The Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts replied to the interpellation concerning the rise of the electricity price (No 516), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Toomas Varek, Aivar Riisalu, Kalev Kallo, Kadri Simson and Lembit Kaljuvee on 12 October.

 

Parts explained that the electricity price consists of different components and those of the greatest weight do not much depend directly on the decisions of any minister or the Riigikogu. He pointed out two exceptions. They are the electricity excise duty with the current rate of 7 cents per kW and the renewable energy charge established on the basis of the amendments to the Electricity Market Act by the Riigikogu in 2007. “If we look at what has most made the electricity bill of an average electricity consumer increase in recent years then the reason lies precisely in the growth of the renewable energy charge which was 2.18 cents per kW in 2007 and already amounts to 12.64 cents per kW this year. So this means that one component which constitutes a little more than 10% of the total final price of the electricity energy has increased by five times,” noted the Minister.

 

As the only serious opportunity to lower the price paid for the electricity, Parts suggested that the support paid to renewable energy producers and co-production stations from the consumers’ pockets should be lowered to a reasonable level. The Minister said that, according to the analysis made by the Competition Board, the current support rates are too high. In Parts’ words, consumers are made to pay support to producers while some of the producers would earn a considerable profit even without any support. “There are also projects in which producers earn up to 40% from the rate of return of the investment together with the support today,” explained the Minister.

 

Parts also replied to the interpellation concerning the problems with public procurements within the area of administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (No 518), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Toomas Varek, Tiit Kuusmik, Valeri Korb, Helle Kalda, Aivar Riisalu, Arvo Sarapuu, Jaak Aab and Kalev Kallo on 13 October.

 

The Minister of Education and Research Tõnis Lukas replied to two interpellations. They were the following:

 

the interpellation concerning remuneration of supervisors (No 513), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Marek Strandberg, Valdur Lahtvee, Aleksei Lotman, Toomas Trapido, Maret Merisaar and Mart Jüssi on 11 October;

 

the interpellation concerning Türi College (No 514), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Jaanus Marrandi, Jaan Õunapuu, Sven Mikser and Karel Rüütli on 11 October.

 

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

 

the interpellation concerning the health of the inhabitants of islands (No 512), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Laanet, Tiit Kuusmik, Lembit Kaljuvee, Toivo Tootsen, Ain Seppik, Inara Luigas, Eldar Efendijev, Nelli Privalova, Jüri Ratas and Rein Ratas on 29 September;

 

the interpellation concerning the amount of subsistence benefit (No 515), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Heimar Lenk, Jaak Aab, Marika Tuus, Kadri Simson and Vladimir Velman on 12 October;

 

the interpellation concerning the amount of subsistence benefit (No 528), submitted by Member of the Riigikogu Heimar Lenk on 8 November;

 

the interpellation concerning unemployment and transportation of the unemployed to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (No 519), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Kadri Simson, Helle Kalda, Lauri Laasi, Valeri Korb, Tiit Kuusmik and Inara Luigas on 19 October;

 

the interpellation concerning application for funds from the European Union Globalisation Fund (No 524), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Marika Tuus, Lauri Laasi, Valeri Korb, Inara Luigas, Tiit Kuusmik and Evelyn Sepp on 21 October.

 

On the motion of the Estonian Centre Party Faction, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Value Added Tax Act (795 SE), initiated by the same Faction, was removed from the agenda for Tuesday’s sitting.

 

During the open microphone, Marika Tuus took the floor.

 

The sitting ended at 7.26 p.m.

 

The Riigikogu Press Service