Response to interpellation 2023/24:231 on Postnords ownership directive
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns Postnord's fulfillment of the public mission to deliver mail and parcels to all households in Sweden. Isak From (S) argues that Postnord does not fulfill the public condition as they cancel deliveries in terraced house areas, which forces residents to collect their mail themselves 1. He believes that this is not legally secure and demands that the government and Lantmäteriet prioritize solutions 2. Elisabeth Svantesson (M) argues that Postnord has improved its delivery statistics and that changed regulations provide the opportunity to designate new locations 3. She assumes that the company follows the state's ownership policy 4 and assures that the Ministry of Finance is following the issue closely.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! He has asked me two questions. For the first, he has asked how I, through the state's management, ensure that Postnord fulfills the public mission of mail and parcel services up to 20 kilos to all households in the entire country. For the second, he has asked how I ensure that Postnord's actions are compatible with the state's ownership policy and corporate governance model.
Companies with state ownership are subject to the same laws as privately owned companies, for example the Companies Act (2005:551). In the Companies Act, there is a division of responsibility between owners, the board, and the management. It is the company's board and management that are responsible for the company's organization, the administration of its affairs, and the ongoing management of the company's operational activities. This includes ensuring purposeful internal control, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
I expect Postnord to live up to the requirements that the rules on the postal area impose. Furthermore, companies with state ownership according to the state's ownership policy shall act exemplarily within the area of sustainable business and otherwise act in such a way that they enjoy public trust. I assume that this is also followed.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson, even though it was quite short!
I submitted the interpellation because I, just like Elisabeth Svantesson, have followed Postnord's operations. A little over a year ago, Elisabeth Svantesson gave Postnord justified public criticism when it became clearly evident that Postnord did not meet the requirement to deliver mail on time.
It is now emerging that Postnord is suspending mail delivery to a number of terraced house areas. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, PTS, has calculated, based on Postnord's actions, that if Postnord does the same in other similar terraced house areas, approximately 250,000 households would not have their mail delivered. This means that many elderly people will be forced to travel to the nearest post office to collect their mail.
Postnord wants the mailboxes in such areas to be collected to central locations. But that requires a land survey proceeding. The Government makes decisions collectively, and Lantmäteriet is also the Government's agency. Lantmäteriet says: We don't have time for that right now. In any case, it will take quite a long time, and someone will have to pay for it.
With these premises, Postnord continues to cancel the mail delivery of letters and parcels up to 20 kg to many residents in terraced house areas. Is that reasonable? Is the social condition being met? Society has actually given an extra assignment here. Since Postnord is completely dominant in the market, it has been given the mandate by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority to ensure mail deliveries to everyone in all of Sweden. Now they are canceling it.
It is the basis for this interpellation to the Minister for Finance. The Minister for Finance is responsible for the state-owned companies, and Postnord is a state-owned company. That is the starting point for my assignment.
My questions to the Minister for Finance are: Does she think that Postnord fulfills the societal requirement when one acts in this way? Does the government intend to make any decision to ensure that everyone who lives in Sweden receives their mail and their packages?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, the interpellor, for this question! It is a question that truly touches many. The postal issue is alive and strong, even though we have changed our behaviors and it looks different today. The entire postal distribution involves many packages and many letters that must reach many people all over the country.
I have some statistics. The full year 2022 was the first year that Postnord did not meet the quality requirement in the postal ordinance of 95 percent. At that time, it stood at 94.7 on a full-year basis.
Throughout almost the entire spring, the Ministry of Finance has intensified its dialogue with Postnord and had significantly closer contact and follow-up with the company. This has been done through ongoing monitoring of statistics and meetings with Postnord, as we want to follow up on the outcome, the trend, and the measures that Postnord implements. It is important for us to really follow that they live up to their task.
Postnord has invested a number of resources to resolve the problems they have had. What we can see is that those efforts have yielded results, as the target is reached again in September. It is 95.6 for September this year and 95.3 for October, to be exact.
Isak From is quite right in mentioning that PTS has issued new regulations and general advice regarding the distribution of mail, especially the community-wide postal service, and these entered into force in April 2023. This gives, as the interpellor also said, Postnord the opportunity to designate a new location, in contrast to how it was previously.
This obviously affects many, but the figure I heard the interpellor mention - 200,000-250,000 - I actually believe is incorrect. We can come back to that.
The background to the amendment of the regulations is that certain areas are planned in a way that makes vehicle traffic unsuitable and can also pose a traffic safety risk. There may also be, for example, barriers or prohibitions against vehicle traffic.
The regulations contain provisions regarding what is required of the person providing the mail in order for it to be possible to designate a new location for the mail arrangement, including the mailbox. This obviously involves a transition in certain places, and I have great respect for that. But my view is that it is not to the extent and at the levels that the interpellor now mentions.
Finally, we must, of course, have a well-functioning postal service throughout the country. It is an important issue for the government. One should be able to rely on the fact that the mail, the letters, arrive on time. That is my basic stance. It is not more difficult than that, but it is not always just as easy for the companies to live up to.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Finance, for the clarification! It is clear that it is welcome, and I believe it is also completely necessary, that the Ministry of Finance has an active ownership dialogue. Not least after the pandemic, postal services have changed further in favor of many more parcels and fewer letters. Now there will be a few Christmas cards. But perhaps they are not the most important, but it is letters from authorities and other things that must arrive on time according to the legislation.
Madam Speaker! I took my figures from the media when I wrote the interpellation. It appeared there that Postnord estimated it to be 250,000. Postnord has since contacted me and said that is not the case. However, that figure exists at PTS. They assess that there may be 250,000 households in the same situation. These are, for example, rows of terraced houses where it is a bit more cramped and Postnord cannot get through with its trucks or light trucks. They are now converting their vehicle fleet. When they stop deliveries and refer to the nearest post office, it means that everyone in the area, including the elderly and people with disabilities, must collect their mail at the nearest post office. It may be some kilometers to get there, but it could also be several miles. It is not fair and not legally secure. It does not follow the legislation.
One must wait for changes and provide reasonable timeframes when requiring areas to transition and establish new locations where they can have mailboxes. This issue must be worked on by the entire government and, furthermore, a reference must be given to Lantmäteriet, which is the government's agency, to also work on it. It is not sufficient to say that it is not a prioritized task, that it will cost so and so much money, and probably take one and a half years. It is not reasonable.
It is about the very same government. I assume that the Ministry of Finance has some dialogue with the relevant cabinet ministers, because otherwise I can guarantee that many residents out in these areas will not feel particularly satisfied. Pensioner organizations have already reacted and said that this is completely unacceptable and that we cannot have it this way.
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I can assure the members and those listening in the gallery or watching the web broadcast now or a little later that the Ministry of Finance continues to follow this issue very closely. We will return with statistics and, of course, have a dialogue with the company to ensure that the quality of delivery is maintained over time. It is incredibly important, because that is their task.
One of the events behind the question that has been highlighted now was an incident in the northern parts of Sweden where it became difficult for Postnord to get through. Just as Isak From has pointed out, the regulations have therefore been changed.
Fundamentally, Postnord must do its job and deliver on time. They must also, of course, have secure places to do so. We will certainly follow up on the matter, and I am completely convinced that Isak From will also do so. Together we shall ensure – especially I, who am responsible – that the company does what the company is supposed to do.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! I will continue to follow the issue, and the Committee on Industry will also meet with Postnord, partly in light of this situation.
It has also been noted that Postnord is very good, especially through its postal agents, at delivering drugs and weapons sent by gang criminals. It is an issue that probably belongs in a completely different interpellation debate, but here I am focusing on the fact that citizens in Sweden should receive their postal shipments. They should receive them on time, and it should be legally secure.
Thank you for the debate! I wish the Minister for Finance a pleasant weekend.
TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN
The Minister has now announced that she waives her right to hold her closing statement in this interpellation debate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.