Inquiry regarding the provision of mental health support to victims of domestic violence and their children in Lääne-Viru County (No. 489)
Session: Fifteenth Riigikogu, third session, plenary session
Date: 2024-04-15 18:37
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 8
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 12m
AI Summaries: 8/8 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The session addressed the interpellation submitted by Riigikogu members Anti Poolamets and Evelin Poolamets on May 13, 2023, concerning the provision of mental health support to victims of domestic violence and their children in Lääne-Viru County and more widely. Anti Poolamets, the submitter of the interpellation, began with sharp criticism of the session's organization, accusing the coalition of avoiding extra sessions and disregarding the Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act, which has resulted in the backlog of old interpellations. Substantively, the interpellation focused on the Social Insurance Board's new educational requirements for providers of psychological assistance (Regulation No. 20), which, in Poolamets's assessment, could reduce the availability of services outside Harju and Tartu counties. Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo responded, explaining that a thorough impact analysis was conducted in cooperation with professional associations when establishing the new requirements (clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, or similar, plus further training), with the aim of improving service quality. The Minister presented detailed data on service providers (5 companies, 6 specialists) and the budget in Võru County. Over 1.4 million euros have been planned for psychological counseling for 2024. Riisalo emphasized that the budget is an estimated cost, meaning the service is guaranteed to all entitled persons, and the budget is not allocated by region (including Lääne-Viru County). Kert Kingo submitted an additional question regarding the funding of women's shelters, to which the Minister replied that the shelters receive supplementary funding and that victims have the right to receive necessary services even outside the shelter's direct budget. The third item on the agenda (renovation of the housing stock) was not addressed due to the absence of the interpellators.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made
Most Active Speaker
Anti Poolamets was an active submitter of parliamentary inquiries who, in addition to the substantive topic, launched sharp criticism regarding the Riigikogu's work procedures at the start of the sitting. (Better)
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Riigikogu is discussing, as the second item on the agenda, the interpellation submitted by Anti Poolamets and Evelin Poolamets on May 13th last year concerning the provision of mental health support for victims of domestic violence and their children in Lääne-Virumaa.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets submitted an interpellation criticizing the coalition's failure to exert sufficient effort in enforcing the Rules of Procedure Act, stating that the law is merely a "nice piece of paper." Furthermore, he poses five specific questions concerning the accessibility of victim assistance in Lääne-Virumaa, covering the impact of new educational requirements, the volume of contracts signed in Võrumaa, the qualifications of service providers for child counseling, the SKA budget, and specific details regarding Lääne-Virumaa for 2024.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The speaker thanks [the previous person] and requests that the Riigikogu rostrum be returned to the Minister of Social Protection, Signe Riisalo, for the purpose of answering the interpellation.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo confirmed that psychological counseling and psychotherapy for victim assistance are the responsibility of the state and are accessible to all eligible individuals. The budget is not distributed regionally. The 2023 budget was 1.388 million euros, and the plan for 2024 exceeds 1.4 million euros. Furthermore, in Võru County, five out of the six trauma recovery specialists are competent to provide counseling for children and youth.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar gives thanks and announces that the audience has at least one question, then invites Kert Kingo to answer.
Kert Kingo
AI Summary
Kert Kingo criticizes the distribution of funding, noting that a large portion goes towards IT solutions or for the use of ministry officials, while only about 20,000 euros is spent on women's shelters. She then asks whether the funding allocated to shelters will be increased to ensure victims can be offered necessary services, such as a psychologist and a lawyer.
Sotsiaalkaitseminister Signe Riisalo
AI Summary
Riisalo stated that in addition to shelter services, it is possible to receive help from other services (such as psychological counseling). He noted that women's shelters received additional funding after the law came into effect last year. The state wants the prices for many services to be higher, and victims have the right to receive supplementary assistance beyond the aid provided by the local municipality.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Hussar announced that there were no further questions and the consideration of the second agenda item was concluded. Furthermore, the debate on the inquiry concerning the third agenda item would not be opened, as the interpellators and the rapporteur are unable to be present in the chamber.