Consumer rights

Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! This is, therefore, this year's consumer debate. I want, while I still remember it, to move for the approval of the proposal and the rejection of all motions, so that is said.

I would like to take the opportunity to send a greeting to those who are at Konsumentdagarna 2023. Unfortunately, they happen to be at the same time as we have the consumer debate; otherwise, a number of members from the Committee on Civil Affairs would have gladly been there.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to take the opportunity to extend a big, warm thank you to all of Sweden's small business owners - to the retailers out there, who have truly had a difficult time. I am thinking of the hardware store in Järbo. I am thinking of the Tempo store in Vallsta. I am thinking of the paint store in Boden. You fight for us consumers. The small business owner at Tempo in Vallsta perhaps works 70 or 80 hours a week so that we who live nearby - I have a summer house there - can go there and shop. A warm thank you to you!

Mr. Speaker! Political decisions affect prices. That Sweden has had the EU's highest prices on diesel is a strongly contributing cause to the fact that food prices have risen.

The farmer who is to produce milk uses diesel, electricity, and artificial fertilizer. The transports cost money. Arla's largest milk farmer happens to be in my home district, in Ljusdal, and it goes without saying that when the milk is to be transported to the dairy in Stockholm and then out to the stores, it results in higher food prices.

Power shortages prevent the establishment of stores. We could see Ica go out and warn about this yesterday in a newsletter, where it was said that power shortages mean that one cannot have stores in the places where one wants them.

Mr. Speaker! In Finland, an interesting study has been conducted on in what way the EU's regulatory framework affects prices. It has been divided into different product groups.

I do not use cosmetics, but there may be others who do. It could be 41 percent cheaper. Toys could be 30 percent cheaper, electronics 30 percent cheaper and clothes 20 percent cheaper.

Political demands, tariffs and fees are thus driving up prices. It can become a bit confusing for us consumers, Mr. Speaker, when we see prices on the web. One might look at a product in Sweden and think that it costs 100 kronor. Then one finds it on the web and sees that it costs 65 kronor. Then perhaps the consumer does not understand that the other price was outside the EU.

Mr. Speaker! I do not know if I have hit all of them, but I have found 22 different EU proposals on the way where political ambitions risk making all products more expensive.

When one as a trader sets a price, one must naturally weigh in all costs. That becomes very foolish. I believe that we politicians sometimes must think things through. We may have good political ambitions, but we must also consider that it can affect the price of goods.

Mr. Speaker! As I said, I directed a greeting to the very many consumer advisors who are currently at the Consumer Days. The Riksdag directed announcements to the previous government on several occasions and said that we think it is very important with a strongly present consumer guidance. There we can see how the development has gone in the wrong direction. It is still the case that many municipalities are closing down their consumer guidance offices.

We Moderates believe in local self-government. We have been very hesitant to legislate on mandatory consumer guidance. But we still think that the municipalities should consider how important consumer guidance is.

A problem that we have encountered recently is that the Consumer Agency has listened to the Riksdag and done exactly the opposite, Mr. Speaker. While we here in a broad majority have said that we protect consumer guidance, the Consumer Agency has simultaneously decommissioned an important case management system that the municipal consumer advisors used. This means, for example, according to consumer advisors in Gästrikland whom I speak with, that one could previously see, for example, when asphalt pavers from other countries arrive in Skåne. One could follow this in the system in order to be on one's toes and say: We are ready; now it is underway. It could also be about the arrival of scam invoices or something else.

This has now disappeared – it is remarkable to say the least. I hope that our new government and the Minister for Consumer Affairs give the Consumer Agency a clear instruction that one cannot do that. The state has an important task in supporting the municipalities.

Mr. Speaker! There are also dangerous products appearing on the consumer side, not least on the internet. One might, for example, see an electrical product and take for granted that the product safety is the same if one buys it from a Swedish company on a Swedish website and if one buys it on another website. But that is not the case. On the marketplaces, regardless of whether they are called Amazon or something else, products that can be directly life-threatening are sold today.

I hope that we find an even better EU regulatory framework and that Swedish authorities act much faster and more resolutely to remove dangerous products from the market. This is very important.

Mr. Speaker! To have a consumer policy debate today without mentioning the shameful legislation that has existed around lotteries is naturally not possible. Here, the Riksdag, the Committee on Civil Affairs, has acted. Already when the legislation on written agreements for telephone sales was introduced, we issued a notice to the government and stated that this should naturally also cover lotteries. When a new gambling act came on January 1, 2019, we wanted in the Riksdag to regulate that written agreements should be required for telephone sales.

But for some inscrutable reason, the government at the time did not want this. When an investigation was appointed, it was even said to it: Well, a requirement of written form would have far-reaching negative effects for those who have licenses for the lotteries. And we all know who has the largest revenues from this.

It has now been announced that an investigation will be appointed. I hope that we, in broad political agreement, will be able to find a solution when it comes to lotteries that deceive people. Express's headline last week was appalling. It was about how it is done to deceive pensioners, and they had quotes from a speech script. This is, of course, completely unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker! It should be easy to do the right thing as a consumer. We have never had as many options as we have right now, thanks to the competition that exists. And thanks to the internet, it is very easy to compare prices – that is good. But we must also think of the merchant, such as the small village shop in Ljusdal, which naturally does not have a chance to have a price as low as a large web store. There, we as consumers must therefore make a choice. If I want to be able to shop locally and be able to have access to community services, I should perhaps reasonably shop at and benefit my local merchant.

(Applause)

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! We all want to share in life's pleasures: to live well and comfortably, to surround ourselves with things we like, and to treat ourselves to certain experiences that make life worth living. But no matter how much you want to indulge, it is your assets that set the limits.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden finds itself in a new economic reality, and inflation is the highest in 30 years. It is becoming tougher and not easier for our consumers. Even the credit reporting company UC warned during last week that the ability to pay is decreasing in Sweden. Swedish families with children are tormented by increased food prices, rising electricity bills and rents, and high interest rates. The payment defaults are often due to people having accumulated bills. It could be about a divorce or about having lost one's job. According to Sveriges Konsumenter, 173,000 children have at least one over-indebted parent.

The Consumer Agency's information service has noted causes linked to over-indebtedness or personal finances. It can involve electricity bills; the consumer cannot afford to pay and is threatened with disconnection. Another cause is home purchases, where it can involve, for example, newly produced condominiums and that consumers want to withdraw from pre-agreements on the grounds of a significantly increased annual fee.

Furthermore, it concerns questions about food prices: why it is so difficult to find goods that are discounted because they are close to their best-before date, or how large a discount the companies must offer on these goods.

It is also about leasing cars and agreements signed during the last year, where the delivery has been delayed and the monthly fee has been increased due to the variable interest rate, as well as the cancellation of newly manufactured cars.

Furthermore, it concerns issues linked to various corporate bankruptcies and issues regarding goods purchased on credit in stores - sometimes it concerns food - as well as goods and services that overall have become much more expensive.

The number of emails to the consumer advisory service has increased, as has the number of calls where consumers directly express that they cannot afford to pay their bills and need help.

Digitalization is good and involves many advantages, but many times one forgets that not everyone has the same interest in or ability for technology. It is primarily older people who are limited when previous payment and cash options have been removed and they are constantly referred to digital solutions. It can concern simple things such as seeking healthcare or paying for parking or travel by train or bus, or just generally trying to sort something out regarding an incorrect invoice or a subscription.

Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats believe that all consumers must be given good conditions to make the right decisions based on what they wish to buy or potentially refrain from buying, and which agreements they should or should not enter into. For this, it is required that consumers' power is strengthened, that information to consumers is increased, and that the knowledge of the individual becomes greater.

Consumer markets are undergoing rapid transformation, partly through greater international competition and increased digitalization. Marketing in digital channels makes it possible for unscrupulous companies to quickly reach out with improper marketing and to mislead consumers in a very short time.

Mr. Speaker! It is already mandatory today for municipalities to have budget and debt counseling aimed at helping people who are in debt. But the problem is that that activity does not work preventatively but comes in when the situation has already gone too far. Consumer guidance, on the other hand, works precisely preventatively. It is no coincidence that municipalities that have both budget and debt counseling often have the activities side by side. This cooperation provides extremely positive effects for those seeking help.

All consumers must have access to a functioning consumer guidance service in their vicinity. But unfortunately, many municipalities have chosen to dismantle their operations during recent years. The reduction has been clear. In 2015, there were 270 municipalities that had consumer guidance. In 2021, there were 179, and now the figure is down to 168 municipalities. That means there are 122 municipalities that do not have any consumer guidance at all.

If we want to prevent over-indebtedness, increase incentives for sustainable consumption, and stand on the side of vulnerable consumers against unscrupulous companies, there is only one way to go. It is to strengthen municipal consumer advice together with budget and debt counseling and not weaken it. The municipalities can carry this out by having their own consumer guidance, by purchasing the service, or by joining with other municipalities and finding a model that works.

We Social Democrats believe that the government, together with Sveriges kommuner och regioner, should initiate work to find suitable forms to strengthen and develop municipal consumer guidance. We Social Democrats also want to invest 100 million kronor to strengthen and expand municipal consumer guidance, so that the municipalities can be more active in preventive work and provide everyone with the right guidance during this economic crisis.

Mr. Speaker! The Government's proposal to increase the appropriation to the National Board for Consumer Disputes by 6.5 million kronor to reduce the sharply increasing influx of cases is good, and it is needed.

We have taken note of the Financial Police's report on increasing fraud crimes, where fraudsters pose as bank employees or authority figures who, via telephone, attempt to obtain bank details. We have taken note of how young people do not know how agreements should be interpreted or what they entail, and how advertising, influencers, and luxury advertising mislead them.

We have the Consumer Ombudsman's reports on health and beauty operations, where the marketing does not stay within the framework of what is permitted and lures consumers into making fateful decisions that can risk both health and finances. We have the mapping of the municipalities' budget and debt counseling, which shows that it differs enormously between municipalities. One can arrange a meeting within just a few days in one municipality, but in the other municipality, one may have to wait for eight months.

The Swedish Enforcement Authority warns that unsecured loans have increased by 40 percent compared to a year ago.

That is exactly why consumer advice is needed in our entire country.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that we naturally support both of our committee motions. For the sake of time, however, I only move for the approval of reservation 22.

(Applause)

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Anna-Belle Strömberg, for the speech! Consumer policy is rarely something with dramatic ideological differences, but fundamentally we are usually quite in agreement. But there are some things that set us dramatically apart.

Just as Anna-Belle Strömberg said in her speech, there are villainous companies. One of these companies was highlighted in Expressen last week. The headline on Expressen's front page was: "The secret script to trick pensioners". In the article, it was a desperate young person who told how the Socialdemokraterna, via their lottery, simply cheated people. This is deplorable. It is terrible. I do not know how to describe it.

This is what we have tried to prevent in the Riksdag. In this chamber, we have not ignored the unserious companies that engage in deceiving pensioners. We have time and again tried to tell the then-government that we, for example, want a written requirement for telephone sales. In the spring of 2018, the Riksdag stated this. Now it has been five years since then. Expressens news would not have needed to occur if one had a written requirement.

The interesting thing is: Why has the current government not acted in this matter? Why has the parliamentary announcement not been followed? Why does one think it is so important to cheat the pensioners out of their last hundred kronor?

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Lars Beckman, for the questions! First and foremost, I want to say that we have, of course, handled the criticism we received in 2017. During the past five years, we have not sent anyone to the Enforcement Authority after that incident. We absolutely do not stand behind anyone deceiving anyone else, regardless of whether it is a young or old person or who it is. But this is something completely different from what you are trying to say.

You speak of countering a gambling addiction. But it is not our lotteries that cause gambling addiction. During the previous parliamentary term, an investigation was conducted, and it was shown quite clearly that it is not our lotteries that drive gambling addiction, but rather the form of gambling online casinos. There, we wanted in the autumn to have a tightening of the rules, which however the government parties and SD voted down.

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! I believe in democracy. I believe in the Swedish people's ability to vote in their members of parliament. I believe in representative democracy.

This House, the Swedish Riksdag, has on two occasions told the then Social Democratic government that we want to put a stop to the scam against the pensioners. There must be a stop to lotteries that deceive the elderly. We think it is indecent. We think it is improper.

Expressen's news, therefore, came last week. It was not 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022, it was 2023, Mr. Speaker.

This is important if one believes in democracy. We in the Riksdag have on no fewer than two occasions said that there must be a stop to the Socialdemokraterna deceiving pensioners. One way to achieve a stop for this is to ensure that there shall at least be a written confirmation when the skilled telemarketers do everything described in the article and cheat the poor pensioner out of the last hundred kronor. With a written confirmation, the pensioner is not cheated. Therefore, the Riksdag has said that we do not want any exceptions in the legislation.

Is there any reasonable explanation, Anna-Belle Strömberg, as to why the government at that time, over five years, has not been able to follow the Riksdag's announcement and remove the special legislation that the previous Riksdag had decided on? They, therefore, made a special legislation for the Social Democrats' lottery. It was a pure special legislation.

Since then, I have understood that this was important for the revenues of the Socialdemokraterna. But it is directly indecent to cheat pensioners out of their last hundred kronor. Why has one not acted?

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! We have absolutely no separate legislation, but it is the same rules that apply to everyone. It is the same rules that apply to the disability movement, the scouts, IOGT-NTO, the entire sports movement and so on, as well as for Save the Children and the Cancer Foundation. We all have the same rules.

If it is as Lars Beckman says, that he believes in democracy, perhaps he should listen to the former M leaders who are strongly critical of the government's proposal, which deliberately turns power against us in order to stop and silence us. It is about weakening and limiting the opposition so that the fragile democracy becomes even more fragile and the polarization increases.

(Applause)

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Mr. Speaker! When the requirement for written communication for telephone sales was introduced in September 2018, an exception was made for lotteries. Already then, the Riksdag made an announcement to the Social Democratic government that it wanted to begin the work of investigating whether the requirement for written communication should also cover the sale of lotteries. But nothing has happened.

Unfortunately, the exception also applies to the sale of lottery tickets on credit. Selling games and lottery tickets on credit is prohibited in Sweden - in order to protect vulnerable groups from debt. No types of games are allowed to be sold on credit except for lottery tickets sold by the Socialdemokraterna.

Mr. Speaker! This lottery sale has hardly been problem-free. In 2017, Dagens Nyheter revealed that the party sold lottery tickets on credit to those already in debt. 8,000 Swedes had been sent to the Enforcement Authority because they had not paid for the Social Democrats' lottery tickets, and in nearly 2,000 cases, this led to a credit record. Many of these people were pensioners who were already in debt and were in the Enforcement Authority's registers.

After that, direct mail for the lottery tickets has been sent out without specifying that it is the Socialdemokraterna who are behind it. And in the advertisement that is currently running on TV about Kombilotteriet, four small lines are shown very briefly in the final image, which you need very strong glasses to be able to read. On one of these lines, it states that Socialdemokraterna are the beneficiaries of the lottery.

The new revelation in Expressen this week shows that the Social Democrats continue to use highly questionable methods to sell lottery tickets on credit to pensioners who cannot afford them.

Given how this lottery sale is conducted, I wonder: Does the member believe that there should still be exceptions in the law for the Social Democrats' lottery sales?

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! Again: The investigation conducted during the previous parliamentary term showed that it was not seen as any problems with the lotteries. The gambling addiction and the over-indebtedness that is seen are due to the online casino and its advertising. And, again, it was the government and SD who voted against this tightening. We have no special legislation. We have the same rules as everyone else.

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Mr. Speaker! It surprises me that the Social Democrats are standing here in the chamber of the Riksdag and lying and saying that there is no special legislation. When the requirement for written documentation was introduced, the Social Democrats chose to exempt their own lotteries. That is the very definition of special legislation. They also chose in 2005 to exempt their lotteries when it comes to the possibility of selling on credit, which resulted in sending all these pensioners to the Swedish Enforcement Authority.

Does the member not admit that there is a problem with these lotteries? Here, sellers are sitting and selling lottery tickets to pensioners who explicitly say that they cannot afford it. Doubtful methods are being used. They are aggressive and intrusive methods. I actually want to assert that this is the most despicable way one can sell something – to try to trick pensioners, who do not have the means, into subscribing to the Social Democrats' lottery. They use both dirty tricks and lies.

Does the Prime Minister really mean that she sees no problems with this type of lottery sales?

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! My problem is that Angelica Lundberg claims that this is about over-indebtedness and that we are tricking pensioners into the Enforcement Authority.

(ANGELICA LUNDBERG (SD): You did.)

In five years, we have not sent anyone to the enforcement authority. The problem is also that the Sweden Democrat, Tobias Andersson, was very clear that the purpose was to strip us of our source of income and that it would become a poorer First of May. That was the goal.

(Applause)

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

Larry Söder (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Just as it has been said from the rostrum earlier, consumers are having it tough right now. It is more expensive food, more expensive interest rates, and more expensive fuels. Through that, products also become more expensive. Those who are hit hardest are obviously those who have small economic margins, and in these times it is particularly important that there is support and help for these people.

For many consumers, it is crucial that support is available locally in the form of, among other things, municipal consumer advisors. Consumer guidance is something that the committee has protected in previous years and issued statements to the government about. It is an attitude that must not be forgotten in these times, I believe.

The number of municipalities with consumer guidance has, just as we heard before, decreased accordingly. Today, there are 168 municipalities that offer consumer guidance to their residents. It is a decrease of 11 municipalities during the current year, compared to 2021. It is a development that we find worrying and that I believe we should take most seriously at a national level. We should more seriously find a solution for how we can ensure that consumer guidance exists across the entire country. At the same time, the municipalities must realize that having consumer guidance is not just a cost in the municipal budget. It is also a help and a support for the individual citizen that can create peace and tranquility for the individual citizen.

We have a long tradition of safeguarding consumers' rights and working for economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable consumption. Through strong consumer protection, we ensure the opportunities for citizens and consumers to seek redress against companies that cannot meet the requirements that we consider necessary.

In many cases, consumer policy is about ensuring that what might seem obvious is also fulfilled when one purchases a product on a market. Products should, therefore, keep what they promise. One should get what one pays for, and the marketing should be truthful and show accuracy regarding the product's content. Unserious actors should not benefit at the expense of all those companies that actually do right, who want to do right, and who do as well as they can.

A well-functioning consumer legislation is therefore not only about strengthening the individual's rights in the market but also about contributing to healthy competition in the market and to a well-functioning market economy.

The starting point for consumer law is that individual consumers are in a more vulnerable position than the traders they encounter and therefore have the right to a proportionally stronger protection than what applies when traders do business with one another.

I would like to raise the discussion regarding the serious situation with over-indebtedness. I believe we are quite aware that over-indebtedness will increase in Sweden. It is not rocket science in any way. If we look at how many are with the Enforcement Authority when we exit 2023, we realize that it is a larger number than it is right now. This creates a major problem for the individual.

I believe it is important with both consumer information and debt counseling when it comes to reaching as many as possible and in some way reducing these problems. I think it should be a priority area that a person should not end up in a deep debt trap. The debt trap in itself creates many problems for that person. But it is not always visible in the wallet. It is visible in other ways.

There are initiatives in the year-end budget that are in line with the requests that I have in some way put forward here. We have invested in the National Board for Consumer Disputes, so that the processing times shall be reasonable when one submits a case to the National Board for Consumer Disputes. More money has been given to consumer organizations that support the consumer's interests. A mandate has also been given to the Consumer Agency to expand the support for budget and debt counselors, for example through competence development, supporting work, and such. Since there is consumer counseling in so few municipalities today, we believe that a national common strategy for this is needed. And when it comes to competence development across the country, one perhaps needs to help each other at a national level.

With this, I move for approval of the committee's proposal in the report.

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

Martin Westmont (SD)

Madam Speaker! Consumer policy is an important area that affects people in one way or another in their everyday lives. What we are working for is that everyone should feel secure when purchasing goods and services and know which rules apply before, during, and after the purchase.

If we are to be able to achieve this, we need good systems and good controls that ensure consumers' interests. We see that fraud crimes are numerous, not least those directed at elderly Swedes. It is a major problem that we must work actively to counteract. Consumer guidance shall be strengthened and, to the extent needed, broadened so that everyone who is in need of support and help can also receive it within a reasonable time.

The Sweden Democrats follow the government's work closely. If we consider that too little is being done, we will of course take action.

Madam Speaker! In the current situation, there is no ban on directing advertising to children on the internet and in downloadable applications, even though these media with children as the target group in many cases contain offers and opportunities to purchase virtual items and skills in games. This can cause pressure to purchase for both children and parents.

In recent months, we have received many stories about children who have purchased various things in digital games and applications. It has been unclear whether it has involved real money. The children have purchased virtual objects in games, which has resulted in invoices of thousands of kronor. So, we simply cannot have that in Sweden. We must safeguard secure IT environments for our children. Furthermore, we believe that additional measures for controls and sanctions are needed regarding advertising targeted specifically at children.

For that reason, a tightening of the law was needed for increased protection regarding marketing. We believe that the Swedish legislation needs to be updated so that consumer protection for children and young people follows the digital development and gives children full protection in these environments. Sweden shall not only defend its right to stricter laws against marketing aimed at children but also work within the EU to ensure that the requirements in this legislation constitute a minimum level for the entire EU.

Madam Speaker! Telephone sales of lotteries and gambling for money carried out by various types of organizations is unethical and most likely contributes to increased gambling addiction; we have heard the discussion here earlier in the debate. Many times, the seller is intrusive and aggressive in their eagerness to sell. Often, people speak loudly about the possibility of large winnings, and among those who are affected, there are very many pensioners with small margins.

It is, to say the least, remarkable, Madam Speaker, that there are specific exceptions for political parties' sale of lotteries and games on credit. It enables highly questionable arrangements, and it should be in all parties' interest to put an end to this activity which contributes to increased gambling addiction.

Madam Speaker! A promise from the Sweden Democrats and the other Tidö parties is that we take gambling addiction seriously and are prepared to take powerful measures to reduce gambling abuse in society. My wish is that the Social Democrats do the same, because we know that gambling addiction creates depression and often painful family crises.

On 1 September 2018, a written requirement was introduced for telephone sales in order to strengthen consumer protection. The written requirement means that it is no longer possible to enter into a distance agreement orally when the seller contacts the consumer by telephone on their own initiative. For a valid agreement to be entered into, it is required that the consumer, after the telephone call, accepts the trader's offer in writing.

The requirement for written form does not, however, cover lotteries and other gaming services. We need to act in a better way regarding consumer safety concerning telephone sales. One step in this work is to introduce written agreements even in connection with the purchase of lotteries and other games via telephone.

Madam Speaker! Furthermore, we believe that the protection for small business owners in distance contracts must also be strengthened. We believe that small business owners who are contacted by telephone salespeople should be covered by the same rules regarding requirements for written form and the right of withdrawal as apply to telephone sales to private individuals.

Madam Speaker! The Consumer Agency is today paying out state grants to various organizations. The purpose is, according to the Consumer Agency, to support consumer interests within various areas of activity. The intention is good, Madam Speaker, but the procedure by which the Consumer Agency distributes this type of grant has flaws.

It is not uncommon for organizations granted support to have a clear slant and for their representatives to openly express support for certain political orientations, even if they are not officially affiliated with any party. As an example, the organization Jordens Vänner can be mentioned, which in its own annual report describes that "climate justice linked to anti-racism and feminism have been issues that we have permeated our public education with."

For this folkbildning, 300,000 kronor in state grants have been received from Konsumentverket. How this folkbildning relates to supporting Swedish consumers' interests is, however, extremely unclear. This type of support that Konsumentverket distributes within the consumer area has major flaws and must simply be reviewed.

(Applause)

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! This autumn, Mikael Eskilandersson of the Sweden Democrats said during the budget debate that a committee motion has been raised regarding consumer guidance and a number of other things. He also said that the Left Party is welcome to stand behind that motion when it is handled in the Committee on Civil Affairs. That was his answer when I, in light of the Sweden Democrats calling the over-indebtedness a ticking bomb, asked him here in the chamber why the autumn budget did not contain increased appropriations for the municipalities' consumer guidance.

Nor neither did the spring budget contain any increased appropriations, and the Sweden Democrats lack a committee motion on the issue. Where is the Sweden Democrats' committee motion on ensuring consumer guidance in all municipalities?

Member of the Government Martin Westmont says that if the government does too little, SD will act. Has Martin Westmont forgotten that the Sweden Democrats are part of the government support? If it is the case that one perceives that the government is doing too little, the Sweden Democrats need to act already now. But since there is a lack of a committee motion to ensure consumer guidance in all municipalities, one has shown quite clearly that one will not do anything at all.

My question is therefore: Where is the committee motion regarding consumer guidance in all municipalities?

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

Martin Westmont (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Nadja Awad, for your question on a very important area!

Just as I said in my speech, the Sweden Democrats closely follow the developments precisely when it comes to the work with consumer guidance. We are of the opinion that it is often not more money and resources that are required to address major problems in society, but rather we see that we can restructure the work and direct the resources to where they do the most good. After that, we will of course see if there is more to be done. If we consider that too little is being done within consumer guidance, the Sweden Democrats will of course raise the issue with the government parties.

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! I only intend to remind Martin Westmont of what the Sweden Democrats have obviously worked for for many years.

In a debate article in January 2022, the Sverigedemokraterna said that over-indebtedness is a ticking bomb. The same thing has been said for many years in interpellations, written questions, and motions. It has also been pointed out that the possibility of consumer counseling as a pre-filter to budget and debt counseling should be made available to more people, regardless of where in the country one lives.

At the same time, Martin Westmont says here that no money is required to ensure that consumer guidance is available in all municipalities. But if no money is required to ensure this, why has one previously, i.e., when the Sweden Democrats were not part of any government basis, budgeted for consumer guidance to be available in all municipalities?

As said, now that one is part of the government base, there is nothing about this in the autumn budget and neither in the spring budget. Even the committee motion is missing. And as it looks right now, the Sweden Democrats will also vote down the Left Party's proposal to ensure consumer guidance in all municipalities.

It is not worthy of the Sverigedemokraterna to do one thing before the election and another thing after the election. Consumers in a time of economic crisis need to be able to turn to a municipality, to consumer guidance, to get help and advice in economic matters. It reduces the risk of over-indebtedness ticking away.

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

Martin Westmont (SD)

Madam Speaker! I do not believe that we are in disagreement on the issue. Of course, everyone who is in need of consumer guidance should also receive that help. But we do not consider the way forward to be to have that type of service in all municipalities, but instead we believe that the resources should be directed where they do the most good.

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! More and more people are finding it harder to make ends meet. In addition to structural injustices, current factors, for example the increasing inflation with rising interest rates and more expensive food, are having an impact. This hits hardest those who live with the smallest margins, and it shows by that more and more families with children, pensioners and asylum seekers in Sweden cannot afford food and visit Stadsmissionen's stores.

At the same time, over-indebtedness is a clear class issue. Low-income earners, single people, low- and medium-educated, the sick, the unemployed, and tenants are overrepresented among those with long-term debt. More and more people are indebting themselves to afford everyday life. This is testified to by budget and debt counselors all over the country.

People take out loans because of skyrocketing food and fuel prices and interest costs. Then they take out new loans to pay off the old loans, with higher and higher interest rates. More people seek help for their debts, and more end up with the Enforcement Authority. In times of crisis, various types of abuse are also intensified, for example gambling, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental ill-health. It is different factors that affect people's indebtedness.

Debt affects so much that people experience a poorer quality of life. According to a report from the Consumer Agency, the group of those in debt is also affected five times as often by depression, anxiety, and mental ill-health in comparison with the average population. Many affected, Madam Speaker, simply see no light at the end of the mountain of debt. One in six people who are in debt has attempted to take their own life.

We are in the middle of an economic crisis. The government watches passively and fails its election promises. Everyone was supposed to get better off. That is what the right-wing nationalists promised during the election campaign. But in Ulf Kristersson's and Jimmie Åkesson's Sweden, ordinary people need to go into debt to afford skyrocketing interest costs and food prices. At the turn of the year, private individuals' debts to the Enforcement Authority exceeded 100 billion kronor for the first time.

If one does not receive help, there is a great risk of getting stuck in a long-term and negative debt spiral. This can happen to anyone. Many lose control over their finances in connection with life-altering events, for example unemployment, illness, separation or bankruptcy, in combination with low incomes and already small margins. This is significantly amplified by an economic crisis.

Madam Speaker! No one should have to take out a text message loan for the grocery shopping, the electricity bill, or the interest on the mortgage. We must ensure that more people do not get trapped in the debt trap, and we must continue to help people through the crisis.

Vänsterpartiet has presented a policy that is intended to make life easier for ordinary people during the crisis. This includes, among other things, lowered food prices, proposals for "Sverigepriser" on electricity, a strengthened unemployment insurance (a-kassa), breakfast in school, abolished care deductions, halved ticket prices in public transport, increased pensions, cheaper preschool and after-school care, an enhanced health insurance, and an increased child allowance.

But we also have a policy to directly reduce over-indebtedness. Vänsterpartiet believes that SMS loans and other quick loans should be banned. Before that is implemented, the government should investigate how the interest ceiling on consumer credits and quick loans can be lowered. One of the major culprits of debt is the quick loans. They stand out, among other things, with their aggressive advertising aimed at people with financial difficulties.

The companies often boast that payment defaults are not an obstacle to borrowing more. But neither Finansinspektionen nor Konsumentverket has revoked the license for any of the companies – this despite Finansinspektionen itself having warned that the quick loan companies have been negligent with the credit assessment. Furthermore, the interest rates are sky-high. The law states that the interest on a high-cost credit may be at most 40 percent above the Riksbank's policy rate. Right now, the policy rate is at 3 ½ percent. This means that the quick loan companies are allowed to charge 43 ½ percent interest on the loans. That is where most of them are. This proposal will be voted down by the right-wing parties tomorrow.

The Government, the Left Party also thinks, should investigate the possibility of making the municipalities obliged to provide consumer guidance. Most municipalities offer some form of consumer guidance, but unfortunately, it is many times far too deficient with limited opening hours and too few staff. Close and in-depth support and in-depth advice to consumers regarding complicated contracts or guidance before loan decisions reduces the risk of over-indebtedness. But as the municipalities' finances become more strained, consumer guidance is being abolished in more and more municipalities. Only 179 municipalities have some form of consumer guidance.

Vänsterpartiet wants to reverse this deplorable development and proposes 100 million more every year to be distributed evenly across the country's municipalities with 50 percent co-financing. We want to guarantee that all people have access to good consumer guidance, and for that, more municipalities need to provide access to it. The right-wing parties will vote down even this proposal tomorrow.

The right-wing parties have done far too little to reduce the over-indebtedness in society. They also show this by voting down the important proposals. No one should have to take out an SMS loan for the grocery shopping, the electricity bill, or the interest on the mortgage. No one should feel powerless or alone out in society; instead, one should be able to ask questions to the consumer guidance regarding finances and wonder what help one can receive during the ongoing crisis.

We must ensure that more people do not get caught in the debt trap, and we must continue to help people through the crisis. But we must act now. To watch passively while Swedish households are brought to their knees is a massive betrayal of ordinary people.

Madam Speaker! I move for approval of reservation 22.

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! Nadja Awad asked a question earlier in a reply with my colleague Martin Westmont regarding our motion on consumer guidance. I thought I would inform the member that the motion is motion 2022/23:1007, Crackdown on over-indebtedness.

I do not know if the member counts the Sweden Democrats as one of the right-wing parties - we are actually a center party in many respects, I would like to claim - but we are the only party that actually has a thoroughly worked-out motion with proposals for 20 powerful measures against over-indebtedness. And I know that the member agrees with many of the proposals.

The proposal for local consumer guidance remains. It is an issue that we are still pushing. I am pleased that Vänsterpartiet, and also the Socialdemokraterna, have taken up the idea of 100 million to the municipalities. It was a proposal that we submitted to review how consumer guidance can be strengthened. We do not, however, share the view that consumer guidance should be mandatory, but we believe that with different types of carrots, the municipalities should be made to realize that they actually benefit from having local consumer guidance.

The reason why there are no increased appropriations to the municipalities for consumer guidance is that there are no appropriations to the municipalities for consumer guidance. One cannot increase any appropriations that do not exist. That is also the reason why there are no appropriations included in the year-end budget, which is, therefore, an amendment of the previous budget.

I can, however, assure the members that we raise this at all meetings we have with the Government Offices regarding this issue. This is an issue where the Tidö parties are in agreement – Sweden should have increased consumer guidance. It was an issue that the Tidö parties pushed during the previous parliamentary term but which the government at that time did not want to hear about.

We are in agreement on this issue. I think it is unnecessary to create conflicts where there are none.

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! I thank Angelica Lundberg for the information; I did not perceive any specific question.

I want to ask a question myself. If a committee motion does exist, will the Sverigedemokraterna raise their own reservation tomorrow when we are to vote on the consumer guidance? As I understood it last time, the Sverigedemokraterna withdrew their reservation. It was said that they would try to reach an agreement with the government. Then the Vänsterpartiet expected that they would proceed with what Mikael Eskilandersson had said during the autumn budget debate last year and raise this committee motion.

Then the government and the Sweden Democrats obviously reached no agreement. It is very unfortunate. If over-indebtedness is so incredibly important for the Sweden Democrats and for this government, one might wonder why it is not incorporated into the Tidö Agreement. Mikael Eskilandersson did, however, say that they reached no agreement on a letter for a policy with direct proposals on consumer guidance, a ban on quick loans, and so on.

My question is, therefore, whether when it comes to the reservation tomorrow, we will be able to see that the Sweden Democrats take up this issue regarding consumer guidance.

When it comes to the claim that we in Vänsterpartiet would have accepted the Sverigedemokraterna proposal for 100 million more, it is a bit unfortunate that one comes up with fabrications, because this is simply not true. We submitted that proposal even during the previous parliamentary term. I was not sitting in the Riksdag then, but my representative as a Member of Parliament did.

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Riksdag issued a notice to the then government in 2021 and another notice to the then government in 2022 regarding precisely local consumer guidance. Since we are in a situation where we have other types of tools than the opposition parties have and can negotiate directly with the government, we have chosen this year not to issue a notice to the government for the third year in a row. We have instead chosen to let the new government work with the two notices that already exist in the area. I can assure the members that we are doing this.

Then I am perhaps also disappointed that the situation in the country looks the way it does. Consumer guidance was not what this government prioritized during its first 100 or 200 days in power. There were very many other problems that the social democratic government had created that we must first and foremost deal with. But the parliamentary term is long, and there will be further announcements on this issue.

I would like to ask a question to Vänsterpartiet. I perceive Vänsterpartiet as a party that often stands on the side of the vulnerable, which safeguards consumer rights and so on. We have many similar proposals when it comes to consumer rights. One question that we are, however, not in agreement on is the requirement for written form in the telephone sales of lotteries. Vänsterpartiet wants to keep the exception that the Socialdemokrater created for themselves, while Sverigedemokraterna considers that laws should also apply to political parties.

In light of the information that has emerged regarding the Social Democrats continuing with these dishonest methods to sell their lotteries, I would like to ask Member Awad how she views the exception that the Social Democrats have regarding the requirement for written communication in telephone sales.

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! I would first and foremost like to continue with the question regarding the budget.

I can understand that it has been chosen to prioritize away the consumer guidance in the negotiations with the government. It is a prioritization that the Sweden Democrats have to take responsibility for. We in the Left Party actually have a budget which means that we, as I mentioned in my speech, take into account a number of different proposals to facilitate the household economy during this time of crisis, while at the same time we advocate that consumer guidance should be able to exist in all municipalities.

One thing that one actually does not need a budget for is to stop the payday loans. This requires no budget at all, but it simply requires that one abolishes the payday loans. We haven't had them forever – before 2006 we didn't have payday loans, if I remember correctly. We managed without them then, and we can manage without them now. Given that this does not require any budget, I think it is a bit outrageous that the Sverigedemokraterna and the government will not proceed with stopping the payday loans and at least try to lower the interest ceiling. The interest can become almost 50 percent of what the loan amounts to, which is very problematic. It is about what one chooses to prioritize.

When it comes to the lotteries, I feel that this is a conflict that the Sweden Democrats have with the Social Democrats. I truly think that we need to accommodate the pensioners' finances, and I think above all that the government and the Sweden Democrats should live up to Jimmie Åkesson's promise to raise the pensions for the guaranteed pensioners.

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Nadja Awad, for a clear statement! Left Party wants to raise the pensions so that the Social Democrats can trick elderly pensioners; that was a rather clear and distinct statement.

Vänsterpartiet must naturally answer why one does not want to stop the unserious lottery sales. I understand that a Vänsterpartiet member might not read Expressen, so I will read out what is written there:

The sellers also launched lotteries as a significantly better alternative than other lotteries to the people they contacted. If the people being called mentioned that they could not afford to sign up for a lottery subscription, the seller, according to the script, would say: "No, I understand. My grandmother is what you call a poor pensioner, and she has explained that you need to turn every single krona around these days. But now it's only about a mere 99 kronor - that's not even a bun and a coffee at Pressbyrån today. And considering that there is a prize guarantee on every third lottery, the probability is very high that you turn it into something significantly more valuable. It is not a binding subscription now, but only a one-time [entry] with Sweden's by far biggest chance at a million, according to Lotteriinspektionen."

Expressen states further that the sellers, according to the script, were to continue by saying: I am sending the lottery to you so that you can try once. Then it will be I who comes with cake to your locality, since you do live there, right?

Madam Speaker! It is precisely this rogue behavior that we in the Riksdag have tried to stop for five years. The Left Party says that the Sweden Democrats and the government should raise pensions so that the Social Democrats can cheat pensioners. Surely it must be simpler for the Left Party to stand on the side of the poor pensioners against the political party that unscrupulously tries to cheat pensioners according to the speech script that I just read out from Expressen?

I expect a clear and distinct statement from Vänsterpartiet: Do you in Vänsterpartiet want to stop this trickery or not?

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! It seems, once again, that this polemic exists between the Social Democrats and the right-wing parties. The Left Party does not support a lottery sale that involves eroding the economy for already vulnerable groups in society. We are completely against that, and we have no policy that promotes lottery sales.

I mentioned the guaranteed pensions, but I have not linked that issue with the lottery sales. This is independent of the lottery sales. This is about the wallets being filled more for the guaranteed pensioners, who are counted among the poorest in Sweden.

I ask Lars Beckman and the Moderaterna: How is it that Lars Beckman wants to drive this polemic against just Vänsterpartiet, which both now and previously has taken a stand against lottery sales that erode the household economy of already vulnerable groups, for example pensioners? It is not decent.

If a party stands behind a policy that is problematic, the question should be directed to that party. What does Vänsterpartiet have to do with the Socialdemokraternas lottery sales? I wonder how Lars Beckman reasons.

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Madam Speaker! It is quite simple. Vänsterpartiet has been voted into the Swedish Riksdag. The member is a member of the Swedish Riksdag. When the Riksdag votes in the chamber, one as a member can vote yes or no to political proposals. That is, in a sense, the whole point of being a member of the Riksdag. Vänsterpartiet has voted for the special legislation that the Socialdemokrater are abusing by cheating pensioners all over Sweden out of their last crown. This is the question at hand.

Does Vänsterpartiet think it is decent that poor pensioners are cheated out of their last hundred kronor, or does Vänsterpartiet want to stop it? The question is digital: Either you take the side of the poor pensioners and say that you will do everything so that a poor pensioner is not cheated, according to the speech script I read out, or you say that it is perfectly okay that there are villainous companies celebrating with a sailing cruise in Mallorca when they have succeeded in cheating enough pensioners.

You have actively voted no to introducing a written requirement, Nadja Awad. You have done so no fewer than twice in a formal vote here in the Riksdag. Now there is an opportunity for Vänsterpartiet to take the right side of history - I was going to say for the first time, but you have surely done it at some point before - and stop this abuse.

It is about the Left Party's morality. Do you think this is right, or do you think it is wrong? If you think it is wrong that poor pensioners are deceived by the Social Democrats' unserious lotteries, you stand with us Moderates and the other Tidö parties. Or do you think what the Social Democrats are doing is okay?

I ask the question once more: Will you choose the decent side or the Social Democrats' side?

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

Nadja Awad (V)

Madam Speaker! Vänsterpartiet has not stood behind what Lars Beckman is talking about. What we have stood behind is that parties should be able to run lotteries. If this has occurred in an unfortunate way, the Riksdag needs to take measures to ensure that no vulnerable groups are hit hard by lottery sales. This is what Vänsterpartiet truly stands behind.

Lars Beckman speaks about transparency and doing the right thing, but Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer has indeed stopped the corruption investigation. This summer, it was revealed in the media that, for example, Moderate politicians encouraged contributions to the party and that one should find clever ways to get contributions to the Moderates. But Lars Beckman says nothing about this and that the corruption investigation is important for increased transparency and legal certainty. On the other hand, he points the finger at the Social Democrats and the Left Party.

Vänsterpartiet has nothing to do with lottery sales; we do not deal with lotteries at all. But what has happened is unfortunate, and the Riksdag needs to see if measures need to be taken.

Lars Beckman has no rebuttal left, but he should speak more about why the Moderaterna and other government parties have put a stop to the corruption investigation.

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

Alireza Akhondi (C)

Madam Speaker! When I entered the chamber today, I did not know that we would have a debate on political lotteries. I thought in my simplicity that we would have a debate on consumer rights, something that affects all of us in our elongated country. Each one of us buys goods and services on a daily basis, and that is what this policy area is intended to regulate, for the benefit of both consumers and companies regarding rights and obligations.

Let me still say something about the lotteries. We actually have a reservation about it in the report. Lotteries and other gaming services should, of course, be covered by the written requirement for telephone sales. For my part, I think that lotteries and games should not be able to be purchased on credit, because frankly, it goes against all logic.

I think, however, that the tone from the October crash parties – I still refuse to use the term Tidöavtalet – is astonishingly high. It doesn't matter that Lars Beckman raises the decibel level a few steps when the argumentation is childish and senseless. Somewhere, it is a matter of being honest with one's voters and not rounding the truth, even if one is partially correct in substance in this case.

Cold facts - the report was shown shortly before the election. The Chamber has made a decision on legislation that five of the eight parties - you know who you are - tried to bypass regarding transparency in how the parties are financed.

Everyone knows that the Center Party is one of the world's richest parties, and we know where we get our funding from. Everyone also knows that the Social Democrats bring in many millions by selling lottery tickets.

To try to raise the issue of the Social Democrats' party financing in this way without talking about how political parties should be financed, how we should revitalize democracy, and how we should ensure that we fight corruption is, in my opinion, low. I do not want to engage in such things in the chamber, for it brings to my mind undemocratic regimes in the Middle East.

Let us leave the lottery discussion, hopefully once and for all.

Centerpartiet has many reservations in the report, and we raise many important issues. This concerns, for example, that the protection against advertising to children and young people in digital environments should be reviewed. We also raise the issue of gender-discriminatory advertising and the burden of proof in cases of defects in goods, and regarding the notification of the purchase of live animals, we hope that the government returns to the Riksdag. When it comes to consumers' privacy in e-commerce, we know that precisely e-commerce and databases are vulnerable to hacker attacks. We remember when Coops' entire customer system and cash system had been hacked while waiting for a solution. It is such issues that I think should be raised: a broad review of consumer legislation, issues regarding quick loans, how to ensure that one gets the best effect from the travel guarantee system, and so on.

Finally, I also want to raise the issue of over-indebtedness. It is a term that is used somewhat sloppily in the debate. Over-indebtedness is mixed up with the fact that Sweden ranks third when it comes to which country in Europe has the highest debts. But over-indebtedness is actually the part that the consumer is unable to pay. Unpaid debts of 101 billion are with the Enforcement Authority. It is that part that is concerning. We are talking about 20 million a day. Closer to 400,000 Swedes are registered with the Enforcement Authority.

Extra concerning is that the funds that are paid in mostly go towards paying interest and not to the principal debt itself. This means that one does not really manage to break the circle that takes away people's hope for the future. We do not want people to get stuck in vicious spirals. Naturally, one should take responsibility for one's mistakes, but one should also be given a chance to return to society and be a productive part and be able to manage one's life in a wise and sensible way.

Madam Speaker! The Centre Party stands behind all of its 15 motions, but so that it does not become an insanely long vote, I move for the approval of only reservation 3.

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! Lottery sales are to the highest degree a consumer issue, and I am not at all surprised that the debate here today concerns precisely the Social Democrats' lottery sales, given the appalling revelation that appeared in Expressen last week, where it turned out that the Social Democrats continue to deceive pensioners who cannot afford to buy subscriptions to their lotteries.

The Sweden Democrats and the Centre Party pursue a considerable amount of common policy in the area of consumer rights, including when it comes to advertising targeted at children, over-indebtedness issues, consumer guidance, and so on. I am also pleased that the Centre Party and the Sweden Democrats in our joint reservation here today are clear that we want the requirement for written form to also cover the Social Democrats' lotteries. This is an issue that both of our parties have pushed for a long time for obvious reasons. It is obviously not reasonable for a political party to sell lotteries using aggressive and intrusive methods to pensioners and other vulnerable groups, as the Social Democrats do.

The government, with the support of the Sweden Democrats, has announced that it will introduce a ban on party plots. My question to the member from the Centre Party is: Will the Centre Party support such a ban when it is tabled in the Riksdag?

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

Alireza Akhondi (C)

Madam Speaker! This debate has developed into putting political parties on the spot and saying that if they do not do one thing or the other, they are this or that. I actually think the chamber should rise above that level. Quite honestly, Angelica Lundberg and actually the entire chamber – the few people sitting here – know what we think on the actual issue. We want a requirement for written documentation in the sale of lottery tickets.

I think it is a hygiene factor that the consumer actually knows what they are buying, and the requirement for written form is a reasonable balance. But – it is a big but – I and C do not intend to participate in any campaign to stifle democracy or attack another political party. There has to be some order. If one is to ensure that politics has a framework regarding its financing, Angelica Lundberg, one should not engage in finding ways to circumvent the purpose of transparency in party financing in other ways. I also think that is a hygiene factor. Right must be right. I am a person of principle. I think that if one tries to curb one thing, one should also try to curb other things that are equally distressing.

Angelica Lundberg points out that we have common reservations and informed me that there were two of them. It is very good that there are more parties in this chamber who think that consumer law issues are important, so I thank you very much for the question.

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! I thank Alireza Akhondi for the answer.

Madam Speaker! I would like to be corrected if I have misunderstood, but I interpret it as that the Centre Party is for a written requirement when it comes to telephone sales of lotteries. On that point, the Centre Party has been very clear, and I thank you for that. But should I interpret the member's answer as that one is not for a ban on party lotteries?

The reason I am questioning where the Center Party stands on the issue is that they today in the Cultural Committee wavered on the issue when it comes to a ban on party lots. It then becomes a bit strange that on one hand, in the Civil Affairs Committee, one pushes the issue of a written requirement because one wants to protect the consumers and because one does not want the type of intrusive, aggressive methods that the Social Democrats use. On the other hand, one wants to keep the Social Democrats' lot sales. I believe the Center Party owes this chamber a clear explanation of how they stand on the issue. Does the Center Party want party-political sale of lots or not?

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

Alireza Akhondi (C)

Madam Speaker! The short answer to Angelica Lundberg's question is: Yes. The slightly longer answer is that it shall take place in an orderly manner with consumer rights as the guiding principle. There is no contradiction in having the sale of lotteries, whether it is a political party, a private company, or a state-owned company for that part. But it shall take place in an orderly manner with the consumer's best interests in mind.

To act in this way and in these forms and to target a single political party as Angelica Lundberg does is not worthy of Swedish democracy. Such discussions that concern a larger area and that concern how we safeguard democracy are taken as a collective measure and discussed, instead of – excuse me, Madam Speaker, one should not bring up other issues in the debate – coming out with that one will lower the petrol price by 10 kronor and then delivering 14 öre. It becomes completely unserious. I believe that the Swedish people deserve better than members of Parliament who seek newspaper headlines just to get a few more likes in social media.

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

Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! We currently have, as we have heard from many, a situation where the costs for housing and food are increasing for the vast majority. Many have had tight margins and need to hold onto their money in entirely new ways. We see at the same time that the risk of indebtedness is increasing and that many have become more vulnerable in their everyday lives.

More and more varied consumer markets, ranging from the second-hand market and various digital services to the purchase of mobile games, subscriptions, and new opportunities to shop directly from all over the world, also risk making it even harder for consumers to make well-founded decisions, which in particular can harm more vulnerable groups of consumers.

When the market for consumers broadens and becomes more individual and global through, among other things, increased opportunities to shop from all parts of the world, the freedom of choice and the opportunities become greater. At the same time, it can become much more difficult to choose correctly or to be able to navigate at all in a jungle of offers with tangled agreements.

This development means that consumers' need for support and advice is increasing and that the advice needs to be easily accessible. The nationwide information service Hallå konsument! from Konsumentverket is an easily accessible and general service to support consumers, but in many cases, more personal support is required in order to be able to resolve a complicated situation.

The municipal consumer information therefore fulfills an important function as it provides personal support, which can be extra important if one has personal needs such as, for example, reading and writing difficulties or perhaps difficulties reading the Swedish language, but also because it can resolve legal knots that can be difficult for anyone to understand.

The consumer advisors also have a chance to work preventatively to avoid people ending up in unnecessary distress from the start, and many consumer advisors have also started turning directly to school students to increase knowledge on how to avoid being cheated.

Madam Speaker! Fewer and fewer municipalities offer consumer guidance today, which is a problem when we simultaneously have an increasing need for support. Furthermore, there are many municipalities that have long waiting times for debt or budget counseling. Miljöpartiet therefore proposed in the budget for 2023 increased resources to Konsumentverket to strengthen the municipalities' consumer counseling so that all consumers can have access to a functioning and accessible consumer guidance.

Today, the Consumer Agency's mapping shows that the municipalities' resources are not adapted to the need for advice. We think it is important that the government prioritizes this issue and initiates work to strengthen and ensure the residents' right to competent and independent consumer guidance. Therefore, I want to move for approval of reservation 22, which concerns exactly this.

Madam Speaker! I would also like to raise the issue of fossil advertising. Advertising and marketing is another important issue where people can make incorrect decisions based on a lack of knowledge or because they are misled. There is, for example, special legislation for public health reasons when it comes to the marketing of alcoholic beverages and tobacco.

That the marketing of products and services based on fossil fuels has a direct connection to increased use and consumption of fuels is a self-evident fact. That is, after all, the very purpose of the marketing. To, in the midst of an ongoing climate crisis, urge consumers to buy both products and services that increase the combustion of fossil fuels, at a time when the use of them rather needs to be phased out, is very foolish.

Advertising that increases our use of oil, gasoline, and natural gas risks our common future and has no place in glossy magazines or on our subway walls. Bans regarding fossil products and services have already been introduced or discussed in several European countries and cities. I would therefore particularly like to highlight the proposal for a national inquiry into a ban on advertising for fossil-based products and services.

I also think it is important to establish a clear climate labeling so that it will be easier to make good choices in the future. For the sake of time, I move for approval only of reservation 22, which I mentioned earlier.

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Lars Beckman (M)

Madam Speaker! Politics is about solving societal problems. When a societal problem is identified, initiatives are often taken by our authorities, or if we discover it ourselves, and then one wants to improve things for the people.

We have earlier today debated the Social Democrats' indecent lottery. The Green Party has sat in government together with the Social Democrats and has had every opportunity in the world to help pensioners avoid being cheated.

As a small point of clarification, I can say that the Riksdag legislated in 2017-2018 regarding a written requirement for telephone calls. The purpose of this was, of course, that no one in a stressful situation should simply be able to say yes without it actually being confirmed.

Then a gambling law was enacted in 2019, but for some inscrutable reason, the requirement for written form was exempted for just the Socialdemokraternas lotteries. Now, Katarina Luhr has probably read Expressen and taken note of other media and seen how a consistent deception directed at elderly pensioners is taking place. I read in a previous speech the speech manuscript that existed.

My question to Miljöpartiet is: Do you want to solve this social problem? Do you want to help pensioners so they are not cheated out of their last hundred kronor, either by banning lotteries for political parties or by, as a first step, at least ensuring that a written requirement is introduced for the telephone sales of lotteries? It is a straight, simple question: Does Miljöpartiet now want to ensure that political parties cannot cheat poor pensioners?

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Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the question. We have heard many answers to it. I can start by saying that we, of course, want to solve societal problems. I would not be standing here at this rostrum if I were not here to solve societal problems. Miljöpartiet does, of course, not stand behind attempts to deceive people, and that is also why we are discussing consumer policy today. Of course, people should not be deceived.

At the same time, I know that lotteries are not something that only the Social Democrats are involved in. There are many different organizations that deal with lotteries. There are also other political parties, I understand, that have also lifted that lid and started with lotteries to bring in money. If this is a major problem, it is clear that we should solve it, but I do not intend to give a yes or no answer until I see a proposal on the table that shows what we are actually discussing.

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Lars Beckman (M)

Madam Speaker! It could possibly explain why Miljöpartiet did nothing when they were in government, despite having a mandate from the Swedish Riksdag, from the elected assembly, which asked the then government, which Miljöpartiet was part of, to protect Sweden's elderly pensioners. But nothing was done. It is regrettable.

There must still be a principled stance. Does Member of Parliament Katarina Luhr consider that the same regulatory framework for telemarketing should apply to the Social Democrats as it does for businesses? It must be a principled stance. We Moderates give a clear message: The same rules shall apply to everyone. Regardless of whether it is A or B calling, it must be the same rules. A majority in the Swedish Riksdag considers this to be the only reasonable approach. We cannot have exception legislation for the old power-holding party, the Social Democrats, who have consistently exploited legislation to benefit themselves.

I do not know if Katarina Luhr read Expressen's appalling reports last week, with the speech script that I read out and which shows how it goes in reality. One is either for or against that the same rules should apply, and one is either for or against that we should do it better and solve a social problem. Then one cannot sit back and say that one has no position on the issue, there must be a principled position.

Then, of course, I as an individual Member of Parliament will take a position on the proposal and its exact design when it is finally presented to the Riksdag. This applies to all 349 Members of Parliament, but as a basic principle, there should be an answer to the question of whether one is for or against legislation that prevents elderly pensioners from being cheated, which we have seen examples of.

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

Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! I want to emphasize that I am truly against all ways of cheating pensioners, regardless of who does it. I also want to emphasize that when I read newspapers, which I do, I see many different terrible things. And sometimes we receive some legislative proposals that I do not stand behind either, so before I see a legislative proposal on the table, I do not intend to say that I stand behind something or do not stand behind something.

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

Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by quoting a text.

No, I understand. My grandmother is what you call a poor pensioner, and she has explained that you need to turn every single krona around these days. But now when it's only about a measly 99 kronor, that's not even a coffee and a bun at Pressbyrån today, and considering that there is a guaranteed win on every third ticket, the probability is very high that you transform it into something significantly more valuable. And it's not a binding subscription, it is only once with Sweden's by far biggest chance at a million according to Lotteriinspektionen itself, and you are included in 28 winning chances during the month. So we do this: I send the ticket home to you, so you try it at least once. And then it will be I who comes with the cake over there in Knäckebyhult. You do still live in Knäckebyhult, Britta?

This intrusive and aggressive sales technique that I have just quoted is used to trick pensioners into buying subscriptions to the Social Democrats' lottery. It is a lottery operation with the tip aimed precisely at pensioners and those already in debt.

The just mentioned quote is what is used when the pensioner in question has clearly expressed that one cannot afford it. If the pensioner says that one cannot afford it, it is precisely this script that should be used, namely: It is only a measly 99 kronor, not even a coffee and a bun at Pressbyrån.

It is a despicable and, to say the least, shameless way for the Social Democratic party to acquire money to use, among other things, to spread lies during the election campaign. I actually feel a bit nauseous when I read what ugly tactics the Social Democrats are employing.

It gets even worse when high-ranking representatives for the party make it sound like it is an attempt to silence the opposition if they are not allowed to continue deceiving pensioners with lottery subscriptions through dishonest business methods. Financing their party coffers in an ordinary honest way, as we in the other parties do, does not seem to be something that the Socialdemokraterna have thought about at all.

Madam Speaker! The Social Democrats have sold lottery tickets since 1947, and the sale of tickets is the party's largest source of income. In 2021, the sales from, among others, Kombilotteriet, Drömreselotteriet, as well as various scratch cards, gave the Social Democrats 151 million kronor in revenue. This corresponds to 90 percent of SSU's funding and a third of the mother party's. One can therefore understand why the previous Social Democratic government chose to introduce an exception to the requirement of written form when it concerns the sale of tickets via telephone. One rarely bites the hand that feeds one.

This exception unfortunately also applies to the sale of lottery tickets on credit. Selling lottery tickets and games on credit is prohibited in Sweden to protect vulnerable groups from over-indebtedness. And no other types of games may be sold on credit, except for just the Social Democrats' lottery tickets. In 2017, it was revealed that the party had sold lottery tickets on credit to those already in debt, and 8,000 people were sent to the Enforcement Authority because they had not paid for their lottery tickets. Many of them were pensioners who were already in the Enforcement Authority's registers.

Many of us wonder how it is that the Social Democrats, despite their policy having long been a real thorn in the side of the people, have been able to get so many votes. The answer lies partly in the very pronounced dominance they have given themselves by adapting legislation to their own needs and all the tentacles they have laid out in civil society year after year, and partly in the means they have acquired in this way. It is not just about large grants from authorities to various social democratic associations. They have also used the legislative assembly to favor themselves.

That the Social Democrats in 2005 ensured they received an exception for their own lottery sales in the gambling act in order to be able to continue selling lottery tickets on credit to those already in debt, or that they introduced this exception from the requirement of written form in telephone sales, is very remarkable. Had the requirement of written form in telephone sales also applied to lotteries, the poor pensioner who is tricked into lottery subscriptions by the Social Democrats' sellers would at least have had the opportunity to calmly read through what was offered and then in a deliberate way choose to accept it or not. That it has furthermore emerged that they continue to trick pensioners with low incomes into sponsoring the Social Democrats' dirty election campaign without the pensioners even knowing it is incredibly low, shameful, and actually completely inconceivable. The Social Democrat who hereafter in this chamber speaks of ethics and morals should keep their own party's actions in mind.

The Civil Outskirts Committee has on several occasions urged the then Social Democratic government to review this requirement for written form, but nothing has happened. It is therefore with pleasure, Madam Speaker, that I can state today that the current government, with the support of the Sweden Democrats, is delivering in another area. We will now, thank God, put an end to this shameless exploitation and introduce a ban on party lots. It is not a day too early. That the Social Democrats from now on will have to obtain revenue in the same way as all other parties is not a threat to democracy, even though some try to make it sound that way. It is, on the contrary, a very welcome announcement that will level the political playing field and make it more fair, while at the same time we strengthen consumer protection. The laws that exist to protect consumers must, of course, also apply to political parties.

Consumer rights

I vote in favor of reservation 1.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on May 10.)

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