Senate wants to consult with Van Ark and Knops on social minimum for BES islands

The Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations wants an oral consultation with state secretaries Van Ark and Knops in the short term about the research into a social minimum for the Dutch Caribbean and the government response to this. In all likelihood, this consultation will take place on 16 October.

The committee has decided that today. This happened in a so-called procedural meeting that took place less than half an hour after the government parties in the House of Representatives rejected the motion of the SP and GroenLinks to urge the government to give up opposing the definition of a social minimum for the BES islands.

The question is whether the deliberations of the senators with the ministers will lead to a different outcome. The fact is that in recent years the Senate has more often taken the initiative to do something about the disadvantage of the Caribbean Netherlands in the social area. That also applied to the social minimum.

Much earlier than the House of Representatives, the Senate adopted a motion in June 2016 in which the then Cabinet was asked to establish a social minimum for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The motion was submitted at the time by Ruard Ganzevoort (GroenLinks) and co-signed by all but one party (PVV), including the VVD.

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