Guðmundur Ingi apologises to social insurance staff
Tuesday 10th November 2026 on 16:16 in
Iceland
Non-affiliated MP Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson apologised to staff at Iceland’s Social Insurance Administration in a speech in parliament on Tuesday, while continuing to criticise the social security system and calling on MPs to change the law, mbl.is reports.
“I want to start by apologising to the staff of the Social Insurance Administration for comments I made here in the chamber not so long ago,” he said during parliamentary proceedings.
The apology followed remarks he made in parliament on 3 November, when he accused the agency of providing incorrect information and showing prejudice towards people. The agency rejected his criticism in written responses to questions from Mannlíf.
Referring to Mannlíf’s coverage of the responses, Guðmundur Ingi said the agency had stated that its staff sought to provide good service, ensure equality and handle cases carefully and in accordance with the law. Staff had received a rating of 4.3 out of five in service surveys this year, he said, describing it as a good score.
He noted, however, that the agency had not said whether it had received complaints about prejudice or inappropriate conduct by staff, despite being asked specifically about those issues.
Guðmundur Ingi said the agency had a duty to guide people who contacted it. He said he helped people who struggled to use its online services, including those who could not access their accounts, lacked computer skills or did not have an email address. Some, he added, were seriously ill.
“This is what we need to address, and we in this chamber need to change the law,” he said.
He also said many payments made by the agency were incorrect and that the reasons should be investigated, but cited different figures without explaining what they referred to. He said MPs were responsible for the legal framework and criticised social security legislation as having been patched up for decades.
Guðmundur Ingi has previously criticised the agency’s information. In October, he objected to collection letters sent to older people who had lost a spouse that directed them to Ísland.is for information.