Prime Minister Andrus Ansip replied to the interpellation concerning the action plan of the Government of the Republic for a crisis situation (No 127), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Heimar Lenk, Valeri Korb, Ester Tuiksoo, Lauri Laasi, Peeter Võsa and Marika Tuus-Laul on 23 February. 

Ansip explained that the availability and functioning of vital services in common situations as well as in extreme situations according to the interpellators is regulated by the Emergency Act. According to this Act, agencies and enterprises who provide vital services prepare risk analyses and plans for consistent functioning which are then implemented as the need arises. The risk analyses also cover the situations that may arise in connection with strikes and work stoppages. The plans for consistent functioning, in their turn, describe how a provider of a service has to ensure the functioning of its service in cases when strikes or work stoppages should actually take place. The Emergency Act specifies 43 vital services, and risk analyses as well as plans for consistent functioning have been prepared with regard to all of them in 2011. 

The Prime Minster confirmed that the availability of public and vital services is ensured in every situation. He noted that no strike or work stoppage can prevent the dispatch of a rescue car to the scene of an accident, the emergency medical staff reaching a person in need of help, or the police responding to a criminal offence or breach of order. “One public measure for ensuring the availability is provided for in the Collective Labour Dispute Resolution Act which would prohibit strikes in governmental authorities, other state bodies, local governments, the Defence Forces and national defence organisations, courts and rescue service agencies. The providers of a vital service also have to ensure the functioning of the vital service in situations different from a common situation, including during strikes,” Ansip stressed. In his words, at present, the Government sees no risk of significant damage to the Estonian economy because the consistent functioning of vital services has to be ensured also in the event of possible work stoppages. If, during a possible work stoppage, enterprises and agencies can ensure minimum critical activities which are necessary for the provision of a service or production, then the impact of the work stoppage on private consumers and on the society as a whole is small, but this impact is negative, Ansip admitted. 

The Prime Minister also replied to the interpellation concerning the water price rise in the whole Estonia and a failure to fulfil promises (No 119), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Kadri Simson, Priit Toobal, Lauri Laasi, Valeri Korb, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Viktor Vassiljev, Marika Tuus-Laul, Peeter Võsa, Tarmo Tamm, Aivar Riisalu and Deniss Boroditš on 16 February, and the interpellation concerning the politicised civil society and the National Foundation of Civil Society (No 118), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Priit Toobal, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Viktor Vassiljev, Inara Luigas, Lembit Kaljuvee, Peeter Võsa, Kalev Kallo, Yana Toom and Ester Tuiksoo on 15 February. 

The Minister of Culture Rein Lang replied to two interpellations. They were the following: 

the interpellation concerning valuing of culture workers (No 128), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Priit Toobal, Ester Tuiksoo, Mailis Reps, Inara Luigas, Lauri Laasi, Viktor Vassiljev, Valeri Korb, Aadu Must, Vladimir Velman, Yana Toom, Enn Eesmaa and Tarmo Tamm on 23 February; 

the interpellation concerning the Minister of Agriculture lying in the Estonian National Broadcasting programme “Pealtnägija” [“Eyewitness”] (No 139), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa, Priit Toobal, Viktor Vassiljev, Ester Tuiksoo, Yana Toom, Marika Tuus-Laul, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Lembit Kaljuvee, Valeri Korb, Deniss Boroditš, Vladimir Velman and Peeter Võsa on 19 March. 

The Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi replied to the interpellation concerning the effect of the income tax exemption of reinvested profit (No 121), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Kadri Simson, Aivar Riisalu, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Lembit Kaljuvee, Valeri Korb, Vladimir Velman, Peeter Võsa, Inara Luigas, Enn Eesmaa, Eldar Efendijev, Tarmo Tamm, Kalev Kallo, Aadu Must, Viktor Vassiljev, Yana Toom, Ester Tuiksoo, Mailis Reps and Jüri Ratas on 20 February. 

The Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus replied to two interpellations. They were the following: 

the interpellation concerning the commercial lease contracts of hazardous waste collection centres (No 112), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Valeri Korb, Lembit Kaljuvee, Deniss Boroditš, Peeter Võsa, Eldar Efendijev, Rainer Vakra, Aadu Must, Ester Tuiksoo, Mailis Reps, Kadri Simson and Aivar Riisalu on 13 February; 

the interpellation concerning the negative opinion of the Minister of Justice of the incidents in the area of administration of the Minister of the Environment (No 114), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Tarmo Tamm, Viktor Vassiljev, Ester Tuiksoo, Yana Toom, Peeter Võsa and Priit Toobal on 14 February. 

The Minister of Education and Research Jaak Aaviksoo in the capacity of the Minister of Defence replied to the interpellation concerning the Victory Monument to the War of Independence (No 117), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Inara Luigas, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Lembit Kaljuvee, Valeri Korb, Peeter Võsa, Eldar Efendijev, Tarmo Tamm, Kalev Kallo, Priit Toobal, Viktor Vassiljev, Yana Toom, Ester Tuiksoo, Mailis Reps and Aadu Must on 15 February. 

The Minister of Education and Research Jaak Aaviksoo also replied to the interpellation concerning the plan to essentially liquidate the Estonian Maritime Academy (No 122), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Kalev Kallo, Jüri Ratas, Rainer Vakra, Kalle Laanet, Tarmo Tamm, Enn Eesmaa, Peeter Võsa, Vladimir Velman, Deniss Boroditš, Valeri Korb, Lembit Kaljuvee, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Aivar Riisalu, Kadri Simson, Mailis Reps, Ester Tuiksoo, Yana Toom, Viktor Vassiljev and Aadu Must on 20 February. 

The Minister of Internal Affairs Ken-Marti Vaher replied to two interpellations. They were the following: 

the interpellation concerning the closing of Võnnu rescue commando (No 115), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Marika Tuus-Laul, Valeri Korb, Peeter Võsa, Tarmo Tamm, Kalle Laanet, Priit Toobal, Viktor Vassiljev, Mailis Reps and Aadu Must on 15 February; 

the interpellation concerning the closing of Võsu rescue commando (No 120), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Peeter Võsa, Aadu Must, Kalle Laanet, Priit Toobal, Lauri Laasi, Valeri Korb, Viktor Vassiljev, Marika Tuus-Laul, Lembit Kaljuvee, Enn Eesmaa, Tarmo Tamm and Mailis Reps on 16 February. 

The Minister of Justice Kristen Michal replied to two interpellations. They were the following: 

the interpellation concerning the availability of state legal aid (No 124), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Yana Toom, Ester Tuiksoo and Priit Toobal on 21 February; 

the interpellation concerning unreasonably lengthy trials in Estonia (No 126), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Lembit Kaljuvee, Vladimir Velman, Peeter Võsa, Inara Luigas, Enn Eesmaa, Eldar Efendijev, Tarmo Tamm, Kalev Kallo, Aadu Must, Viktor Vassiljev and Yana Toom on 22 February. 

On the motion of the Economic Affairs Committee, the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Accounting Act and the Commercial Code (147 SE), initiated by the Government, was excluded from the agenda for the working week. 

During the open microphone, Mihhail Stalnuhhin took the floor. 

The sitting ended at 7.48 p.m. 

The Riigikogu Press Service