STORTING UNHAPPY WITH NUMBER OF PATIENTS TO RECEIVE TREATMENT ABROAD (Aftenposten)

If Health Minister Tore Tønne gets his way the first patients in need of hip, knee or back operations may soon be on their way to receive treatment abroad. After discussions with his colleagues in Germany, France and the Netherlands a medical treatment deal is currently being worked out. However, the Storting is unhappy with Mr Tønne’s proposal, and wants to spend more money so that treatment may be offered to additional patient categories.

MAY LOSE CONTROL IN THE NORTHERN REGION (Nationen)

In the future Norway may lose control of the marine resources in the northern seas due to the reduction in the armed forces’ presence in the north and the Coast Guard’s limited resources. This is the conclusion of a recently published analysis of resource management and control in the northern region, carried out on behalf of the Regional Council for Finnmark, Troms, Nordland and Nord-Trøndelag counties.

GISKE ON HIS WAY UP (Dagbladet)

It looks as though the Labour Party’s centre of power, the executive committee, is about to experience a major upheaval. Several key Labour politicians may have to stand aside in favour of new blood. Trond Giske, Minister of Education, Research and Church Affairs, has become a likely candidate for executive committee membership. A large number of people in the Labour Party see him as a potential future party leader.

CLOSE WATCH ON SHARE PRICE (Dagsavisen)

An important factor affecting the final pricing of the Telenor’s shares will be developments in jittery stock markets as next weekend approaches. Even small fluctuations may mean a huge difference in income for Telenor and the Government. The sale of Telenor shares starts Monday, 13 November. By then Telenor’s management and the Ministry must have made a decision regarding an approximate price band for the share. The final sales price will be set during the first weekend in December.

NOK 170 MILLION SPENT ON LINES TO BE AXED (Aftenposten)

The Norwegian National Railway Administration has recently spent NOK 170 million on improvements to the Arendal line which the Government is now proposing to close. The Meråker line in Nord-Trøndelag is also being improved to the tune of NOK 100 million. Work is due for completion in 2002, but that line is also facing the axe and is due to be closed for passenger transport in January next year.

GOING FOR GROWTH IN NORWAY (Dagens Næringsliv)

Den norske Bank’s chief executive Svein Aaser has turned his back on Storebrand. Instead he is going all out for growth in the Norwegian market. DnB’s Nordic strategy has been abandoned and Mr Aaser has turned down the merger invitation from supermarket-owner and Storebrand-shareholder Stein Erik Hagen. "At the present time there is no foundation for a merger between DnB and Storebrand," was Svein Aaser’s comment to the financial markets yesterday.

BORROWED MONEY INDIRECTLY (Aftenposten)

Orkla chief executive Jen P. Heyerdahl Jr. has indirectly borrowed money from Orkla to buy shares in Orkla. "This obviously raises some questions," says company chairman Finn A. Hvistendahl. Yesterday share purchase rights were issued for 10 per cent of Orkla’s shares. No one knows who the buyer is, but other major shareholders believe it is Kjell Inge Røkke.

CONSERVATIVE CHAOS ON OSLO MUNICIPAL EXECUTIVE BOARD (Aftenposten)

Oslo’s Conservative Party-led municipal executive board has resigned and will be replaced by a Conservative-dominated municipal executive board. Well, maybe. To pre-empt a vote of no confidence the Conservatives have started negotiations with the Christian Democrats and Liberals to form a new centre-right municipal executive board to run the country’s capital city. It is unclear when such a coalition might come into effect.

WORTH NOTING

1. One in four patients confined to emergency psychiatric units is the parent of a child under 18 years of age. Despite this, the needs of the children affected have been practically ignored. (Vårt Land)
2. The Tax-Payers’ Association and the Shareholders’ Association are planning to use a combination of advertising and lobbying to persuade politicians to drop the proposed dividend tax. (Dagsavisen)
3. The majority of Telenor shares will be bought by foreign investment giants, despite an advertising campaign in Norway costing more than NOK 50 million, whose aim is to turn Telenor into a "people’s share". (Verdens Gang)
4. Families with small children may have their food bill cut by almost NOK 4,000 per year if the centre parties’ proposed 50 per cent reduction in VAT on food is implemented. The supermarket chains have promised to cut prices. (Aftenposten)
5. Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen says there is little evidence that the Norwegian economy is slowing down. Although private consumption has fallen in recent months, Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen expects people to start spending again soon. If he is right, it could lead to higher interest rates. (Dagens Næringsliv)
6. According to a recent report, the Government will lose at least NOK 340 million per year if it introduces VAT on private fitness centres. (Verdens Gang)
7. King Harald unhesitatingly called it the most "beautiful building on the arctic moorland" when he opened the new Sami Assembly building in Karasjok. Since its creation the Sami Assembly has developed into the most important mouthpiece for the Sami people in Norway.

TODAY’S COMMENT FROM DAGBLADET

The Government is skating on thin ice in its handling of the gas-fired power station issue. It can come as no surprise to anyone that the centre parties are particularly antagonistic over this question, which led to the resignation of the previous Bondevik government. It is additionally the most important environmental issue of the day. But when the same parties claim that it will affect their willingness to negotiate with the Government over the budget, they are mixing together two separate problems. Petroleum and Energy Minister Olav Akselsen’s performance at Wednesday’s question time was both arrogant and bombastic, and he deserves to be criticised for that. But we do not understand what this has to do with either side’s attitude to the budget negotiations. Of course they disagree over the gas-fired power station issue, but that should not weaken the chances of reaching a compromise on the budget. They are two quite separate matters.

N O R E G