2024-03-062023/24:CU10 · p.7CUCivil law & housing
Child impact assessment of the insolvency law framework
Child-impact assessment of the debt-enforcement and insolvency rules
What's at stake: The decision concerns children growing up in heavily indebted families - a group that, according to the National Board of Health and Welfare, often lives in highly exposed financial circumstances - and whether their situation should be specifically analyzed and addressed or handled within existing processes.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether a dedicated child-impact assessment should be carried out of the debt-enforcement and insolvency rules, with proposals to improve the situation for children in over-indebted families, or whether the recently implemented rule changes and the ongoing review of the Convention on the Rights of the Child's implementation are sufficient.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the motion, pointing to the review under the Convention on the Rights of the Child inquiry as well as recently implemented legal changes that raised the protected amounts for families with children and expanded the scope for deferral during wage garnishment.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 3 (V)
The reservation holds that, despite the welcome rule changes, current regulations do not sufficiently take children's situation into account, and wants a proper child-impact assessment of the debt-enforcement and insolvency rules, with proposals to improve the situation for children and young people in over-indebted families.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 3 by V.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have held
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: KDKristdemokraterna, MPMiljöpartiet
Ja 279–20Ja 248–51
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/20/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | explicit |
| S | No | Yes 93/0/0/13 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | Yes 15/0/0/3 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| C | No | Yes 19/0/0/5 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | No | Yes 13/0/0/3 | differs | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 16/0/0/3 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| M | No | Yes 60/0/0/8 | differs | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | Yes 61/0/0/11 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motion 2023/24:437 by Nadja Awad et al. (V) point 6.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motion 2023/24:437 av Nadja Awad m.fl. (V) yrkande 6.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag rejected 40 proposals in motions from the general motion period of 2023. Some of the motions concern compensation law issues, that is, questions about insurance and damages. Other motions concern insolvency and enforcement law issues, that is, what should apply to persons and companies that cannot pay their debts. Among other things, it is proposed that the question of liability for damages caused through the use of AI should be investigated and that the standard amounts for wage garnishment should be able to be adjusted more often than today. The Riksdag refers, among other things, to ongoing work.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to adjust normal amounts in wage garnishment several times per year during periods of high inflation. (V) — Reservation 3
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan establishes that the party's policy shall be designed so that the best interests of children come first, with reference to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the party's policy shall be designed so that the best interests of children come first, with reference to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A child impact assessment of the insolvency law framework is a direct application of that commitment. The plan also highlights that many children grow up in poverty and that needs, not ability to pay, shall be decisive in social services.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att partiets politik ska utformas så att barnens bästa kommer i första rummet, med hänvisning till barnkonventionen. En barnkonsekvensanalys av det insolvensrättsliga regelverket är en direkt tillämpning av det åtagandet. Planen lyfter också att många barn växer upp i fattigdom och att behoven, inte betalningsförmågan, ska vara avgörande i socialtjänsten.
- best interests of children firstdecisive»Vänsterpartiets politik ska utformas så att barnens bästa kommer i första rummet.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party's policy shall be designed so that the best interests of children come first.”
- counter child poverty»Många barn växer upp i fattigdom och Sverige har högst andel fattigpensionärer av de nordiska länderna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Many children grow up in poverty and Sweden has the highest proportion of poor pensioners among the Nordic countries”
- needs before ability to pay»Socialtjänstlagen ska tolkas extensivt. Behoven, inte betalningsförmågan ska vara avgörande« (party programme ↗)“The Social Services Act shall be interpreted extensively. Needs, not ability to pay, shall be decisive”
The party programme states that the best interests of children shall be considered in all decisions in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which directly encompasses the insolvency legal framework.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme states that the best interests of children shall be considered in all decisions in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which directly encompasses the insolvency legal framework. The plan moreover wants to strengthen the economy for families with children and give all children equivalent conditions. A child impact assessment of over-indebtedness rules is therefore a means that the plan's commitment points toward.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att barnens bästa ska beaktas vid alla beslut i enlighet med barnkonventionen, vilket rakt av omfattar det insolvensrättsliga regelverket. Planen vill dessutom stärka ekonomin för barnfamiljer och ge alla barn likvärdiga villkor. En barnkonsekvensanalys av överskuldsättningsreglerna är därför ett medel som planens åtagande pekar mot.
- best interests of the child in all decisionsdecisive»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention. Barnens bästa ska beaktas vid alla beslut.« (party programme ↗)“All children shall have the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The best interests of children shall be considered in all decisions.”
- equivalent growing-up conditions»Alla barn och ungdomar ska ha rätt till likvärdiga villkor och till en trygg uppväxt fri från droger och våld.« (party programme ↗)“All children and young people shall have the right to equivalent conditions and to a safe upbringing free from drugs and violence.”
- strengthened economy for families with children»Vi är beredda att stärka ekonomin för Sveriges barnfamiljer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are prepared to strengthen the economy for Swedish families with children.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan requires that political decisions should be preceded by child impact analysis and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child becomes Swedish law.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that political decisions should be preceded by child impact analysis and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child becomes Swedish law. The counter-proposal asks precisely for a child impact analysis of the insolvency legal rules. The plan furthermore emphasises that economic disadvantage should not be inherited and that resources should be directed to the worst-off families, which is the core of the question about children in debt-burdened households.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att politiska beslut bör föregås av en barnkonsekvensanalys och att barnkonventionen blir svensk lag. Motförslaget begär just en barnkonsekvensanalys av det insolvensrättsliga regelverket. Planen betonar dessutom att ekonomisk utsatthet inte ska gå i arv och att resurser ska riktas till de sämst ställda familjerna, vilket är kärnan i frågan om barn i skuldsatta hushåll.
- child impact analysis of decisionsdecisive»FN:s barnkonvention ska bli svensk lag och politiska beslut bör föregås av en barnkonsekvensanalys.« (party programme ↗)“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shall become Swedish law and political decisions should be preceded by a child impact analysis.”
- break inherited disadvantage»Ekonomisk utsatthet ska inte gå i arv.« (party programme ↗)“Economic disadvantage shall not be inherited.”
- support for disadvantaged child families»Det behövs en politik som ger ökade resurser till de sämst ställda familjerna för att ge alla barn trygghet och minska klyftorna i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for a policy that provides increased resources to the worst-off families to give all children security and reduce inequality in Sweden.”
- no child poverty»I det nya gröna folkhemmet ska inte ett enda barn växa upp i fattigdom« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In the new green welfare state no single child shall grow up in poverty”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The party programme establishes that society's actors shall take the individual's perspective and that children's rights and perspective are of greatest importance, and that security shall be so comprehensive that no one falls through the safety nets.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that society's actors shall take the individual's perspective and that children's rights and perspective are of greatest importance, and that security shall be so comprehensive that no one falls through the safety nets. The plan also highlights households with small margins, not least small-child families. An impact assessment on children of over-indebtedness rules follows from these commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Idéprogrammet slår fast att samhällets aktörer ska inta individens perspektiv och att barnens rättigheter och perspektiv är av största betydelse, samt att tryggheten ska vara så heltäckande att ingen faller igenom skyddsnäten. Planen uppmärksammar också hushåll med små marginaler, inte minst småbarnsfamiljer. En barnkonsekvensanalys av överskuldsättningsreglerna följer av dessa åtaganden.
- child perspective in all activitiesdecisive»Samhällets aktörer ska inta individens perspektiv. Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Society's actors shall take the individual's perspective. Of greatest importance is then children's rights and perspective.”
- no one falls through the safety net»Den grundläggande tryggheten måste vara så heltäckande att ingen tillåts falla igenom skyddsnäten« (party programme ↗)“Basic security must be so comprehensive that no one is allowed to fall through the safety nets”
- every child's right»Särskilt viktigt är att värna varje barns rätt att bli respekterad och att bli sedd för den man är.« (party programme ↗)“Especially important is to value every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”
- households with small margins»Det handlar bland annat om ensamstående föräldrar, småbarnsfamiljer och unga som försöker spara ihop till sin första bostad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“This includes among others single parents, small-child families and young people trying to save for their first home.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan requires that debt-relief rules are changed so that over-indebted people more easily become debt-free and that preventive work against eviction, especially of families with children, is strengthened.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that debt-relief rules are changed so that over-indebted people more easily become debt-free and that preventive work against eviction, especially of families with children, is strengthened. A child-impact assessment of the insolvency law framework with proposals for children in debt-ridden families is in line with this and with the UN Child Convention being Swedish law. The plan does not mention such an assessment specifically, so the stance is derived.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att reglerna för skuldsanering ändras så att överskuldsatta lättare blir skuldfria och att det förebyggande arbetet mot vräkning, särskilt av barnfamiljer, stärks. En barnkonsekvensanalys av det insolvensrättsliga regelverket med förslag för barn i skuldsatta familjer ligger i linje med detta och med att barnkonventionen är svensk lag. Planen nämner inte en sådan analys särskilt, så ställningstagandet är härlett.
- easier to become debt-freedecisive»Reglerna för skuldsanering ska ändras så att överskuldsatta får större möjlighet att bli skuldfria.« (party programme ↗)“The rules for debt relief shall be changed so that over-indebted people have greater opportunity to become debt-free.”
- protection of debt-ridden families with children»Det förebyggande arbetet mot vräkning, särskilt av barnfamiljer, behöver stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Preventive work against eviction, especially of families with children, needs to be strengthened.”
- the child convention as law»Genom att FN:s barnkonvention införlivats i svensk lag tydliggörs« (party programme ↗)“By incorporating the UN Child Convention into Swedish law, it becomes clear that”
- budget and debt counselling»Konsumenter ska ha tillgång till budget- och skuldrådgivning och opartisk« (party programme ↗)“Consumers shall have access to budget and debt counselling and impartial”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan explicitly raises that decisions concerning debt have greater consequences for children than for the decision-makers themselves, and requires that all political decisions are analysed for their consequences for families.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly raises that decisions concerning debt have greater consequences for children than for the decision-makers themselves, and requires that all political decisions are analysed for their consequences for families. The best interests of the child shall be paramount. A child impact analysis of the regulatory framework on over-indebtedness is therefore directly in line with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen lyfter uttryckligen att beslut som rör skuldsättning får större konsekvenser för barn än för beslutsfattarna själva, och kräver att alla politiska beslut analyseras utifrån konsekvenserna för familjer. Barnets bästa ska komma i främsta rummet. En barnkonsekvensanalys av regelverket om överskuldsättning är därmed direkt planenlig.
- children affected by debt decisionsdecisive»Det kan till exempel gälla beslut rörande skuldsättning« (party programme ↗)“This can for example concern decisions regarding debt”
- impact analysis for families»Därför bör alla politiska beslut analyseras utifrån vilka konsekvenser de får« (party programme ↗)“Therefore all political decisions should be analysed for their consequences”
- best interests of the child foremost»barnets bästa ska komma i främsta rummet.« (party programme ↗)“the best interests of the child shall be paramount.”
- safe growing-up environment»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a safe growing-up environment.”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The plan does not address insolvency law. Closest lies the party programme's view that children's development is society's most important investment…
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not address insolvency law. Closest lies the party programme's view that children's development is society's most important investment, that there should always be a way back for those who have fallen victim to misfortune, and that responsibility for the weak and vulnerable belongs to the state's primary tasks. A child-impact analysis of over-indebtedness regulations follows from these principles, but the conclusion is derived from general commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Planen behandlar inte insolvensrätten. Närmast ligger idéprogrammets syn att barns utveckling är samhällets viktigaste investering, att det alltid ska finnas en väg tillbaka för den som drabbats av olycka och att ansvaret för de svaga och utsatta hör till statens främsta uppgifter. En barnkonsekvensanalys av överskuldsättningens regelverk följer av dessa principer, men slutsatsen är härledd ur allmänna åtaganden.
- children's development firstdecisive»Samhällets viktigaste investering för framtiden är barns utveckling.« (party programme ↗)“Society's most important investment for the future is children's development.”
- way back after failure»Det ska alltid finnas en väg tillbaka för den som misslyckats eller drabbats av olycka.« (party programme ↗)“There should always be a way back for those who have failed or fallen victim to misfortune.”
- responsibility for the vulnerable»utbildningssystemet; samt ansvar för de svaga och utsatta« (party programme ↗)“the education system; and responsibility for the weak and vulnerable”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan establishes that it is the children who are squeezed when the family has difficulties and that the best interests of children therefore shall be in focus, in all situations within family policy.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that it is the children who are squeezed when the family has difficulties and that the best interests of children therefore shall be in focus, in all situations within family policy. A thorough examination of how over-indebtedness rules affect children in indebted families thus directly follows from that commitment. The plan does not mention insolvency law, but the direction is clear.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att det är barnen som hamnar i kläm när familjen har det svårt och att barnens bästa därför ska stå i fokus, i alla situationer inom familjepolitiken. En genomlysning av hur överskuldsättningsreglerna slår mot barn i skuldsatta familjer följer direkt av det åtagandet. Planen nämner inte insolvensrätten, men riktningen är tydlig.
- the best interests of children in focusdecisive»I familjer som på olika sätt har det svårt är det barnen som hamnar i kläm och kan fara illa därför måste också barnens bästa stå i fokus i familjepolitiken.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In families that have difficulties in various ways it is the children who are squeezed and can suffer harm, which is why the best interests of children must also be in focus in family policy.”
- the best interests of children in all situations»Sverigedemokraternas familjepolitik är att barnens bästa skall beaktas i alla situationer« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats' family policy is that the best interests of children shall be considered in all situations”
- the child's best interests considered»Att barnets bästa alltid ska beaktas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That the best interests of the child always shall be considered”
- vulnerable families' finances»Många familjer i synnerhet ensamstående föräldrar har det också tufft ekonomisk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Many families, especially single parents, also have it tough economically.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:CU10)
- Committee report full text (HB01CU10)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:1117 — Absolut skuldpreskription av Boriana Åberg (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1621 — Utökad kontroll vid ansökan om personlig konkurs av Jonny Cato (C)
- Motion 2023/24:164 — Bättre ersättningsmöjligheter vid jaktskador av Kjell-Arne Ottosson (KD)
- Motion 2023/24:1735 — Ekonomiskt våld av Robert Hannah m.fl. (L)
- Motion 2023/24:182 — Obligatorisk hemförsäkring av Markus Wiechel (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:2376 — Skuldsanering för personer utsatta för våld i nära relation av Inga-Lill Sjöblom m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2463 — Konsumentpolitik av Alireza Akhondi m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2484 — Rättspolitik av Ulrika Liljeberg m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2638 — Konsumentpolitik av Jennie Nilsson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:408 — Bilmålvakter, olagliga bosättningar och övrig insolvensrätt av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:411 — Krafttag mot överskuldsättning av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:437 — Överskuldsättning av Nadja Awad m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2023/24:497 — En tillförlitlig, konkurrenskraftig och hållbar svensk AI-politik av Rashid Farivar m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:589 — Skärpta straff för sexualbrott av Johanna Rantsi (M)
- Motion 2023/24:740 — Ersättning vid frihetsberövande av Boriana Åberg (M)
- Motion 2023/24:820 — Utbetalning av skadestånd till drabbade av Mikael Larsson (C)
Source: The Swedish Parliament