Population policy
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 5th sitting, information briefing
Date: 2025-01-29 15:25
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 14
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 15m
AI Summaries: 14/14 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
During the discussion of the Riigikogu's seventh question, topics of population policy and social security were discussed with Social Security Minister Signe Riisalo. Riigikogu member Riina Solman criticized the government for reducing family benefits before the completion of an analysis of family policy measures, emphasizing Estonia's lowest birth rate of the century. Minister Riisalo accepted the criticism regarding the delay of the analysis, promising its completion by May of this year. She confirmed that the aim of the analysis is to find cross-party recommendations for increasing the birth rate and that researchers from both the University of Tartu and Tallinn University are involved.
Solman’s clarifying question concerned the raising of the age limit for children with disabilities, with which parents fear the loss of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Board's disability allowance and a worsening of family incomes. Minister Riisalo explained that the change will not take effect until 2027 and that no resources are being saved. The released funds will be directed towards a significant increase in the volume of services in the social security system, such as an increase in support for children with disabilities from 600,000 euros to 2.2 million, and a growth in the costs of social rehabilitation services. In addition, Vadim Belobrovtsev criticized the government's actions towards large families (reduction of benefits, loss of health insurance, automatic taxes), finding that this exacerbates the catastrophic demographic situation. Minister Riisalo defended the government's decisions, citing the overall increase in support for families with children and justifying the necessity of new taxes to regulate the state's finances and ensure security.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made.
Most Active Speaker
Riina Solman (0Qzst-tXRw0) was the most active questioner, posing both the initial question regarding the analysis of population policy and a clarifying question about support for children with disabilities. Her political stance is right-wing.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Riina Solman is presenting today the seventh question on demographic policy to the Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman criticizes the fact that cuts to benefits for families with children were made before the family policy analysis had been completed, and calls on the government to involve demographers and to focus on increasing birth rates and on financial support for families, including restoring the indexing of child benefits, so that the Estonian state and culture would endure.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo said that the criticism had been taken on board and the analysis had been delayed, but they are now involving researchers from the University of Tartu and Tallinn University and other experts and plan to present policy recommendations by May that could increase the birth rate and address demographic problems, including the impact of parental benefits and services for families with young children, involving as wide a range of different experts and institutions as possible.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar asked Riina Solman for a clarifying question.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman highlighted the impact of raising the age limit for disabled children: after the age limit was raised, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund will no longer pay the work ability allowance to disabled children aged over 16, which has caused concern for families and requires a comment from Minister Riisalo.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo said that the changes will take effect on February 1, and their aim is to continue supporting disabled children up to age 19, increase the scope and resources of the services designed for them, and create a central, unified pathway to rehabilitation services, by connecting the health care system's rehabilitation, the Social Insurance Board's social rehabilitation, the Labour Market Board's services, and the education system.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
This is only a request to submit an additional question to Vadim Belobrovtsev.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Belobrovtsev emphasizes that Estonia's demographic situation is catastrophic and the population is declining, and large families have lost financial support due to coalition decisions, mothers have had their health insurance taken away, and a car tax has been introduced, and he asks whether the cooperation of the Reform Party, the Social Democrats, and Estonia 200 can improve the demographic situation.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo said that the demographic situation is complex and the solutions are both costly and slow; she recalled the rise in support for large families during Reform Party governments, confirmed the state's obligation to help families, and added that when it comes to taxes, including the car tax, one must act in a balanced manner for the sake of fiscal stability, while at the same time providing relief to vulnerable groups.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, finished today's seventh question; before moving on to the eighth, Vadim Belobrovtsevil raised his hand and announced his intention to present a procedural question.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
I would emphasize that the car tax was not adopted unanimously in the Riigikogu; it was nevertheless adopted with the votes of the Reform Party, the Social Democratic Party, and Estonia 200.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar thanks the audience.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The presented speech is fragmentary and does not provide enough information; please provide the full text so that I can make a one-sentence summary.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar said that it was already a reply speech and clarified that the transcript does not contain any conflicts of interest.