HVB homes in public sector

The plan requires a total ban on profit-driven forms of operation in welfare, and states that privatizations have opened the way for criminals to profit from tax money, which is precisely the problem the counter-proposal points to. The plan considers common ownership to be the safest alternative for operations that should be conducted with care for those they exist for. A public takeover of the homes thus follows from the commitments.

• total ban on profits in welfaredecisive»Vänsterpartiet vill införa ett totalförbud mot alla vinstdrivande verksamhetsformer inom välfärden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to introduce a total ban on all profit-driven forms of operation within welfare.”
• privatization enables criminals»Privatiseringarna av välfärden öppnar upp för kriminella att sko sig på skattemedel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Privatizations of welfare open the way for criminals to profit from taxpayer money.”
• common ownership safest»Gemensamt ägande är det tryggaste alternativet« (party programme ↗)“Common ownership is the safest alternative”
• no profit actors in welfare»se några aktörer som är där för att göra vinster i välfärden.« (party programme ↗)“see some actors that are there to make profits in welfare.”

The election manifesto's line is to reclaim democratic control over welfare and stop the dismantling through privatisation, and to counter criminal exploitation of welfare activities. That the public sector takes over responsibility for homes that care for young people placed for criminality follows from this, especially when homes have been run by criminal actors. The plan does not explicitly mention HVB homes, but it speaks directly against the committee's reasoning that continued private operation with strengthened oversight is sufficient.

• democratic control over welfaredecisive»Det är dags att ta tillbaka den demokratiska kontrollen över välfärden och att stoppa sönderprivatiseringen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is time to reclaim democratic control over welfare and to stop the dismantling through privatisation.”
• stop criminal exploitation»Vinstjakten inom assistansen ska motverkas, liksom att brukare eller personliga assistenter utnyttjas i kriminella syften.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Profit-seeking within care services should be countered, as should the exploitation of users or personal assistants for criminal purposes.”
• welfare outside the market»avgöras av marknadens prismekanismer och utbudet får aldrig bestämmas av enskilda« (party programme ↗)“decided by market price mechanisms and supply must never be determined by individuals”
• stop welfare crime»Skattefusk, välfärdsbrottslighet och penningtvätt ska stoppas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tax fraud, welfare crime and money laundering must be stopped.”

The party programme wants to remove commercial actors from welfare and establishes that welfare activities shall not be treated like any other market. That the public takes over responsibility for homes caring for young people placed for criminal offenses, after homes have been run by criminal actors, is in line with this and with the plan's requirement for oversight that can stop poor operations.

• remove commercial actorsdecisive»Vi vill därför få bort de kommersiellt inriktade aktörerna och i stället främja idéburna verksamheter inom välfärdssektorn.« (party programme ↗)“We therefore want to remove commercial actors and instead promote idea-driven activities within the welfare sector.”
• welfare is not a market»Välfärdens verksamheter får inte hanteras som vilken marknad som helst.« (party programme ↗)“Welfare activities shall not be treated like any other market.”
• public operation for core activities»Universitetssjukhus ska fortsatt drivas i offentlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“University hospitals shall continue to be run in public operation.”
• strong public oversight»All verksamhet ska vara underställd tillsyn av en offentlig myndighet som ytterst ska kunna stoppa verksamhet som inte håller måttet.« (party programme ↗)“All operations shall be subject to oversight by a public authority that ultimately shall be able to stop operations that do not meet the standard.”

The party programme establishes that welfare with advantage is provided by several kinds of actors — municipalities, companies, cooperatives and associations — and that public activity can be opened to competition. Public takeover of all homes runs counter to that line. The plan's answer to inadequate quality is instead high quality requirements and sharpened oversight of activities and their owners.

• diversity of providersdecisive»Oavsett om den offentligt finansierade välfärden utförs av kommuner, landsting, företag, kooperativ eller föreningar måste berörda människors behov och valfrihet stå i centrum.« (party programme ↗)“Regardless of whether publicly funded welfare is provided by municipalities, regional authorities, companies, cooperatives or associations, the needs and freedom of choice of those affected must be central.”
• multiple actors develop welfare»Det är positivt att både företag, offentliga institutioner och civilsamhället är med och utvecklar« (party programme ↗)“It is positive that companies, public institutions and civil society are all involved in developing”
• quality requirements and sharpened oversight»Vi vill bland annat se höga kvalitetskrav för fortsatt verksamhet och vinstutdelning, och vi vill skärpa tillsynen av skolor och deras ägare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see, among other things, high quality requirements for continued operation and profit distribution, and we want to sharpen oversight of schools and their owners.”
• competitive public activity»Offentlig verksamhet kan med fördel konkurrensutsättas« (party programme ↗)“Public activity can advantageously be opened to competition”

The plan establishes that private and public providers shall operate on equal terms and that the public should only run activities when there is a strong public interest. The counter-proposal's demand that the public takes over all homes caring for youth conflicts with this. The plan instead meets deficiencies with state supervision and by the provider that has serious deficiencies losing its licence.

• equal terms for providersdecisive»Privata och offentliga utförare ska verka på lika villkor« (party programme ↗)“Private and public providers shall operate on equal terms”
• revoked licence for deficiencies»skyldig till allvarliga brister ska inte ha tillstånd att bedriva verksamhet inom välfärdssektorn.« (party programme ↗)“liable for serious deficiencies shall not have the right to conduct activities within the welfare sector.”
• limited public operational responsibility»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public shall only conduct business activities if there is a strong public interest.”
• state quality supervision»Tillsynen ska ske i statlig regi utifrån nationellt fastställda kvalitetsnormer.« (party programme ↗)“Supervision shall occur under state administration based on nationally established quality standards.”

The plan establishes that public activity as far as possible shall be based on absence of monopoly and that public, voluntary and private activity shall complement each other on equal terms. That the public takes over responsibility for all homes caring for young people goes against this, even though the plan gives the public ultimate responsibility and thereby justifies stricter oversight.

• no public monopoliesdecisive»offentliga sektorns verksamhetsformer ska så långt möjligt bygga på frånvaro av monopol« (party programme ↗)“public sector activities shall as far as possible be based on absence of monopoly”
• providers complement each other»Offentlig, ideell och privat verksamhet ska komplettera varandra.« (party programme ↗)“Public, voluntary and private activity shall complement each other.”
• equal terms for private operations»förutsättningar som tjänster producerade i offentlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“conditions as services produced in public operations.”
• public ultimate responsibility»det offentliga stödja de frivilliga krafterna och ha det yttersta ansvaret« (party programme ↗)“the public support voluntary efforts and hold the ultimate responsibility”

The plan makes choice and a diversity of providers central parts of welfare and addresses shortcomings through strict quality requirements and withdrawn licenses, not through nationalization. The programme also establishes that a large state gives a weaker society. A public takeover of all homes caring for young people therefore contradicts the plan's line, even if the demand that criminal providers are excluded is shared.

• choice in welfaredecisive»För Moderaterna är valfrihet en central del av den svenska« (party programme ↗)“For the Moderates, choice is a central part of the Swedish”
• diversity of providers»En mångfald av aktörer är också en förutsättning« (party programme ↗)“A diversity of providers is also a prerequisite”
• quality requirements instead of nationalization»Se till att skolor som drivs i företagsform lever upp till högt ställda kvalitetskriterier för att få göra vinstutdelning samt dra in tillståndet för skolor som allvarligt brister« (2022 manifesto ↗)“See to it that schools run as businesses live up to high quality standards to be allowed to make profit distributions and withdraw the license for schools that seriously fail”
• limited state»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”

The party programme takes an explicitly pragmatic approach to who performs a social task and allows alternative and private operating models in welfare, with quality per krona as the guiding star. A general public takeover of all facilities contradicts that starting point. That criminal actors should not run such activities the plan does have support for, but the answer is control and countering the power of clans, not banning private operation.

• pragmatic view of operating modeldecisive»intar Sverigedemokraterna ett pragmatiskt och resultatinriktat förhållningssätt« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats take a pragmatic and results-oriented approach”
• private operating models allowed»alternativa och privata driftsformer« (party programme ↗)“alternative and private operating models”
• quality per krona»vår ledstjärna är bästa möjliga vård per krona« (party programme ↗)“our guiding star is the best possible care per krona”
• stop criminal actors»Motverka klanernas makt, både inom det offentliga och inom civilsamhället« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Counter the power of clans, both within the public sector and within civil society”