More flexible agency office network
Act amending section 2 of the Act on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will be able to decide on the locations of its offices in its own rules of procedure instead of by government decree. The change will make it easier to adapt the service network to increased online transactions and joint central government customer service points.
- Status
- Passed with amendments
- Submitted
- 26 Sep 2024
- Latest event
- 19 Nov 2024
- Votes
- 0
- Speeches
- 13
- Confirmed
- 5 Dec 2024
- Statute
- 746/2024
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
The Act on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency will be amended so that the agency's offices are laid down in its own rules of procedure instead of by government decree. At the same time, the decree that previously specified the agency's 36 offices will be repealed.
What it means
The act will enter into force on 1 January 2025. The agency will be able to adapt its premises network according to the need for in-person transactions and aims to achieve annual rental savings of over 450,000 euros by the end of 2025 through more efficient use of premises. Mandatory in-person visits for customers (such as marriage ceremonies, notary services and the registration of foreigners) will increasingly be arranged at joint service points and as pop-up services, which could lengthen travel distances for some customers if offices are reduced. Impacts on personnel are estimated to be minor due to widespread remote working.
How Parliament voted
The bill passed without a vote – no MP proposed rejecting or amending it in plenary.
Debate in the chamber
What was argued and where each group stood, followed by MPs' speeches verbatim from the parliamentary record. Speeches are shown in their original language.
13 speeches · 1 debate
Key points of the debate
The debate addressed the bill to transfer decisions on the location of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's offices from a government decree to the agency's own rules of procedure. The government party supported the proposal as a means of adapting the premises network to the growth of online services and achieving savings from walls rather than services. Opposition parties expressed concern about the reduction of service points, regional vitality and the rights of citizens excluded from digital services.
- Will transferring decision-making powers to the agency lead to the closure of local service points in the regions?
- How will in-person service and fundamental rights be safeguarded for citizens who do not have the opportunity to use digital services?
- National Coalition PartyIn favour
The National Coalition Party (NCP) considered the reform sensible and commendable, as savings are sought from underutilised premises rather than from actual service activities.
”Jos pitää kerran säästää, niin säästetään mieluummin niistä tyhjistä rakennuksista, joissa kukaan ei käy.”
— Pauli Aalto-Setälä - Social DemocratsIn favour with reservations
The Social Democrats (SDP) considered agility in services and premises good in principle, but expressed serious concern about the centralisation of decision-making power, the thinning of the service network and digital exclusion among older people.
”Tavoite lisätä joustavaa asiakaspalvelua ja toimitilaverkon ketteryyttä on sinänsä hyvä ja kannatettava.”
— Lotta Hamari - Centre PartyAgainst
The Centre Party (Cen) strongly opposed the proposal as a heavily centralising project that undermines regional vitality and cuts local central government services from rural areas and regional towns.
”Tämä hallituksen esitys on tyypillisesti rankan keskittävä lakiesitys.”
— Hannu Hoskonen
This digest was generated by AI from 13 speeches 13 Sep 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Keskustelu päättyi. Asia lähetettiin hallintovaliokuntaan.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 26 Sep 2024Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Valtiovarainministeriö
- 1 Oct 2024Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
- 5 Nov 2024Valiokunnan mietintö tai lausunto · hallintovaliokunta
- 7 Nov 2024Ensimmäinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 12 Nov 2024Toinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 15 Nov 2024Eduskunnan vastaus ja kirjelmä
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki Digi- ja väestötietovirastosta annetun lain 2 §:n muuttamisestaHyväksytty muutettuna · 746/2024 · 5 Dec 2024
Proposed law text
The law proposals in the bill as the Government presented them. The final act may differ after committee consideration.
The law text is shown in Finnish or Swedish from Parliament's official documents; it is not translated into English.
Laki Digi- ja väestötietovirastosta annetun lain 2 § muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti muutetaan digi- ja väestötietovirastosta annetun lain (304/2019) 2 § seuraavasti:
2 §Toimialue
Digi- ja väestötietoviraston toimialueena on koko maa, jollei erikseen toisin säädetä. Viraston toimipaikoista määrätään Digi- ja väestötietoviraston työjärjestyksessä noudattaen, mitä laissa valtion palveluiden saatavuudesta ja toimintojen sijoittamisesta (728/2021) säädetään.
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20 .
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 13 Sep 2026. They are not official documents – check the details in the original bill. The title and summaries are machine translations of the Finnish AI summaries. Speeches and quotations are always shown in their original language.