The Riigikogu passed five Acts.

The Act on Amendments to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act and the Private Schools Act (140 SE), initiated by the Government, was approved with 55 votes in favour (38 against).

The Act changes the structure of the education expenditure support allocated to local governments and private general education schools, according to which the manager of school may use more flexibly the education support allocated from the state budget. Increase of teachers’ pay is set as a priority. The funds designated for education support investments in the amount of nearly 2.6 million euro will be directed at teachers’ salary growth. As a result, the teachers’ labour costs support allocated from the state budget can be raised to 1.4 per cent.

The support for the components of teaching aids of schools and the labour cost of the school management can also be used for the salary of support specialists and teachers if funds are available. At the same time, the manager of school can still use the teachers’ labour costs support and school lunch support only for the intended purpose. The Act will motivate local government councils to reorganise the school network according to demographic changes. This allows to make maximum use of structural funds that are directed at reconstruction of schools, in-service training of teachers and heads of school, and the use of digital study materials to a greater extent than at present. The Act changes the structure of the education expenditure support allocated to local governments and private general education schools, and increase of teachers’ pay is set as a priority. The funds designated for education support investments in the amount of nearly 2.6 million euro will be directed at teachers’ salary growth. As a result, the teachers’ labour costs support allocated from the state budget can be raised to 1.4 per cent.

Representatives of factions Krista Aru, Märt Sults, Laine Randjärv and Mart Helme who took the floor during the debate presented their positions and opinions on the Bill. The Estonian Free Party Faction and the Estonian Centre Party Faction declared that they do not support the passing of the Bill.

The Act on Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure and Amendments to Other Associated Acts which Extends the Rights of Victims in Criminal Proceedings (80 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed with 94 votes in favour.

The Act ensures better protection of victims in criminal proceedings, strengthens the standing of victims in proceedings and creates a clear and unambiguous regulation for processing the claims arising from crimes. The relevant EU directive establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime is transposed into Estonian law. The procedure for proceeding victim’s proprietary claims, that is, the processing of civil actions, is specified. The state will be enabled to file a proof of claim in public law, besides a civil action, as victim in criminal proceedings.

Heljo Pikhof and Ken-Marti Vaher took the floor during the debate.

The Act on Amendments to the Population Register Act, the Vital Statistics Registration Act and the State Fees Act (124 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed with 86 votes in favour (5 against).

The Act provides for the requirement to reflect the existence and validity of e-residency in the population register. The Act supplements the data composition of the population register accordingly, and specifies the issuing of data from the population register to a person in the case of a legitimate interest. It also gives a person the right to obtain information and data concerning his or her deceased spouse from the population register.

The Act on Amendments to the State Borders Act, the Police and Border Guard Act and the Act on Amendments to the State Borders Act, the Customs Act and the Police and Border Guard Act (141 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed with 89 votes in favour (1 abstention).

The Act ensures implementation of the regulation concerning passenger name record data due to enter into force on 1 January 2016. A legal basis for the processing of passenger name record data in a separate database is established. The Act also mitigates the conditions for the provision of service for the provider of the border crossing waiting area service, thereby ensuring equal treatment of potential service providers. The Act improves surveillance of the state border. For that, it extends the rights of the police to travel without hindrance on private lands, in addition to private roads, for the purpose of state border surveillance. Also, the procedure for the stay on transboundary water bodies is extended to smaller transboundary water bodies that so far have not been covered with regulation.

The Act on Amendments to § 30 of the Value Added Tax Act (148 SE), initiated by the Finance Committee, was passed with 88 votes in favour.

According to the amendment, a taxable person has the right to deduct input value added tax in full from a vehicle used for business and from goods acquired and services received therefor also in the case when an automobile is used mainly for the carriage of passengers for a fee. The condition is that the taxable person holds a Community licence provided for in the Public Transport Act and a certified copy of the Community licence.

As is the tradition, Santa Claus also visited the Riigikogu.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian): http://stenogrammid.riigikogu.ee/et/201512171000

Photos of the sitting: https://fotoalbum.riigikogu.ee/v/Riigikogu/XIII+Riigikogu/j6uluvana/

Video recordings of the sittings of the Riigikogu can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/riigikogu

Riigikogu Press Service

Gunnar Paal, 6316351, 51902837

[email protected]