Parliamentary support agreement

In addition, the VVD, CDA and Freedom Party (PVV) have concluded a parliamentary support agreement. The decisions in this accord are endorsed by the three parliamentary parties.

Introduction

This agreement between the VVD, PVV and CDA is based on the political cooperation described in the statement of 30 July 2010 (annexe I).

1. Immigration

General

Our asylum and migration policy is strict but just. In the light of current social problems immigration needs to be urgently restructured, controlled and reduced. Achieving this is one of the government's main policy objectives. Our policy will be just, because it is based on the principle that people have rights. The Netherlands will continue to protect and receive refugees where, under the terms of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, they are the victims of persecution for whom the Netherlands is the first safe country. This is not the case for asylum seekers who prove to be economic migrants. That is why we will determine as quickly as possible to which category asylum seekers belong and whether they can stay in the Netherlands or have to leave. Migration policy, especially policy on family migration, focuses on restricting and reducing the number of migrants with few future prospects coming to the Netherlands. This will enable us to tackle the problem of integration more effectively, partly with a view to the participation of those who are admitted. To this end the government will make use as far as possible of the scope for a restrictive and selective migration policy offered by existing legal frameworks, including the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). It will do this by proposing new legislation and by stepping up the monitoring, enforcement and implementation of existing regulations, including those relating to new information systems, data exchange and techniques for establishing identity. Where possible the government will work together with other countries, especially neighbouring EU member states and countries of origin outside the EU. Return and deportation policy will be tightened up, and remaining in the country illegally will be a criminal offence.

Aliens convicted of criminal offences will be expelled earlier and more frequently. Tough measures will be taken to combat people smuggling. The effective integration of newcomers and groups is a complex and demanding process that is of great importance to society as a whole. The most important criterion is that participation in our society requires sufficient educational and language qualifications. An adequate level of civic integration among asylum seekers and migrants who have been admitted to the country is key to full participation in society for themselves and their children in terms of work and education. We are entitled to expect this of newcomers. They themselves are responsible for their integration. If they fail to make the necessary effort, this will have consequences given the implications for social security and the importance of labour market participation. Those who fail their civic integration examination will, with some exceptions, have their temporary residence permits revoked.

In implementing this policy the government will also introduce initiatives to amend EU directives and possibly, if there prove to be no alternatives for important measures and in consultation with other member states, to amend treaties and conventions. Implementation of the whole package of measures on asylum and migration will result in a very substantial fall in the influx of immigrants.

Asylum

It is preferable for the reception of asylum seekers to take place in their country or region of origin. The government's aim is effective implementation of the Dublin Convention, the Dublin Regulation and the associated regulations, which require that applications for asylum are dealt with by the member state responsible for them. The Netherlands makes an active contribution to the reception of asylum seekers elsewhere and to the processing of applications for asylum by the responsible member state by working together with the countries concerned and with international organisations like UNHCR. The policy of categorial protection will be discontinued, including the legislation underpinning it.

Applications for asylum will be dealt with as effectively, efficiently and carefully as possible.

• Opportunities for procedures to accumulate will be reduced, procedures will be speeded up, legal aid provisions will be modified so that, after the first application has been processed, there will no incentive to initiate new procedures (follow-up procedures on a 'no-cure-no-fee' basis), and it will not always be possible to stay in the Netherlands while waiting for the ruling on provisional relief.
• Every effort will be made in the case of undocumented asylum seekers to attach greater weight to failure to produce proof of identity.
• Steps will be taken to combat fraud during the processing of applications for asylum, by exchanging information and deploying new techniques for establishing identity. 
• Within the limits of the case law of the Council of State, the burden of proof will be given greater weight and will come to rest more heavily on the applicant.
• The government will argue for a change to the EU Qualification Directive so that the burden of proof rests more heavily on the applicant in respect of proving the absence of refuge alternatives.

Family members joining asylum seekers later will no longer automatically receive asylum status, but will fall under the regular policy for family migration, meaning that they will not have to meet any requirements for income or integration abroad.

In the case of unaccompanied minors every effort will be made to effect their return, under the condition that reception is available for them locally. It is therefore important that funds from the development budget are used to invest in extra local reception facilities, including orphanages. In addition, the government will implement the EU Return Directive (2008/115).

Family migration

Family migration refers to the arrival in the Netherlands of family members of people who are legally resident here. This can create a migration chain in which, with each new generation, partners - often relations - and children come to the Netherlands from the country of origin. This has adverse consequences for the integration process, with each successive generation falling further behind. The resulting negative spiral can be broken only by imposing stricter requirements on this type of family formation and reunification including a level of educational qualification that guarantees successful integration. To this end, the government will propose that changes be made to the European directive. In the light of the above the government will submit a number of proposals and measures.

• The possibility of family formation and family reunification will be limited to partners who are married or in a registered partnership, and to children who are minors.
• They will be admitted only if the family member they are joining has been legally resident in the Netherlands for at least a year. This does not apply to highly skilled migrants.
• Family migrants will also have to fulfil new admission requirements: they must have independent accommodation and medical insurance.
• The period after which family migrants can apply for an independent residence permit will be extended from three to five years, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
• The fees for family migration will be made as cost-neutral as possible.
• Policy to combat marriages of convenience or forced marriages will be tightened up and enforcement intensified.
• Forced marriage is illegal and will be made a criminal offence.
• In principle marriage between cousins will be illegal.
• Polygamous marriages will not be recognised.
• The examination requirements set out in the Civic Integration (Preparation Abroad) Act will be stricter.

Important new requirements for family migration can be introduced, for example, by modifying the EU directive on the right to family reunification (2003/86).

The government will argue for:

• an increase in the age requirement for partners to 24;
• admission of a maximum of one partner every ten years;
• an increase in the income requirement to at least 120% of the minimum wage;
• the introduction of a deposit;
• the introduction of an assessment to prove that ties with the Netherlands are stronger than those with other countries; and
• exclusion of the possibility that family members of persons convicted of violent crimes are admitted.

Lastly, in the light of the importance of qualifications for participation and integration, the government will argue for the option of imposing educational requirements on migrants to be included in the directive. 

With these measures the Netherlands will be in a position to enable people who come to the country legally to participate fully in society.

Labour migration

Permits can only be issued to labour migrants from outside the EU who are not highly skilled if the employer can prove that it was not possible to fill the vacancies with workers from the Netherlands, the EU member states or the European Economic Area (EEA). Employment permits will be issued only if the employer pays at least the statutory minimum wage. The statutory minimum wage will be a minimum requirement for labour migrants. For Romanians and Bulgarians the requirement that they have an employment permit will remain in force until 1 January 2014 if the current circumstances do not change. The government will investigate whether and to what extent it is possible and desirable to tighten up policy on labour migration.

The government will ensure that these measures do not obstruct the development of the knowledge economy. The highly skilled migrant scheme is of great importance, but the government will investigate whether it is being abused. If necessary, further educational requirements may be imposed.

Immigration in general

The government will take measures to limit the admission of immigrants without prospects, promote integration and combat fraud and abuse, including tightening up residence permit requirements, intensifying return policy and tackling illegality. As far as permits are concerned, the new measures will relate to applying for a regular permit while still abroad, the requirements for issuing a permanent residence permit, the exercise of discretionary powers and the withdrawal of the permits of migrants resident abroad.

The main rule for applications for a regular residence permit is that they should be submitted before the applicant comes to the Netherlands. This is also intended to prevent asylum seekers applying for regular residence permits if their asylum application is denied. Over the years, a series of exceptions have been allowed to this rule. The government will present a proposal that applications for regular permits should be submitted abroad.

• This will mean that applications for regular permits submitted in the Netherlands will not be processed, with the consequence that the applicant will no longer be in the country legally.
• The proposal also means that all humanitarian and medical considerations relating to the asylum procedure will be assessed by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) and that all 'M50' desks will be closed.
• In anticipation of this measure the government will scrap the exemptions from the requirement for an authorisation for temporary stay (MVV) for those who were in the Netherlands legally for five consecutive years while they were minors and for those who are eligible for return to the Netherlands on the basis of the Repatriation Act.

Permanent asylum residence permits will be issued only to applicants with a basic qualification, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The government will argue for changes to the EU directive on long-term residents (2003/109) to allow the introduction of a requirement for a basic qualification for regular applications.

Restraint will be the main principle in the issue of permits on the basis of discretionary powers.

Temporary or permanent residence permits can be revoked during or after a period spent outside the Netherlands. The government will reduce the current periods after which permits may be revoked and scrap the exemption for those held in detention abroad.

In addition, other than in exceptional circumstances, temporary residence permits will be revoked and permanent residence permits will not be issued if holders prove not, or no longer, to fulfil the income requirements. The IND and municipalities will work more closely together in this context.

Return and deportation policy will be stepped up.

• This objective will be pursued by the government as a whole in international contacts and bilateral relations with other countries.
• Families with children will receive priority.
• If necessary, enforcement capacity will be expanded.

Illegality, in the sense of aliens residing in the Netherlands unlawfully, is a serious problem. It is often accompanied by various forms of nuisance and criminal activity, including people smuggling, and by appalling living conditions. This also erodes confidence in asylum and migration policy and has a detrimental effect on the integration process.

• The government will advocate making illegality a criminal offence and focus enforcement mainly on persons causing nuisance or indulging in criminal behaviour, with the aim of deporting them from the country as soon as possible. 
• These measures are part of a broader strategy to tackle crime among aliens. It will also increase the likelihood that aliens who are lawfully resident here but who are convicted of crimes will be deported. To this end, the government will make the 'sliding scale' stricter.
• The government will tackle human trafficking more resolutely, including abuse of the residence arrangement for victims.
• More frequent use will be made of the possibility of declaring persons to be undesirable aliens and terminating the residence rights of EU citizens with criminal records. To this end, the government will argue for a change to the EU directive on the free movement of persons (2004/38).
• Tougher measures will be taken to combat cross-border crime committed in the Netherlands by aliens resident in other countries, illegal immigrants and people smugglers, including mobile border controls by the Royal Military and Border Police.
• Applications for a residence permit will be denied if the applicant is or has been residing in the Netherlands illegally, unless there are medical grounds opposing this or the applicant is an unaccompanied minor or a witness/informant in a human trafficking case. The government will argue for a change in the EU directive on the free movement of persons (2004/38) so that family formation or reunification does not have to be added to these two categories.

The government will take maximum advantage of the option to deny radical clergy admission to the Netherlands or to deport them, if there is good cause to do so for reasons of public order or national security.

The government will present a proposal for legislation on the movement of persons which is based on the principle of reciprocity and also offers the option of imposing requirements for admission, residence and return to countries in the Kingdom (Curacao, Aruba, St Maarten and the Netherlands).

In the context of Europe, the government will argue for the inclusion of the two-yearly reports on corruption and legal reform in Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen evaluation of these two countries. If these reports show that they do not meet the strict criteria, the Netherlands will not support the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen and abolition of the internal border controls in the EU, and Bulgaria and Romania will not be admitted to Schengen.

In the EU the government will argue for a rule that member states cannot decide on a general amnesty for aliens. The government wants to see closure of the 'Europe route', whereby family migrants from third countries evade the national admission requirements of EU member states or family members of EU citizens are not subject to the regular requirements.

Integration

It can be expected of everyone who comes to the Netherlands to settle that they abide by the rules that apply here and play an active part in society by acquiring a sufficient command of the Dutch language, and through education and employment. Qualifications are the key to successful participation and integration. The earlier these are acquired, the greater the chances of successful integration. It is therefore important to impose stricter language and educational requirements on those who wish to be admitted to and settle in our country.

• The recognition of educational qualifications obtained outside the EU and of prior learning, taking account of the norms prevailing in the Netherlands, is the responsibility of the competent body and will be speeded up as much as possible. This will improve the opportunities of the migrants concerned.
• Migrants and asylum seekers are themselves responsible for their integration into Dutch society. For those who do not have sufficient resources of their own, the government will introduce a system of loans, which will have to be repaid. The basic principle for the government is that failure to pass the civic integration examination, unless there are exceptional circumstances, will result in the participant's temporary regular residence permit being revoked.
• The government will argue for the EEC-Turkey Association Agreement to be amended so that Turkish residents have an obligation to integrate.

The government will abolish the diversity/affirmative action policy on the basis of gender and ethnic origin. Selection must be based on quality. There will be a reporting code for culturally related domestic violence and child abuse. The government will present a proposal for a general ban on burkas and other clothing that covers the face. Regulations will be introduced prohibiting the wearing of headscarves by police officers and members of the judiciary.

Central government will cut back on grants related to integration, with the exception of the grant to the Dutch Council for Refugees (Vluchtelingenwerk). The government will not provide grants to organisations that engage in activities that aim to counter integration.

Being granted Dutch citizenship is the reward for success on three counts: qualifications, participation and integration.

• The government will present a proposal to set the minimum period for naturalisation at five years in a greater number of cases and to supplement the requirements for naturalisation with criteria relating to educational qualifications and financial resources, and a stricter public order requirement. The latter will include not having a criminal record (with the exception of a conviction under juvenile criminal law, a sentence to imprisonment for a maximum of three months or for fines equivalent to a maximum of 90 days' detention). There will be a language requirement for persons opting for Dutch nationality.
• The government's proposal also means that Dutch nationality will only be definitively granted if the applicant renounces any other nationalities, in as far as they can be renounced.
• The government will present a proposal to deprive of their Dutch nationality persons who, within five years of it being granted, are convicted of a crime carrying a sentence of 12 years or more. To this end efforts will be made to allow a broader interpretation of article 7, paragraph 1(d) of the European Convention on Nationality. If this proves impossible, the government will seek agreement with the other signatories on an amendment to the Convention. If, before 1 January 2012, it becomes clear that the parties are not prepared to make such an amendment, Dutch legislation will be amended so that, for the first five years, Dutch nationality will be granted on a provisional basis which, taking account of the stricter requirements for renouncing other nationalities, will then automatically become permanent unless the candidate has been convicted of an offence carrying a sentence of 12 years or more.

The major importance assigned to labour participation and integration in the Netherlands also has consequences for the social security system.

• If someone's behaviour or clothing effectively limits their chances on the labour market, their benefit may be refused, reduced or revoked on the basis of the Work and Social Assistance Act (WWB). If necessary the government will present a proposal to this effect.
• In the context of social security the relationship with the country of origin of migrants and asylum seekers is also of relevance. As far as possible the government will seek the cooperation of local authorities in these countries in monitoring and enforcing the means test in the WWB.

The government will seek to limit the export of social services, for example by:

• stopping the export of child benefit and the means-tested child allowance to countries outside the EU and
• applying the country-of-residence principle to general old-age pensions and work resumption benefits for persons partially capable of work.

2. Public safety

Public safety is a core government responsibility. Freedom and public confidence cannot flourish in an unsafe environment or one in which people feel constantly threatened. Life in our streets, neighbourhoods and public areas needs to be made safer. An effective crack-down on threatening or anti-social behaviour, intimidation, aggression, violence and crime demands a vigorous display of authority on the part of the police and criminal justice authorities.

Anti-social behaviour, aggression, violence and crime will be tackled more directly and effectively.

• The government will produce a proposal to extend powers to stop and search.
• The government will produce a proposal for harsher penalties for violence against members of the police, fire and ambulance services and against other authorities.
• There will be more video surveillance.

Transgressive behaviour by young delinquents, operating individually or in gangs, will be tackled, for example by responding instantly, removing them from the streets, bringing them before the courts and imposing immediate penalties. Wherever possible, summary proceedings will be used (e.g. 'night courts').

• Efforts will be made to find a meaningful and effective way of dealing with this group by way of a combination of criminal penalties, street bans, community service and re-education via the home or school. Such punishment packages will be imposed, for example, in cases of vandalism, threatening behaviour and property crime, and could include payment of compensation, confiscation of property or the proceeds of crime, parental accountability and an obligation to report regularly to the local police station. In cases of non-cooperation or recidivism, overnight detention may be added to the package. The aim of this approach is resocialisation and to get young offenders back in school or work. The community safety partnerships (veiligheidshuizen) may have a role to play in this.
• The government will produce proposals for an adolescent criminal code for the 15 to 23 age group.
• Children under twelve who display delinquent or criminal behaviour will be identified as quickly as possible so that immediate action can be taken to address the problem. Their parents will be made more immediately and financially accountable. This will also be done in the case of older children.

The government will produce proposals for the introduction of minimum sentences for adults convicted twice within ten years of an offence carrying a maximum statutory sentence of twelve years or more. Courts will be able to deviate from these minimum sentences in the light of highly specific individual circumstances but will have to state their reasons for doing so. The specific circumstances will be spelled out in draft legislation, as will the minimum sentence for each offence. The minimum sentence for re-offending will be at least half of the maximum statutory prison sentence for the offence concerned.

Offenders must be dealt with in their own home environments. The community safety partnerships will have a major role to play in this. Through them, the various agencies involved can take a concerted, offender-oriented approach to combating anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and crime. This method of prevention has produced good results and will therefore be continued and developed further.

Institutions where criminal offences have been committed by calling for or inciting violence should be closed down and this will be done wherever possible, making use of the available instruments.

The ban on squatting will be actively enforced as a matter of urgency.

Security in public transport will be improved. Employers in the public transport sector will lodge criminal complaints on behalf of any employee who has become the victim of violence. The same applies in other parts of the public sector, such as schools, hospitals and the fire and ambulance services.

Tougher action will be taken to stop animal abuse by a force of 500 'animal cops'. A dedicated emergency number will be introduced for cases of animal neglect or cruelty and the animal ambulance service will be connected to it (for example, 1-1-4 'animal rescue service').

Action will be taken to combat anti-social and criminal behaviour linked to prostitution and drug trafficking.

• Coffee shops (which sell soft drugs) will become private clubs, with access limited to people over the age of majority, resident in the Netherlands and able to produce proof of membership. 
• There will be a ban on locating coffee shops within 350 metres of schools.
• The minister will tighten up central government policy and will ensure that municipalities enforce the distance-from-schools criterion and other relevant parts of central government policy in their permitting procedures.
• The government will produce proposals for harsher penalties for importing or exporting drugs (or making preparations to do so) and for cultivation and trafficking; it will also modify the distinction between hard and soft drugs.
• To combat the trafficking and exploitation of women, the statutory minimum age for prostitutes will be raised to 21. Greater efforts will be made to detect and clamp down on trafficking in women. The administrative law approach (e.g. using the Public Administration (Probity Screening) Act (BIBOB)) will also be stepped up.

Serious crimes, such as violent and sexual offences, have an extremely deep and traumatic effect on victims and their immediate circle, especially if the damage is irremediable. In addition, they diminish public confidence in the legal system and affect the public's perception of safety levels. To protect society against the perpetrators, it is therefore essential to take measures to deal with them, including the imposition of adequate sentences (custodial or otherwise). 

• Action will be taken to ensure that those convicted of serious violent or sexual offences remain (or are taken into) custody pending any appeal proceedings.
• When a 'cold case' is solved and new information emerges, the government will make it possible to re-open the relevant criminal proceedings using the new information to the possible detriment of the former accused (bill 32044); the same will apply in cases of manslaughter, and violent or sexual offences resulting in death. If necessary, the statute of limitations for manslaughter and certain other violent and sexual offences will be relaxed to permit this.
• The government will produce proposals to extend the statute of limitations for serious violent and sexual offences.
• The number of mentally ill offenders being placed under hospital orders (TBS) will be minimised, without losing sight of the risks to society.
• Retrenchment measures will be taken in long-stay wings, provided that this does not make them unmanageable.
• Following on from the existing plans to improve cooperation between the regional mental health authorities (GGZs) and the justice system, research will now be done on the possibility of permanent surveillance of sexual offenders who have completed psychiatric treatment under a hospital order (TBS).
• The ministerial power to issue directives will be broadened and there will be retrenchment in contracts with private TBS institutions and GGZ institutions, without losing sight of the risks to society.
• The government will produce proposals to the effect that any offender subject to a TBS hospital order who absconds while on temporary leave will not be granted such leave again for at least one year, except on compelling compassionate grounds.
• If an offender fails to comply in full with an alternative sanction or other order, or to fulfil the conditions for a suspended sentence, every effort will be made to ensure that deprivation of liberty is the result.

Offenders will be dealt with more harshly and the position of victims will be strengthened.

• Victim support will be improved.
• The means will be created under criminal law to seize the assets of defendants at an early stage so that they can be used later to compensate victims and cover their legal costs.
• A ministerial directive will be issued to the Public Prosecution Service and police to the effect that people who defend themselves against attackers or burglars in their own homes or business premises should not be arrested unless the examining magistrate decides at the request of the Public Prosecution Service that they should be remanded in custody on the grounds of strong suspicions that they have deliberately taken the law into their own hands.

Speed checks will be stepped up where the safety of road users is at stake. Heavier fines will be imposed in the case of serious speeding offences.

The police will take more effective action to ensure the safety of people and animals.

• The government will increase the operational strength of the police by 3000 officers, including 500 'animal cops' to combat animal cruelty. Manpower will also be increased in the criminal investigation field and the judicial system.
• More frequent use will be made of the armed services when joint teams of police officers and members of other services are being set up.
• Police response times will be improved in both urban and rural areas.
• The government will produce guidelines or, if necessary, regulations to ensure that citizens can lodge criminal complaints quickly and easily, wherever they may be, and that they are informed promptly about the action taken in response to their complaints.
• Ticket quotas will go and will not be replaced by anything similar.
• The national and regional priorities laid down in annual police plans will take more account of local problems in districts and neighbourhoods.

A national police force will be established under the responsibility of the public safety minister, who will also bear final responsibility for its management. There will be ten police regions, based topographically on the ten district court areas. Mayors will remain responsible for public order, the deployment of police manpower for local duties, and permitting policies in their municipalities. Where there is disagreement about police deployment within a region, the mayor of the region's largest municipality will have authority to decide, after consulting the regional Chief Public Prosecutor and the regional police chief. The relevant mayors should agree procedures for this with the other mayors in their region. Where there is inter-regional disagreement about police deployment, the decision will be taken by the minister or a person he has mandated to act on his behalf. In the regions, the usual triumvirate (public prosecutor, mayor and head of police) will decide on police deployment, with the mayor having the deciding vote. The existing bill to amend the Police Act (30880) will be redrafted to enable all this.

The police service will be made organisationally more efficient and effective.

• The duration of police training will be reduced without loss of quality.
• The government will produce proposals for the amendment of the Working Hours Act and the national regulations on police working hours so that the police have more time to perform their primary duties.
• There will be cuts in bureaucracy, overheads and procedures and more scope for the police to do what they are trained to do. The result will be more officers on the beat.

The government will produce proposals for the costs of policing occasional commercial events requiring permits to be passed on to the organisers.

The dynamic system of speed limits will be expanded. The speed limit on motorways will be raised to 130 kph. Those on other roads will also be reassessed. Speed limits will be reduced if air quality, noise pollution or traffic safety so require.

As soon as drug saliva tests are reliable, they will be used to combat the use of drugs by road-users.

Vehicle recognition will be used to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crimes and the enforcement of fiscal obligations. To this end, wide use will be made of automatic number plate recognition systems.

The government will prepare to privatise tasks relevant to the prison system, with an eye to retrenchment and cost-effectiveness. In this respect, the government will take account of the results of the 2005 and 2009 studies on the privatisation of the United Kingdom prison service.

Information security and personal data protection will be improved. 

• Wherever possible, deadlines will be set for planned measures on the storage, linking and processing of personal data and the effectiveness of such measures will be checked thoroughly at the preparatory stage.
• The government will produce proposals for all public and private-sector information society services to have a duty to report any loss, theft or abuse of personal data to a national supervising body, which will have powers to impose fines if any leakage of such data is found not to have been reported.
• Systematic action will be taken to achieve closer supervision of large-scale computerisation projects and the solution of problems with computer systems.
• The government will introduce an integrated approach to tackling cyber crime. 

3. Care of the elderly

Ever more people are now living longer and enjoying good health further into old age. While this is a positive development, it does mean that the population of elderly people is growing and sooner or later they will need care. They look to their social networks and to community care services to provide it. The care system is under pressure. Costs are rising and staff shortfalls are growing. We owe it to the older generation, who made our country what it is today, to provide a comfortable old age with accessible, high-quality care. And that means drastically reducing the incidence of dehydration, malnutrition, pressure sores and round-the-clock use of incontinence pads. To achieve this, we have put together a compact, high-quality programme for elderly care. We want far more carers, more initial and further training, more patients' rights, more and better quality standards, a stronger Healthcare Inspectorate (IGZ), lower overheads, less regulation, more community care, smaller care institutions and more measures to prevent abuse of the elderly.

The elderly, chronically ill and disabled require special attention from the healthcare services. These are people who depend on care, either in their own homes or in residential institutions. Their wishes, abilities and limitations and those of their social networks should be the paramount consideration. People need care at district and neighbourhood level. The family doctor and district nursing service are the key providers. Institutions should be more human in scale. Elderly care institutions will be given greater financial leeway and will once again be able to invest in the quality of care and care staff. This will encourage them to meet high quality standards. The IGZ will clamp down on institutions which fail to do so. The rights of patients in institutions will be broadened.

• Better elderly care

The government will strive to improve the quality of elderly care. Almost 1 billion euros will be set aside for this. The standard care needs packages and associated training will become self-financing. This will give care institutions greater financial elbow room, which they can use to employ 12,000 extra staff for the routine care of our elderly and disabled. Investments will also be made in the quality of care and personnel.

• Quality of elderly care institutions

To improve the quality of institutions, efforts to establish standards and exchange best practices will be supported. Peer review will be encouraged. A quality standards institute will be set up to help care institutions in this respect. Standards applied in quality programmes of proven value, such as those relating to pressure sores and malnutrition, will be extended to the entire sector by integrating them into the IGZ quality standards. In future, standards developed in new quality programmes should likewise be integrated into the IGZ quality standards as soon as they have proved their worth.

• Patients' rights

The rights of patients will be broadened. Individual patients must be able to exercise their rights but, at the same time, there need to be guarantees that the fulfilment of individual rights will be reasonable and fair. This will be facilitated by new legislation on the rights of care service clients. In addition, there will be a specific framework act for residential care institutions setting out the concrete rights of residents, such as the right to a daily shower and to spend some time each day in the open air if they so wish.

• Healthcare Inspectorate (IGZ)

New arrangements will be made for the inspection of elderly care institutions. Management boards will be made explicitly responsible and accountable for what happens in the institutions under their responsibility. The IGZ will require less paperwork and carry out more physical inspections in the workplace. Appropriate sanctions will be imposed when irregularities are observed. In addition to its existing powers to impose fines, the IGZ will be given the power to issue legal orders where structural failures in the standard of care place clients at risk.

Where institutions perform well, it will be sufficient for the IGZ to oversee institutions' own internal quality assurance systems, which provide constant feedback on the quality of the institution. Complaints can be handled by the institution itself, for example through an external complaints committee.

The IGZ will closely monitor institutions which are performing less well or indeed poorly. It will carry out physical inspections on the ground, sometimes unannounced and perhaps using 'mystery guests'. In addition to the usual right of complaint, there will be a right to take serious complaints about personal care and staff-patient interaction directly to the IGZ. In the case of very serious complaints, the IGZ will take immediate action (and not wait for a pattern of complaints to emerge). Finally, clients whose individual rights have been violated will always have recourse to the courts.

• Community care

Homecare is facing serious problems, including declining quality, demographic aging, rising costs and personnel shortages. Community care does not express targets in terms of productivity or hours of care provided, but in terms of long-term outcomes: health benefits, solutions for the client, quality of life and personal independence. An important part of community care is coordination with other care professionals. The family doctor and the district nurse are the key links in the chain. They know what is going on and keep a close eye on the situation. Community care is more effective than the homecare system, it requires fewer hours per client per year, it is faster and it reduces the amount of unplanned care. Community care is therefore not only better, it is also cheaper.

• Smaller care institutions

The government will encourage a move towards smaller care institutions. Optimising the size of care institutions will result in greater efficiency, lower costs, more integrated care, higher client satisfaction and better care. The government will ensure that the size of care institutions is optimised and oppose the emergence of vast care organisations.

Measures to promote down-scaling will include:

• The application of special fusion criteria by the IGZ and the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZA) in advance of any possible merger investigation by the Dutch Competition Authority (NMA).
• Giving the IGZ the power to split up a care institution to improve the quality of care. This will require changes to the relevant legislation (including the Care Institutions (Quality) Act and the law on legal personality).
• Reducing overheads

The government will strive to achieve substantial reductions in health service overheads. Targets will be set for each sector. The main focus in the healthcare field should not be on management, but on those delivering patient care and services. Staff should be able to make a successful career out of the practical delivery of care. Nurses and carers should be able to concentrate on what they are trained to do without any unnecessary burden of administration. The government also intends to launch an experiment with low-regulation care institutions. To this effect, a survey of health service regulations will be conducted to identify those which can definitely be scrapped or which are of doubtful necessity. The money saved by reducing overheads will be fed back into the care institutions concerned.

• Stop elder abuse

The government will take extra measures to combat abuse of the elderly, including a compulsory certificate of good character for paid carers. In addition, guidelines will be issued on elder abuse, the Stop Elder Abuse project will continue and a duty to report elder abuse will be introduced.

Changes in the system for long-term care

• Change from service delivery funding to outcome funding for long-term care provided under the Exceptional Medical Expenses Act (AWBZ)
  The present method of input funding will be changed to one of funding by results. This will shift the main focus to patients' needs, leading to more innovation, less workplace bureaucracy (such as minute-by-minute time recording), better quality and greater efficiency.
• Placing personal budgets on a statutory footing
  Personal budgets offer clients substantial freedom to organise their care the way they want it. To guarantee this right, the present non-statutory subsidy scheme will be abolished and personal budgets will be placed on a statutory footing, taking due account of current financial frameworks.
• Separating accommodation from care
  In long-term care provided under the AWBZ, accommodation will be separated from care, giving residents greater freedom of choice. Care institutions will take more account of client preferences regarding accommodation. To compensate for the extra cost of accommodation, the present intramural personal contribution will be reduced. Residents unable to pay the extra amount will be eligible for housing benefit. Conditions for the introduction of the new system will be that the partner who remains behind should not be financially worse off than under the present system and that sufficient single rooms are available.
• Transferring day care and support to the Social Support Act
  Arrangements for day care and support can best be made locally, close to the patient. It is therefore more appropriate to cater for them under the Social Support Act (WMO), which is administered by local authorities, than under the AWBZ. The local municipality knows the people and their situation better than a huge, bureaucratic regional care administration office. Day care and support services will therefore be transferred from the AWBZ to the WMO.
• Reform of the AWBZ
  A number of reforms will take place within the AWBZ system but personal care, nursing, intramural mental health care and care of the disabled will all remain within it. At the moment, the system is run by regional care administration offices. Their tasks and the associated risks will be taken over by the health insurance companies. Patients will then have a single contact point for all their medical care. The change will also promote efficiency, since health insurance companies will monitor the efficiency of the institutions and the quality of the care they provide.

4. Finance

The proposed measures will increase employment by 1% in the long term. Until 2015, growth in the economy and in consumption will be lower than what we were used to before the crisis. Nevertheless, we can still count on average economic growth of 1¼%. According to the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB), the measures as a whole will reduce median purchasing power by half a percentage point per annum. Including the baseline, purchasing power will decline by ¼% per annum. According to the CPB, the overall purchasing power of those in work will decline by 0% (rounded) per annum.

Budgetary policy

The government will adhere to the trend-based budgetary policy. Expenditures and receipts will be separated. All cyclical expenditure will again be subject to limits. Lower interest expenditure will not increase the budget margin. This will improve control of public finances. It will also provide extra assurance as to the achievement of budgetary objectives. On the receipts side, automatic stabilisation will be made possible by means of a limit on receipts.

If the Netherlands satisfies the SGP's medium-term objective and has run a multiyear surplus on the actual EMU balance when a decision is taken on the revenue side in August, 50% of the surplus will be applied to repay national debt and tax and social security contributions will be reduced by 50% of the surplus above 0% of GDP. Calculation of the actual EMU balance will include the rate reduction, taking account of the above and a prudent estimate of the balance of local and regional authorities.

The budgetary rules (a new set will be published) will also strengthen budgetary control. With a view to risk limitation, the budgetary rules on the giving of guarantees will be tightened up. Tax expenditure in a narrow sense will be monitored more closely. Additional intervention will be required if the EMU balance does not develop in line with the SGP agreements or with budgetary objectives. This will be the case if the estimated EMU balance is 1 percentage point more negative than the projected path for the balance after taking account of this Coalition Agreement.

In the Economic Structure Enhancing Fund (FES), funds appropriated for traffic and transport, spatial planning, the environment and sustainability, and knowledge and innovation will be transferred to the Infrastructure Fund and ministerial budgets. No extra additions will be made to the FES during this term of office. Unappropriated funds will be transferred to general funds.

This Coalition Agreement is incorporated in the budget using the figures in the financial annexe. Reductions in expenditure will be recognised in the relevant budget chapter; spending increases will be held in envelopes under the supplementary heading.

Annexe I - Statement by the VVD, PVV and CDA

The VVD, PVV and CDA differ in their opinions on the nature and character of Islam. The differences lie in whether they consider Islam a religion or a (political) ideology. The three parties respect each others' different perspectives and will each act according to their own principles.

There is, however, much that binds the parties together: they share the common objective and basic principle of making the Netherlands stronger, safer and more prosperous.

They have therefore agreed - respecting each others' differences of opinion and allowing each other complete freedom of expression regarding these differences - that the PVV will support certain parts of the future coalition agreement in parliament. For their part, the VVD and CDA will honour the PVV's wishes as specified in a parliamentary support agreement yet to be concluded.

The parliamentary support agreement will in any case have to contain agreements on the nature of the proposed cuts and robust agreements on immigration, integration and asylum, public safety and better care for the elderly. It must also be made clear that the PVV's willingness to support cuts is linked to the nature of the agreements to be made on immigration, integration and asylum, public safety and care for the elderly.

30 July 2010

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