Response to interpellations 2023/24:562 and 563 on the leisure card
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the leisure card is one of the largest public health reforms in many years 1 2 and that the government is working to help children in socioeconomic vulnerability 1 2. KD works to minimize administrative costs and build a robust system against economic crime 3, and claims that support for sports has been expanded 3. KD believes that the reform is about making a difference for children who face economic barriers 4. S argues that the leisure card is a missed reform that risks becoming toothless 5. S believes that the reform is a prestige reform 6 and that the agency costs for bureaucracy are alarmingly high 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)
Mr. Speaker! Azadeh Rojhan has asked me what I and the government intend to do with the allocated 700 million kronor for the leisure card which now risks not being able to be used as planned. Azadeh Rojhan has also asked me what investments I intend to make to give children and young people increased access to an active and meaningful leisure time.
Azadeh Rojhan has further asked me if I have specified which requirements shall apply for associations in the assignment to Försäkringskassan regarding partly how long an association must have existed to be defined as established, partly annual controls of the associations as well as the banks which request annual general meeting minutes with information on who was elected to the board and as authorized signatories, and partly background checks of individual board members and whether it affects the assessment of the association, and if I in that case can account for the requirements. Azadeh Rojhan has additionally asked me if I have made an analysis of how much the work with the register will cost beyond the 12 million that are allocated for 2024, and if I in that case can account for the result.
The Government decided on 11 January 2024 to give Försäkringskassan a mandate to establish and prepare for the management of a register of approved providers of leisure activities that can be covered by leisure cards for children and young people (S2024/00033). E-hälsomyndigheten assesses that it is a central prerequisite for the introduction of the leisure card that a register is established which collects approved providers of leisure activities that can be covered by the leisure card. E-hälsomyndigheten has continued the main responsibility for the work of preparing, introducing, and managing a leisure card for children and young people, including the associated digital service.
It is important questions that Azadeh Rojhan poses regarding the criteria and control functions linked to the establishment of a register of approved providers of leisure activities that may be covered by leisure cards for children and young people, a so-called provider register for the leisure card. From the assignments that the government has decided regarding the leisure card, it appears that the leisure card's digital service and control function shall be designed in a way that minimizes the risks of incorrect payments and economic crime. In order to ensure a purposeful control system with a good level of control, responsible authorities need to be given the opportunity to more deeply analyze how this is to be achieved.
Such analytical work is being carried out, among other places, by Försäkringskassan, which, within the framework of the assignment, shall analyze risks that incorrect payments, economic crime, and activities that conflict with the ideas of democracy are covered by the fritidskort. The agency shall also propose criteria or measures, or both, that minimize such risks and enable any funds used incorrectly to be subject to recovery. Furthermore, the agency shall analyze the possibilities to ensure that activities included in the performer register are serious and long-term and have a continuous activity.
For the implementation of the assignment, the government allocated, in a first step, 10 million kronor to Försäkringskassan. In the assignment, the government has announced that the need for additional funding shall be reviewed after Försäkringskassan has submitted an initial partial report of the assignment. The partial report of the assignment was submitted on 11 March 2024 and is currently being prepared in the Government Offices.
The leisure card 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 processing of personal data that it will entail. For that reason, the leisure card is expected to be introduced during 2025.
For 2024, 731 million kronor have been allocated for the initiative. A portion of the allocated funds will go towards continued work by the authorities to, among other things, establish an execution register and build a digital service for the leisure card.
The Government will return in the near future regarding in what way the remaining funds will be used in accordance with the appropriation's purpose of promoting an active and meaningful leisure time for children and young people.
Azadeh Rojhan (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answers to my interpellations.
The leisure card is essentially the government's only initiative on culture and leisure for children and young people. In his response to my interpellation, Jakob Forssmed describes the leisure card as one of the largest public health reforms that has been made in many years, but the fact is that it is also a missed reform. Only in 2024 did the government allocate 731 million kronor to get the leisure card in place. These are funds that could have been used to meet real challenges that the sports movement faces. Let me give some examples.
Without the hundreds of thousands of committed leaders across the country, the sports movement would come to a standstill. There is today a great need for training and recruitment of leaders, not least when it concerns youth and young leaders. Recruiting and retaining leaders is a major challenge for many associations, not least after the pandemic, when many left their positions. A consequence of this is that associations cannot accept more members. Children and young people have to wait in line, sometimes for several years, to be able to practice the sport they wish to practice.
Another example is the issue of facilities. The sports movement has for several years highlighted this as one of the greatest challenges sports face in Sweden. This concerns the lack of facilities and sports environments as well as the great needs to renovate and make already existing ones accessible. The lack of training times and functioning facilities is a major reason why children and young people either do not get to practice their sport at all or get to do so to a lesser extent than desired.
Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats understand the government's ambition with the leisure card. However, we argue that this costly reform risks becoming toothless in the face of existing challenges. If the purpose of the leisure card is for more children and young people to engage in sports and participate in meaningful activities, as well as to reduce sedentary behavior in this target group, we believe that the leisure card is starting in the wrong direction.
What happens when more children and young people come and knock on the door of an association and want to become members, but instead are referred to a queue that has been added due to too few leaders or because of the facility problems that exist all over the country? Is it the case that this reform is actually aimed at children and young people who are already within the sport and are already active? If this is the purpose of the reform, perhaps it should not be called the largest public health reform in many years.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! Azadeh Rojhan has surely read the Pep report this week. It shows that children stop their activities, or do not start, because they perceive that there are economic problems that make it impossible for them to participate in the activities. They understand that it competes with the grocery bag and the electricity bill. This is a way to try to do something about it and to try to do something new - something that we have not done.
If we do exactly the same way as we have done previously, we will continue to see similar results with children who understand the problems and quit when they are eleven or twelve years old. We must try to do other things, not least to ensure that those who today do not get a share of sports, association life, training, outdoor life, and culture are given such an opportunity.
That is why we are working with this proposal. It could make a difference for many. We make a clear differentiation between those who are in socioeconomic vulnerability and those who are not. Those who have a tougher economic situation will receive special support. This is an important part of achieving what Azadeh Rojhan spoke about, namely that those who today do not have the opportunity shall be given the opportunity.
Then we also need to work with, for example, the leadership supply and the facilities issue. CIF, the Centre for Sports Research, has been commissioned to establish a knowledge platform to spread knowledge on how facilities can be improved and how to build facilities in an efficient, good, and innovative way. We have also commissioned CIF to review the possibilities and map out what the situation is with existing facilities. Up to 30 percent of the sports halls located in school environments in Stockholm cannot be used by associations; they are not bookable.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed. We need to use what we have in a better way.
There is, therefore, much to work on. That this should be the government's only initiative is not true. We are investing particularly in sports in vulnerable areas and in strengthening community life there, not least so that there are no queues and so that children will have the opportunity to get there.
This is a task that has already yielded results. I have been to Gothenburg and looked at how they work there to strengthen the associations and recruit leaders. It is funds from this government that have made this possible.
We are, of course, working on a broad front. I do, however, think there are reasons to think a bit differently and not just follow the same old tracks.
Azadeh Rojhan (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
I truly understand that this is a way of thinking anew. As I mentioned in my previous post, the government allocated 731 million kronor to get the leisure card in place and to address the problems that Jakob Forssmed himself raised here. However, the money has until now burned away, and the reform has not materialized. This has therefore not contributed to getting a single child more into motion.
In April 2023, the government tasked five authorities with preparing for the introduction of the leisure card, and now the authorities have returned with their reports.
Försäkringskassan received the assignment to investigate and prepare for the administration of an execution register, that is, a register of associations where the leisure card can be used. They write in their report that they currently estimate the costs to be around 700 million kronor just for the first few years. In the E-hälsomyndigheten's report from January, it states that the costs for other agencies working with the leisure card, namely E-hälsomyndigheten, Folkhälsomyndigheten, Kulturrådet, and MUCF, are estimated to be 239 million kronor for the first few years. In total, we are talking about agency costs of nearly 1 billion kronor. Then we are not even talking about the reform itself – that which is intended to reach children and young people.
These are astonishing figures. The leisure card risks becoming an enormously expensive initiative that does not provide the effects that the government and Jakob Forssmed hope for or the changes that Jakob Forssmed himself just mentioned. This money must be taken from somewhere. We are talking about nearly 1 billion kronor. Where will they be taken from? Will the initiative on the leisure card mean that money is taken from general investments in sports? Will there be long-term cuts to the state's support for sports? Does the sports movement need to be worried?
We are talking about 700 million for the reform itself, at least as it has been calculated so far. To that comes nearly 1 billion in bureaucracy. I might be wrong, but if I calculate correctly, this means the following: For every membership that the reform provides support for, one membership is lost due to costs for bureaucracy. These funds could have been used in a completely different way. They could have been used to reach children and young people in socially vulnerable areas, to build more facilities, and to give the small associations the opportunity to engage in something other than, for example, administrative burdens, which this proposal will also entail.
I really wonder if it was this – that we would incur costs of nearly 1 billion kronor just for bureaucracy – that the minister envisioned with this reform.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! This is, of course, material that we have received from the authorities. We are going through the material and looking at the assumptions they have made and at their proposals on how this can be resolved. We will work very hard to reduce, or minimize, the administrative costs so that as much money as possible goes out to the children.
At the same time, it is important to build a robust system that holds up over time and counteracts the risk that criminals can exploit the system. That is something I am very keen on.
It is a matter of doing the right thing. We have already revised some things along the way, as this is something new that we are trying to do. It is clear that we shall ensure that as much as possible goes to those who are to receive a share of this, namely the children. It is a self-evident matter, and no one is more eager about this than I am.
It is good that it is being reviewed and discussed. However, there are many naysayers surrounding this. To some extent, I can understand it, because there is always an interest in shooting things down in different ways. I am eager that we succeed and can provide an injection, not least to those households and families who see that they cannot afford this, where children say it is sad to go to football when it is actually about them taking responsibility for the family's finances. Then we need to create something that counteracts this, and we will be able to do that with the leisure card.
We will, of course, work through this so that we get a system that is as good and robust as possible with as low administrative costs as possible so that as much as possible goes toward this purpose. That is clear.
I turn against the image that nothing is being done. We are making a major investment in associations in vulnerable areas that is permanent, long-term, and is already showing results in the form of stronger associations with the capacity to accommodate more.
We have, therefore, increased the support for sports. That we would reduce the support for sports is completely made up. There are no such ambitions at all; we have, in fact, increased the support. So there is no doubt among the sports community that we will use the leisure card to take money from the sports movement, because there is not an ounce of truth in that.
Azadeh Rojhan (S)
Madam Speaker! No, it is really not my intention to sow doubt. I think the figures speak for themselves, and they are alarming.
I understand that this is a prestige reform for Jakob Forssmed and the government, and I have all the respect for that. But I believe one must also be humble and realistic and realize how costly the reform will become and measure it against the effects that one actually wants to see. 1 billion risks being burned up in bureaucracy. Then one must be able to ask whether the money could have been used better.
Madam Speaker! The government's economic policy is already contributing to the municipalities being in a very difficult economic situation. They are forced to cut places in, for example, the cultural school, where many children and young people would otherwise have been able to seek refuge. Sports clubs and other associations have faced increased costs, and household finances are extremely strained. All of this combined affects children and young people's opportunities for a meaningful leisure time. Instead of a membership in a sports club, the money is withheld.
The fact is that 700 million kronor have been wasted due to a lack of investment. No new memberships have come in. In that case, it is relevant to ask the minister if it is time to rethink.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! I work on this reform every day. For me, it is absolutely not a matter of prestige, but it is about making a real difference. It is difficult and complicated. It involves large-scale personal data processing, technical systems that need to be in place, and controls.
There are large groups that do not enter organized association life because they encounter different types of obstacles, not least economic ones, and we must try to do something about that. But if you do as you have always done, you will get approximately the same results as always.
We shall ensure that this becomes as good as it can possibly be and with such low administrative costs as are at all possible while the other tasks are completed. We shall arrange this, because, among other things, children and young people who quit their sports because they perceive that the cost competes with the finances at home need it.
We will also in the near future report on how a part of the money set aside for this year will be used to increase the associations' ability to receive more, because I believe there will be an effect when we introduce the leisure card.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.