Code of conduct for members of the parliamentary inquiry committee on the corona crisis | Politics

In June 2023, the House of Representatives postponed the parliamentary inquiry. The parties did not agree at the time about the committee’s approach. There was a lot of unrest within the preparatory corona committee about the participation of FVD, which was a fierce opponent of corona measures during the pandemic. Too few parties were prepared to appoint an MP to the committee of inquiry.

After the House of Representatives elections, there was again broad support from the parliamentary factions for the research. A new committee was formed in February. Committee chairman Daan de Kort (VVD) presented the research design on Wednesday.

The committee members have jointly agreed on a code of conduct. This means that MPs will not participate in corona debates as long as the investigation is ongoing and that confidential documents also remain confidential. The main point is that the inquiry committee is neutral and curious, De Kort said at the presentation.

The code of conduct should mainly address concerns of many parliamentary groups about the neutrality of committee member Pepijn van Houwelingen (FVD). He was an outspoken opponent of almost every corona measure taken by the cabinet. According to the FVD member, proponents of the policy would have to deal with “tribunals”. He also said that corona was not that serious at all and that vaccines were unnecessary and dangerous. Scientific research has proven the opposite.

After the House of Representatives elections in November, Van Houwelingen no longer had a seat in Parliament, but the FVD brought him back to the House of Representatives especially for the investigation. His party colleague Freek Jansen had to (temporarily) leave the House as a result.

In addition to De Kort and Van Houwelingen, the committee consists of Peter Smitskam (PVV), Anita Pijpelink (GroenLinks-PvdA), Rosanne Hertzberger (NSC) and Claudia van Zanten (BBB).

The committee is investigating the cabinet’s considerations and the functioning of the House of Representatives during the corona crisis. Ultimately, the committee will learn lessons from the research, so that politicians are better equipped to deal with future (health) crises.

The parliamentary inquiry will start after the May recess, which starts next week, and will last until December 2026. The committee will start requesting documents and studying them. Closed discussions are also held with experts, administrators and other stakeholders.

Public hearings will begin in January 2026. Then Mark Rutte, Hugo de Jonge and Jaap van Dissel, among others, are questioned.

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