Show political courage and finally abolish the benefits system. The message that Thierry Aartsen (VVD) presented to his fellow MPs on Thursday as a member of the Fraud Policy and Services Inquiry Committee leaves nothing to be desired in terms of clarity. The system in which people receive money through advances as a contribution to the costs of care, rent or childcare and later have to pay extra or receive additional money, has been the basis for what has resulted in the Benefits Affair. After fifteen reports, all problems are known. And yet hardly anything has changed, with all the consequences that entails, according to Aartsen. “If a bank wanted to sell a surcharge as a financial product, it would be considered very risky.”
This week, the parliamentary inquiry committee spoke to the House of Representatives about the report published at the end of February Blind to people and law. That report is a reflection of two years of research into the question of how the approach to possible fraud in allowances and benefits could lead to such an extremely strict investigation and fine policy that people encountered major financial and social problems. And, at least as important, that for many years these people were not heard anywhere, not in politics, not in the executive authorities, not in the judiciary.
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Not your neighbor
According to the committee, the fact that a recovery operation has now been initiated for the victims in the Benefits Affair does not mean that the risks of recurrence have been ruled out. “It could happen again,” chairman of the inquiry committee Michiel van Nispen (SP) repeated on Wednesday. And then it can take a long time before the signals are noticed. Van Nispen told the House: “It is usually not your neighbor.”
The committee makes nineteen recommendations that the House of Representatives can send the (new) cabinet on and that parliament must also work on itself. For example, laws should be tested beforehand and afterwards, the government should be legally accountable for discriminatory actions, more money should be given to the Dutch Data Protection Authority and to the social legal profession and the judicial department of the Council of State should be placed under the judiciary.
In the first half of the debate, on Tuesday evening, it seemed that only the left-wing parties could fully support those recommendations to the cabinet. But after the committee emphasized several times that the elaboration is up to the cabinet and parliament, all parties supported a motion by GroenLinks-PvdA. With the exception of the non-present FVD and the PVV, the largest party in the House of Representatives – to the disappointment of Nicolien van Vroonhoven of formation partner NSC. “Extremely unfortunate,” she said to the PVV. “Because as the largest party you also have a responsibility to tackle that legislation and that culture.” The PVV has made it clear that it is still in favor of a strict fraud policy.
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No easy solutions
It is clear to all MPs that the benefits system must be radically changed or abolished. But it is not yet clear what should replace it. The fact that it is complicated should not be an obstacle, says Aartsen on behalf of the committee. “The ‘easy solutions’ department is closed.”
One of the major weaknesses in the system is that people with low incomes, often with flexible jobs, have to make use of allowances for rent, care or childcare. This quickly involves large amounts that have been paid out as an advance and may have to be repaid later, for example because people have worked more than they could estimate when they applied.
Due to the years of strict fraud policy, where people had to repay the entire advance even if they made a small mistake such as an incorrect date of birth – the ‘all-or-nothing scheme’ – the group of people who do not dare to use benefits is growing. Or they only dare to apply for a benefit late in the year because they know better what income they will receive in that year. With the sharp increase in the number of flexible jobs, where people have no control over the amount of working hours or the rate they receive, this uncertainty is increasing.
The committee also acknowledges that it may take ten years before the benefits system can be replaced. In the meantime, measures must be taken. A bill to make childcare virtually free, which could eliminate the allowances for this, still appears to have many snags. But a first improvement, says Aartsen, could be to transfer the contribution for childcare directly to the institutions. Because this surcharge involves so much money, settlements also involve large amounts. “If we do nothing, distrust in the system will only increase further.”
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Tags: Politicians citizens benefits
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