NordenBladet —

At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill that aims to reduce the minimum age limit for security service officers by a year in order that 18-year-old people could assume employment in the security activities sector.

According to the Bill on Amendments to the Security Act (629 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction and Member of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid, people of 18 years of age could also work as security guards and guards. Under the current Act, security guards must be at least 19 years of age. The explanatory memorandum notes that the growth of security firms is limited because of labour shortage which is aggravated by the minimum age limit for operating as a security guard or guard.

During the debate, Tarmo Kruusimäe from Faction Isamaa, Raimond Kaljulaid on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Faction and Kalle Grünthal and Peeter Ernits from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party took the floor.

Three Bills passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Military Service Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (754 SE), initiated by the Government, prescribes that the state will be able to pay compensation to cover the interest costs of housing loans of conscripts. Since conscripts cannot take a full payment holiday in the case of housing loans, housing loan interests will be compensated to them during their conscript service. According to the Bill, an allowance will also be paid to people who obtain the right to drive motor vehicles of category B before they enter the conscript service as this allows for the basic skill training to be provided to them over a shorter period of time. The amount of the one-off allowance will be 1000 euro.

According to the Bill, the compensation for the acquisition of the personal equipment of active servicemen will be simplified. A procedure will be established for active servicemen according to which they will acquire certain items of clothing through specific online shops, and they will be paid compensation for that every year. At the same time, the Income Tax Act will be amended by adding a provision under which the compensation for the acquisition of clothing equipment will not be subject to income tax.

Besides that, the regulation concerning the protection of war graves will be updated and the decision-making level concerning war graves will be brought from minister’s level to a lower level in order to make the implementation of the Act more flexible and operative. With the amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act, the provision on the termination of double protection of war graves will be included in the Act.

During the debate, Mati Raidma took the floor on behalf of the Reform Party Faction.

The Bill on Amendments to the State Pension Insurance Act (724 SE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, prescribes the establishment of widow’s pension, which, according to the Bill, would be granted to a person who is of old age pension age and whose spouse, to whom the person has been married for at least ten years, has died by the time of old age pension. According to the Bill, the widow’s pension will be granted for life, and it will be equal to the pension calculated for the dead spouse. The widow’s pension will not be granted where it will be lower than the pension of the widowed person. According to the Bill, the procedure for the application for widow’s pension and the list of the documents to be submitted will be established by a regulation of the minister in charge of the policy sector.

Aivar Kokk from Faction Isamaa took the floor during the debate.

The Bill on Amendments to the Value-Added Tax Act and the Medicinal Products Act (757 SE), initiated by members of the Riigikogu Viktoria Ladõnskaja-Kubits, Priit Sibul, Heiki Hepner, Andres Metsoja, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Helle-Moonika Helme, Riho Breivel, Peeter Ernits, Paul Puustusmaa, Jaak Valge, Kalle Grünthal, Uno Kaskpeit, Leo Kunnas, Kersti Sarapuu, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Jaanus Karilaid, Taavi Aas, Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski, Alar Laneman, Tarmo Tamm, Jaak Aab, Helmen Kütt, Mihhail Korb, Aivar Kokk, Hele Everaus, Tarmo Kruusimäe and Üllar Saaremäe.

The Bill is intended to amend the Value-Added Tax Act by including a new five-per cent reduced VAT rate. According to the Bill, it will be possible for the minister in charge of the policy sector to establish by a regulation a list of medicinal products intended to treat cancer and other malignant tumours that will be subject to a five-per cent VAT-rate. The Bill is also intended to give the Estonian Health Insurance Fund the right to reimburse to non-profit organisations, foundations and religious associations the amount they pay in VAT when they use donations to buy medicinal products intended to treat cancer and other malignant tumours.

Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski from the Centre Party Faction took the floor during the debate.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Source: Parliament of Estonia