UNION INTERPARLEMENTAIRE
INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION
Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments
CONTRIBUTION
from
MR CLAES MÅRTENSSON
Deputy Secretary General of the Swedish Parliament
To the general debate on
RAISING MATTERS OF URGENCY OR EMERGENCY IN THE CHAMBER
Kampala Session
April 2012
Opportunities to introduce initiatives and matters in the Chamber of
an urgent or important nature
Introduction
There are a number of opportunities at the Swedish Parliament available for a member, a
group or a party to raise an issue or a matter of an urgent or important nature in the Chamber.
Some of these are part of the Riksdag's supervisory role, also known as parliamentary control
over the Government and ministers, which is exercised by individual members. A group of
members or a party can also initiate a debate on a topical or urgent subject or have a certain
matter raised for which a rapid decision by the Riksdag is required.
Supervision of the Government and ministers in accordance with the Instrument
of Government
Interpellations
A member may submit an interpellation to a minister regarding the performance of his or her
duties. In other words, the interpellation must not refer to measures of other authorities and
their decisions on specific matters.
The minister in question then answers the interpellation at a debate in the Chamber within 14
days. However, there is no obligation for a minister to answer an interpellation. The
Committee on the Constitution has however stated as its firm opinion that a minister should
only be able to refrain from answering an interpellation in exceptional circumstances and
when exceptional grounds exist.
If the answer is delayed or if there is no answer, the minister in question must inform the
Chamber of the reasons for this.
Members other than the member putting the interpellation may also sign up to participate in
the interpellation debate. There are special rules for speaking time for contributions to the
debate. The debate does not result in any decision by the Chamber, but the individual
contributions are reported in the record of meetings in the Chamber.
Interpellation debates are quite common in Sweden and amount to approximately 500 per
year.
Questions
There are two types of questions that a member may put to a minister.
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Firstly, a member may submit a question for a written reply. The question has to be submitted
within five days. Questions and answers are reported every week in an annex to the record of
meetings in the Chamber.
However, there is no obligation for a minister to answer a written question. If the answer is
delayed or if there is no answer, the minister in question must inform the Chamber of the
reasons for this.
Questions for a written reply may be submitted 365 days a year. During periods when there
are no regular meetings of the Chamber, they are answered within 14 days. The number of
questions amounts to almost 1,000 every year.
The other possibility is to put an oral question to a minister during question time in the
Chamber every Thursday. Five ministers come to the Chamber to answer questions from the
members for one hour. Both the questions and the answers must be short.
Every fourth question time is the Prime Minister's question time. This is when the Prime
Minister alone has to answer oral questions from the members. Party leaders or other
prominent representatives of the opposition parties have priority when it comes to asking
questions.
Question time does not lead to any decision by the Chamber, but the contributions from
ministers and members are reported in the record of meetings in the Chamber.
Both questions for written answers and questions asked during question time should concern
the performance of the duties of a minister or of the Prime Minister.
Current affairs debate
A party may submit a request via its party leader or group leader to the Speaker that a debate
on a topical subject be held. The Speaker decides whether the debate may be held following
consultations with the party group leaders.
There are a number of criteria determining whether a current affairs debate is to be held. It
should deal with an important recent issue that has suddenly been brought to the fore, concern
an issue of national or international character and there must be no plans for it to be
considered in any other way by the Riksdag in the near future.
The relevant minister takes part in the debate together with one representative from each of
the other parties that wish to participate. The debate follows special rules as regards speaking
time. No decision is taken by the Chamber as a result of the debate. The individual
contributions are reported in the record of meetings in the Chamber.
Private member's motion resulting from an event of major importance
A member of parliament has the right to present alternative proposals to, for example, a
proposal from the Government. Such a proposal from a member is known as a private
member's motion. There is also a general private members’ motions period in the autumn
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when the members have the opportunity to submit motions on any subject provided they
concern an issue that the Riksdag may decide on.
There is another opportunity for the submission of motions, and that is as a result of an event
of major importance.
Such a motion may be submitted jointly by at least ten members provided the event in
question could not be foreseen or considered during the general private members’ motions
period or a private members’ motions period resulting from, for example, a proposal from the
Government. The purpose of this is to enable the parliamentary opposition to put forward
proposals as a result of events that are of major significance and that could not reasonably be
foreseen or considered earlier.
The Speaker examines whether the motion in question may be instituted. There are
substantial practical routines for assessing whether the pre-conditions for instituting a motion
resulting from an event of major significance are met. If the Speaker finds that the preconditions have been met, the motion is circulated for comment to the relevant committee for
preparation of the proposals contained in the motion. The committee’s consideration results
in a committee report, which is then debated and decided on in the Chamber.
An example from recent years of a motion resulting from an event of major significance that
could be instituted is a motion by the Green Party on advance safety levels at Swedish
nuclear reactors as a result of the events caused by the natural disaster in Japan at the nuclear
power station Fukushima Daiichi.
Committee initiatives
A committee also has the opportunity to take the initiative to raise a matter. This may for
example concern proposed legislation which is urgent and for which there is no time to await
a proposal from the Government. The committee’s consideration results in a committee
report, which is then debated and decided on in the Chamber.
However, it should be noted that this possibility is only open to a majority in the committee.
A minority cannot in this way bring about consideration of a matter in the Chamber.
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