Riigikogu adopted the Act on Amendments to the Chancellor of Justice Act and the State Public Servants Official Titles and Salary Scale Act (167 SE), initiated by the Constitutional Committee, with 85 votes in favour. The Act makes the term for presenting the annual report of the Chancellor of Justice to the Riigikogu more flexible. It also specifies the aspects related to the activities of the Chancellor of Justice in reviewing applications to verify the conformity of legal provisions. Some provisions regulating the activities of the Chancellor of Justice were eliminated as unnecessary or in conflict with other Acts. The Chancellor of Justice was granted the right to determine the salary rates of the Deputy Chancellor of Justice-Adviser, advisers, and the officials of the Chancellery within the limits of the budget of his office. 

The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Employment Contracts Act (180 SE), initiated by the Government. The Bill repeals the provisions of the Act that relate to paying unemployment benefits to people who terminate employment at their own initiative or by an agreement of the parties. Under the existing Act, unemployment insurance payments directed at insured individuals whose last employment or service contract ended by mutual agreement or termination of the employment contract at the initiative of the employee or termination of service contract at the initiative of the public servant were to be enforced from 1 January 2013. The planned substitution amount of the unemployment insurance in the case of termination or conclusion of such employment or service contract was 40 % of the previous work related income of the employee that had been subject to unemployment tax. T

he Social Democratic Party Faction and the Estonian Centre Party Faction moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. The result of voting: 39 votes in favour, 51 against. The motion was not supported. The third reading of the Bill is scheduled for May 8. 

The Riigikogu Press Service