Response to interpellation 2023/24:89 on the government's commitment to the cultural school
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the government's commitment to the culture school and the state development grant. 1 M proposes that the development grant be extended by 100 million kronor 1. M argues that the government stands up for wise investments such as the leisure card for children in economically disadvantaged areas 2 and that they prioritize by lowering taxes for low- and middle-income earners 2. M claims that the leisure card costs over half a billion kronor, which is more than the support S requests 3. S argues that the government underfunds welfare 4, which leads to inequality 5 6 and pressures municipalities to make cuts or raise fees 4. S believes that the government is cutting back on study associations 7 and that the choice to prioritize a lowered tobacco tax instead of maintaining the grant is problematic 8. S emphasizes that preventive measures through the culture school are important 9 and that the halved culture school grant affects the children 10.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)
Madam Speaker! Linus Sköld has asked me how I intend to act to avoid the economic crisis in the municipalities becoming a culture school crisis, and how I shall ensure that all children have equal access to the culture school's activities.
I want to begin by emphasizing that the municipal cultural school's significant activities for children and young people are enormously important. It enables children and young people to participate in and practice various art forms as well as contributes to a meaningful leisure time. To support the municipal cultural school, the government proposes in the budget bill for 2024 an extension of the state development grant to the municipal cultural school by 100 million kronor for the period 2024-2026, i.e., the same level that applied before the pandemic.
Through the development grant, the state supports special initiatives to renew and develop the activities and reach new target groups, not least children and young people in socioeconomically vulnerable areas and also rural areas. It is important to remind that the municipal culture school is precisely municipal and that the state support exists to support special initiatives, not to finance the ongoing activities.
When it comes to ensuring equal access to the activities of the cultural school, the Riksdag adopted national goals in the spring of 2018 for state interventions to support the municipal cultural school. The cultural school's opportunities to offer children and young people high-quality instruction in cultural and artistic expressions shall be promoted, as well as the opportunities for both deepening and broadening in the instruction, naturally with the starting point of each's respective circumstances. In addition to the state development grant, a number of state interventions have been initiated to reach the national goals. The interventions are naturally still relevant. For example, the Cultural School Centre has been established at the Swedish Arts Council, with the mandate to support the municipal cultural school by, among other things, distributing grants and identifying educational and development needs. Furthermore, an initiative on Kulturskoleklivet has been implemented, which aims to meet the shortage of trained educators in the cultural school.
In the national cultural policy goals, it is stated that children's and young people's right to culture shall be given particular attention. In my role as Minister for Culture, it is therefore important to promote children's and young people's opportunities to experience and create culture in different ways. In that work, the municipal cultural school is naturally an important piece of the puzzle.
Linus Sköld (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister that in this late hour we are able to debate such an important issue as the cultural school.
I note that the Minister primarily gives two answers to my question on how she will act to achieve equal access to cultural school for all children.
The first answer is that it is municipal. The second answer is that there are a number of state interventions that remain relevant. They are listed as objectives for the state's support to the cultural schools: the development grant, Kulturskolecentrum, and Kulturskoleklivet – all interventions that were introduced by the Social Democratic and Green Party government that preceded the Minister's term of office.
Therefore, the question remains: What will the Minister do moving forward to ensure that all children have equal access to the culture school? I think it is reasonable that she delivers an answer to this. Is it only about maintaining what is Social Democratic policy in this area?
The cultural schools are municipal, the Minister emphasizes. How is it then? Well, every third municipality forecasts a deficit with the fiscal policy that the Moderate-led government has announced for 2024 – a total of 7 billion in deficits for the municipal sector.
The targeted government grant, which was halved to 100 million in the budget bill for 2023, was introduced in 2016 at the same nominal level as applies for the current year and which has now been announced in the budget bill for 2024, namely 100 million. If the government grant were to be indexed so that it would cover the same things as in 2016, it would have needed to be 129 million in 2023 and probably a few more million in 2024. I believe the government has assumed 4 percent cost increases in its budget, so that means an additional 4 percent. Somewhere just under 135 million would probably be needed for the government grant in 2024 to cover the same things as it covered in 2016, when it was introduced.
The municipal responsibility, which the Minister emphasizes, leads to great inequality regarding access to the culture school. Some municipalities do not operate a culture school at all. Others charge very high fees. Others further have deregulated operations. Some have a passionate individual who constitutes the entire culture school, and others have a wide range of instruments and activities that one can choose from as a student.
When looking statistically at who participates in the activities of the culture school, it becomes apparent that the typical student is a girl aged nine to eleven, with parents with post-secondary education and an ethnically Swedish background. In 2020, 177,000 students participated in the culture school. The state subsidy of 200 million in 2022 was sufficient, according to the government's own budget texts, for 58,000 new students to take part in the culture school's activities. A halving of the subsidy will therefore be expected to have dramatic consequences in terms of how many will be left without the opportunity to participate in the culture school's activities.
My question remains, then. How is the minister going to act so that the economic crisis that the municipalities are now experiencing does not become a culture school crisis? And how will she ensure that all children have equal access to the culture school's activities?
Kristoffer Lindberg (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you to Linus Sköld for an important interpellation! And good evening to the Minister at this late hour!
The culture school is fantastic! It uplifts people and gives the individual student the opportunity to grow. But one also cannot overestimate the weight that the culture school has for Sweden as a strong music export nation. The culture school, the aesthetic programs in upper secondary school, the study associations, the folk high schools, and our artistic higher educations all hang together in the same ecosystem and are an indispensable part for the continuation of professional music and culture in Sweden. The culture school must therefore be accessible on equal terms throughout the country for all children regardless of background.
I and the minister have had this debate before. But the government now continues with a policy that also this year hits the country's cultural schools twice as hard. They continue to maintain a halved state development grant for the children's cultural school while the municipalities' finances become more and more strained when the government does not give the municipalities sufficient state grants. It is not only fewer employees in healthcare, school, and elderly care with the government's policy, but it also has consequences for the cultural school.
Follow-ups conducted by the Swedish Arts Council show that the state development grant has been used to broaden the cultural school activities by, for example, starting outreach activities and new forms of teaching to reach children and young people who do not usually seek out the cultural school. In the granting of the funds, particularly socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and rural and remote areas have been prioritized. It is these children we are talking about.
The Social Democrats want to increase the conditions for children and young people to find their way to the culture school's fantastic activities. We therefore want to maintain the development grant to the culture school and see more resources for the municipalities to avoid large cuts.
When we debated this issue last year, the Minister for Culture meant that "The Social Democrats do indeed want to double the level of the development grant to the culture school to 200 million kronor. But what we must remember is that what the Social Democrats are doing is that they are raising the tax for 1 million Swedes."
The Minister was referring to the fact that the Social Democrats did not raise the threshold for state income tax last year. Now, the Minister herself has chosen to pursue the same Social Democratic policy. The Minister and her colleagues in the government have chosen to listen to us Social Democrats and therefore are not raising the threshold for state income tax in the coming years. That is good, Madam Speaker. But when the Moderates now raise the tax for 1 million Swedes, to use the Minister's own terminology, one still chooses not to prioritize the children's cultural school.
Given this and on the condition that the Minister shares my view of the importance of the culture school, I agree with Linus Sköld's questions to the Minister: How does the Minister for Culture intend to act to avoid the economic crisis in the municipalities becoming an even deeper culture school crisis? And how will the Minister for Culture ensure that all children have equal access to the culture school's activities?
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you to Linus Sköld for a very important interpellation!
Minister Parisa Liljestrand does not answer Linus Sköld's main question on how to ensure that all children have equal access to the activities of the culture school. It is actually the case, Minister for Culture, that the differences in the country are quite large. In some places, one has chosen to prioritize this quite significantly with municipal funds and has a very good operation, while in other places, one does not do it at all or has privatized with high fees, for those who have parents who have resources. These are not equal conditions - if all children are to have the same conditions.
Parisa Liljestrand sits in a right-wing government that is cutting back heavily on study associations. In the part of the country I come from, the study associations ABF and Vuxenskolan have activities in all municipalities and contribute to creating conditions so that the culture school can vary and include other actors. Cooperation between study associations and the municipalities throughout the countryside, in rural areas and in small municipalities is absolutely crucial for children there to receive different forms of culture. This is what this government chooses to cut back on, which has negative effects and increases the differences.
This government, where Parisa Liljestrand is Minister for Culture, centralizes cultural policy. Investments are being made in the metropolitan areas. The truth is that children in this region get greater opportunities and offerings, while all the activities out in the country that are actually flourishing now might slow down or cease. This does not provide the same conditions.
Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)
Madam Speaker! There were both highs and lows. I will try my best to respond to at least some of the points.
Member of Parliament Sköld just said that this government continues the same policy that the Social Democratic government laid the foundation for. I think there is something quite nice in that. I do not think it is something that one should back down from. For me, there is therefore no prestige in needing to change something that is functioning and good, regardless of which government implemented those decisions.
I also honestly believe that both the citizens in Sweden and politics would benefit if we were a bit more task-oriented instead of getting stuck in such political prestige battles. I do not think it is at all strange that this government stands up for several of the things that the Social Democratic government implemented, which were wise and good and have proven to work.
But in addition to highlighting and continuing already made wise investments in the culture school, the government is doing further things. One of those things is the introduction of the leisure card, which shall give children and young people the opportunity to choose different types of both cultural and leisure interests regardless of what opportunities they have at home. It shall be able to be a support, above all for children in economically disadvantaged areas, and shall balance out the opportunity to participate in cultural life and leisure life on equal terms. It is a way to make both the culture school and culture accessible to more.
Another way, of course, is that we in the proposed budget increase the general state grants to the municipalities by 10 billion kronor. It is another way to ensure that the municipalities can make priorities in tough times, because the money bag is not inexhaustible. We must be able to prioritize.
I was also told that we are not raising the threshold level and thus raising the tax. But that was only half the truth, because the reason why we are not raising the threshold level right now is that we also here see the need to prioritize in tough economic times.
What we have done instead is to lower the tax for low- and middle-income earners. The member forgot to mention that. That is what underlies the decision not to raise the threshold level - to be able to enable a tax reduction for low- and middle-income earners and thereby enable more parents, especially in socioeconomically vulnerable areas, parents who have low incomes or are middle-income earners, to enroll their children in different types of activities so that they can have a meaningful leisure time - including the culture school.
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Parisa Liljestrand for the answer. I must say that it honors the Minister that she can embrace what are social democratic reforms and push them forward when they are important and good.
What I have requested in this interpellation, however, is the Minister's ambitions. The Government's commitment is the headline of this interpellation. When the only reform in the Government's own policy on the cultural school area is to halve the development grant, it does not appear as if there is much commitment from the sitting Government, but rather it is about managing well-presented proposals that the Social Democratic government put forward.
I wonder if the Moderate Party convention is so satisfied with that, since it recently adopted as one of its positions that all children and young people should have access to art and culture. I still think that Parisa Liljestrand should answer both her own party members' and my question: How will Parisa Liljestrand ensure that it becomes that way?
It is tough economic times, says the minister. It is the toughest economic times for the welfare system and for the economically vulnerable families with children. In 2022, when according to the government 58,000 more students found their way to the culture school, another thing also happened, namely that Haparanda municipality abolished the student fees in the culture school.
I have taken note of the follow-up they have conducted on what results it yielded. It is incredibly important for the accessibility of the culture school that one can keep the fees down. The student base for the culture school in Haparanda municipality increased by 30 percent when the fees were abolished. The number of students who are enrolled and who are on the waiting list, i.e., the number of students who show interest in participating in the culture school's activities, increased by 30 percent when a fee as low as 550 kronor per term was abolished. But for some families, it is the difference between being able to afford to buy a winter jacket that year or putting the child in the culture school.
When it comes to an underfunded culture school, I think that a pressured municipal politician in an economically pressured situation who has the culture school in front of them, which is not legally regulated and does not have fixed fee levels, will be tempted to either make cuts on quality and accessibility or raise the fees. When the government underfunds welfare in this way, it will pressure municipal politicians to make the decision to save on non-legally regulated activities such as the culture school, which is completely rational from the municipal politician's perspective, but devastating for the children's access to practicing culture.
Parisa Liljestrand still owes me an answer. She can say that the government provides general government grants. Yes, they do so nominally, but to secure those general government grants, it would require significantly more than what this government is delivering. SKR's latest forecast says that despite the government providing general government grants, every third municipality will run a deficit - totaling over 7 billion kronor, and that is without even starting with the regions.
Parisa Liljestrand - how will all children be able to have equal access to participate in the activities of the culture school with this policy?
Kristoffer Lindberg (S)
Mr. Speaker! I had not received clarity earlier that the leisure card will be able to be used to cover the cultural school fee, so I want to start by saying that I think it was a welcome and interesting announcement.
It is tough economic times. We probably don't need to debate that, as I believe we all agree on it. But maintaining the level of the state development grant is not about any large sums of money, especially not when we know what great benefit it provides.
Now the minister chooses to continue with the halving of the state development grant even in the coming years. Instead, the minister and the government prioritize a tax cut on snus next year. It is 130 million kronor that instead could have gone to the children's cultural school.
Children and young people's access to culture and leisure does not happen by itself. Children and young people are dependent on their family situation. Economic conditions and the parents' work situation, knowledge and own experiences are significant. It requires a conscious, active and long-term policy and a will from the political side to provide conditions for an active and valuable leisure time for children and young people.
The Minister's own party describes it even on its own website: "The Moderates want all children and young people to have a share of art and culture. The municipal cultural schools play a very important role here, where the work to also reach children and young people in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas should be developed."
Mr. Speaker! The development grant fulfills exactly what the Moderaterna say they stand for. Nevertheless, the Minister maintains the reduction of the development grant. In his response, the Minister highlights that the culture school is important and then lists a number of Social Democratic initiatives. It is pleasant and welcome that we agree on this, but the question is: Does the Minister have any policy of his own beyond this?
And now that the government instead prioritizes lowering the tax on snus: What does the minister intend to do concretely to ensure that all children have equal access to the activities of the culture school?
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! Valuable leisure time may be one of the most important things right now. It is a cold climate for many young people, and many young people who are without leisure interests or the opportunity for leisure, sports or culture unfortunately end up in worse environments today. From other parties in the government base, the words are very harsh: Thirteen-year-olds should be locked up for life.
Would it not be better to then talk a bit more about preventive measures? Then it becomes quite small amounts of money. That Parisa Liljestrand and the right-wing government now maintain the same level as before the pandemic is a fairly significant reduction and a clear indication of how little one prioritizes this activity.
At the same time, we have a fairly large country with diverse conditions, where small municipalities are struggling against significantly increased costs in all activities, where study associations are the single most important reason they can have activities such as dance, theater and painting, and where one can come to Dorotea, Vilhelmina or any other inland municipality and contribute to the culture school's activities. This is what the Culture Minister's party wants to cut back on.
Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)
Mr. Speaker! I do not really know where to begin, because once again it feels as if it does not matter what I say in the speaker's chair because people are not actually listening to the whole sentences.
I have clearly spoken about which measures were incorporated by a previous government and which the government intends to continue with, and what additional priorities the government makes in the upcoming budget to strengthen, among other things, the culture school.
In the Social Democratic budget proposal, there is a proposal regarding the culture school, and it is to give 200 million kronor instead of 100 million kronor in development grants. Is this to provide equal access?
The government is making a significant investment in, among other things, the leisure card. It will involve more than half a billion kronor to make culture accessible to even more children and young people. Additionally, we are lowering taxes for low- and middle-income earners and providing general state grants to the municipalities. If this is not an investment in making culture accessible and more equitable for more people, I do not know what is.
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thought in my conclusion to make a brief summary of what I have heard Parisa Liljestrand say in this debate. It is that the government will continue with the Social Democratic reforms that were implemented in the area of cultural school policy, and that is commendable.
They will persist in underfunding the municipalities. They will persist with a halved cultural school grant, and then they will say that the municipalities have to resolve this underfunding because it is a municipal responsibility.
Yes, the municipalities will have to solve it, but those who will pay for it are children and young people through, among other things, diminished access to the activities of the cultural schools. Of course, there is a lot of other stuff as well, but because there are many other activities that the cultural schools compete with, which are funded and are a municipal responsibility, those legally regulated activities will have priority in the reasonable priorities of municipal politicians. Therefore, the cultural schools will likely have to pay a high price when the minister says that welfare is underfunded and that the municipalities have to solve it. It is children and students who will have to pay for this.
Finally: The only additional measure I have heard the Minister for Culture mention was that the leisure card, which as far as I know is not yet in place, shall also be able to be used for cultural school fees. Is this correctly understood?
Kulturministern Parisa Liljestrand (M)
Mr. Speaker! I do not know if it is because it is late in the evening or because I am very unclear in my speeches, but it seems that the member has not grasped even half of what I have said that the government de facto does. It is a pity and sad.
I think that politics needs to be free of prestige, that we need to be able to praise each other for things that are done well, regardless of party affiliation, and that we also need to be able to acknowledge when there is policy being implemented by the other bloc that is actually good.
In this case, the government, in a difficult time, presents a budget that prioritizes children's and young people's opportunities for meaningful leisure time by, among other things, enabling the leisure card (fritidskortet), which will cost the state over half a billion kronor. This is significantly more than the 100 million kronor that Linus Sköld and his party want to spend on the development support in the culture school (kulturskolan) in addition to what the government already spends.
I have spoken about how we have lowered the tax for low- and middle-income earners. I have also spoken about how we provide general government grants to the municipalities to strengthen them in a difficult time and that we make priorities aimed at enabling children and young people to, in a tough economic time for many parents, have access to a meaningful leisure time with both sports and culture.
I simply thank the member for the question and realize that we will need to debate this again.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.