Situation concerning the responsibilities of the Minister of Social Affairs
Session: Fifteenth Riigikogu, sixth sitting, press briefing.
Date: 2025-09-17 15:01
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 29
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 14m
AI Summaries: 29/29 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
During the Riigikogu information hour, questions concerning the portfolio of Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller, which were presented by Riigikogu member Lauri Laats, were discussed. The debate centered on three main topics: the accessibility of healthcare services in Estonia, the cost of finding a new head for the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), and the Minister’s focus between the social and health sectors.
Lauri Laats highlighted Eurostat data showing that 15.5% of the Estonian population had foregone healthcare services due to unavailability or high cost, placing Estonia first in Europe in this negative ranking. Minister Joller inquired about the source of the data but conceded that some medical procedures had been canceled. Laats criticized the Minister for failing to follow through on her promise to delve into the data and cited the source (Euronews/Eurostat, shared on his Facebook page).
The second major topic was the decision by the Tervisekassa council to hire a recruitment firm to find a new director, the cost of which reaches 35,000 euros. Joller defended the decision, emphasizing that due to the institution's 2.5 billion euro budget and the reliance of all Estonian health on it, it was necessary to find a professional leader, rather than choosing based on connections. Laats criticized the "toothlessness" of the state system and the use of taxpayer money for private sector services.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart presented a clarifying question regarding Tervisekassa's operating costs and office space, criticizing the high board fees and the choice of the more expensive Class A office building (Arteri), where the priority was the carbon footprint, not the optimal use of taxpayer money. Minister Joller distanced herself from the decisions of the former Tervisekassa head (e.g., summer retreats) and stressed the necessity of Tervisekassa's independence to avoid political interference in treatment decisions. She rejected the proposal to place Tervisekassa under the ministry. At the end of the session, Peeter Ernits raised a procedural question about the low attendance of coalition members, which the Speaker of the Riigikogu dismissed.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made
Most Active Speaker
Lauri Laats was the most active questioner, submitting a comprehensive three-part question and a strong clarifying follow-up question to Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller regarding the expenses of the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) and the accessibility of healthcare. His position is listed as other (opposition).
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar gave the floor to Riigikogu member Lauri Laats to ask Social Minister Karmen Joller a question regarding the situation within the minister's area of responsibility.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The very first question is addressed to the Minister of Social Affairs, Karmen Joller. The questioner is Riigikogu member Lauri Laats, and the topic is the situation within the Minister of Social Affairs’ area of responsibility.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Laats raises the point that 15.5% of the population is foregoing healthcare services and requires analysis, criticizes the Health Insurance Fund's decision to spend 35,000 euros on finding a new director, and asks whether the minister will continue focusing on healthcare, has appointed the Minister of Social Affairs, and is dealing with social problems.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats is demanding answers from the minister concerning Eurostat data, which indicates that a large portion of the population is foregoing healthcare services due to their inaccessibility or high cost. As Chairman of the Health Insurance Fund Council, he also criticized the minister-approved decision to spend 35,000 euros on finding a new director, and inquired whether the Minister of Social Affairs has at last begun addressing issues in the social sector, rather than focusing solely on healthcare matters.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller explained that while the cancellation of medical procedures is a serious problem in Estonia, it is being actively addressed. She also justified the necessity of the costly procurement organized to select the new head of the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), arguing that the institution, which manages a 2.5 billion euro budget, required a professionally competent leader, rather than one chosen based on personal connections. She simultaneously stressed that her priority is the overall well-being of the population, which necessitates closer cooperation between the healthcare and social sectors.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller explains the costs associated with searching for the new head of the Health Insurance Fund and the procedure for organizing the tender, emphasizing the importance of finding a professional and sector-competent leader, and achieving better cooperation between the healthcare and social fields for the well-being of the people.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar expressed his thanks and immediately thereafter gave the floor to Lauri Laats so that he could ask a clarifying question.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanks [the previous speaker/participants] and asks Lauri Laats to present a clarifying question.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats reproaches the respondent for their lack of knowledge regarding the sources of data on the availability of medical care, highlighting that, according to Eurostat data, Estonia is the negative leader in Europe with 15.5%, ranking worse than even Albania, and directs attention to the source. Furthermore, he sharply criticizes the use of a private sector service, costing 35,000 euros, to find the head of the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), arguing that the national system is too toothless and suggesting the Reform Party use the same service to find better ministers.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats claims that, based on Euronews and Eurostat data, the accessibility of medical and healthcare services in Estonia stands at 15.5%, making it the worst in Europe—even Albania is at a better level than us. Furthermore, he criticizes the Reform Party's plan to pay the private sector 35,000 euros to find a minister.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Social Minister Karmen Joller stressed that the evaluation of healthcare should not be based on a single number or a Facebook post, but rather comprehensive data must be used so that people in Estonia can reach the right doctor in a timely manner.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller emphasizes that a social minister should not base their work on unreliable single sources, such as Facebook posts, but rather the quality of healthcare must be assessed using extensive data to ensure people receive timely medical care; she also affirms that the tenure of Riigikogu members and the government must reflect the will of the Estonian people, which is why she rejects the idea of replacing democratic elections with professional evaluation.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar offers his thanks and announces that the supplementary question will be posed by colleague Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart sharply criticizes the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) for its wasteful use of taxpayer money, citing as examples unjustifiably high board fees, substantial performance bonuses, and half a million euros spent on events. She questions why similar incentive packages are not offered to teachers and nurses, and further objects that the priority when selecting the most expensive office space was the carbon footprint, rather than optimal financial management. She is demanding an explanation from the minister regarding whether he plans to discuss these operating costs within the council.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart is criticizing the necessity of the Health Fund spending half a million euros on events, salary increases, and over 70,000 euros in performance bonuses, all supposedly aimed at motivating employees. She questions why the same incentive packages are not offered to teachers and rescuers. She highlights the legality of how these funds are distributed and raises the ongoing debate regarding office space and associated costs, specifically mentioning the priority given to the carbon footprint and the broader issues concerning the optimal use of taxpayer money.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The speech emphasizes that it is now time for the audience to act.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The provided excerpt is insufficient to summarize the content of the speech; please provide the entire speech or more specific context so that I can create a one-sentence summary.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart poses a rhetorical question regarding the reform of the administrative structure, proposing the idea of transferring certain functions to the ministry's purview in order to achieve significant financial savings, reaching millions.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks the Minister and presents a request to him.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Social Affairs Minister Karmen Joller emphasized that the Health Insurance Fund must remain independent of the ministry and that treatment decisions must not be influenced by politics. However, she noted that there must be some political input in the management, and the supervisory council may, when necessary, request justifications for decisions and express its views.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Social Affairs Minister Karmen Joller stressed that she must not be confused with the former head of the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), and admitted that the Tervisekassa summer retreat also offended her sense of justice. She emphasized the critical importance of Tervisekassa’s independence as a public-law institution to prevent political interference in treatment decisions, stating that the current level of political representation on the council is sufficient. Joller added that operational decisions, such as relocating the office, fall under the purview of the new director. She confirmed that the summer retreat scandal, which was exposed by the press, led to the former director’s resignation before the council even had a chance to discuss the matter.
Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller
AI Summary
Social Minister Karmen Joller, Karmen Joller, emphasizes that she must not be confused with the former head of the Health Insurance Fund, and concedes that the Health Insurance Fund's summer retreat also offended her sense of justice. She stresses the importance of the Health Insurance Fund remaining independent of political decisions so that treatment decisions stay impartial, and explains that deciding on operating costs and the office location falls under the competence of the management board, not the supervisory council, noting that the scandal led to the former head's resignation before the council's planned discussion.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar concluded the discussion of the first agenda item and, before moving on to the second item, gave the floor to Peeter Ernits to address the procedure for conducting the sitting.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked [the participants] and announced that he was concluding the consideration of today's first question, and before moving on to the second question, there are questions regarding the procedures for conducting the sitting. Peeter Ernits is recognized.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits claims that the credibility of the government coalition is exceptionally low, and he asks the Speaker of the Riigikogu whether he is not concerned that not a single MP from Eesti 200 is present, and that the only representative from the Reform Party is his colleague Toomas Järveoja, who respects the attending Prime Minister.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits draws attention to the exceptionally low credibility of the governing coalition, asking the Speaker of the Riigikogu whether he is not concerned by the fact that almost no coalition member respects the sitting Prime Minister with their presence, especially those from the Eesti 200 party.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar clarified to his colleague that the specific question did not pertain to the procedure for conducting the sitting, stressing that the event was predominantly an information hour dedicated to questions posed by the opposition, and requested that irrelevant procedural interventions be avoided going forward.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar established that the purpose of the ongoing information hour is for Riigikogu members (primarily the opposition) to pose questions to the government. He emphasized that the procedural question that had been raised was irrelevant and did not pertain to the actual running of the sitting, and requested that such questions be refrained from going forward.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar clarified that these are questions intended for the information session, which allows Riigikogu members to pose questions to members of the government (primarily the opposition). He requested that, going forward, members avoid procedural questions that do not pertain to the rules for conducting the sitting.