Interpellation concerning the incitement of hatred towards families with children (No. 612)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 3rd session, plenary sitting
Date: 2024-04-08 19:30
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 42
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 56m
AI Summaries: 42/42 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu agenda item concerned the interpellation submitted on February 19th regarding the incitement of hatred against families with children. The list of those submitting the interpellation included Riina Solman, Priit Sibul, Helir-Valdor Seedri, Andres Metsoja, Aivar Koka, Tõnis Lukas, and Mart Maastik, with Helir-Valdor Seedri speaking from the podium as their representative. Following the representative's address, a debate took place which ultimately touched upon the role of large families and the impact of state support mechanisms on the welfare of children and families.
The second major topic was the fairness of the state's family policy and the discussion of whether support for large families should be based on the number of children or the size of the family, adhering to the principle of equality for all groups, and what solutions could ensure a stable future for larger families and the entire population. Representatives from various third-sector organizations and the opposition participated in the debate, and the minister answered several questions regarding statements made in their interviews and the government's cooperation measures.
Decisions Made 2
A decision was made to initiate a regular series of meetings with the Association of Large Families: the meetings are scheduled to take place once per quarter and more frequently if needed, to discuss family welfare, the impact of support measures, and potential visions for future actions.
It was decided that the Ministry of Social Affairs will prepare an overview of the current system of family benefits and parental allowances. An advisory analysis will also be completed by the end of October this year to assess the achievement of objectives, the level of poverty, and the birth rate, and to offer proposals for improving the system.
Most Active Speaker
The most active participant in this debate was Riina Solman (pid YnKIrQfzj2E), who serves as a member of the Riigikogu and currently belongs to the right-wing/prospective political party. Her actions and interventions were significantly integrated into several aspects of the discussion, and she presented critical and directional remarks within the context of the query.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Under today's third item on the agenda, the Riigikogu will consider the interpellation submitted on February 19 concerning the incitement of hatred against families with children. This interpellation was submitted by members Riina Solman, Priit Sibul, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Andres Metsoja, Aivar Kokk, Tõnis Lukas, and Mart Maastik. Helir-Valdor Seeder will serve as the rapporteur, following which Riina Solman will replace the representative of the questioners.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman of the Isamaa faction submitted an interpellation to the Riigikogu, accusing Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo of inciting hatred against large families due to her interview given to AK news and statements concerning the distribution of family benefits, and demands clarification and a public apology from the minister.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar thanked the Minister and invited the Minister of Social Protection, Signe Riisalo, back to the Riigikogu rostrum to answer the interpellation.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo confirmed before the Riigikogu that large families receive significant monthly aid, and the state evaluates and improves how the family benefits system meets its objectives, bearing in mind the reduction of poverty and the increase of the birth rate, and will regularly continue cooperation with the association of large families.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked the minister, stated that the minister also had questions to answer, and invited Helir-Valdor Seeder to respond.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder accuses the minister of pitting one- and two-child families against large families, and of presenting incomplete information, concealing that 14% of families account for 30% of children. He also denies the assertion that single parents with one child face the greatest poverty risk.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
This utterance is merely the single word "on," which expresses existence.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder, as Minister of Social Protection, calls for a re-evaluation of attitudes and an end to the opposition between single-child and large families.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo noted that he is being accused of child-hostility, but stressed that he grew up in a large family, has loved children his entire life, and worked for the benefit of children at the Ministry of Social Affairs for 26 years, which is why he considers the accusation unjust.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman asks Riina Solman to come.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman criticizes the minister’s comments regarding support for large families, arguing that the minister’s claims paint a distorted picture and touch upon issues of justice. She further asks why mothers feel humiliated in the Riigikogu (Parliament) following these cuts.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo notes that the bill he was defending at the podium was irresponsible because it introduced indexation and expenditures financed by borrowed money, and the entire cost will later have to be borne by children and future taxpayers. Therefore, the state budget must be responsible, and a way must be found to increase benefits without increasing the burden on children.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman gives his thanks and turns to Mart Maastik with a request.
Mart Maastik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Maastik emphasizes that raising the birth rate requires more than just family and child benefits; the words and examples set by ministers and politicians are equally important. He calls on the government and Signe to start making positive statements, such as 'I am a proud mother/father,' to showcase the well-being of large families.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
According to Riisalo, the inquiry centers on the rushed phone interview he gave. He acknowledges the criticism, emphasizes the value of large families, and confirms that the statistics presented are accurate.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks [the previous speaker] and invites Helle-Moonika Helme to take the floor.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helle-Moonika Helme accuses the government of running a state budget deficit, increasing the national debt burden, and driving up taxes and inflation, asserting that these actions create a family-hostile environment and lead to a decline in the birth rate.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo states that, factually speaking, social sector expenditures have increased, including pension indexation and the expansion of parental benefits. The state budget's current condition is due to the increased provision of these benefits—benefits that people wish to benchmark against the Nordic countries. However, the low tax burden makes it difficult to sustainably offer the same level of provision, and the entire situation is not merely the fault of the last year, but is tied to earlier history.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanks Riina Solman and explains that, pursuant to the law, a member of the Riigikogu may ask one oral question during interpellations, and then gives the floor to Tõnis Lukas.
Tõnis Lukas
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Tõnis Lukas emphasizes that population policy is fundamental to achieving many other objectives, and ministers should regularly engage with the association of large families. He recalls the previous transfer of hobby education support from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Social Affairs and criticizes the government for withdrawing this support, despite an initiative being launched in March to establish friendly relations.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo thanked them and said that was not the reason.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar provided a small clarification regarding the statute: Section 68 allows one minute for posing a question, but Section 140 stipulates that during interpellations, every member of the Riigikogu may ask one oral question. This clarification was added to the official transcript.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Poolamets stresses that even though the state budget is in bad shape and costs are high, children are paramount during a demographic crisis, and support for large families must be ensured.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Having worked in child protection my entire life and being a mother myself, I understand perfectly well that children are paramount. However, resources in the state budget are limited, and we must find ways to support families and children, including through encouragement and kind words. Therefore, I find it baffling why I am being accused of despising children or large families.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks the assembly and invites Rain Epler to speak.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler emphasized that limited resources in the state budget must be allocated wisely. He criticized the Ministry of Climate's plan to spend hundreds of millions on a project in the sea, highlighting the inherent risk this poses for future electricity shortages and rising energy prices. He further called on the government to prioritize children and families, rather than pursuing policies that heavily fund green energy.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
According to Riisalo, discussions take place every week in the government, and once a month separately in a reduced composition. Furthermore, the coalition council meets on Mondays to seek sustainable solutions so that life in Estonia is viable in the long term, more children are born, and the state's obligations are covered in a way that does not burden existing or future children.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked the minister, noted that there were no further questions, and before opening the floor for debate, posed a question to Riina Solman regarding the procedure for conducting the sitting.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman stresses that it’s not just the interpellators asking critical questions, but also large families who feel disparaged and humiliated by the current actions of the Ministry of Social Affairs. She then asks whether they, too, will be labeled.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman opened the debate, calling Helir-Valdor Seeder to the Riigikogu rostrum first, and Seeder requested three minutes of additional time.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder emphasizes that the demographic crisis in Estonia is deepening, and the government’s tax policy and the reduction of benefits for large families are creating uncertainty for families. Therefore, investing in children is essential, and a comprehensive change in family policy, oriented toward a secure future, is required.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi calls upon Helle-Moonika Helme to speak.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helle-Moonika Helme asserted that the minister’s personal offense regarding the interpellation is irrelevant, and that the government’s policy is not family-friendly because tax hikes, inflation, and high energy prices are burdening families. She added that funds are being channeled into Rail Baltic projects and the bureaucracy of the Climate Ministry, and very little of that money actually reaches the children.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi confirmed that three minutes would be added.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The state should develop the economy and finance benefits out of economic activity, not from people's taxes, and he/she cited Finland as an example of how a functioning economy makes benefits possible.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Riina Solman is asked to take the floor.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman accuses the minister and the government of unequal treatment toward families with many children, creating a distorted picture, pitting large families against other vulnerable groups, and influencing the situation via the election campaign. She references Orwell's 1984 and calls for honest and inclusive treatment.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks for three more minutes.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman accuses the government of cutting support for large families and scrapping hobby group funding for families with many children. She calls for the restoration of families' sense of security and family-friendly policies, specifically including the retention of hobby group funding and concrete actions by ministers on behalf of families.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi expresses his satisfaction that Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo is taking the floor herself and will help summarize the agenda item.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo stated that the debate should be substantive, emphasizing that facts, not emotions, must be brought forward. He confirmed that the government did not grant car tax concessions to large families, offered substantive proposals on the matter, and drew a comparison with Finland, while also drawing attention to the issue of pension sustainability. He concluded by apologizing, explaining that he cares about his children and grandchild.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanked the Minister and emphasized that following the Minister's address, it has not been customary to grant the floor to members of the Riigikogu, and since the Minister was concluding, he requested that this practice be maintained. With that, we concluded the consideration of the agenda item.