Response to interpellation 2024/25:465 on whistleblower function for conscripts
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 creation of a whistleblower function for conscripts. S argues that the current legal situation creates a vacuum where young people lack a clear and independent channel to report misconduct or violations 1. S emphasizes that it is a political responsibility to close this gap to guarantee the safety of young people 1 and that such a function can improve the entire Armed Forces 2. M argues that conscripts today are covered by the Work Environment Act and have protection assistants as well as support via Pliktrådet 3 4. M notes that conscripts are not covered by current legislation 5 but intends to investigate the need for a function via regulation or instruction 3.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)
Madam Speaker! Lena Johansson has asked me about how the Armed Forces work to ensure a functioning whistleblower function for conscripts and what measures I intend to take to strengthen or initiate this work.
It is important to monitor and safeguard that basic training with conscription continues to maintain high quality. The so-called basic training survey 2024 shows that nearly half of the people undergoing basic training intend to continue their commitment within the Armed Forces. The proportion who subsequently do so is around 30 percent. Three out of four conscripts would recommend conscription to a friend or other acquaintance. This testifies to a training that in all material respects maintains high quality.
To follow the developments, I have regular meetings with the Pliktrådet, the labor organizations, and the Armed Forces.
According to the Act (2021:890) on protection for persons who report misconduct, all public and private operators with 50 or more employees shall have a whistleblower function on site. Within the Armed Forces, there is a whistleblower function. Conscripts are, however, not employees, and they are not in a work-related context either. Therefore, they are not covered by the law and the categories of persons that the law specifies.
The possibility for those subject to total defense duty to have a say in decision-making is regulated in the so-called Co-determination Ordinance (2017:1249). The Armed Forces, with the support of this ordinance, has prescribed the participation of conscripts in work environment work. The purpose is to develop the operations in accordance with the objectives of the training and to promote good training conditions. The co-determination system is organized at the local level and at the central level in the form of the Duty Council.
I will take up the issue with the Armed Forces regarding whether there is a need for additional measures.
Lena Johansson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Defence, for the answer!
I am still a bit concerned, I must say. We have a growing total defense where young people are called up to make a very important contribution, and we want them to feel safe, seen, and protected. I am not saying that they do not, but the Duty Council has highlighted a deficiency: there is a lack of a satisfactory whistleblower function for conscripts. In practice, this means that young people who discover irregularities or witness violations do not have a clear and independent channel to turn to, which those employed within the Armed Forces do.
We must not be naive – no matter how well an organization functions, there can always be deficiencies. The Armed Forces is no exception.
That the fact that there is currently no whistleblower function specifically adapted for those performing military service is, in my opinion, actually a legal certainty deficiency. And it is not enough to refer to the fact that Act 2021:890 does not apply to them because they are not counted as employees.
One must be able to have two thoughts in one's head at the same time: Yes, it is true that the law governing the whistleblower function does not cover those performing military service. But that does not mean that we politicians should accept that there is a vacuum. We have a responsibility to close this gap. We are legislators, and it is about young people's right to a safe working environment and their trust in the system.
The question remains, then: Will the Minister for Defence take any initiatives, and if so, which ones?
Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Lena Johansson, for the interpellation!
As I said in my response, I will contact the Armed Forces to discuss the need for a whistleblower function. I am also maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the Pliktrådet.
I want to take a firm stand on what Lena Johansson pointed out. We now have a more extensive implementation of conscription and with it, more and more people are affected by that instrument. It also involves a larger portion of each year's cohort. It is then naturally extra important that the conditions are good, but also that there are good measures and channels to clarify where there are poor conditions so that those under conscription have the best possible conditions.
I wanted to say that as an introduction. I can mention a few more aspects; then I will go into Lena Johansson's question more specifically.
The Work Environment Act is clear that those performing military service shall have a good working environment that promotes health and reduces the risks of incidents and accidents. There are also other aspects that I consider important and that also need to be taken into account. This concerns, for example, the use of safety assistants. There shall be a safety assistant at every company or equivalent unit where those subject to total defense duty undergo basic training. The safety assistant's duties include ensuring that there is protection against ill health and accidents. There are also other tools that protect those performing military service.
With that said: Lena Johansson asks why the whistleblower function does not include those performing military service.
The information I have received is that when this legislation was being drafted during the previous parliamentary term, the Armed Forces expressed in its referral response that it saw value in also including conscripts in the whistleblower function. But when that basis went to the government and to the Ministry of Defence, it was missed in the legislation. This was the previous government. I am not looking for a political quarrel between us; the conscripts are not affected by it. But the previous government chose not to include conscripts in that legislation.
What do we do moving forward? I intend to take up the issue with the Armed Forces to identify if there is a need. The assessment we have made when looking at this is that it does not necessarily have to be a revision of the legislation. I imagine that it perhaps could be done with, for example, a regulation or an instruction to the authority. But that is my intention.
I will, of course, also continue to discuss this issue in the dialogue I have with the Pliktrådet, which is good and constructive.
Lena Johansson (S)
Madam Speaker! I am pleased to hear that the Minister for Defence has a plan.
I have looked a bit at how it looks. Arbetsmiljöverket says that the protection according to the whistleblower act also applies to persons undergoing training or internship, but it is required that they act within the framework of a work-related context. That is what is causing problems right now.
It is good if the government can look at the issue from several perspectives, because what do you do if you, as a young person subject to conscription for example, are afraid of reprisals? That requires there to be a structured and independent professional function that is actively informed about, because I believe there is also an information need. Pliktrådet talks about how many do not really know what rights exist beyond the whistleblower function. They do not even know that there is a whistleblower function. They do not get to take part in it, but so much is missing.
It must be an accessible function, because I believe it is important that there is a function that makes one feel and experience that it is safe – and that it is, so to speak, outside the shell, just like the one that employees within the Armed Forces have access to.
I want to be clear that this is not an attack on the Armed Forces but rather a proposal. I raise the issue because it should be able to be viewed as a vacuum and the question asked: What are we doing about this, and how can we improve? I believe that a whistleblower function could also be an instrument for improving things within the entire Armed Forces, if one views it in this way. It is about security, but also about safeguarding the future will to defend.
Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)
Madam Speaker! It is good to discuss the conditions for those subject to conscription. It is an important and pressing issue for the whole society. Performing military service is, as said, a duty, but it is not a right. It is obviously an interference with people's personal freedom – both compulsory education and military service, which are central cornerstones of society. It is therefore necessary that the conditions and prerequisites for them be good.
In general, my assessment is that the conscripts have good conditions and that they also experience it. When we read the conscription survey, we now see, as said, that there are few discharges. It lies somewhere around 7–8 percent, which is lower than, for example, when we had voluntary recruitment. There are indications in the conscription survey that approximately three-quarters would recommend other people to do the conscription.
We also note that a large number of people remain within the Armed Forces. This is something that is very important now when the Armed Forces are to grow, and it is a great asset for the entire society. I speak with many of my colleagues on the European continent who do not have the conscription instrument. There, personnel is the absolute biggest obstacle to rapid military growth. So it is in many parts of Europe.
With that said, I also actually experience that the Armed Forces are aware that they have a great responsibility, since we use the instrument of conscription, and that they also ensure that the conscripts have as good conditions as possible. They also take a number of measures to be able to create as good conditions as possible.
The Armed Forces have sometimes been more restrained than the policy in the Defence Preparedness Board has been when it comes to expanding conscription. One of the reasons they have cited is that, for example, the shortage of officers can mean that one does not receive sufficiently good training. It can also be that the infrastructure is not so good and so on. I experience that the Armed Forces itself is aware of the responsibility one has when building on the instrument of obligation.
I want to highlight a couple of things that I think are good and that are also happening. It is that conscripts are given guidance, investigation support, and follow-up regarding unwelcome behavior through an investigation support regarding unwelcome behavior. It is very important. There must, of course, be absolute zero tolerance when it comes to unwelcome behavior. It is better now than it has been in some cases historically, but the goal must, as said, be zero tolerance for this.
I also want to highlight the important work that the Ethics Council does, not least through the recurring inspection visits they carry out. I believe they conducted at least thirty during the last year. We read the reports carefully at the Ministry, and if deficiencies are pointed out, we usually follow up on them in the Riksdag – just as Lena Johansson has done today regarding building up a whistleblower function that also covers those in military service.
Lena Johansson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Defence, for the answer!
I hear that the Minister for Defence intends to address the issue, and I am very pleased about that. I will, of course, follow this closely. I can also agree with the Minister for Defence's tribute to the Pliktrådet, which is doing a great job. It is very deductive, and they are in many ways skilled and competent. They take the questions back not only to the Minister for Defence and others but also to the Defence Committee, so we have also had a very good visit and conversation with them.
For my part, however, I think that our conscripts, just like the members of the Armed Forces, should also be given the opportunity to blow the whistle. This is yet another level of opportunities to make improvements and changes. At the same time, I think we have a collective responsibility to protect the young people who step up for our country. Their safety must never become a blind spot in the legislation, and it must never become a vacuum in our political responsibility.
I look forward to the Minister for Defence's work on the issue, and I will, as I said, follow it.
Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Lena Johansson, for the interpellation debate!
To summarize: There are measures being taken to protect the situation of those performing national service. Among the most important are, of course, the work environment act and the protection assistants that exist. Defense health also plays an important role. We also have the use of national service consultants as well as the important role of the Conscription Board. These are important measures to ensure that those performing national service have the best possible conditions.
No system is so good that it cannot be improved. There are therefore always reasons to consider new and other measures. One example is the introduction of a whistleblower function that targets not only the personnel of the Armed Forces but also those performing national service. It is something I am willing to consider, and it is something I will discuss with the Armed Forces and with the Pliktrådet at the appropriate time.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.