Agenda Profile: Madis Timpson
Draft law amending the State Duty Act and the Act on Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursor Substances (state duties in the health and social sphere) (502 SE) - first reading
2024-10-24
15th Riigikogu, 4th sitting, plenary session
Political Position
The speaker’s position is procedural and neutral, focusing solely on relaying the discussions and decisions of the Social Affairs Committee concerning the draft legislation on increasing state fees. They support the consensus decisions to conclude the first reading of the bill and place it on the plenary session agenda. The bill’s framework is politically geared towards modernizing state fees, given that they have not been raised for nearly ten years.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates expertise in the legislative procedure and in summarizing the committee’s work, providing a detailed overview of the questions and answers. They accurately convey financial data (the pharmaceutical market volume is 400 million, and the additional cost from the increase in state fees is 79,000 euros) and reference the legal context (the consistency of the Supreme Court ruling). The expertise is procedural rather than focused on substantive policy making.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is formal, structured, and procedural, focusing on objectively summarizing the social committee's discussion and conveying the voting results of the decisions. The presentation is fact-based and logical, avoiding emotional appeals. The speaker adds a brief personal note regarding the availability of time in order to correct a preceding statement.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
The speaker is actively involved in legislative committee work, having participated in the sitting of the Social Affairs Committee on October 14 and presented the resulting report to the plenary session on October 23. This pattern of activity involves detailed procedural reporting and representation of the committee. He has been appointed as the representative of the lead committee (Madis Timpson).
2 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The speaker himself does not express opposition but neutrally conveys the critical questions raised in the committee (e.g., Riina Solman’s question regarding the link to the budget cut task and Kert Kingo’s question concerning the forecast for the rise in medicine prices). The opposition is aimed more at clarifying the background and impact of the draft bill, rather than halting its proceedings.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The style of collaboration is consensus-based and procedurally supportive, emphasizing that most decisions (including placing the draft bill on the agenda and concluding the first reading) were adopted by consensus within the committee. This indicates a willingness to find a common procedural path with different political forces. Madis Timpson’s appointment as the committee's representative was adopted by vote (7 in favor, 2 against).
2 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is on international comparisons, highlighting the level of state fees in Latvia and Finland compared to Estonia, in order to justify the planned increase in Estonia. There is no concrete local or regional emphasis in Estonia.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
Economic perspectives are presented through the positions of the Ministry of Social Affairs, which deems the impact of the increase in state fees on the pharmaceutical market to be marginal (0.02% of 400 million). The modernization of state fees is supported because they have not been raised for nearly ten years. The aim is to ensure that the state fees correspond to the actual costs incurred.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
The social focus is on the administrative costs of the health and social sector, specifically the state fees related to marketing authorizations for medicines and other services. The discussion centers on the conditions under which pharmaceutical manufacturers enter the market and the impact of these state fees on medicine prices.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The main legislative priority is the processing of the Act amending the State Fees Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (Bill 502 SE). The speaker supports the handling of the bill and proposes concluding the first reading. The objective is to modernize the state fees, which were last increased in 2015.
2 Speeches Analyzed