Response to interpellation 2023/24:596 on leisure cards
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 KD considers the leisure card to be one of the largest public health reforms in many years and that new legislation is required for digital services and personal data processing 1. 1 KD emphasizes that control functions should minimize risks of economic crime 1. 1 KD argues that the leisure card should provide special support for children in socioeconomically vulnerable households and children with disabilities 1. 2 3 KD denies that money is being wasted and explains that it is used to develop a robust system 2 3. 3 KD argues that all systems involve a certain amount of bureaucracy 3. 3 KD considers physical movement and community to be fundamental health factors 3. 3 KD is convinced that the leisure card is an important tool for getting more children involved 3. 4 KD argues that the current path is not sufficient to reach children who cannot participate due to household finances 4. 5 S is skeptical that the reform will succeed and argues that it is not in place yet 5. 5 S criticizes the bureaucracy and argues that money that is currently being wasted should be used for general grants to sports 5. S emphasizes that the lack of time and space is the sports movement's greatest challenge and that money should be used to build facilities. S advocates that the club life should be given money and directives to deliver support to children. 6 S wants municipalities to be given the opportunity to deliver and implement what is needed 6. 6 S wants to see money invested in facilities in socioeconomically tough areas 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! Sofia Amloh has asked me whether the leisure card will be introduced this year, 2024. Sofia Amloh has also asked me what measures I intend to take to ensure that the leisure card does not finance crime. Furthermore, Sofia Amloh has asked me what measures I intend to take so that the leisure card reaches the children with the greatest needs. Finally, Sofia Amloh has asked me if I intend to take any measures so that the leisure card does not primarily benefit commercial actors at the expense of non-profit and public organizations' opportunity to build up good activities.
I would first like to thank Sofia Amloh for her questions, all of which are relevant in the work of designing the leisure card for children and young people. The leisure card for children and young people is one of the largest public health reforms that has been made in many years. It is a reform that requires new legislation, partly as a result of the digital service and the personal data processing that it will entail. For that reason, the leisure card is expected to be introduced during 2025.
From both the assignment to prepare and introduce a leisure card for children and young people given to E-hälsomyndigheten with several (S2023/01303) and the assignment to Försäkringskassan to establish and prepare for the administration of a register of approved providers of leisure activities that can be covered by leisure cards for children and young people (S2024/00033), it appears that control functions shall be designed in a way that minimizes the risks of incorrect payments and economic crime. The leisure card is a major initiative that needs to be introduced in a secure and robust manner.
The relevant authorities are working intensively and committedly to creating good and necessary conditions for the introduction of the leisure card. This has largely involved analytical work on how the leisure card and associated systems can become as accurate and effective as possible. Parallel to these authorities' work, legislative work is being carried out within the Government Offices in order to enable the implementation. The collective work shall ensure that the necessary technical, legal, administrative, economic, and other conditions required to introduce the leisure card are in place before its launch.
The leisure card will give more children and young people the opportunity, in community with others, to access sports, culture, outdoor life, and association life. We know that the economic situation is difficult for many families, but children's and young people's opportunities to participate in leisure activities should not be determined by the size of the wallet. Therefore, the size of the leisure card's amount will have a differentiated design in order to specifically support children and young people in socioeconomically vulnerable households to take part in leisure activities. Children and young people with disabilities or other needs for special support shall be highlighted so that the leisure card benefits them to the same extent as for other children and young people.
Children and young people aged 8-16 shall receive a leisure card. The leisure card shall promote children's and young people's access to and participation in meaningful and active leisure activities. The initiative is therefore completely different from, for example, a state grant for the development of activities. Several such state grants already exist and are regulated through various ordinances.
From Försäkringskassan's assignment to establish and prepare for the administration of an execution register, the starting points for being approved as a provider of leisure activities within the framework of the leisure card are evident, including that approved providers shall have operated for a longer period, are recipients of public support and do not have debts for Swedish taxes or fees with Kronofogdemyndigheten or are in liquidation or in bankruptcy. The criteria for being approved as a provider shall provide conditions for a breadth of providers of leisure activities that target different target groups and are based on the different conditions, wishes and needs of children and young people. The partial report of the assignment was submitted on 11 March 2024 and is currently being prepared in the Government Offices.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for a detailed answer which I am very satisfied with. However, we Social Democrats still doubt whether this initiative will succeed, which we could also hear in the previous interpellation debate.
Madam Speaker! Let me begin by saying that both the Minister and the Christian Democrats as well as the Social Democrats consider this to be an important issue. There is research that shows how important active and meaningful leisure time is. Movement improves physical health, and physical activity can also remedy mental issues in children and young people, such as sleep problems, stress, and headaches.
It is against that background that we are so committed to this issue, because we know that it leads to better physical and mental well-being for our children and young people. Furthermore, I want to emphasize that sports and association life give children the opportunity to move, to challenge themselves and have fun together. These are also values that are very important to emphasize. Learning new things and taking responsibility in a permissive environment together also increases self-confidence and the sense of community among new friends. Sport is a social and societal glue and can provide friendship and meaningfulness in everyday life, a sense of coherence, a belief in the future and a sense of belonging in society. It is incredibly important, perhaps even more so in times like these.
As I began with, I do not doubt the government's intentions regarding what they want to devote their effort, energy, and money to, but there are a number of things here that we are becoming very skeptical of and which make me start to doubt. When it comes to this huge reform, which the Minister claims is one of the largest reforms that have been made in the field of public health, I want to emphasize "have been made" - we have not seen the reform yet. It is not in place. There is an ambition. There is a certain difference there, I want to emphasize. The Minister claims that it is implemented, that it is a reform that is done, but we have not seen it yet.
What also needs to be highlighted is the bureaucracy that this entails. It is something that we from the Social Democrats' side are very skeptical about. Sports and association life show local costs that are increasing and which pull up membership and participation fees. We see that the lack of facilities, what training times one gets, are major issues.
The Minister has previously referred to the fact that the general investments in sports, which this government also makes, have had effects. Why then not allocate the over 700 million kronor that are now sitting idle towards investing in that which produces effects at all, instead of on this very uncertain leisure card? Why are more funds not provided in the general grants for that which we know works?
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! I thank Sofia Amloh for an engaged contribution. I know that there is a great commitment to these issues. I and the government will, of course, do our best so that the Social Democrats can also take a kind of Tomas path from doubt to faith when it comes to this reform.
As I have also said in the debate with a previous interpellator, it is important that we do new things to reach those children and young people who quit or who never start because they do not experience that they have the economic means to do this. This applies in particular to children in economically disadvantaged homes. To then create a support that can only be used for this, in order to safeguard leisure activities, is very important. It is a complement to the other things we do. We do not reach all the way to those children today with the investments we make in existing systems. That is the background to this.
I also turn against what is said about all the money burning away. That is not what will happen. On the one hand, they will go towards developing this system, towards getting a robust system in place.
Sofia Amloh herself took up in her interpellation the importance of criminals not being able to acquire funds. It is unfortunately the case that they will come to all types of systems where there is money, regardless of whether it goes out directly to associations or if it goes to households or however it is done. In that case, it is a matter of building systems that keep the criminals away from them. It is naturally an ambition that we have, while at the same time it should be easy to use for the user.
I believe that this can become an injection for the association life and that new members will be brought in. We will, of course, as I have also said, use money for the current year to strengthen the association life so that one gets a greater capacity to receive more children. We will report this in the near future.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Madam Speaker! The chairman of the Swedish Sports Confederation highlights the issue of facilities as the particularly most important issue when it comes to this. Lack of space is the sports movement's greatest challenge and a completely decisive issue for the sports movement to continue to be a positive social force.
Today, a third of children's and youth associations are forced to turn away new members due to the lack of time and space. Time and space are the great shortages. There are the children who want to get involved, who knock on the door and who have the attitude of "we need to activate ourselves, we want this and we want to be part of it," but there is no time, and there is no space. This must also be seen by the Minister as a very big concern that hinders and holds back.
Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that if you turn to almost all 290 municipalities, I believe there is a list lying there on some municipal council's desk: When we can afford it, a synthetic turf pitch will be needed, or a basketball court needs to be paved. But right now, those funds are not there. Yes, by the way, they are at the ministry, where they are burning inside now because this reform is not in place in 2024 but has been pushed forward to 2025.
The millions, we claim, would actually get things moving and enable and lower the thresholds for an active association life so that more people can get involved. I think that is a good place to start. It might even be the case that one does not need to make things more complicated than they are.
I know that the Minister claims that this is not supposed to be a prestige project, but it is starting to almost resemble one. Why not support the association life and the sports life and ensure that there are not such expensive membership fees, so that parents can afford it, so that it is not these huge costs that drive the fact that one can no longer participate? Why not ensure that associations get more places and times in training facilities, that there are more football pitches and so on? Why don't you invest more in that? Why do you keep these funds to build up a bureaucratic system to access this?
It is possible to invest in socioeconomically vulnerable areas, groups and so on with this anyway. Give the civic society the opportunity, the money and the directives to do so, and I am completely convinced that we have a civic society that will deliver on that. Give them the assignment and the money, and they will deliver on this.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! If I may repeat part of the answers that I have given both in the public debate and in this chamber – now I believe it is the third time: These funds will therefore not be burned. They will be used to develop the leisure card, and we will also provide an announcement in the near future regarding other matters within the scope of this purpose that can also strengthen the associations' opportunities to receive more children in different ways. It is extremely important, of course.
I also want to emphasize that with all systems, including the current system within which we pay out grants to the association life, it is a bureaucracy. These are systems that must function. There need to be controls, and it must be possible to ensure that the money goes to the purposes for which it is intended. This applies to very many supports that we want to give and design.
Now this is a new support, and it implies particular challenges for me and for others to work through it properly so that it becomes good and so that we get as low costs as possible regarding administration and as much as possible to support the children whom we actually do not reach today, who do not join in the association life or who end up leaving the association life. I see that one factor also can be a small push to actually join an association, to get a support that can only be used for this. It can make a big difference.
In other respects, I share the challenges that Sofia Amloh describes, regarding facilities, for example. It is very important that the municipalities make investments in this, that they make the right investments when they have the opportunity, and that they ensure that the facilities can be used in a good way by many types of operations, if possible. Here, there are assignments that we have given to CIF to establish such a knowledge platform, precisely so that one can build more cost-effectively and be able to utilize the knowledge that exists, so that all municipalities do not need to reinvent the wheel when they are going to establish new facilities or change existing facilities.
In addition, we have also given a mandate to map out the possibility of making the existing facilities available, for that is the most important thing. Even if we put the spade in the ground today - if Sofia Amloh and others do so - these facilities will not be in place tomorrow, so it is a matter of us utilizing the facilities we have.
We know, for example, that in Stockholm, sports halls are unbookable for community life, even though they are, therefore, in the public's domain. It is a situation that we must try to rectify precisely so that children do not have to stand in line due to a lack of access to facilities.
I do not see that one hinders the other, but we need to work with all these parameters. I completely share Sofia Amloh's view that physical movement and community with others are fundamental health factors that we need to strengthen in different ways in school and in leisure time, with the possibility of present adults in children's lives.
It is clear that we need these strong communities around children, which draw the children to themselves and ensure that there is engagement, presence, and long-term commitment, and that we catch the children and do not let go of them. In that case, it is important that we have many different tools and instruments for this.
For my part, I am convinced that the leisure card is and can be such an important tool, not least for getting more people involved who today are not involved and who do not have the opportunity to be involved.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Madam Speaker! I understand that the Minister has answered several times that the over 700 million kronor are not sitting idle because they are to be used for other things and for the leisure card. Now, however, it is still month four of this year, and month five - May - is approaching. The question is what the 700 million kronor will manage to be used for during this year that will benefit the active leisure lives of children and young people. The Minister is welcome to specify what they will be able to deliver during the second half of the year.
Until then, I want to say, the general investments in association life play a very large role. The Government has itself asserted here that they play a role, that they increase participation and so on, so why not continue on the path already taken, which shows positive results, and give the municipalities the opportunity to deliver and execute what one sees such a great need for?
I know how important it was when we in my own municipality, Nyköping, created an artificial turf pitch in one of the areas that is socioeconomically tough. When we created this artificial turf pitch, it played a big role, and it also did not take a very long time to get it in place. We want to see such things happen all around in every single municipality, and then I wonder: Why can't the money be invested there?
I still intend to point out that the government is investing 80 million in preventive social work in the budget, but that we Social Democrats are investing 250 million in the municipalities and the preventive measures. This is also something that plays a role for what conditions one will have for many societal and common forums.
With this said, I wish for the government to consider how the money is to be used moving forward.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! Why not just continue on the path already taken, asks Sofia Amloh. Well, because it is not enough and because it has not led to us including the children whom we really need to include in the activities.
My motivation is to see the children who were highlighted in the Pep report this week, who are not given the chance and who say at home that it is boring with football or gymnastics because they understand that it pushes aside their mother's and father's opportunities to manage their household finances. It is them I see before me when I want to carry this out.
Then we need to do a lot of things. We need to work on the facility issue, we need to work on general support for sports, which the government continues to do, and we need to find new ways to reach out to more people so that we can establish systems that allow more people to have the chance to an active and meaningful leisure time in community with others. This is my driving force, and I will do everything I can to ensure that is the case.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.