By Rene Zwart

The Hague – The Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations has asked State Secretary Tamara van Ark of Social Affairs to make an ‘extreme effort’ to present the results of the research into the subsistence level in the Caribbean Netherlands and the cabinet’s response before June 1, 2018.

A few weeks ago, the minister said she could not deliver on the promise of her predecessor Jetta Klijnsma. Although the research agency has delivered the report, Van Ark first wanted first to receive feedback on the report from representatives of the government and the islands. She did not want to commit to a new deadline.

The Senate does not accept the position taken by Van Ark. “The committee feels the urgency to be in the position to assess this report and the accompanying government response as soon as possible. This especially since almost the entire House (with the exception of the PVV) by means of a motion on June 28, 2016 has already called on Government to establish this so-called social minimum which will indicate the minimum someone needs to decently live on these islands, Committee Chairman Ruard Ganzevoort wrote in a letter sent to Van Ark this week.

If June 1 really is not feasible, the Senators insist that the report be published on July 1st at the latest.