Response to interpellation 2022/23:73 on measures for continued construction

Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Denis Begic has asked me what measures I intend to take so that construction, regardless of housing type, shall continue.

I want to start by referring to my answer earlier today to Markus Kallifatides, who asked a similar question. I stated then that more needs to be built across the country to meet the projected need for new housing, but also that the existing stock needs to be utilized better. Furthermore, measures are needed so that the entire planning and construction process can become more efficient.

I therefore also repeat what I answered in that debate, namely that reforms shall be developed to increase the availability of buildable land and the rules for building shall be significantly simplified. Municipalities shall be urged and stimulated to increase their planning readiness, especially regarding small houses. In order for people's demand and need for housing to be met, it is important that there is a supply of different types of tenure forms and housing that fits in different stages of life. It shall also be possible to move between different forms of housing. Reforms shall be implemented that provide incentives for increased construction, not least to make housing available for groups that today have difficulty entering the housing market. Reforms shall be developed that enable more people to own their housing.

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Denis Begic (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer, even though reference was made to the previous debate!

In the government's budget, there is not a single syllable about how we are to build more housing. It is a real blow to the stomach for all the young people who want to move out from home. Housing construction does not slow down - it comes to a complete standstill.

It is not only for young people who want to move out from home that more needs to be built. It is also so that the housing career can continue. Then the young people's parents can also move from larger houses and apartments, where in turn a young family can move in. Therefore, it is important that as much as possible is built.

It appears from the Instrument of Government that the public shall secure the right to work, housing, and education. This is part of the basic goals for public activity. Therefore, the government cannot lean back and believe that the market will solve these problems. If the Minister for Housing is unaware of this, I can mention that it is not only here in Sweden that people believe it is necessary to support housing construction with, for example, investment support, as mentioned earlier here. This is done in Germany, Holland, and our neighboring countries. We should also do this here in Sweden. Finland, which is half as large in terms of population, provides a corresponding approximately 40 billion kronor to housing construction.

But for me, housing construction is not just about getting more homes. It is about much more. It is about being able to move to places and get jobs. It is therefore also a labor market policy issue.

Now that northern Sweden has a great need for people who can take jobs, it is more important than ever that there are housing available. I know that the current government has forgotten half of Sweden, but right now, a lot of jobs are being created in the northern parts of Sweden. Therefore, it is also important that one stimulates the construction of housing in northern Sweden. Whether they are temporary or permanent does not matter. Whether they are apartments or villas does not matter. Most important is that people can move and take jobs. One cannot as a government lean back and believe that someone else will solve the problems.

The Minister for Housing must be sensitive to the situation, especially now as we enter a recession. Therefore, I want to hear from the Minister for Housing how more housing can be built, specifically with regard to the labor market situation we have. This is not apparent from either the budget or the government agreement.

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Isak From (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Denis Begic and Markus Kallifatides, for very important interpellations!

Should we have a long-term housing policy with small apartments and so on, perhaps support is needed. Today we have a situation where many have made housing careers. But many elderly people who sit with large houses want to move to a smaller rental apartment. It has become harder and harder.

Should one have long-term support, or should it be panic and cut supports? There is a fairly big difference, especially if one announces from one day to the next that the supports are disappearing. And regardless of whether it concerns support for building rental apartments or support for environmental cars, this government is very good at cutting supports - just as good as it is at failing to fulfill election promises.

In northern Sweden, the green industrial revolution is underway. This cannot have been missed by anyone. It is about 100,000 new jobs by 2035 in combination with a demographic curve in the wrong direction.

It is about Skellefteå, Gällivare, Boden, Luleå and Kiruna. To this is added Umeå, which continuously grows with 3,000 new inhabitants and 2,500 new homes every year. It is the city in northern Sweden and perhaps in Sweden as a whole that has had the most continuity in its growth over the last 25-30 years.

This is happening in an area – Skellefteå, Gällivare and Boden – where the housing market has not been particularly accustomed to growing. It is clear that the support that was announced was very welcome. It also caused many companies to choose to establish themselves there. Right now we see a decline. In Norrlandsfonden's economic barometer for northern Sweden, one could see that precisely the housing companies feel a strong anxiety about the future.

This risks harming the whole of Sweden. It harms climate policy, and it harms the possibility of getting people into work. Last week we met the Arbetsförmedlingen in Skellefteå, which has a national mandate to get people to be able to move to Sweden. They say that there are very many who are interested. Unemployment is high, not least in Sörmland, and very many are interested in moving to northern Sweden. But then one must have somewhere to live. The basis for all human existence is that one has somewhere to live. Then a housing policy is needed that takes the whole issue seriously.

Cities like Skellefteå and Luleå, with fairly strong local economies and housing companies, may have slightly better conditions to manage this. But for municipalities like Boden and Gällivare, which may have to double their population entirely while simultaneously transitioning from one mining production to another, this is completely unsustainable here. The support of the entire society is needed here. That is what we lack today, Andreas Carlson.

The government should announce a holistic approach regarding this. If one wants to get unemployed people into work, these jobs exist in northern Sweden, but then housing is needed.

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Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Sweden must have a long-term and sustainable housing policy for everyone. More people should be able to realize their housing dreams. People should also be able to move to where the jobs are.

The Government considers that more housing is needed, to facilitate for young people to get their first home and to contribute to relocation chains as well as local and regional development. This was touched upon in both previous entries. The Government shall therefore develop structurally targeted reforms, to increase construction and not least to make housing accessible for groups that today have difficulty entering the housing market.

I see a great commitment to evaluating other parties' policies. I understand that a post-election debate and analysis is taking place within the Social Democratic Workers' Party. I look forward to these and would have gladly sat like a fly on the wall and listened to, for example, Isak From's contributions in those debates.

Isak From says here that people must have somewhere to live and that it is required that one takes the entire issue seriously. We have had good years in the past. Construction has been carried out at a high pace, but one has still not implemented the structural reforms that could have solved the problems on the housing market. It has not been simplified at the pace that was required, buildable land has not been produced in the extent that was needed, and the steps into the housing market have not improved.

The construction of small houses has also been neglected. As I described in my previous post, only 20 percent of new production in Sweden consists of small houses, compared to 40 percent in the rest of the EU. One can, of course, refer to moving chains and that more people should move out of their houses so that others can move in. Getting the moving chains in place, as has been talked about for decades, is also something that the government has on its agenda. But when the Social Democrats have been in power and been able to influence it seriously, they have not taken responsibility for it.

During these first seven and a half weeks, we have identified a number of different areas where reforms are to be developed. We will have a high pace of reform, and we will return to the Swedish Riksdag regarding this.

Just as has also been mentioned earlier, it is now an incredibly tough economic situation, a completely different situation. We have high inflation, we have high interest rates, and we have rising prices and reduced purchasing power for Swedish households. I do not believe that anyone in the chamber is surprised that this has an effect on housing construction. That is how it has always been, and that is how it will probably be in the future as well. Then it becomes even clearer that there is a shortage and that one has not addressed the structural challenges. That is what this government now has on the agenda.

We will have a high pace of reform for that, precisely so that people can move to where the jobs are. People might want to move for other reasons as well. There must be access to good housing in different types of tenure. We shall not pit different forms of housing against each other. Increased construction in all different forms that can be imagined is required. It is on this government's agenda. We will work actively with this. I still look forward to good conversations about this in the Swedish Riksdag and wherever they can take place.

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Denis Begic (S)

Madam Speaker! My question was which concrete reforms the Minister and the government are working on. It is not particularly confidence-inspiring to repeatedly refer to the mantra "reforms shall be implemented." Tell us in the chamber and those watching on TV what work is actually taking place in the Government Offices and the ministry, Andreas Carlson. If we know nothing about that.

However, we know that there is a housing shortage. We know that the solution is to build more housing. We know that the right-wing conservative parties have abolished the investment support, which has been a crucial incentive for building rental apartments with reasonable rents. We know all of this. But the questions that need answers are: What does the government plan to do? What reforms are in the pipeline? And when can one expect them to be delivered?

The housing shortage is something real for many people here and now. These people cannot live in reforms that are to be implemented. Furthermore, it is unclear when and how these reforms are to be implemented. People need roofs, floors, walls, windows, electricity, water, and sewage. They need rental apartments, condominiums, villas, and terraced houses.

I have full respect for the fact that the government minister works hard and that there are many and long days. I imagine that the government minister arrives at the department early in the morning, and certainly goes home late in the evening. But how does the government minister pass the time in between? What is actually being accomplished? What does the concrete work look like? And when will there be any visible result? Is it this year, next year, or in four years? When can we see the results?

Madam Speaker! I know that the questions are many, but they are important for many people in the long country of Sweden. They expect answers. Therefore, it is a duty for me and us in the opposition to at least try to get more concrete answers than "reforms shall be implemented."

I ask the minister to give us at least some example of how the housing construction could be accelerated.

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Isak From (S)

Madam Speaker! Andreas Carlson! One becomes a bit thoughtful. Is there any coordination in the Government Offices? Have you and the Minister for Employment had a meeting? Both education as well as infrastructure and housing are needed for the green industrial transformation to be possible. All parts are needed. My urge is that you should coordinate this in the Government Offices. Without housing, there will be no green industrial transformation. All the reforms are needed, every single one.

Now it is handled in different ways. On campus in Skellefteå, they have now built residential barracks, which perhaps can be compared to "attefallshus" in size; I don't really know. It is because there are others who live in the student apartments in Skellefteå. They are people who have moved there to work in healthcare and industry. At the same time, several thousand new apartments are being built now. But they will be needed as much in Skellefteå as in Boden, in Luleå and in Kiruna.

All parts are important. Up here with us, it is not known to be particularly crowded. It is not a lack of land that is the cause. It has traditionally been a lack of capital, interest, and a market.

Now we have a market that unfortunately has been very overheated. It has been very important that we have had organized long-term support for cheap rental apartments. Now that it is "cut," we see great concern from the housing companies. This creates further concern throughout the entire chain, which also damages the view of the green industrial transformation. You have a lot to do, Andreas Carlson.

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Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is true that we have much to do, as Isak From says. I look forward to that work. We will have a very high tempo.

What does the Minister do during the day? That was Denis Begic's question. One example is that housing construction needs to be a higher valued interest among the others. Today, housing construction sometimes comes last or further down on the list of various interests when it is to be examined in different plans. That was why the previous government gave a mandate for a preliminary study linked to national physical planning. One of the first meetings I had concerned this. We have agreed that the work shall be carried out at a high tempo and in accordance with the new government's ambition to make buildable land available.

The preliminary study shall look more closely at, for example, how the national interest system, where the state's claims to land and water are primarily expressed, could be changed to better meet the needs that exist in society today. This assignment shall provide clearer conditions for a long-term sustainable use of land and water as well as effective physical planning and examination. We know that this has been a conflict issue in previous governments. It is an issue with different interests. But for the new government, it is important that this proceeds at an even higher tempo, so that we can highlight and prioritize the construction of housing as an interest that should not stand further back in the queue.

The second example that I thought of mentioning among the many that we have taken on directly and that I am working with concerns moving from detailed requirements on construction to more functional requirements in order to be able to speed up the processes and make it significantly easier in every stage. There is much more to do here, but it is an example of what we are working with.

The budget also includes other reforms, and we are working to develop them. It is not just written in the budget, but it also commits us to actually developing the reforms. It is an important declaration during our first weeks that this is what we will be working on.

I will also comment on what Denis Begic said about that one cannot live in "reforms to be implemented." No, and one also cannot live in investigations. We heard from Markus Kallifatides in the previous interpellation debate that the former Minister for Housing commissioned many investigations. I could counter Begic by saying that one cannot live in those investigations either. Then we start discussing in a rather irrelevant way, and that is nothing that the housing policy debate benefits from. The important thing is to produce reforms in all areas. There is no quick fix. Nor was the investment support such a thing, which was shown when it was actually tested.

Isak said that we are abolishing the support from one day to the next. No, that is not the case, rather it follows from a parliamentary decision, and we are abolishing it in a very responsible manner. We are also adding 3.8 billion SEK so that those who have been granted support and have started construction can have funds paid out even during the coming years. It is therefore happening in a responsible manner, and we are not abolishing it from one day to the next.

I will also answer one of the concluding questions. Is there any coordination in the government? Yes, there is.

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Denis Begic (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answers. As the Minister notes, there is a great commitment to these issues and many different perspectives for the whole of Sweden. I am pleased that the Minister is utilizing the inquiries initiated by the Social Democratic government in order to be able to build more housing.

I agree that we should not mock these things, because it is incredibly important that people have a roof over their heads. My intention was not to mock, but my point was that we in Sweden need housing for this country to develop in the way we all want. It is about green transition, about jobs, and about moving to where the work is. This is what I have submitted an interpellation on, and it is also what I expect an answer from the minister about.

I can promise the minister one thing, and that is that we will not be silent. There will probably be more interpellations, more questions and more debates about this. We must not forget that there are still many people who have a great need for housing - again: regardless of form.

That is why it has been my hope that I will receive an answer on how more small homes can be built. If the investment support is not the answer, I would like to know if the answer is interest deductions, favorable loans, or something else that this government can introduce so that people can buy their first home. There are good examples all around Europe, for example in Finland, Germany, and Holland. I do not think we need to reinvent the wheel. We need to tackle this, especially now when there is a recession. That is when one should invest.

Thank you for the debate!

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Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank Denis Begic, who has submitted the interpellation. I thank you for a good conversation and look forward to continued dialogue.

I have not yet addressed the motions that are on the table of both the Riksdag and the government and which the previous opposition put forward. There are several good ideas and proposals here that are also largely inspired by our neighboring countries. There is, for example, a proposal regarding rent-to-buy. It is clear that all the motions we now have on the table are part of the government's work. We handle them in different ways and will return to how we respect decisions made in the Riksdag regarding motions. It is part of the work.

I look forward to continued conversations. On Tuesday, I will visit the Committee on Civil Affairs, where I know Begic is a member. I will then be open to dialogue and will surely receive more questions, proposals, tips, and ideas, Madam Speaker. I thank you for the interpellation debate. Goodbye!

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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