Response to interpellation 2023/24:590 on the consequences of future-proofing state-owned companies

Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Hanna Westerén has asked me two things. The first concerns what I and the government intend to do regarding the fact that state-owned companies' "future-proofing," in this case AB Svenska Spel, risks hitting harder on workplaces outside the major cities; the second is whether I and the government are considering changes in legislation or other measures by reason of the just described.

Initially, it can be stated that AB Svenska Spel and other companies with state ownership are subject to the same laws as privately owned companies, including the Companies Act (2005:551). In the Companies Act, there is a division of responsibility between owners and the board and management. It is the company's board and management that are responsible for the company's organization and the management of its affairs, as well as the ongoing management of the company's operational activities. The owner should avoid attempting to micro-manage a company's operations, as it is the company's board and management that have a clear responsibility to drive the operations towards the set goals, based on the business direction determined by the owner. There are many good reasons why that order should be protected.

For companies with state ownership, the business purpose is based on the Riksdag's decision. There is nothing in the mandate that the Riksdag has decided for AB Svenska Spel that expresses that the company has a specific responsibility to safeguard jobs in rural areas. Furthermore, the state-owned companies shall, in accordance with the state's ownership policy, work towards long-term sustainable value creation, which for a company like AB Svenska Spel means that the company needs to run its operations efficiently in a competitive market. I do not intend to work towards changing the legislation or the business purpose for the company in order to change this arrangement.

Regarding the measures taken in relation to employees, it can be stated that Arbetsförmedlingen has a national redundancy management system and extensive experience in acting during large-scale redundancies. The agency has developed specific routines for these situations and is prepared to activate its redundancy organization. It can further be stated that the situation on the labor market has deteriorated, and unemployment is expected to increase during 2024. Therefore, Arbetsförmedlingen's administrative appropriation has been reinforced by 200 million kronor in 2024 to meet increased unemployment and strengthen the agency's control work. Additionally, investments in more locations both within the professional higher education and the vocational adult education are expected to improve access to such education so that more people can quickly enter employment.

In addition to this, 3.1 billion kronor have been allocated in this year's budget to transition and skills support and 2.8 billion kronor for transition study support. This means increased opportunities for those affected by layoffs or by the economic downturn to obtain and retain a job.

In relation to regions and municipalities, Tillväxtverket has a mandate to provide support in the event of layoffs and business closures in the business sector. Through this mandate, Tillväxtverket can provide support through information, knowledge bases, and analyses. The agency can also contribute through coordination of contacts with state agencies and other relevant actors, as well as by offering knowledge and experience exchanges between regions and municipalities.

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Hanna Westerén (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thanks to the Minister for Finance for the fact that we can finally have this debate. Given how urgent it is for the constituency I come from, it would of course have been desirable to have it somewhat earlier. I will not exaggerate, but Svenska Spel is, apart from Region Gotland, one of Gotland's larger employers. When reductions at Svenska Spel are announced, it probably still sends a shudder through the Gotlandic community.

The Minister for Finance is completely right that Svenska Spel acts according to the Companies Act as the company should. But it is nevertheless the case that what is happening with Svenska Spel - or as it was called when it came to us in Gotland, Penninglotteriet - is counted as a clear signal. It is a confirmation of the state's ambitions for the whole country and also of access to and confidence in qualified employment opportunities and qualified labor on Gotland.

I still find it quite remarkable that the Minister for Finance responds so listlessly regarding measures in connection with notices of termination. I am well acquainted with the state's labor market policy, but I suppose I should still thank him for the attempt at instruction that accompanies the answer. I also cannot help but wonder if this is how municipalities and regions are addressed when they inquire about potential compensation in connection with operational changes. In that case, it could probably cause a fair amount of frustration.

It is impossible to escape the fact that a notification of a reduction of 80 jobs in Stockholm, Sweden's most dynamic labor market region, and 80 jobs on Gotland hits completely differently. I really hope that the Finance Minister realizes that. It hits completely differently.

I understand from the answer that the Minister for Finance does not wish to change existing legislation and that there is also no will on the part of the government to specifically protect jobs in rural areas. In no other way can I actually interpret the answer.

It is quite true that the company acts to fix the so-called future-proofing and make its owner satisfied. That is how it should work. But Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson and the government have far more tools in their toolbox to protect a country that holds together and ensure that a change in operations does not hit a rural area unreasonably hard. That door is, as far as I understand and can read from the answer, closed. According to me, that indicates a weak state and a weak government.

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Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (M)

Mr. Speaker! A main question in the interpellation – and I welcome that it is posed – is: Does the state do enough for Gotland? I would like to elaborate a little on that answer.

First and foremost, the government has said that Bromma Airport shall remain. It will continue to contribute to Gotland's accessibility to a very dynamic labor market region. That is good.

The ferry traffic has received increased appropriations in accordance with current agreements. But it has also received special support to lower ticket prices, which have become significantly higher since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. That support is as large as the EU Commission allows.

Svenska kraftnät has been tasked with securing the electricity transmission capacity and will now build two new cables to Gotland at a cost of around 6 billion kronor. This is good for everyone who wants the light to turn on when the button is pressed.

Recently, the announcement came that Trafikverket will build a reserve harbor in Kappelshamn. It is an investment of approximately a quarter of a billion, and it is something that has been requested for a very long time.

The Armed Forces is growing in all areas since the re-establishment during the previous mandate period. It has today 470 employees on Gotland, and that excludes those performing national service.

In summary, the government has made decisions on investments for and on Gotland with a scope of 8-10 billion, depending on how one counts. It is more than what the previous government managed to achieve in eight years.

Furthermore, one can consider the jobs that the state controls, that is, those that exist in government agencies. It is easy to believe, and I also believed it until a few weeks ago, that they have steadily decreased over the decades. But that is not the case.

At the turn of the millennium, the state jobs on Gotland amounted to approximately 1,500. Today we have a population of approximately 61,000 inhabitants. Since the turn of the millennium, the number of jobs has regularly risen. During 2023, the 2,500 mark was exceeded.

The state jobs on Gotland are, as I mentioned earlier, the Armed Forces with 470 people employed, Försäkringskassan with 396, Uppsala University with 256 and the Police Authority with just as many. Länsstyrelsen has 150, Skatteverket has approximately 150, Riksantikvarieämbetet has 120, Centrala studiestödsnämnden has over 100 and Pensionsmyndigheten also has around that.

In summary, there are 2,500 government jobs - 1,000 more than two decades ago. It is a significant presence, which has grown over time. We can assume that it also continues to grow because the Armed Forces are growing in all areas, while at the same time Gotland is a fantastic place to live, work and operate - and here I know that Hanna Westerén agrees with me. Gotland can certainly accommodate more agencies if it were the case that they could be decentralized.

I agree that Svenska Spels business model is not tied to a geographical location. It is clear that everything that is done in Solna could just as easily be done in Gotland. We have the internet, we have premises and we have fine environments. I still want to say one thing regarding Gotland versus Solna: It is not so great in Solna. They have approximately 5 percent unemployment, and we in Gotland have approximately 4 percent.

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Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank the member for the interpellation. It honors Hanna Westerén that she has such a great commitment both to Gotland and to Svenska Spel's operations. It is constitutionally mandated that it shall be precisely on Gotland, and in that regard, there are absolutely no doubts.

I must nevertheless repeat what I said earlier in the answer. This is about my responsibility as Minister for the state-owned companies. The Government does not intend to work towards changing the legislation or the corporate purpose for the company in question. I do not know, but I do not believe that the Social Democrats do either.

The gaming market is changing, and different companies are making different decisions. The principle may feel dry and boring, but it is nevertheless the following: The company's operational activities are not a matter for the government - the state. They should not be either.

When I read the interpellation and hear the member, it seems that the member can imagine a new direction for how the companies shall be managed and how the owner, the state, shall act in the governance. Hanna Westerén is welcome to elaborate on how this shall work. The answer from my side, however, is that we will not change this.

With that said, it is always heavy when people lose their jobs regardless of which company it concerns, whether it is large or small companies or whether they are state-owned or privately owned companies. That was also why, in my first answer, I spoke about what the government is doing in this area.

But what I understand from this situation and the reorganization is that the number of positions will decrease by 120. From what I have seen and heard, the company has reached voluntary agreements with or been able to offer relocations to the absolute majority of these people. If I have received correct information, it is only a few who have been laid off due to lack of work. It is fundamentally good.

The fundamental question is: Should the government govern the companies in the operational? No, the Companies Act says something else. And I believe we are all here in agreement that it is not we, neither the Riksdag nor the government, who should micro-manage how different companies choose to conduct their business in a changing market.

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Hanna Westerén (S)

Mr. Speaker! I hear what the Minister for Finance says, and I understand that she is very keen to signal that one should not go in and interfere with a limited company's governance. I have full respect for this; it is not strange.

I want to mean, however, that the toolbox is much larger for a Finance Minister than to merely refer to the Companies Act. I mean that it is about the whole for Gotland and for Gotland's development.

Jesper Skalberg Karlsson made an absolutely excellent point about how many state jobs we have on Gotland. It is something we are proud of. We are incredibly proud that we have succeeded in providing the necessary skills for so many state employers. This is something we wish to maintain but also develop. It is also somewhat what lies in the extension of my question. We could host more on Gotland. When jobs disappear from Gotland, we want them to be compensated; at least that is what I want.

I hear what Elisabeth Svantesson says about the headquarters and that there is a parliamentary decision on this. I also hear her say that there is no intention to go in and meddle in the company. No, don't do that, but then show a care and a consideration that the country looks different! If a change in operations hits in one way in the capital region, then show that there is an understanding that it hits differently on Gotland!

I feel a concern for the headquarters' future given this debate, and here I would really wish for an additional assurance from the Minister for Finance. That Svenska Spel's headquarters is located on Gotland is something we are very proud of. It is fantastic! It is an income-generating and knowledge-intensive headquarters for a state-owned company that manages itself very well.

It is clear that it would be a catastrophe for Gotland if Svenska Spel suddenly made the assessment that the communication to and from Gotland does not function for work commuting. Then perhaps they say: Please owner, the state, can we move our headquarters? It could also be about the completely bizarre housing shortage we have on Gotland and which is currently becoming worse due to the government's deficient housing policy. It could lead to Svenska Spel coming to the state and saying: Please state, can we move our headquarters? What does the government say then? Should I feel a continued concern for the headquarters on Gotland?

I truly hope that we who meet in this chamber, regardless of our political ideologies, nevertheless have ambitions for Sweden and that we want to keep Sweden together.

I listened to Elisabeth Svantesson earlier today in an interpellation debate where she said that she wants to make Sweden safer and wealthier. I come from Gotland, and so does Jesper Skalberg Karlsson. I experience that we often have to fight to be included and be a part of this development. I want us to be given the conditions to grow and not just the conditions to survive. Svenska Spel is one of the pieces in this very puzzle, which shall give us the conditions to develop and not just to survive.

The signals from the government regarding state-owned companies, state jobs, and development across the country are important. Therefore, I think it is poor that the Finance Minister is now talking about the Companies Act instead of explaining how one can protect jobs in rural areas and secure a headquarters on Gotland even in the future. How can I feel secure when I leave here knowing that Svenska Spel is a continued strong player on Gotland?

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Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Bromma remains. The ferry traffic receives support. Two new cables are being built. A new port is to be built. The defense is growing in all areas. Soon we will also have new environmental legislation that ensures that Heidelberg Materials and Cementa in Slite will remain for the foreseeable future.

A lot is happening on Gotland. We have low unemployment. With the right politics, we can also have good accessibility and become both safer and wealthier in the future. That is good. As a former regional councillor on Gotland, I know that we have our best days ahead of us and a very, very large potential.

It is unfortunate that Svenska Spel is doing what they are doing, not least for the 60 people who now have to find other jobs. But we must also note that what the state can do, and what the state has done, is to expand the presence on Gotland with 1,000 new jobs over the last two decades.

Before I leave the debate, I would however like to raise a warning finger and reflect on what the threat to Gotland actually is. I would say that the next major warning, as I see it, risks occurring at our second-largest state employer, namely Försäkringskassan. Försäkringskassan has almost 400 employees on Gotland. During the previous parliamentary term, decisions were made in this chamber on the initiative of the then government which meant hundreds of millions in unfunded reforms and assignments. These are funds that now must be retrieved by Director General Nils Öberg.

Even though this is a person I have great confidence in, it must be said that this risks becoming a very difficult task that could hit Gotland very hard. I am convinced that we will have to return to this, for it is undeniably a threat to Gotlandic state employment opportunities.

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Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you again for the interpellation.

I am responsible for the area within my portfolio. In this case, it concerns state-owned companies. That is also why Hanna Westerén has posed the question to me. Here I want to repeat that I definitely see all of Sweden, in different ways. I also know that having to leave a job can be one of the most traumatic things in a person's life.

I understand very well that this is an important company for Gotland and for Visby, and I can only state that it is a parliamentary commitment that Svenska Spel's seat shall be in Visby. It must, of course, be protected. I received that question, and I am happy to answer it.

Through decisions, one can regulate the presence of state-owned companies, but the government cannot, as an owner, step in and control the operational side. It will not be a good arrangement. I also received no answer as to whether that was what Hanna Westerén meant.

I mentioned different parts of the labor market policy and other things that make us support people who need support to move forward. I also suggested that the member should also pose the question to the Minister for Employment, who has the primary responsibility for exactly this.

When it comes to the state's presence generally, Jesper Skalberg has described in a truly brilliant way how it is developing. I am convinced that there is more to be done so that both Gotland and other parts of Sweden can flourish. It is important for both the government and the Riksdag that all of Sweden shall live.

This debate, Mr. Speaker, is about Svenska Spel's warning and whether the government intends to change the order. We do not intend to do that.

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Hanna Westerén (S)

Mr. Speaker! I came to the chamber today with a hope. That there would come a compensation, I judged to be quite hopeless. I would, of course, like to thank both my party comrades at home in Gotland and Moderaterna Gotland who have signed a letter to, among others, the Minister for Finance regarding this compensation, but I have understood that nothing will come of it. But I still thought that I would get a notification and perhaps an assurance of a greater consideration - perhaps not care but at least a greater consideration - that different parts of the country have different conditions. Therefore, I am quite disappointed.

Keeping a country together is not easy, but it is entirely possible. The Minister for Finance says that she is coming here to the chamber to speak about her area of responsibility. I mean that if one is the Minister for Finance in Sweden, one has an enormous responsibility to keep the country together.

Yes, it is true that I have submitted a question as Svenska Spel. However, I mean that it is a piece of the puzzle in how we take care of the country. There was a decision to place the then Penninglotteriet, now Svenska Spel, just on Gotland as a signal that one sees the whole country and that the whole country shall hold together. I mean that the responsibility still falls heavily on the government to hold the country together.

It becomes extremely clear when I request the government's measures to ensure that a change in operations does not hit a rural area unreasonably hard, and the Finance Minister responds with the Companies Act and that there is a range of labor market initiatives for us Gotland residents to rely on. I think it is incredibly poor.

I still feel neither satisfied nor happy regarding the future of Svenska Spel. I heard that the Minister for Finance said that she wants to protect it. I sincerely hope that we have a robust parliamentary majority with us for that matter.

Thank you for the debate!

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FÖRSTE VICE TALMANNEN

The Minister for Finance waives his final contribution in this debate.

The interpellation debate was hereby concluded.

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