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News hour
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 06:54
Politicians must quickly act on the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry committee that investigated fraud policy in recent years. Otherwise, something like the benefits scandal could happen again, according to a majority in the House of Representatives.
Today and Thursday, the House will debate with the committee, which presented its final report in February. The committee concluded that people “crushed” are due to failed government policy. The government was “blind to people and law”.
According to the report, government agencies involved in combating fraud acted unlawfully. When citizens were wrongly identified as fraudsters and went to court, they were often not helped. “The rule of law has been pushed aside and people’s fundamental rights have been violated.”
The committee of inquiry made nineteen recommendations to improve the situation. For example, citizens should have easier access to legal assistance from a lawyer and contact the government more easily if they are in trouble.
Split the Council of State
The Council of State must be split, the committee says. Now that body has a double hat: on the one hand it is an advisory body for drawing up laws and on the other hand it is the highest administrative court. The latter function should be assigned to the courts.
“It is crucial that the entire report is adopted,” says MP Luc Stultiens of GroenLinks-PvdA. “To prevent another scandal from happening tomorrow.”
Nicolien van Vroonhoven of NSC would prefer to completely transform and ultimately abolish the system in which people with low incomes need benefits to make ends meet.
“Our party was founded on the basis of the benefits scandal. A better management culture is, as it were, in the DNA of NSC.” The party is also committed to this in the cabinet formation, says Van Vroonhoven.
Sharp on top
If the House decides today that the report must be adopted, it will be up to the new cabinet to implement the recommendations. “We will keep a close eye on this,” Stultiens warns.
This week the House of Representatives will debate with the committee. A debate will follow later with the responsible cabinet members.
