The Minister of Education and Research Jaak Aaviksoo replied to the interpellation concerning compliance with the requirements of law at schools (No 57), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Peeter Võsa, Yana Toom, Priit Toobal and Viktor Vassiljev on 26 October.

 

The interpellators wished to know how the mental and physical security and responding to emergencies was ensured at schools.

 

According to Aaviksoo’s explanations, all schools use measures for ensuring security and for violence prevention. At the same time, he admitted that, considering the results of studies and fire safety supervision, it is not done with sufficient effectiveness at all schools. Aaviksoo noted that the Ministry of Education and Research had set the security of school environment a thematic supervision priority for the school year 2012‒2013.

 

In answering the question as to how violence prevention and supervision of children throughout the school day is ensured at schools, the minister said that, according to the internal rules of schools, the measures used include studying under the immediate instruction of a teacher, the system of monitoring teachers, supervision by security guards, a calming class, the long day group, surveillance equipment, and values and norms of behaviour agreed on together. There are agreements on the principles for intervention and resolution of situations on a case by case basis, the use of the school bus and the carrying out of study tours.

 

Aaviksoo explained that specialists from various types of pilot schools and kindergartens, the Police and Border Guard Board, the Rescue Board and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre had been involved in preparing the guidelines for drafting an emergency response plan, a model emergency plan and a training film on emergency response. For every school, the Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board has appointed a contact person whose tasks include advising on adequate ways of responding.

 

The Minister stressed that security at the school begins from emphasising the importance of reasonable diligence. He added that it certainly also begins with national measures, the public attention, which in the end is reduced to the diligence of the managers of schools and heads of schools, as well as the attitude of children and parents towards school, their attentiveness in regard to how and with which intentions they go to school and come home from school.

 

The Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi replied to two interpellations. They were the following:

 

the interpellation concerning the resolution on the dissolution of the National VEB Fund (No 64), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Aivar Riisalu, Viktor Vassiljev, Aadu Must, Ester Tuiksoo, Olga Sõtnik, Kalev Kallo and Priit Toobal on 9 November;

 

the interpellation concerning the use of the group account (No 65), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Laanet, Deniss Boroditš, Viktor Vassiljev, Kadri Simson, Aivar Riisalu, Jüri Ratas and Enn Eesmaa on 10 November.

 

The Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus replied to the interpellation concerning the land reform (No 56), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Peeter Võsa, Yana Toom, Priit Toobal and Viktor Vassiljev on 26 October.

 

The Minister of Social Affairs Hanno Pevkur replied to two interpellations. They were the following:

 

the interpellation concerning the family physicians system in Viljandi county (No 63), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Priit Toobal, Ester Tuiksoo, Enn Eesmaa, Marika Tuus-Laul, Heimar Lenk, Viktor Vassiljev, Inara Luigas, Aadu Must and Tarmo Tamm on 9 November;

 

the interpellation concerning the financing of the substitute home service (No 68), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Neeme Suur, Kalvi Kõva, Jevgeni Ossinovski, Jaak Allik, Heljo Pikhof and Helmen Kütt on 17 November.

 

Pevkur did not have to reply to the interpellation concerning the subsistence of families with children (No 70), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Marika Tuus-Laul, Viktor Vassiljev, Eldar Efendijev, Mailis Reps, Aadu Must, Yana Toom, Heimar Lenk, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Valeri Korb, Deniss Boroditš, Vladimir Velman, Peeter Võsa, Inara Luigas and Tarmo Tamm on 21 November, because the interpellators withdrew it.

 

On the motion of the National Defence Committee, the second reading of the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Extension of the Time Limit of the Use of the Defence Forces in the Performance of the International Duties of the Estonian State in Iraq” (120 OE), submitted by the Government, was excluded from the agenda for the working week.

 

During the open microphone, Viktor Vassiljev took the floor.

 

The Riigikogu Press Service