There is room for more women who want to perform the conscription, and in that case, we shall welcome it.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Mr. Speaker! My question will be directed to the Minister for Energy and Business.

It is no secret that Aurora Line was put into operation in November. As a Member of Parliament from northern Sweden, I have never received so many calls about electricity prices from that electricity price area as I have now. Pensioners call and say: My pension is 11,000 and the electricity bill is 10,000. It is difficult to tell such a person what the problem is, but there is clearly a connection between the international connection Aurora Line and the high prices in northern Sweden since it was put into operation.

How does the government view the fact that we have an external connection that causes us to be infected by higher prices? If prices have gone up by 300 percent, one cannot simply say that it is due to the cold.

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The Government has no grounds today to say that it is specifically Aurora Line, that is, the connection with Finland, that is driving up prices in northern Sweden and which did so during this very tough winter. Birger Lahti is welcome to state what evidence he has for this.

We have, however, proceeded with, for example, Hansa Powerbridge to northern Germany for that reason, as we know very clearly that we are infected by the high electricity prices.

It is also the reason why we have said that we need to review the electricity price areas, and we have commissioned a new basis to be developed to see how we can also protect Sweden from being infected by higher electricity prices from other areas.

In other winters we have been extremely dependent on imports from Finland, and in that case it is good that we have a connection between two countries with a lot of base load.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the answer.

People tell me that they have never had such a high increase in the electricity price. I do not claim that the severe cold does not have a significance, but an Aurora Line 2 is also being planned.

When one asks the industry how much importance low electricity prices have for the industry to transition, for example SSAB, the industry says that it is crucial to have low electricity prices in northern Sweden and that the electricity is renewable. How nervous should the industry be?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! One can be confident that we do not take the issue of base load lightly. We do not, therefore, have an overconfidence that Swedish competitiveness can hold up with a system that primarily leans on weather-dependent power production, above all wind power.

It is precisely this that we four coalition parties are cleaning up now. Every power source has its advantages and disadvantages, and therefore we have protected hydropower, district heating and combined heat and power, and we are paving the way for new nuclear power. It is important, not least for the competitiveness in northern Sweden.

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Martin Ådahl (C)

Mr. Speaker! My question is also addressed to the Minister for Energy.

We have had these extreme electricity prices for many households, in the north and in the south, recently. Now we are waiting for the effect of the oil and gas situation prevailing in the Persian Gulf during the war that is ongoing.

Why doesn't the government do everything it can? Electricity subsidies have been mentioned, but they won't arrive in the near future, we understand. There has been talk about the electricity tax, and no announcement has been made that the capacity charges will not be introduced.

Then there are the very powerful increases in the grid fees, which came at the turn of the year. It is a fee hysteria on electricity just when we are supposed to electrify. When will the announcement come from the government regarding the tank notes that are rising in price?

What is the government doing in this situation to ensure that fossil dependency is not deepened, but instead results in lower fees and more electrification?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! It is very simple. We are cleaning up after a red-green mess in the energy area. That is how we safeguard the basic power needed to make Sweden more robust in turbulent times.

What is it that makes Sweden more resilient to the turbulence in the world today? It is such things that no one can vaccinate themselves against, whether it is war in Ukraine or war in Iran – but we stand firmer. Yes, it is four coalition parties that stop the premature decommissioning of hydropower, that pave the way for new investment in the upgrading of existing nuclear power, that pave the way for new investment in new nuclear power, that safeguard district heating and remove the point tax on, among other things, district heating and power heat, that is, the waste incineration tax.

We do all this so that Sweden will stand more robustly. We have the electricity support, and it is ready to be used. The red-greens did not. We are lowering the electricity tax. The grid fees that you paved the way for, we must review and be prepared to stop. And now we have received new legislation from this assembly to clean up the grid fees.

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Martin Ådahl (C)

Mr. Speaker! It is not enough to deflect in a crisis and say that we will build nuclear power sometime in 2038. It does not help those who have received real electricity bills of over 10,000 kronor today and who fear receiving such bills in the future.

I ask again if you are prepared to act regarding the electricity tax, the power charges, the grid fees, and that the electricity support is paid out earlier. I have so far received no statement from the Minister for Energy on those points.

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Martin Ådahl's name has been shouted out many times before, but there seems to be a recurring problem with hearing. We will take it again.

When it comes to the electricity support, we are right, but the red-greens were not. We are ready to pay out. Neither the Center Party nor the Social Democrats have been able to account for whether it should happen arbitrarily when Damberg wakes up one morning and thinks that the support should be paid out.

We have set a level for what the price needs to be, and it must be handled seriously in a constitutional state.

We have lowered the electricity tax. The red-greens did not do that. We are now reviewing the power tariffs. The red-greens did not manage that, rather, they were the ones who introduced them. Regarding the grid fees, we have secured legislative room to clean up. That is the answer.

(Applause)

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Annika Hirvonen (MP)

Mr. Speaker! "We shall die now. Do not forget us."

So sisters Donya and Darya wrote to their friends from Iran when the bombs began to fall. The sisters are two of the victims of the government's deportation policy. They came to Sweden in their early teens, and they grew up here. Then it was decided that they were no longer a part of their nuclear family. They were deported to Iran while their sisters and parents remain in Sweden. There they sit now, terrified of dying, deprived of their dreams and their freedom. They were denied the chance to return to Sweden because precisely that strong desire to be reunited with family prevents the courts from believing the study intentions, which they came here for.

When will the government's solution on the deportations of teenagers arrive?

(Applause)

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I believe that many of us daily follow the reports about people who have become trapped in a system that is not perfect.

Even I, as a minister in Sweden's government, have taken part in the case of Darya and Donya. For anyone, the heart breaks at hearing about their tough situation and tough case.

Many of us are celebrating that there is truly hope for a free Iran with Ayatollah Khamenei's death. But the road to peace and freedom will be long and difficult. In that case, we in Sweden need to continue to take our responsibility to help vulnerable people and to ensure that there is strict and controlled migration for a long time to come, and also review how we can better meet the so-called teenage deportations. That work is currently ongoing at the Government Offices, and I hope that we can present it shortly.

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Annika Hirvonen (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Ebba Busch has lamented the result of her own government's deportation policy. It was the same thing when the eight-month-old Emanuel was to be deported without his parents.

At the same time as the government is shocked by the deportations, they are planning further family-splitting legislation, where a mother who is affected by cancer and cannot work may also have to make decisions about which child should be deported. The deportation policy must be stopped.

(Applause)

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I am now concerned about two parts of the debate.

We need more forces that do exactly what the government is doing now, namely reviewing how we can tweak parts of the migration system to ensure that there are not more of the unfortunate individual cases that we have been a part of, without taking a stand in individual cases.

I also see statements from people such as Annika Hirvonen, who is now opening up for a lax migration policy that risks affecting those who need a Sweden they can rely on the most. We must manage to have sense and balance in the migration policy for a long time to come.

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Jörgen Berglund (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister of Defence Pål Jonson.

The Armed Forces enjoy a high level of trust among the public. We received confirmation of this most recently today, or yesterday, in Medieakademien's annual trust barometer, where the Armed Forces are in 2nd place, that is, second highest of all those included in the survey. This is naturally pleasing, especially given the global situation we find ourselves in.

Since the Swedish Armed Forces' most important resource is the personnel, I intended to link the result to my question. How is the personnel supply for the Swedish Armed Forces progressing – more employed soldiers and more conscripts? A follow-up question is as follows. How is the war placement of the personnel who have also been trained progressing?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Jörgen Berglund, for the question!

When it comes to personnel supply within the Armed Forces, it is going well. In all categories, the Armed Forces are today above the level that was decided in the total defense decision on 17 December 2024. We have taken in more conscripts, 8,136 this year; it should have been 8,000. When it comes to continuously employed personnel, there are more, as is the case with periodically employed personnel. It is also now very many who are applying to the officer program. It is actually over 500 people who are studying to be both officer and specialist officer.

The recruitment to the Armed Forces is therefore going very well. The reason for this is that the Armed Forces have worked very hard with the war placement – let it be honored as it should be. If we look at the war placement in war units, we see that it is more than 25 percent higher this year than last year, which is due to people being moved over from the personnel reserve into the war units. The work is therefore going well.

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Jörgen Berglund (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much, Minister for Defence, for the answer! It sounds very pleasing and reassuring.

When we talk about personnel, the government has also announced a bill to the Riksdag regarding the staffing of the defense. It is not finished – I understand that – but an investigation has also been submitted. Can the Minister for Defence perhaps say something about the content of that?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is a rather broad bill that we intend to return to the Riksdag during the spring. Fundamentally, it is about increasing the availability of various personnel categories for the Armed Forces – all due to the serious security policy situation in the world. We need more conscripts and more employed soldiers. There must be conditions for, for example, reserve officers to be on leave.

This is based on an investigation by the former Chief of the National Defence Support, Roland Ekenberg, and we look forward to returning to the Riksdag with that bill.

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Dan Hovskär (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to ask a question to Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch.

For many, the meal is the highlight of the day, but we have seen that many municipalities, for example Arboga and Bollnäs, have cut back on more expensive food items, such as meat and dairy products, in elderly care homes. The reactions against this have been strong. The elderly's food should be the last thing one cuts back on. It is clear that we must say that good food for our elderly is not something one saves on.

We Christian Democrats believe that the elderly should be allowed to eat Sunday roast, enjoy good toppings on their sandwiches and eat Swedish meatballs. It is part of our Swedish food tradition and also a self-evident part of a dignified elderly care. To replace appreciated food with cheap alternatives is the wrong way to go.

The question is: What does the minister think about the situation that has arisen?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks to Dan Hovskär for the question! There are more who, like me, think the meal is the highlight of the day. That is almost always the case for me, at least.

The question of how we take care of our seniors has been important for our four coalition parties. This is one of the reasons why we have, among other things, strengthened and extended Äldreomsorgslyftet but also now introduce a language requirement in elderly care starting from July 1st this year. One should be able to recognize oneself in the autumn of life. Here we know that food is a very important issue. To then cut back on the food or replace appreciated ingredients for economic reasons is the wrong way to go.

At the same time, elderly care is the responsibility of the municipalities. I know that many of our parties are fighting for this issue, not least locally. The appeal is to continue doing so so that we move in step nationally and locally.

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Dan Hovskär (KD)

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

In several municipalities, the red-greens want to increase the vegetarian proportion and reduce the proportion of meat within elderly care. We have Swedish food traditions that are worth preserving and a world-class Swedish agriculture that is worth supporting. For many elderly people, it is about identity, recognition, and quality of life. Good food and good care go together.

How does the Minister view this?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The question of a dignified elderly care has been something we have fought very hard for, and that is why we have made these clear priorities in our joint budget.

There is a fantastic amount of good vegetarian food out there. But Swedish root vegetables have their place – it must not become an over-ideology where one pushes away food that provides recognition. This quote is neither exact nor commonly told, but our line is, of course, to safeguard the Swedish meatball.

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Fredrik Malm (L)

Mr. Speaker! I have a question for Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Several assessors are now pointing out that the wars in the Middle East could affect Ukraine's opportunities to defend itself against Russia. For us here up at our latitudes, it is extremely important that the military support to Ukraine continues and that it is continuous, long-term, and comprehensive. What assessment does the Minister of Defence make of this if the wars in the Middle East continue for a longer period?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Fredrik Malm, for a truly pressing question!

First, the clearest thing: The Swedish support is firm. We are one of a handful of countries in the world that have provided the strongest support to Ukraine. In this chamber, we have made a decision to support Ukraine with over 103 billion. We will not flinch.

With this said: The challenges that I now see with the war in the Middle East are actually two. One is that the political attention and bandwidth is shifted from Ukraine to the Middle East. We saw that after the horrific terror attack on October 7. The other is that the war can affect the conditions for us to be able to purchase defense materiel from the USA and send it to Ukraine, especially when it concerns the Patriot air defense system and the missiles that are linked to it. What we see now is that Iran is broadly attacking a number of countries in the Middle East, and then air defense capability becomes a tight sector moving forward.

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Fredrik Malm (L)

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

It is of course immensely important that our support remains firm. It is also very important that the wars in the Middle East end quickly and that 90 million Iranians are given the opportunity to build a new, democratic and secular society. It is clear that this is also absolutely crucial for this.

I hope that the Minister for Defence, just as I and everyone else, really follows this closely and that one is also prepared to step up for Ukraine if so required.

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! As said: The Swedish support is firm. What we are doing now is to continue working with the Americans, above all, to see if we can purchase more PAC-3 missiles. What we have also seen is that Russia has increased its long-range strikes against Ukraine, both with drones and with cruise missiles but also with ballistic missiles. Ukraine will therefore also continue to need missiles for its Patriot system. Sweden is working very actively to create good conditions to protect the Ukrainian population against the horrific Russian long-range strikes.

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Kalle Olsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats consider the environmental risks with mining in alunschiefer to be too great. Therefore, we have decided to work for a ban on mining in just alunschiefer.

Unfortunately, the government has not chosen to take that line, but some time ago the government announced that it would investigate a municipal veto against mining in alunschist. They also said they would fast-track this investigation. However, there is still no investigator, no timetable, and no directives.

The question that I and many other people from Jämtland, but also from Skaraborg and others concerned, are asking ourselves is whether Ebba Busch is serious about this. Or was it just a smokescreen to appease growing opposition during an election year? The question is: When will the investigation be completed? But perhaps above all: When will we in this chamber be given the opportunity to vote on a municipal veto against mining in alunschist?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I can reassure both Kalle Olsson and the people from Västgöta and Jämtland who are wondering and have been engaged in the issue. I was myself on site in the areas around Oviken last autumn and spoke directly with several of the residents and with many engaged and knowledgeable municipal representatives.

We will deliver on this, but we need to have a good and skilled person who can investigate this. We are working hard on the issue now. I cannot give a date today, but it has very high priority.

For me, however, it has been important that politics does not precede science, so that we should decide what shall be permitted and what not. We do not do that when it concerns any other part of the mining side. But today there is no sensible technology for mining alunschist. That is also the reason why I, as Mining Minister, have thought it has been very important to proceed with the municipal veto. One can get a yes in many other instances, but it is only in the last one that the truly important test takes place.

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Anna-Lena Hedberg (SD)

Mr. Speaker! For a long time, the so-called "dance band VAT" has been an example of unclear and inconsistent tax rules that hit the culture and entertainment industry. Different VAT rates have been applied depending on whether the audience is sitting still or dancing, something that is perceived as both incomprehensible and administratively burdensome.

The government has taken steps to simplify this, which is positive, but the cultural sector still testifies to complicated regulations, different VAT rates, and an administrative burden that hits smaller actors particularly hard.

My question to the Minister for Culture is: Is the government prepared to take further initiatives to simplify the regulations and create more uniform and predictable conditions for the culture and events industry?

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Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, member, for an important question! It is absolutely correct that we are now adjusting what has actually been completely unreasonable, that is to say that other types of cultural expressions have had a VAT that has been at 6 percent while dance bands have been hit by an unfair VAT that has been significantly higher. Now we adjust this, and dance bands get a lower VAT which enables the dance band sector to flourish in all corners of Sweden and continue to develop as the fantastic cultural form it is.

Then one must remember that the cultural forms that already have 6 percent VAT have been given a lower VAT level precisely because we see that they are important for strengthening cultural expressions and enabling culture throughout the country.

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Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! My question also goes to the Minister for Culture. It concerns the terms for the Swedish National Museums.

For many years, there has been a concern from the agency that an excessively large proportion of the budget goes toward paying rents. Both for this government and previous governments, the problem has been pointed out, but despite this, the issue has not been addressed.

Now that it has been revealed that Statens fastighetsverk wants to raise the rent for the Ethnographic Museum by as much as 57 percent, the head of the agency assesses that it is no longer possible to keep all the museums. This is a very unfortunate development. I hope that the Minister for Culture can agree with me on this.

Much can be done regarding return requirements and the requirement for market rent at Statens fastighetsverk, but it is probably a somewhat longer process. Now, however, I perceive that things are reaching a breaking point. Therefore, I wonder if the Minister for Culture is prepared to send a signal already in the autumn budget that the museums will receive coverage for their increased rental costs. If not, what other measures is the Minister prepared to take to ensure that the Swedish people can participate in the activities of these museums even in the future?

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Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is clear that I also view the situation that the world culture museums are currently in seriously. From my side and the Ministry of Culture's side, we are following the issue closely. We have just received the budget basis for 2027–2029. We are examining all possible alternatives moving forward, and we are not closing any doors at all.

But it is the authority's responsibility to ensure that the operations can actually be conducted in a purposeful manner and also to handle local issues within the framework of its self-determination. That is what the regulations say. I know that the authority is looking intensively at how they can handle the new situation, and we are, of course, doing the same.

But let me remind the member that this government has taken the rental issues seriously, in contrast to previous governments. We have already solved a number of important issues that have been lying dormant for decades. I think that is sufficient proof that this is an important issue that the government will monitor moving forward.

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Anna Lasses (C)

Mr. Speaker! Before the 2022 election, we heard the Tidö parties sing the praises of nuclear power. It was supposed to be fast, and it was supposed to be cheap. First, construction was to begin within 100 days. Then, the first spade would be turned during the parliamentary term, and no subsidies would be needed.

Today, Vattenfall has not even chosen a supplier. In the best-case scenario, it is expected to be operational in the middle of the next decade. Loans in the hundreds of billions and subsidies from electricity customers in another hundreds of billions will be needed. It seems it will neither be cheap nor go particularly fast.

There were alternatives – to streamline hydropower, abolish electricity taxes, and support energy efficiency – but the government seems to have botched them away. Therefore, the question is: When will the Swedish people actually get lower electricity bills? And how is it going with nuclear power?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Things are going perfectly for nuclear power in Sweden. To begin with, we have seen investments in existing nuclear power to improve the power and the power output regarding the nuclear power that we have. One can now plan long-term, instead of having a political pressure on oneself to be phased out because there are political forces governing the country that want to get rid of nuclear power.

Furthermore, we have now received our first nuclear power application, before Christmas. It is a huge step for Sweden. We now have a comprehensive nuclear power program corresponding to 5,000 megawatts, with a risk-sharing model to finance and establish the first 2,500.

I would say that there is an enormous delivery in this area, while at the same time we safeguard hydropower, district heating and power heating, and pave the way for land-based wind power. We have also reviewed several of the things that prevent us from using the electricity grids sufficiently effectively. We are indeed delivering very much, also in the area of nuclear power!

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Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand. It also concerns the Swedish National Property Board's notifications of substantial rent increases for the world culture museums, by up to 57 percent. If nothing is done now, both the Mediterranean Museum and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities will likely have to close.

The Minister for Culture has so far answered rather evasively to the question. It is understandable. The question comes up quickly, rental issues lie with another department and so on. But now it has still been a few days. I would like to give the minister another opportunity to comment and also preferably give the museums, the authority and above all the visitors some hope in this matter. Is there funding, preparedness or at least some kind of political will in the government and at the Ministry of Culture to resolve the acute situation for these important and fine museums?

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Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)

Mr. Speaker! I can really only repeat what I said just now, that it is naturally serious with the situation that the world culture museums are in right now. I, the government, and the Ministry of Culture are following the issue closely. It is absolutely not the case that we are dodging it in any way.

But I believe that even Mats Berglund can agree that "a few days" is quite a short time when it comes to budget processes. Budget processes usually last significantly longer than that.

Even though this question is a novelty right now, it is not a novelty that museums can be notified of rent increases. It happens all the time, not only within the museum sector but everywhere, both in the state sector and in the private sector.

Then we naturally need to look at how we can ensure that the museums can still fulfill what they are set to do. That is, after all, the important thing in this, namely that they should be able to continue their activities in some way moving forward. That is what we monitor.

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Malin Höglund (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch.

The government has, during the mandate period, worked broadly to meet several of Sweden's major societal problems. It has fought inflation, taken decisive action against deadly gang violence, and implemented tax cuts to strengthen the finances of ordinary families. In area after area, the government has presented reforms to strengthen Sweden.

A question that affects many people in everyday life concerns the accessibility in healthcare and the long healthcare queues. That people receive care in a timely manner is crucial for both quality of life and trust in our welfare system. Against that background, I want to ask the Minister: What effects does the government see from its policy regarding shortening healthcare queues and improving accessibility in Swedish healthcare?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Yes, we have given Sweden a new start in many areas. It is about getting order and clarity when it comes to migration, energy, and our economy. Sweden was at the bottom of the EU when we took over. Now we have turned it around so that we have a good forecast for this year, and we are beginning to approach the top.

Now we also see results in the healthcare sector. Today we could present fresh figures showing that healthcare queues in Sweden have decreased by 28 percent. It took some time to turn things around after eight years with a red-green mess that left behind more than doubled healthcare queues. But now we see that there was a clear trend shift last year. It is holding steady this year as well.

Even if we have now managed to have the lowest tax burden in Sweden in 50 years for all hard-working parents, one has one of the world's highest tax burdens – the welfare must stand strongest when one is at their weakest.

It is a reduction of 28 percent. We are not satisfied with that. We need four more years to complete that direction.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch.

Since 2017, we have had a food strategy in our country. The Government has upgraded it to 2.0. In the food strategy, it states that we shall increase food production, have more profitability in agriculture, strengthen competitiveness, and increase Sweden's food supply. Yet, we constantly receive reports that Sweden's authorities do not act according to the strategy but, on the contrary, oppose it.

I have several examples, but I will take one from the pile. A dairy farmer who has his farm outside Jönköping has just received a decision from the County Administrative Board that he must ask his 190 neighbors for permission in order to be able to spread manure on his fields. Furthermore, he is absolutely not allowed to spread manure on weekends. It becomes a bureaucratic nightmare for the dairy farmer. He hopes that the neighbors will say okay. Imagine if 30 say no, or imagine if just one says: No, I am not going along with this.

The question is: What is the government doing to ensure that the food strategy prevails and that the country's authorities improve conditions for the country's farmers?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Everyone understands that I will not interfere in an individual case. But with the Environmental Permit Investigation, we have had proposals prepared where it is very clear that agriculture and other activities should not be classified as environmentally hazardous activities.

We are in a situation where we need to build Sweden strong, so that we stand firmer in turbulent times. Then a decisive part of our total defense cannot be classified as environmentally hazardous activity. It is about our sovereignty and about our ability to put food on the table – from forest to table, from the fields to the table – for our families and children.

We still have a long way to go when it comes to the implementation of this, but the signal is crystal clear. Agriculture is also a weather-dependent activity, and therefore it needs to be adapted for weather and wind 24/7, 365 days a year. That is the direction we are heading in now.

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Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! The Minister for Energy and Business says that the government is prepared. We should feel safe, says the Minister for Energy and Business.

It doesn't pay any electricity bill, the Minister for Enterprise. It doesn't help the pensioners in northern Sweden who have now received electricity bills that are 300–600 percent more expensive. This doesn't pay those electricity bills when the pension is not enough.

It is said that we should feel safe and that the government has preparedness. The government must deliver. The government says: We have preparedness in order to be able to pay out. So make sure to press the button!

The Minister for Energy and Industry has also said: We can imagine pausing the capacity tariffs. I would say that it is completely necessary to pause the capacity tariffs because it is now showing that they are completely wrong. This could not have been the intention when the grid companies were given free rein to implement a completely unreasonable tariff.

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Now I still need us to become a bit serious in the highest decision-making assembly in Sweden.

The Social Democrats cannot seriously pursue a line regarding the electricity support that is based on us taking a bit of a gamble when we pay out an electricity support. The Social Democrats should be serious enough to be able to specify at what level it should occur, because we have set a level for when the electricity support should be paid out. Did the Social Democrats set another level in the autumn when they put forward their budget proposal? No, they set the same level and have not specified this beyond Mikael Damberg's feelings that an electricity support should be paid out.

It is a tough situation for many Swedish households now. Thank goodness we have halved the fuel prices, lowered the tax for hard-working families and fought the inflation of 10 percent that the Social Democrats left behind – we have brought it down to 2 percent. And the electricity price has gone down every year since I became Minister for Energy.

(Applause)

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Mikael Eskilandersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The Sweden Democrats, together with the government, have carried out the largest upgrade of the total defense in modern times. The Social Democratic government's efforts for the total defense during the previous parliamentary term were almost a shrug of the shoulders in comparison to our investments.

But despite major investments, much work remains. The Sweden Democrats have repeatedly pointed out to the government that in large parts of the state administration, things proceed as if the global situation had remained unchanged since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The important county administrative boards do not seem to be on the ball at all. Upon reviewing the calendars and publications of several county administrative boards, one sees that there is a predominant focus on everything other than the authorities' activities linked to total defense. Initiatives on total defense are thus not targeted initiatives to talk a little about the climate, training, or equality and racism in Swedish healthcare.

I would like, on this occasion, to ask Civil Minister Erik Slottner if he can account for the government's important governance of the county administrative boards regarding the total defense and perhaps explain why the county administrative boards do not seem to consider it a priority issue.

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the question.

I think it is a bit unfair. This is actually not quite the picture I encounter. I meet with the county administrative boards and the county governors very often. At almost every meeting, where they set the agenda themselves, the issue of total defense comes up, and not least their important work with civil defense.

There are 21 county administrative boards. They are divided into six so-called Civo-areas, i.e., civil areas. They have received funds to work with this, and they are the highest responsible authorities regarding specifically the civil preparedness. They have very close cooperation with the municipalities regarding, among other things, storage, disaster exercises, and what should happen when the preparedness is raised in Sweden.

We can certainly work on much more, but the government is absolutely steering them in this direction. I know that they are important authorities for me, of course. But they are also, at the very least, important for the Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, who is in close dialogue with all county administrative boards.

(Applause)

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Anders Karlsson (C)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch.

Food producers in the green and blue industries are dependent on a lot of energy in their production. No one can miss the government's ambition to achieve a low price at the pump for, among other things, diesel. The great dependence on diesel makes us vulnerable and less robust, especially in restless times.

My questions are: Can we get enough diesel when we need diesel? Has the government done enough to reduce the dependence on diesel?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The short answer is yes and no.

The government has had an enormous focus on total defense. It is noticeable among our Nato allies that we have a realistic plan to reach 5 percent of GDP for defense and that we prioritize both the military part and the civilian part.

In the business policy council, among others, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, myself and Peter Kullgren have been very engaged and had a close dialogue with the industries – both the green industries and the business community at large – to ensure that Sweden has sufficient storage and that the diesel supply functions even during times of crisis and war. There is more to be done, but we are on the right track.

In the second part, we are now trying to ensure that the energy system is as little dependent on fossil sources as possible. But in times of crisis and war, both will probably be needed. We ensure that in different ways.

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Mr. Speaker! In an interview in Dagens Nyheter, the Deputy Prime Minister says that it is important to have the discussion about good and bad religion – and that in a sentence concerning Iran.

I believe that Busch confuses politics and power with people's individual faith. If the Minister means that the Iranian regime's oppression is due to Islam, how is it then that the world's largest Muslim country, Indonesia, does not oppress its own population? How is it that ten Muslim countries have chosen female presidents while the world's largest Christian country has not managed to do so even once?

Eritrea is a Christian country, and there 80 percent of all women are female genital mutilated. Does that mean it is a Christian tradition? Israel defines itself as a Jewish country. Does that mean that state-sanctioned settlements on occupied land are Jewish? Of course not.

All this is rather about authoritarian men who use violence as a way to rule. But if the Vice Prime Minister nevertheless considers that there is good and bad religion, can the Council of State then rank Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism from best to worst?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I can start with the worst: the Islamic regime in Iran. Long live the free Iranian people, whether they worship Allah, God, or nothing at all!

I really appreciate this question from Jacob Risberg, because it highlights exactly the type of naive, flat approach that has caused Sweden to become a home for many jihadists. Many IS fighters left Sweden to commit bestial crimes against humanity a few years ago. It is also a reason why approximately a quarter of a million young people in Sweden live under honor-oppression-like conditions and why believing Swedish Muslims today cannot go to a mosque without having to be afraid of whether Turkey or some other totalitarian Muslim state controls them.

Taking the debate on good and bad religion is not about being against any individual's faith. It is about taking the fight against the totalitarian, which prevents Jews, Christians and Muslims or atheists from living in peace and freedom in either Sweden or Iran. That fight and that debate we should all take, regardless of what we believe and think otherwise.

(Applause)

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Ludvig Ceimertz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Crime in Sweden is multifaceted and manifests in many different ways. A growing problem concerns fraud, including against consumers. It has developed into one of the larger problems for individuals in Sweden. Not least the elderly are often affected by telephone fraud, online fraud, or various types of digital fraud. Criminals trick people into handing over money or sensitive personal information.

This crime causes not only economic losses but also great suffering for the people who are affected. We know that the proceeds from the crimes often finance other crimes. My question to Civil Minister Erik Slottner, who is also responsible for consumer protection, is what the government is doing in terms of protecting and minimizing the damages among the consumers who are deceived and subjected to fraud.

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the important question!

This is an incredibly ruthless and cynical crime that many times affects elderly people, but also other groups. The Government naturally takes the issue very seriously. It creates great outrage.

In my area, we work primarily on making it more difficult for phone scams, which is a major problem. We see that the government's work on a broad front has yielded results. The profits from scams have been approximately halved, according to the latest figure I received.

With the guidelines we have developed, 50,000 suspected fraud calls are stopped every day. We will soon proceed with a proposition that the same principles shall apply to prevent SMS fraud.

The Ministry of Justice, the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Finance are working on increased penalties but also on ensuring that the banks take their responsibility.

We see that all this work is now yielding results. We shall continue that work moving forward, because this crime must cease.

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Peder Björk (S)

Mr. Speaker! Energy Minister Ebba Busch has received several questions about the electricity support during the question period. It is apparently a sensitive issue for the minister, given that she devotes a large part of her time to talking about other parties' policies instead of taking responsibility for her own government's policy in this area.

Many have here and now had difficulty paying their electricity bill or have not known how they could do so, but so far the government has not given any notice regarding the payment of electricity support. They refer to the fact that the level for when the support can be considered paid out has not been reached. But now, the situation in Iran also means that energy prices risk being raised and being very high for a long time. It is not just about it being winter and cold. Is the Energy Minister prepared to reconsider the level for when the support can be paid out?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The question is not at all sensitive. I am just tired of a completely anti-intellectual debate where the Social Democrats are crying out for a support that they claim does not exist, but does exist. It is well-prepared and ready to be paid out.

The Social Democrats had no electricity support themselves, and an emergency decree from the EU was required for it to happen – but what did they manage to deliver to the Swedish people? A thumb's breadth.

We have a clear support that the Swedish people have been able to count on since last autumn, well in advance of this tough winter. We stand ready to use it when the level is reached that I perceive there was a broad consensus around last autumn.

I move on to the very legitimate follow-up question: What happens if there are more changes in price levels as a result of the situation in Iran? In that case, both the Minister for Finance and I myself as Minister for Energy have said that we will continue to stand by the Swedish people. In that case, we are prepared to take further measures. We are not there now. We see no such indications at this moment. But in that case, we will return. We do not leave the Swedish people in the lurch in such a situation.

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Tobias Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Minister Busch is popular today and is also the subject of my question.

During this question period, we have heard three Social Democrats say that the money must be spent, comment on what the minister promised, and ask when it is going to happen. It is, as she says, dishonest. The Social Democrats have no proposal of their own.

None of the speakers in the debate have been able to say that they want to lower the threshold to a certain level for the high-cost protection for electricity or come up with any other constructive proposals in this area. They had that opportunity in their own budget motion. They have the opportunity to move forward on that issue now. But they do not, and it is distressing.

To be concrete: Is there an interest from the Minister's side to look at lowering the threshold from 1.5 kronor per kilowatt-hour? Now I am doing the Social Democrats' job, but I would also, in the long term, like to see a continued reduction of the electricity tax. Can the Minister help me with this?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I am already looking forward to the upcoming negotiations on next year's budget. I know that we are four coalition parties who agree that we need to continue delivering to the Swedish people. I am speaking of more stable electricity prices and electricity prices that are even lower than they have become after the reductions that have been seen every year since we took office. We need to continue to clear away the unpredictability regarding increases in grid fees, which is a task that we have begun.

There are several of us who would like to see a general reduction in the tax burden on the Swedish people. One can imagine that the electricity tax is part of that. I will refrain from that budget debate in the chamber today, as I represent the entirety of our cooperation. We will take that debate in due course.

However, we shall not return to the time when Sweden was completely dependent on weather and wind as a strategy forward to build Sweden strong. True, many of us are happy to work in that direction, but we will take that in the budget negotiations.

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Lars Jilmstad (M)

Mr. Speaker! Defense capability is not just about defense materiel and personnel numbers. Defense capability is also about being in the right place at the right time. That requires an organization that can be quickly mobilized to meet surprise attacks.

A well-equipped and growing home guard constitutes an important part of such a preparedness, but it would be even faster and more efficient to, as a complement, recreate the operational defense that we had from the mid-40s until the beginning of the 2000s. The operational defense consisted of specially trained personnel at the most important facilities of that time. Today, it could involve, for example, ports, power plants, water and sewage facilities, data facilities, airports, and other particularly sensitive infrastructure.

My question to the Minister of Defence is: When will we get the operational base back?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the member for the question. It perhaps concerns Carl-Oskar Bohlins area of responsibility somewhat more; he is, after all, the Minister for Civil Defence.

With that said, very large investments are now being made in both the military defense and the civil defense. Today, we have a budget for military defense that is three times larger than what we had in 2018, and we have made a decision on a fivefold increase of the appropriations for civil defense. These are important investments to strengthen society's resistance and resilience.

What we have to contend with is that we have received an investigation pointing out that a modern construction and repair readiness needs to be re-established. An important lesson from the war in Ukraine is how important it is to have resilience in society, so that one can rebuild a building or, for example, a substation after an attack and that one can get back a secure electricity supply. I assess that a modernly adapted construction and repair readiness could very well live up to the requirements that the war poses. The government may have reason to return to this.

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Jonathan Svensson (S)

Mr. Speaker! The Minister for Energy said that we Social Democrats are grasping at straws when we talk about the electricity subsidy. That is simply not true. On the other hand, we are grasping at the stories of ordinary people. We believe and trust the pensioner whose pension is now being eaten up by sky-high electricity bills. We believe and trust the families with children who now have to make brutal prioritizations in their finances to cover the month's electricity bill. It is precisely for that reason that we are asking these questions to the Minister today.

The government and the Riksdag have allocated funds in the budget to be able to pay out electricity support. Therefore, we now want the government to ensure that the electricity support reaches Swedish households.

I want to ask the Minister: Is the government willing to pay out these funds to Swedish households?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! My task is to stand on the side of the Swedish people. I see it as an honor to, as an elected representative, work for my country in this capacity for a short period in my life.

That we want to stand on the side of ordinary, hard-working people is the reason why we have developed this electricity support. We stand ready to pay it out, so the answer is yes. The question is at what level it should occur. Another question is what the Social Democrats' non-existent electricity support looks like, if one no longer supports the electricity support that we presented in the autumn and which the Swedish people have been able to count on since then.

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Martin Westmont (SD)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner. It is about bureaucrats, bureaucrats, bureaucrats, to echo a well-known football quote by Sven Jerring.

The number of bureaucrats in Sweden is large. The number of bureaucrats is also increasing, and they cost taxpayers enormous amounts every year. The Minister for Civil Affairs has, in an exemplary manner, led the Tidö parties' work to reduce the number of agencies in Sweden, Mr. Speaker, but a smaller number of agencies does not automatically mean that there will be fewer bureaucrats.

I want to ask the Minister for Civil Affairs if it is his absolute view that the work to streamline the agency structure should continue and if the objective is that the number of bureaucrats shall decrease in Sweden.

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Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)

Mr. Speaker! It is interesting that Member Westmont notes the work the government is doing with the streamlining of the state and its agencies. If we look at the decisions that have been made so far and at those that are in the so-called pipeline, we can see that during the mandate period, decisions can be made to have about forty fewer agencies in Sweden. That is very good, I think.

Furthermore, we have specifically promoted lower local costs through tightenings in the local procurement ordinance. We have also put communication costs under scrutiny – the costs for communication have increased much more than the costs for the rest of the state administration. We also see that digitalization and, not least, more use of AI could streamline processes and reduce the need for certain labor.

If we exclude the judiciary, the correctional services and the defense, the number of employees within the state has remained quite steady during this mandate period, which means a decrease per capita. The increase has truly subsided. I believe that we will be able to see a reduction if we act correctly, focus on the core, and reduce that which is not core tasks.

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Stefan Olsson (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister of Defence.

We have all taken note of the news from Ukraine regarding the development of drone warfare and how this has changed the nature of land warfare. I would therefore like to ask the Minister of Defence how we in Sweden incorporate the lessons from Ukraine when we build our defence force.

I would also like to take the opportunity to ask the Minister what form of cooperation we now have with Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, it was we who helped Ukraine, but I believe that in the future it will be Ukraine that needs to help us. I understand if the Minister cannot tell everything about this; there may be secret cooperations. I still want to ask what the public should know in this matter.

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Stefan Olsson, for the question!

We have tasked MSB, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and the Armed Forces with systematically evaluating experiences from the war in Ukraine. When it comes to the lessons learned, it is primarily the unmanned systems that are very tangible, both in the air and on the surface. This places demands on us to develop a stronger air defense. We have also made investments in this through what is called counter-UAS, which is intended to combat drones. We have presented such an investment of 3.5 billion.

It is also about learning from the Ukrainians. We have a new center for UAS, or for drones, down in Karlsborg. It is well known that we receive a lot of help and support from the Ukrainians when it comes to technology and methods for operating drones. Right now, there is no country in the world that is as skilled as Ukraine at operating drones. We have every reason to learn as much as possible from their experiences.

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Arin Karapet (M)

Mr. Speaker! My question is addressed to Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch.

The night between January 8 and January 9, over 30,000 Iranians were massacred. There are figures indicating that it could have been up to 50,000 people who were quite simply slaughtered overnight, when the mobile network and internet were shut down.

On February 14, over 250,000 Iranians gathered in connection with the security conference in Munich to receive and show their support for the Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who with all probability – in my opinion – is the official opposition leader and the only person who can lead a transitional government in Iran towards a democratic, secular and free Iran.

My question to the Vice Prime Minister, who has clearly shown his support for Iran much earlier, is: If the Crown Prince of Iran comes to Sweden, can Vice Prime Minister Ebba Busch imagine meeting him?

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The development we have seen in Iran, actually ever since the revolution, has not gone unnoticed. Despite that a dictator through massive religious oppression has tried to keep an entire country captive, we have been keeping track. We rejoice with the Iranian people, who seek freedom. Sweden's government stands behind that struggle for freedom.

Even though it is not our task to appoint the one who is to take over in a free Iran – it must be the Iranian people's task – it is impossible to avoid hearing a name being shouted in the streets all around the world but also here in Sweden, and that is Reza Pahlavi. He himself has said that he wants to lead Iran to a secular democracy as a transitional leader.

It is positive to meet those who gather support for a free and democratic Iran, and it is clear that we from Sweden's side should also be prepared to meet them in such a situation – of course!

Question time was hereby concluded.

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