Outcry over unorthodox measures: victims of Dutch childcare benefits scandal bought out
The proposal made by the Dutch Benefits Agency (part of the Ministry of Finance) to issue one-off compensation payments of €5,000 in the wake of the Dutch childcare benefits scandal is causing a stir among the affected parents, lawyers and academics. Ymre Schuurmans, Professor of Administrative Law, discussed this with Dutch news programme ‘Nieuwsuur’.
The reason? The stalled recovery operation and the high volume of objections. By early September 2024, the agency has so far received approximately 12,000 objections, of which only 3,600 have been settled. For the remaining objections, the Implementing Agency for Remedial Action in connection with Allowances (UHT) has to pay penalty payments to the people affected. Professor Schuurmans says that a government agency stalling on this scale is a first.
By offering €5,000 to the affected parents, the Dutch Benefits Agency aims to clear the pending objections and save costs. However, Professor Schuurmans feels that the government ministry is not accommodating the victims’ wishes: ‘Restorative justice also involves providing space for personal victim statements, and this settlement doesn’t allow for that. The proposal is not a satisfactory solution for parents who want to understand what has happened and why the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration labelled them as frauds.’
Read the full NOS article here (in Dutch)
Photo: Nik Shuliahin through Unsplash