Response to interpellations 2024/25:447, 450, 462, 488 and 498 on state services throughout the country
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate regarding state services across the country focuses on the closure of service offices. KD believes that the operations need to be adapted and streamlined 1, as most people use digital tools 2 3. KD argues that it is possible to get help despite longer distances 2, that the state is developing the operations with new concepts 3 and that residents in all municipalities are welcome 4. KD prioritizes the justice system, defense, and tax cuts 4. S argues that the closures damage the social contract 5, create geographical inequality 6 7 and particularly affect the elderly and people with disabilities 6 7 8. S believes that the government prioritizes tax cuts for high-income earners 9 10 11 12 13 at the expense of the countryside 14 8 15 16.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Speakers (25)
- Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
- Louise Thunström (S)
- Aida Birinxhiku (S)
- Peder Björk (S)
- Heléne Björklund (S)
- Niklas Karlsson (S)
- Agneta Nilsson (S)
- Jonathan Svensson (S)
- Mats Wiking (S)
- Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
- Louise Thunström (S)
- Aida Birinxhiku (S)
- Peder Björk (S)
- Heléne Björklund (S)
- Niklas Karlsson (S)
- Agneta Nilsson (S)
- Jonathan Svensson (S)
- Mats Wiking (S)
- Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
- Louise Thunström (S)
- Aida Birinxhiku (S)
- Peder Björk (S)
- Heléne Björklund (S)
- Niklas Karlsson (S)
- Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! Louise Thunström has asked me how I intend to ensure that residents throughout the country continue to have access to state services.
Furthermore, Aida Birinxhiku has asked me what measures I intend to take to ensure that citizens throughout the country, including in Falkenbergs kommun, continue to have access to state services.
Furthermore, Peder Björk has asked me if I consider Statens servicecenters' choice of the total number of service offices to close to be reasonable and, if not, if I intend to raise the issue in my agency dialogue with Statens servicecenter, if I consider that the service offices that the agency has identified for closure are in line with the ambitions and the direction of will that the government has for state service and, if not, if I intend to raise the issue in my agency dialogue with Statens servicecenter, as well as if I intend to take the initiative for a follow-up of the effects of the closed offices during 2025.
Heléne Björklund has additionally asked me what measures I and the government intend to take so that elderly people and persons with disabilities can continue to receive help and support to get in contact with state authorities, as well as what measures I and the government intend to take so that those persons who lack access to digital solutions are not negatively affected by the closure of the service center in Karlshamn.
Finally, Niklas Karlsson has asked me if I consider that the service offices identified by the authority for closure are in line with the ambitions the government has for state presence and service, and what measures I intend to take to ensure that citizens throughout the country, including in Landskrona, have continued access to state service.
In line with the expansion of the number of service offices, the number of visitors has not increased to the same extent. Against this background, the operations need to be adapted and streamlined, as every tax krona must be used as wisely as possible. There will continue to be a large number of service offices all over the country, even though the travel distance to the nearest permanent service office will become longer for some people.
Statens servicecenter is simultaneously working on developing more mobile and flexible office solutions in order to be able to reach citizens more easily and smoothly in more places. This is a development that I am following with extra great interest.
Against the background of the National Audit Office's recommendations, the government has chosen to give Statens servicecenter greater scope to decide on the organization of the service offices and which offices may be subject to decommissioning. This is in line with what applies to the public administration as a whole and promotes a more efficient public administration.
The Government has also given Statens servicecenter a mandate to develop a plan for a new organization of the service office network, which also specified certain overall starting values for the geographical distribution of the operations. I have full confidence in the agency's handling of the mandate based on the framework and starting values it has been given.
In the final report of the assignment, Statens servicecenter shall, among other things, account for the consequences for the accessibility of state services in different types of geographical areas, and the agency shall keep the Government Offices informed during the execution of the assignment. The Government thus has tools to follow up on the effects of the office closures within the framework of the assignment report and the ongoing agency management.
The Government continues to consider the service centers to be an important activity for offering personal service from state authorities. Service centers shall continue to exist throughout the country to meet individuals' needs for local state service within a reasonable distance.
Louise Thunström (S)
Madam Speaker! If you live in a city, service is something you can usually take for granted. Everything you need is within reach: specialized healthcare, schools and preschools with different profiles, and a bustle of culture, activities, shops, and restaurants. But the further one moves from the larger cities, the sparser that network of service which makes our everyday life secure becomes.
A small town still has a health center, but perhaps no emergency room. The school remains, but not the alternatives. The shops are becoming fewer, as is the supply of culture, leisure activities, and educational opportunities.
If we travel a bit further, the roads are bumpier, the grocery store is closed, the gas station is overgrown, and the light is out in the study association's premises. The person who needs to see a doctor has to travel far. The person who needs to arrange a shift or get help from Försäkringskassan must make their way to a larger city. The person who does not have internet or can manage BankID ends up in a dead end. The person who has called the police cannot be sure that they will come.
This is the result of a policy that for decades has centralized services to the inner cores of the large cities. It is a development where the city has become the norm for how we are expected to want to live our lives. There, the future, the freedom of choice, the education, and the career opportunities are located.
Once upon a time, long ago, there was another idea of how Sweden should function. During the construction of the folkhemmet, the idea was that the state should be present everywhere. Schools were built, sports grounds were established, and health centers were opened even in smaller communities. The state was active throughout the country, not just where it was most profitable. Today, those who live outside the city limits encounter completely different signals. Schools are being closed. Municipalities are forced to prioritize away everything except the most basic. The buses run less and less frequently. The authorities are moving. Finally, the message is clear: No longer is there any investment here.
When a quarter of the relatively newly opened service centers also disappear, it will become more difficult – for some completely impossible – to get help with necessary public authority matters.
Madam Speaker! I have been interested in these issues for quite a long time. I have, in fact, seen what it leads to out in our rural areas when the state disappears. It leads to a sense of exclusion. That feeling leads to mistrust. It leads to the fact that if you live in Sweden's countryside, you can actually rightfully ask the question: What am I actually getting for the tax money?
The Social Democratic government did, however, show a will for a significant increase in ambition by increasing the state presence throughout the country. Over a period of five years, 148 service offices were opened. Before the 2022 election, the current government and the Sverigedemokraterna promised that the whole country would live. Now we see what that promise was worth. A quarter of all offices disappear when the budget is cut by 150 million kronor.
Two of these offices are located in my constituency, in Lysekil and in Åmål. For Åmål's part, this means that all of Dalsland, an entire province, is now left without state service. I would therefore like to ask the Minister where the people who visited Statens servicekontor in Åmål a total of 3,754 times last year should now turn to.
Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
The service office in my home municipality, Falkenberg, also risks closure following the government's savings. Therefore, I also want to ask the Minister questions about the grounds for the government's cuts.
Many in Falkenberg find it difficult to understand why the government is now dismantling a well-functioning and appreciated community service that ensures that residents receive the support they are entitled to. This is particularly relevant in light of the fact that the number of visitors has only increased in recent years. In 2024, the number of visits amounted to nearly 12,000, and over 14,000 cases were handled.
Another relevant question in this context is why this should take place in the only region in the country that still lacks a headquarters for a state agency, even though Halland is one of the country's fastest-growing regions. There is a concern about what will happen with the other service offices in my home county Halland, especially the one in Laholm which was inaugurated as recently as 2022. In Hylte municipality, there is furthermore not even a service office, despite the need being greater than it has been in a very long time.
The government should focus on increasing the state presence and service in Halland, not dismantling it. That is what the government is doing right now: It is dismantling the expansion of state service across the country over the last five years, an expansion that was carried out by the previous, Social Democratic-led government. This is a dismantling that the Minister also does not seem to want to take any responsibility for.
Madam Speaker! According to the Minister, it is about using every tax crown as wisely as possible. But how wise is it, really, to cut back on a functioning state service throughout the country in order to be able to finance tax cuts for those who earn the most? How wise is it, really, to make such a prioritization when unemployment in the country reaches new record levels?
Unemployment in the country is at a record high, and Halland is no exception. In Hylte, two large layoffs during the last week alone have led to a total of 85 people risking losing their jobs – in a municipality with 10,000 inhabitants.
When unemployment is at a record high, when bankruptcies are at a record number and the anxiety is great, the government chooses to pursue a policy that means the state withdraws and that the exclusion that already exists is cemented, especially for those who cannot handle various agency matters digitally.
Madam Speaker! That the Minister sees this as a wise prioritization indicates either a reluctance or an inability to see the consequences that the cuts lead to. This applies not only to the state presence and service but also to trust, to cohesion, and for the whole country to live – or as the Christian Democrats usually say: for the whole country to function.
How is the whole country supposed to function if the state service does not? Is it a policy of closures that is to reflect the government's ambitions in this area?
Peder Björk (S)
Madam Speaker! When this year began, there were 148 service offices all over the country. But now the signs are being taken down, and the doors are being closed and locked. The SD government has decided that a quarter of Sweden's service offices shall simply cease to exist in the coming years. This also means that the local presence of state services from, among others, Försäkringskassan, Arbetsförmedlingen, and Skatteverket will no longer exist in these locations. The possibility of personal physical service will be removed all over the country. The reason for this is that Minister Slottner and the rest of the SD government he is part of have decided to save 150 million kronor. Then these offices must be closed down.
An obvious consequence is that many more people in the country will not have access to local state services. They will not be able to go to an office at a short distance and receive on-site help from a physical person when they feel they need it. The second consequence, Madam Speaker, is that the government is also sending a signal that state presence and service throughout the country is not important. This is harmful, because it sends a signal that cohesion across the entire country is not important, which in the long run risks undermining trust in the public sector, in the state, and in the common society.
When I took part in the Minister's answer to the interpellation, I thought I heard a palpably pleased Minister. There is no criticism, and he obviously sees no reason for self-reflection, neither regarding the extent of the cuts being made nor when it comes to the choice of the offices that the government has forced the agency to identify itself.
In the answer, Madam Speaker, the Minister also refers to a follow-up and a report back. The Minister forgets, however, to mention that the reporting back shall take place on 1 October 2026, that is, after the next election. Would it not be appropriate to already now, after the first year of closures, look at the consequences?
Can the Council of State and the government not imagine doing a follow-up directly to see what consequences have followed from the closures occurring already this year?
Heléne Björklund (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
The closure of the state service offices results from a decision by the Sweden Democrats and the government. It has been made at a time when unemployment is spiraling out of control in Sweden. We now have the highest unemployment since we began measuring it in this country. It is not insignificant when we discuss this issue.
But perhaps even more important is that the government and the Sweden Democrats are making this decision at a time when mistrust, alienation, suspicion towards decision-makers, and the feeling that no one sees and listens is increasing, not least in our smaller communities, and I am personally afraid that this decision will increase that feeling further. This does not strengthen the social contract, it damages it. If we want to build strong societies, we must understand that we need to have a dialogue with people and that we must work with trust and respect.
In this case, it is about the state being present for all people regardless of where in the country they live and regardless of what circumstances they have. Now, instead, we see how the service is decreasing and state agencies are leaving our smaller communities. Here in Blekinge, Försäkringskassan, Arbetsförmedlingen, the district court, the police, Skatteverket, yes, most agencies, have left the small municipalities.
The Social Democratic government compensated for this by expanding the number of state service offices. It was about simplifying contact with the state and increasing the state's presence throughout the country. The results show that the state's presence has also become clearer and more tangible. Contacts with authorities have been simplified and accessibility has increased.
But with a single blow of the gavel, the expansion of the last five years has now been demolished, and a quarter of the offices are being closed.
Madam Speaker and Minister Slottner! Let me say something about Karlshamn Municipality. Karlshamn is a charming little coastal town with a strong industrial presence. The municipality is best known for its export of music and alcohol, so I believe the Minister understands that it is a very pleasant municipality. The local identity is strong among the residents. The town has a large and lively square where people gather, and it is very pleasant to go there. The residents have, however, built their future on the basis that there should be cooperation and trust, and in that case, the presence of a state service office is a resource. For me, it is important that those who have a disability or other problems with digitalization also have access to these offices.
Minister! Where will the thousands of people in Karlshamn go when the service center disappears? How will the Minister ensure that even Karlshamn has access to state services?
Niklas Karlsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! The interpellation regarding the closure of the service office in Landskrona is not primarily about Landskrona itself, but rather about the view on how one builds a strong society. Trust and respect are crucial. It is about the trust in authorities and public services and that the state is present for the citizens it is meant to serve. Respect is about showing that regardless of where in the country one lives and what circumstances one has, society is here for everyone.
From this perspective, Landskrona becomes an example of many. For a long time, we residents of Landskrona have seen how society has withdrawn. The District Court, the Enforcement Authority, the Swedish Tax Agency, the Social Insurance Agency, and the Public Employment Service have all ceased their operations and are now located in other municipalities. This development has not only affected Landskrona but many places across our entire country, which the other interpellations in this debate are evidence of.
To this, we can add the extensive digitalization. People are expected to use computers instead of being given the opportunity for personal meetings. The state service centers have played an important role here in building trust and showing respect. When the state service centers were first introduced, it was about simplifying contact with the state, increasing the presence throughout the country, and increasing accessibility. The results show that this was fulfilled. The state presence has increased throughout the country through the establishment of service centers. Contacts with authorities have been simplified and accessibility has increased.
A cut in the service offices goes against the entire idea of increased accessibility and physical meetings. The conclusion is that this does not add up. Purpose and decision do not match. The reduction in the number of offices means reduced proximity. If the goal is to be close to the citizens, fewer offices mean that many must travel further to get help, which goes against the basic idea of accessibility. The personal meeting is hindered. If the service is to be built on physical meetings and the availability of physical offices decreases, it becomes an obvious contradiction between purpose and decision.
As an onion on the bourgeois salmon, we can lay the increased unemployment, which creates unrest. The message from Sweden's government to us in Landskrona and all others affected by the decision that service centers are to be shut down all over our country is: We do not see you, we do not hear you and, perhaps even, we do not care.
The Minister is still responsible. How will the government and the Minister ensure that citizens throughout the country, including Landskrona, continue to have access to state services?
Agneta Nilsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! The idea behind Statens servicecenter is to have a state presence throughout the country. One should be able to visit the offices smoothly and easily to get help with contacts with state authorities. This works well in the current situation. On Statens servicecenters website, one can read that satisfaction is high. One is well received and gets the help one needs within a reasonable time. This good quality of state service shows that the previous government's large expansion of new offices around Sweden has yielded good results.
This initiative will, however, be erased by the government and the Sweden Democrats. The decommissioning of offices has already begun, and more are in the queue. The agency assesses that 35 offices must be decommissioned over the next three years to manage the government's budget cut of 150 million.
One of these offices is located in my home municipality, Eslöv. A closure is planned there for 2026. Those who live in Eslöv can today use the service office to get help with matters regarding Arbetsförmedlingen, Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan, and Pensionsmyndigheten. This local contact means a lot for the individual who is not used to or does not have access to digital tools.
I met an elderly woman last week who was worried that she will not be able to get support in her pension matters as easily in the future as she does today. She lacks BankID, and if the office in Eslöv is closed, she will have to take the train to an office in a municipality further away. It will therefore take longer and become more expensive for her.
Another worry she felt was that she would not find her way to the office because it is located in a larger city. And she is just one of all those I have spoken with who will be affected. I have met people who need help from Arbetsförmedlingen, especially now when unemployment is over 8 percent in our municipality.
To let the service office in Eslöv, which already has very limited opening hours today, be closed down is very much at odds with the reality I encounter in conversations with people at home. People who do not have access to digital tools should not be punished for needing personal help and guidance, which will happen when the offices are closed down.
I therefore wonder: What measures does the government intend to take so that municipalities affected by closures, such as Eslöv, will in the future have access to state services so that people do not need to feel this anxiety?
Jonathan Svensson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank all my colleagues who have taken the initiative for this important and urgent debate in light of the government's drastic cuts to Statens servicecenter.
In Sweden, we have a long tradition of residents having a high level of trust in our public institutions and authorities. This is largely because they have, for a long time, delivered good and secure services while simultaneously having good accessibility towards citizens throughout the country.
Over time, this accessibility has changed, unfortunately for the worse. In large parts of our country, there are gaps in state services, where citizens have far too far to the nearest state service, which has consequences for both individuals and society.
Many of the people affected by the deteriorated service in our country belong to the most vulnerable. It concerns people who have lost their jobs, much due to the government's lack of labor market policy. They may have ended up in long-term unemployment and thus risk falling into long-term exclusion. Another group that can be affected are the many people on sick leave in our country, who may need to claim sickness allowance but who now have significantly longer wait times for state services.
Mr. Speaker! Many of the people who need to come into contact with the state authorities are referred to various forms of digital platforms. The digital platforms work very well for many people in this country, but we have a relatively large group of people for whom they do not work as well. It can be about people with language difficulties, lack of digital skills, or various forms of disabilities.
To bridge the gap in the state service, the previous, Social Democratic-led government took the good initiative to expand the state service in many places in our country. It was a very wise initiative that has led to many people having significantly better access to the state service.
That is why it is with some horror that I can read in local newspaper after local newspaper that service center after service center will be closed. It will worsen the state's local presence, and ordinary people's trust in the state institutions and the state's activities will be damaged.
In my own constituency, the northern constituency in Western Sweden, it is two service offices, both in Lysekil and in Åmål, that are to be closed shortly. It is a truly bad news for people in northern Bohuslän and Dalsland, who will get lower access to the state service and find it harder to make ends meet.
In one of the municipalities in the northern part of my constituency, one will have to travel for several hours to be able to make a simple visit to a state service center and get help with, for example, one's claim for sickness benefit.
If we look at Dalsland alone, Mr. Speaker, we see how the state is withdrawing and the state service is decreasing. When the last state service office in the county is now closed, it will become a county without open state service for the citizens in five entire municipalities. I think that is clearly a failing grade.
Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats think this is deplorable. We needed to strengthen the state presence throughout the country, not weaken it. In times of mass unemployment of over 10 percent and many people on sick leave in our country, we would need a state that actually takes responsibility and ensures that it is present throughout the entire country. We need a stronger society, but we do not get that through what the government is doing right now.
I therefore want to take the opportunity to ask the Minister how he justifies the massive cuts in state services in the rural areas – cuts that are so severe that entire provinces are left without state services.
Mats Wiking (S)
Mr. Speaker! What once characterized our Sweden was that there was an accessibility to services and trade throughout our elongated country. I remember a 1980s where the shop, the post office, the bus line, the pharmacy, the bank, the Public Employment Service, the Swedish Tax Agency and the Social Insurance Agency were accessible even in the small communities.
In the small community of Slite in northern Gotland, all of that existed. Now only the grocery store, Systembolaget and the pharmacy remain. Arbetsförmedlingen, Försäkringskassan and the bank have long since moved out.
Mr. Speaker! That is how it looks in many small municipalities in our elongated country. We can clearly see this today as we debate the closures of service offices.
We politicians often talk about the whole country having to live. Some parties believe that lower petrol prices will save the countryside. And certainly, lower petrol prices can be a help when services are ten miles away, but should people have to travel ten miles to get help from a caseworker at Arbetsförmedlingen or Försäkringskassan?
The state has already, through the M and KD budget, which won the majority in the chamber in 2019, been forced to close over 130 of Arbetsförmedlingen's offices and reduce the number of employees by over 3,000 people. In order to be able to maintain good service in the countryside and a certain decency when it comes to state presence throughout the country, the Social Democratic government introduced state service offices.
Mr. Speaker! The idea was to expand and upgrade to service offices in all parts of our country. We Social Democrats got some way there when we were in government, but now the government seems to want to tear up what a Social Democratic government began to build.
Mr. Speaker! With the government's proposal, the budget for the service offices will decrease by 150 million kronor, which will, among other things, lead to the closure of 35 service offices across the country.
In my constituency, the service centers in Lysekil and Åmål will be closed. For the residents of Åmål and Lysekil, the service centers have played an important role. Åmål has previously had a record-high unemployment rate, but thanks to a close and effective cooperation between Arbetsförmedlingen and the municipality, they managed to halve the unemployment. By Arbetsförmedlingen being on-site, they have been able to provide the right support to job seekers and meet the employers' needs. Now, there is a great risk that the cooperation will disappear when Arbetsförmedlingen and Statens servicekontor are closed in Åmål.
Mr. Speaker! For Lysekil in Bohuslän, this means that the residents must travel to Uddevalla or Gothenburg to visit the nearest service office. It is over ten miles to Gothenburg. This particularly affects elderly people, as well as people with disabilities and people without digital experience, who may have difficulty handling their affairs remotely. Those who are dependent on personal assistance risk receiving diminished service and longer processing times if they are forced to handle their affairs on their own.
I would therefore like to ask the Minister: What policy does the government have to ensure that state social services are available throughout the country?
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Mr. Speaker! To Member Peder Björk, who incorrectly claims that I as a Minister am part of an SD government, I want to say that it is a lie. I am not part of any SD government, but I am part of a government where the Sweden Democrats do not sit.
It is the Moderaterna who lead the government in the form of a prime minister. It is a government consisting of the Moderaterna, Kristdemokraterna, and Liberalerna. Then we have a parliamentary cooperation with the Sverigedemokraterna to obtain a majority in the chamber in the democracy we live in.
That the Social Democrats needed to cooperate with parties in this chamber during the last parliamentary term to pass their policies does not mean that the government was an S-government, but that is how democracy works. I am therefore not part of an SD-government, but I am part of a bourgeois government consisting of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats, and the Liberals.
So to the issue at hand, and first and foremost this that one makes it sound as if it is not possible to get any help.
Today, approximately half of Sweden's municipalities lack a government service office, and that number will increase in the coming years. It sounds as if if you live in a municipality where there is no physical government service office, you cannot get any help if you are unemployed or in need of sickness benefit or other government service.
I think we must correct these inaccuracies, because it is certainly possible to get help. Some will have a bit further to go to a physical government service office; that is completely correct. I cannot stand here and deny that, because that is the effect of this. But it is possible to get help. Some will have a bit further, but one will be able to have contact with a physical service office.
When it comes to the unemployed, one of the arguments is that unemployment is high. Where is one supposed to get help now?
Almost everyone who has a job in Sweden today uses digital tools in their work. It is difficult today to work and function on the labor market if one is completely digitally excluded, and in principle all able-bodied people today have a BankID or some other electronic identification, that is to say that one can manage digital services in a good way.
This stems from the National Audit Office having audited the service centers and seen that the number of visits has not matched the expansion. Each visit has therefore become more and more expensive, partly because the Swedish people are becoming increasingly digital and the authorities are offering ever better digital services.
Help will, therefore, be available. Some will get something further away from a physical office. But it is also part of the mandate to look more at flexible and mobile office solutions, which I also find interesting. The agency is looking into it in order to actually be able to offer better service.
According to the agency's plan, within a few years we will return to the number of service offices that existed in 2019, that is 113 offices. Given the tone that has prevailed in the debate, one might wonder if Sweden was completely shattered before 2019 regarding access to the state and state services. Was it that bad in 2019, when we had 113 offices? That is where the plan from the agency is that we will land.
Now my time is up, so I must return to the remaining points in the next contribution.
Louise Thunström (S)
Mr. Speaker! "Many of us live in the Swedish heartland, in our small towns and in the countryside. In fact, only one in three Swedes lives in urban or metropolitan areas. Still, the heartland's perspective is strangely absent from the debate. – – – The heartland shall not be left to wither. Not if we Kristdemokrater get to decide. We see the Swedish heartland. And we will fight for it. So that all of Sweden can function."
Mr. Speaker! This is a quote from a debate article published in several Swedish newspapers across the country in 2021, signed by, among others, the Minister's party colleagues Ebba Busch and Peter Kullgren. It is sad to now have to state that the government, together with the Sverigedemokraterna, is betraying exactly this promise that was once given.
The Government has on several occasions in various debates stated that the state's money should be used as wisely as possible, and there is no one who has any other opinion than just that. On the other hand, we have obvious differences of opinion in this chamber about what constitutes an effective and wise management of our tax money, because state presence throughout the country does not happen by itself. It is a question of political will and political priorities. It is a political priority that does not have efficiency as the overriding goal but which sees other values. It is an insight that if one seriously wants to build societies, trust is completely crucial – trust and confidence in the state and in authorities.
It is important for us humans to feel that the public service is there when we need it. The state service is to be a part of our common social contract. It builds up people's trust, but it also gives legitimacy to the exercise of authority. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly of all, it shows a political will to give people equal opportunities to service wherever they live in the country and whatever abilities they have.
Mr. Speaker! The state presence is also important for our national preparedness. A strong local presence of authorities and institutions contributes to maintaining society's functions in crisis situations. We saw it during the pandemic. We see it now in turbulent times in our global environment. And we know that when authorities and societal functions are dismantled or centralized, it becomes harder to manage future crises. When society's presence decreases in the countryside, for example through the closure of state service offices and of study associations and other institutions, not only is the local service weakened, but also our preparedness.
And who takes over now when the state disappears? Is this being passed on to municipalities that are already in a difficult financial situation? The union DIK is alerting to the risk that librarians will now face an ever-increasing burden of helping people with administrative matters where the service centers are disappearing.
My second question to the Minister is therefore how the government intends to ensure that the state presence in the countryside is maintained and thereby upholds our national preparedness. And has the government taken into account the potentially increased burden for municipalities?
Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you to the Minister for the answer!
The government and the Sweden Democrats can talk as much as they want about the whole country living, but it doesn't help much when the result of the conducted policy is something completely different.
It does not help Falkenberg, where the service office is now to be closed. It does not help Laholm, which runs the risk of being next in line. It definitely does not help Hylte, which has the highest unemployment in the county and where a total of 85 people have been laid off just this past week.
When unemployment increases, when bankruptcies are at record highs and when we see a growing need for state services and presence, this government chooses to withdraw. These are the consequences of the government's policy.
Mr. Speaker! The Government and the Sweden Democrats are very fond of talking about imposing stricter requirements, tougher requirements, on people. At the same time, they are now making it harder for them to behave correctly, because that is the result of these cuts. There will be less support for those who need it most and it will be harder for those who are already struggling.
The Minister of State obviously knows this too, as it was not long ago in a previous interpellation debate that he argued it was a very good measure that the service centers were expanded under the previous, Social Democratic-led government and that there is potential to develop the centers even further. But what the government is doing right now is not to develop the service centers. It is to phase them out one by one.
I fully understand that there are many issues and little time in this debate, but when the answers from the Minister remain outstanding, it is difficult to draw any other conclusion than that this is not so much about the service offices themselves, but rather that the government must finance billions in tax cuts for those who earn the most.
I think that the Minister can at least take responsibility for that in this debate and be sincere about it. That should be the least one can demand when the government is now erasing the last five years of expansion of state service and when it cannot present any basis for it. It simply does not align with how the cost has looked per visit or per handled case – especially not for the service office in Falkenberg, where the number of visitors and the number of handled cases have only increased in recent years.
I am still waiting for answers to my questions, Mr. Speaker.
Peder Björk (S)
Mr. Speaker! The Minister has in previous debates and also in the response to the interpellations now being debated referred to efficiency and that one must be economical with the state's resources. He says in the response to the interpellations that the number of visits has not increased at the same rate as the service centers have been expanded, but the very point of the Social Democratic government's expansion of service centers was to establish state service all over the country and in places that have not had state service. The population base is not as large there as in large cities or in larger municipalities. It is clear that the number of visitors then cannot increase at the same rate as the offices are expanded.
Just now, the Minister also said that the costs for the service provided are increasing. That is incorrect, Mr. Speaker! The cost per case at the state service offices has decreased in recent years. The agency has done a great job and ensured that the case cost has decreased as more and more people have found their way to these service offices to receive state services locally and physically in an office where one can meet a human being.
If it is indeed the case that efficiency is the Minister's driving force when closing service offices around the country, it is completely illogical for the Minister to simultaneously defend the prioritization that the Minister has forced the agency to make. The fact is that the service office in Nordstan in Gothenburg had 66,000 visitors last year. The service office in Landskrona had 22,000 visitors, and the service office in Norrköping city had 48,000 visitors. It is these offices that the Minister stands here in the chamber and defends closing down due to some kind of invented interest in efficiency.
No, Mr. Speaker, this is not about efficiency. This is about the government needing to find ways to save money in order to be able to lower taxes for those who have it the best and for those who earn the most. I wonder about the future, when new tax cuts are to be made by this government. What state service is it then that is to be saved on? Is it another 35 service offices that are to be closed around the country, or is it that Skatteverket's entire operations are to be completely centralized to Stockholm?
There is actually a genuine wonder about what proposals for savings on services across the entire country this government will present next time they think about lowering taxes for those who earn the most.
Heléne Björklund (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
Last year, the office in Karlshamn had 11,000 visitors. That is just over 900 a month, and that is very much for a small town like Karlshamn. These are not just administrative places, but they are actually meeting places that help people of flesh and blood to get advice, support, and help with everything from pensions and social insurance to issues concerning immigration, rights, and all possible services – as the Minister knows, of course.
In Blekinge, we have significantly higher unemployment than in the rest of Sweden. Karlshamn also has very high unemployment figures, and in Blekinge, there are very large differences between those born in Sweden and those born abroad. I believe even that it is the highest difference in Sweden. At the same time, we have a huge need for skills supply, not least from the industry in Blekinge, so these offices can really make a difference for people who cannot manage without meeting a human being of flesh and blood to get this help. The Minister says that everyone is digitized now and that everyone who can work is digitized. That can be left to Minister Slottner, for that is not my view. My view is that very many people need to receive help from a human being of flesh and blood.
I also want to add another important aspect of the state service in our small communities. As I said in my previous post, very many state activities have already left. This is also a workplace where people work. They contribute competence and new people to the municipality who, in turn, go out and eat lunch and consume in the local community. This is also an important aspect when planning state activities. There needs to be state activity throughout the country so that people receive service and so that we distribute this competence.
As the Minister surely knows, politics is both about wanting and choosing. The difference becomes very clear depending on what one chooses and how one prioritizes, and that has been made clear by the representatives here in the rostrum. If one wants to prioritize tax cuts for the very wealthiest, there will be no money left for services throughout the country.
It is also the case that we municipalities outside of Stockholm and outside the large cities are struggling quite feverishly to make things work and to – despite tough times – provide a good service to our residents. We want them to stay, work, and get an education and remain in every municipality. In that case, this is a death blow. It becomes like a slap in the face for the municipal councilors, who work hard to get the operations to function. Karlshamn's Moderate municipal board chairman has stated that he is surprised and does not understand why that specific office should be closed down.
My question to the Minister is: How has the dialogue been with the municipal management in Karlshamn regarding the decision to close the office there?
Niklas Karlsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! The Social Democratic-led government carried out an extensive expansion of the service centers to simplify contact with state authorities, increase accessibility, and strengthen the state's presence. It was an investment that has made things easier for people across the entire country.
The decision that the bourgeois government has made and is now implementing stands in stark contrast to what was previously done and which was the entire purpose of Statens servicecenter. What is happening now is that accessibility is decreasing and that personal meetings are becoming fewer. It increases geographical inequality, because the closure of offices means that in large parts of the country, one gets poorer access to public services. One has to travel further, and it can become expensive and time-consuming. It also creates an inequality where city dwellers have easy access to state authorities, while other parts of the country find it more difficult.
Furthermore, there is a risk that certain groups, such as the elderly and people with disabilities, will be excluded from the service. It worsens the support for the elderly and those who are not accustomed to digital technology. The need for physical meetings is great among people who have difficulty with digital technology. Digital alternatives simply cannot replace the security and the help that a personal meeting provides.
It creates a risk that many people will not receive the service they are actually entitled to, as well as a risk of lost quality in service and legal certainty. Some matters simply require personal contact in order to be handled correctly and with legal certainty. There is an obvious risk that mistakes will increase if people are referred to digital services without support.
Processing via telephone or chat can make it more difficult to understand and resolve complex issues. People may avoid seeking help if it feels complicated, which in turn can lead to missed benefits or missed rights.
Fewer offices mean longer waiting times and poorer service, which in turn means that the risk of longer queues and poorer accessibility increases at the remaining offices. The staff's workload increases, which can affect the service negatively. Citizens may be forced to wait longer to get help.
This weakens the state presence, particularly in smaller towns. This can, in turn, as many of us have pointed out in today's interpellation debate, be interpreted as the state withdrawing from large parts of the country, which reduces trust in society and the state. It reinforces the feeling that certain parts of our country are forgotten, that certain parts of our country are less worthy, and that people do not care as much about certain parts of our country.
The government says one thing but does something completely different. That is what we have learned. That is what we have heard bourgeois representatives for the government say before. It is shown once again in action and in the decisions they make.
The Minister stated in his response to the interpellation that the government consistently considers the service centers to be an important activity for offering personal service from state agencies and that they shall continue to exist throughout the country to meet individuals' needs for local and state service. That simply does not align with the decision being made now.
The Sweden Democrats and their government, which is represented here and now by Minister Slottner, say: We do not see you. We do not hear you. We do not care.
Agneta Nilsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! What I have heard here today from my fellow members and from the Minister does not make me and the people who live in Eslöv any less worried. The closures of state service offices in places such as Eslöv will result in people's trust in the state decreasing. When the service offices disappear from their municipalities, they will perceive it as state authorities abandoning them and instead centering their operations in larger cities.
The municipalities' responsibility will increase. There will be greater pressure on municipal services, and the burden on their operations will become higher. Here, it will probably require more resources moving forward. There will be a higher cost placed on the municipalities when the state's service office disappears, because it will be the municipalities that have to support the residents when they need help contacting state authorities.
The people who are most vulnerable – people with disabilities and elderly people who need the local presence of service offices – will pay the highest price for this saving from the government and Sverigedemokraterna.
Jonathan Svensson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
In the minister's opening response, it was stated that the operations at Statens servicecenter should be adapted and be efficient. I naturally agree that all state activities should be efficient; we must use our resources in the best possible way across all operations. I believe, however, that there are other values than merely a green figure at the bottom of the accounts. I think there are other values than just the economic ones that we as a society need to see. I see other – collective – benefits that we as a society need to create.
The Minister also said that almost everyone of working age works with digital tools. It is true that we have a very high degree of digitalization and that very many in Sweden can handle digital tools. I would, however, like to assert that there are large groups in our society who still do not do so and who are in need of society's support.
I also question a bit focusing only on the group of those capable of working. There are many other groups in society who need to take advantage of state services. There are people who are not of working age but who still have to file a tax return. In that case, it is good if there is state service. There are also people who are ill and are not capable of working. They need to have contact with Försäkringskassan, and then there is a need for state service.
I think we should be honest about why this is happening. This is actually a result of the government lowering taxes for those who earn the most. Then, the Government Offices have had to find places to take money from to finance tax cuts for those who earn the most. The residents of Åmål, Munkedal, Lysekil, or Färgelanda do not win from this. Only those who earn the most win from it.
Mats Wiking (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
We know that the state service offices are not the same as a full-fledged employment service or an insurance office. However, we can see that the service offices that exist in my constituency – in Åmål and Lysekil, which have been mentioned earlier – have been of great importance. From the statistics that my colleague Louise Thunström presented in her interpellation, we can read that there is a great need for state service in this way. It has also been expanded gradually.
We have a situation in the countryside with an aging population and high unemployment, especially in my constituency in Dalsland. It is not good when the state's presence and service successively decrease. One can wonder how the government intends for the whole country to live.
We Social Democrats believe that the state has a responsibility for the development, as for a long period of time, investments have been made in the large cities before the countryside. Through the closures of service offices, the government is removing an important opportunity for the unemployed, the sick, the elderly, or the disabled who need to meet a physical person to discuss current issues and needs.
Mr. Speaker! The state may not be able to take responsibility for the shop closing or for the school becoming too small, but if there is community service in various forms, the chance is significantly greater that people are prepared to move to or stay in the small municipality. If families move in, the basis for opening the school and the shop also increases.
We see that the long-term unemployed and the sick all over Sweden have benefited greatly from service offices. Through these, they have also been able to meet a physical person and receive help. These people do not always have the digital knowledge to manage this contact.
I want to ask the Minister if he plans to further reduce state services in the Swedish countryside. If not, what does the government intend to do for the large group of people who have benefited greatly from the service centers?
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Mr. Speaker! First and foremost, I think it is important to say that Statens servicecenter remains as an agency. The agency will have local service offices around the country. The budget scope will decrease somewhat in the coming years, which will mean that some offices will have to close. We do not, however, have any municipal arrest in this country; it is not the case that one must show that one lives in a certain municipality in order to visit the offices. Some people will have a bit further to travel to the offices, but the operations will remain. I therefore think that the panicked atmosphere that some of the submissions gave the impression of is a bit unfortunate.
There have been some scattered remarks from the members. I will try to answer most of them during the minutes I have.
Heléne Björklund claimed that I said that everyone in society is digitized, but I did not say that. Jonathan Svensson, on the other hand, quoted me correctly. I said that almost everyone is. I think there is a very big difference between "everyone" and "almost everyone." I also said it in a context where it in no way was about neglecting digital exclusion. I work a lot with that as a minister, and I am also responsible for digitalization. I said it in a context where, in the debate, it sounded as if one cannot get any help from the state if one lacks a physical office where one lives. I think it is a somewhat unfortunate connection.
My opponents raised the issue of the labor market and the unemployed, and then I said: If you are of working age today and have a job, you are working in the vast majority of cases with some form of digitalization. It is very difficult to function on the labor market in Sweden if one cannot handle digital tools. That knowledge also facilitates things even if one becomes unemployed and has to contact Arbetsförmedlingen. It was in that context that I said this.
I can take the opportunity to advertise Ring Digital Day, which was inaugurated this week. I participated myself and answered a number of calls. It is the Post and Telecom Authority that runs Digital Day now. As a citizen, one can call there if, for example, one needs help navigating in a digital environment – so I was told that as well.
Then, among others, Heléne Björklund and Agneta Nilsson ask some questions about which office one should go to instead when an office is closed in a certain location. This is completely impossible for me to answer, as everyone understands. But I can still say, for example, that those who live in Eslöv have access to an office in Lund. It is approximately one and a half miles between Eslöv and Lund. It is not the case that one gets very large distances in Skåne. In other parts of the country, the distances become a bit longer, and that is already the case today. That is why the authorities have developed these guidelines, where the goal is to have at least one office in every so-called FA-region, that is, in every functional labor market area, to guarantee some form of physical proximity.
I spoke about developing the office operations. It does not always have to mean that one should have more offices. It can also mean that one develops concepts, methods, and ways of working. That is what I want to advocate for. I find, not least, that this with flexible and mobile office solutions is very interesting.
I received a question about Karlshamn. I truly share Heléne Björklund's view of Karlshamn – it is a very pleasant municipality. I was there myself on a municipal visit in January and got to experience this. It was asked what dialogue the government has had regarding this. But it is not the government that has decided that the office in Karlshamn should be closed, but it is something that the agency is responsible for. The agency has had a dialogue. One has such a dialogue in the consultation that takes place before any potential closures. I think it is important to say that.
As a closing remark: Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to participate in the tax policy discussion, which I still find interesting and which came up in many posts. I just want to say in conclusion that the state presence is increasing all over Sweden, not least due to the expansion of the judicial and criminal justice system, which I also think is important to point out.
Louise Thunström (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank everyone who has participated in this very important debate today. The words and decisions become great in this chamber sometimes, but I am very glad that we also devote much time to discussing what is everyday for many people in Sweden. I also thank the Minister for the answers, even though I actually did not receive a single answer to any of my questions. We may have reason to return to this debate.
The Minister mentioned a municipality where it is approximately a mile to travel for the residents to the nearest office. But if one lives in Dalsland, it becomes a day trip. If one were to miss the bus, one has to wait until the next day. That is how it looks in our country. I think it is important to point that out. It sounds as if there is an unawareness of what the country looks like. But enough about that!
I do not, of course, believe that it is enough for the state to open service offices in the countryside for the entire state to live and function. I believe that many more active interventions will be required, which we may have the opportunity to debate at other times. But the way forward definitely cannot be what is happening now, that the state presence is being reduced in the form of service centers, which people can actively go and visit to get help.
As many have said in this chamber, it is exactly as if the government has searched every tiny village for money in order to be able to lower the tax for those who earn the most in this country. I think this is outrageous and unfair. I actually think it is incomprehensible. In conclusion, I therefore want to appeal to the Minister to reconsider, because this will not turn out well.
Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the debate. It will likely not be the last on this issue.
The closure of the service center in my home municipality, Falkenberg, is planned for 2026. Therefore, it is also my hope that the government and the minister have time to rethink before then. The least one can ask for, as my colleague Peder Björk was pointing out, is that the government carries out an earlier follow-up before the end of the mandate period. Then perhaps the minister will land on the fact that this was not such a wise prioritization after all and that more service centers are needed, not fewer.
Mr. Speaker! If there is anything that has become clear in this debate, it is that when we Social Democrats get to decide, there will be more service offices and not fewer. There will be more state presence and not less. This is also something that has made a big difference for the residents in Falkenberg and in my home county of Halland. It became clear during the previous, Social Democrat-led government.
But this government seems to have completely different priorities. There is no political decisiveness and no ambition to stand up for such a policy. In that case, the minister is still answerable. How is the whole country to function, as the Christian Democrats like to talk about, with fewer service offices and a policy where the state withdraws?
I would like to urge the Minister to make these types of considerations before the end of the mandate period and provide an earlier follow-up. Then the government will hopefully have had time to rethink.
Peder Björk (S)
Mr. Speaker! The Minister and the SD government have in previous debates through actions shown that there is a total lack of interest in having state local service all around the country. I think it is disrespectful in the debate to downplay the need and necessity for many people all around our country to have proximity to local service where one, on-site in a physical office, can get help from a number of authorities with what they need.
Mr. Speaker! It shows a lack of interest in Swedish administrative policy when the Minister and the Government cannot see what consequences this has for trust and cohesion in our entire country. Add to that the fact that one also lets Statens servicecenter take the blame for which offices are being closed around the country; one does not want to make those decisions oneself. The Minister and the Government can say anything they want about safeguarding state services – the action that is now being carried out shows something completely different.
Mr. Speaker! The Christian Democrats spoke during the election campaign about "the heartland". At that time, they were referring to the countryside. But I actually believe that what they really meant was that Stockholm is the heart and the rest of Sweden is the land.
Heléne Björklund (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you to the Minister and the other interpellants for a good and important debate. We have established how important the issue is for us. Even though the Minister does not seem to agree, we have had a good dialogue and a good debate on the issue.
The Minister has now in several of the answers stated that there will be state activity. There will not be any huge distances. Of course, people may have to travel a bit further, but activity will still exist.
I still want to emphasize that it is the deterioration for our residents that will be felt. It will increase suspicion and strengthen the sense of exclusion and the feeling that it is yet another activity that leaves just my municipality.
I want to remind that there are 548 days left until the election. Then we will have a new government. Then Slottner might escape having the debate from that horizon.
The Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats should instead join forces on this issue and speak about how important it is that all citizens in the entire country feel that the social contract is working.
For my part, I believe that it will then feel a bit difficult that we gave up this issue for a little small change in the budget.
Niklas Karlsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! Eight of the members of the Riksdag have, in today's interpellation debate, highlighted the importance of accessibility and presence throughout the country because they believe it is important to create trust and show respect.
The Minister's response to this is that there is no community arrest in this country. The disrespect knows no bounds. Such is the speech of a minister whose worldview is shaped by a subway that runs once a minute and where, in the worst case, one has a five-minute walk to both social and commercial services.
Mr. Speaker! In my world, it is hair-raising. It is these interests that the Sweden Democrat and bourgeois government now represents. People with large assets and high incomes shall have it better through clinically targeted tax cuts to those who already are well off.
We can now add that you are not only to be a high-income earner in our country. You shall also live in those parts of the country where many people already live in the metropolitan regions and where one has the best service.
It is a policy for those who are doing well and a policy for those who have large incomes. It is a policy for those who live in large cities.
They obviously do not care about the rest of the country. But do they not see those people, and do they not hear them, because in our country there is no municipal arrest. Get a grip, and get lost!
Mr. Speaker! In my world, it is deeply unjust and deeply unfair, and in my world as a social democrat, it is deeply unworthy.
Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)
Mr. Speaker! When it comes to the last thing said: Talk about stretching a post to its limits!
What I said was that the State Service Center is for all of Sweden. The office operations that exist are not offered only to the inhabitants who live in that specific municipality, but also to residents in surrounding municipalities. Today, it is approximately half of the municipalities that have a state service office.
It does not mean that residents in the municipalities that do not have state service offices are not welcome at other offices. That will also be the case going forward. To say that is not to mock any kind of Stockholm subway perspective on this.
I myself am from what is called the countryside. I began my political engagement in Kalmar municipality. It may admittedly not be the countryside, but it is a smaller town in Sweden. I know very well what it means to live outside of Stockholm.
Then I note that some count more than others. There are 548 days left until the election. I am happy to remain in office and take the debate in this chamber thereafter. We shall see what the voters say.
We always review the state's expenditures. That is how it really is. Someone said that we have searched every single bureau drawer. Yes, that is what we do in a budget negotiation.
We want to be able to put money on what we want to increase spending on. This applies in particular to the justice system and defense, which are truly things that the government prioritizes. We also want to lower taxes.
The previous government directed tax cuts to those with high incomes. The previous government abolished the wealth tax and raised the thresholds four times for the state income tax.
What this government has done has been significantly less regarding this. We have removed a tapering of the job tax credit, but abolishing the wealth tax gave much more money to high-income earners.
The broad tax cut has gone to wage earners and pensioners. That is what the large sum of tax cuts from the government has gone to. That is what distinguishes a bourgeois government from a social democratic one.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.