The Prime Minister today answered a very extensive order from the Storting’s Control and Constitution Committee. – It will never be possible to have an exhaustive overview of possible cases of disqualification, neither for politicians nor employees in the administration, writes Støre. – Reality is changeable, and conditions of incapacity can change quickly. New bonds and interests can arise and old loyalties can be weakened, he emphasizes. Støre warns that a registration scheme could create “false security”. In a total of 17 points, the committee asks for detailed information on how issues of impartiality have been practiced and handled, going all the way back to 2017. In his letter, Støre asks ministers in all ministries to send supplementary answers to a number of the questions. Støre also writes that he is considering new routines. – Although refraining from participating in government conferences or cabinet meetings does not require the same formalized process as the appointment of sitting cabinet ministers, this autumn I will assess the need for routines that give better notoriety also in this type of situation, writes Støre. He further explains how the initial talks with ministers can be changed: – In order to ensure that everyone is aware of the most central topics in connection with the accession, I will initiate work to determine joint guidelines for initial talks between political officials and political leadership in all ministries. – Safeguarding trust Venstres Grunde Almeland is the case manager for the control committee’s investigations. – We have now received a comprehensive response from the Prime Minister related to the control committee’s case regarding the government’s practice of the competence regulations. We have received the answers at the same time as they were made public, so as a prosecutor I have to spend some time thoroughly going into the details, he says to news. – For me as the speaker of the case and the Liberal Party as a party, it is clear that the control committee’s case about the government’s breach of integrity is now very important in order to safeguard the public’s trust that ministers in Norway cannot abuse their positions for their own gain, explains the Liberal leader. He warns that the control committee will sit down shortly after the election to discuss the answers that have come in today, and find out if there is a need for new questions. The summer of scandals This summer, Minister of Education and Labor deputy leader Tonje Brenna first acknowledged and apologized for a breach of the ethics rules. The control committee has, however, gone a long way to protecting Brenna, and her case is not the most central in the round of questions that were answered today. A few days later it emerged that Culture Minister Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) had also broken the rules of competence, and she resigned as a minister. Ola Borten Moe also left his position as minister for higher education and research after buying and selling shares while he was a minister. He also resigned as the Center Party’s deputy leader. And this week the news came that Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt’s (Ap) husband has traded shares while she has been a minister. The government’s own experts, in the Ministry of Justice’s legal department, believe Huitfeldt should have done more to get an overview of the case. Facts about the integrity cases in the government Education Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap) admitted on 20 June to having broken the government’s integrity rules by appointing a friend to a board position in the Wergeland Centre, a foundation which is largely financed by the Ministry of Education. Culture and Equality Minister Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) resigned from Støre’s government on 23 June after admitting to having broken the rules of competence by appointing friends to important posts. Minister for Research and Higher Education Ola Borten Moe (Sp) admitted on 21 July to having broken the government’s integrity rules by purchasing shares in the arms and technology group Kongsberg Gruppen. He resigned both as a minister and SP deputy leader. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt’s (Ap) husband has bought and sold shares, including in the arms manufacturer Kongsberg Gruppen, while she has been minister. Huitfeldt has not fulfilled her duty according to the rules of competence to obtain information about her husband’s financial activities, according to the legal department in the Ministry of Justice. (Sources: NTB/news) Top-heavy inspection hearing It recently became clear that there is a majority in the Storting for an inspection case to be opened to examine the practice more closely. The questions that are now being answered are part of the committee’s case. It is likely that both Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) and his predecessor, Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg, will have to attend the control hearing at the Storting. The hearing is likely to be held on 7 November. It is not just the cases of Brenna, Trettebergstuen, Borten Moe and Huitfeldt that will be the subject of the hearing: The Solberg government’s handling of impartiality will also be shed light on. This week, a long series of details emerged about how Solberg’s husband, Sindre Finnes, had bought and sold shares while she was prime minister.
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Assessing new routines – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
