THE HAGUE--The Dutch Parliament Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations managed to get a list of commitments from members of the Dutch cabinet regarding Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba during the two debate sessions on January 30 and February 6.
The Committee was able to bring forward the concerns that residents of the three Dutch public entities in the Caribbean had expressed during the meet-and-greet gatherings with the Committee on the islands early January.
The Committee members questioned the cabinet members on issues such as education, health care, taxes, social affairs and the transporting of goods, during the two sessions. The cabinet members clarified their policy and actions on the islands and committed to tackle problematic issues. Following is a list of commitments by the individual ministers and state secretaries:
Minister of Education, Culture and Science Marja van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart committed on February 6 to report to Parliament before June 1 about the pending education report that includes the findings of the Inspection for Education about the quality of the schools on the islands and absenteeism.
Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart will inform Parliament no later than May 1 on her findings on eliminating obstructions for Dutch teachers who want to work on the islands. In this letter to Parliament, she will also include a study-financing loan arrangement for students of the islands who want to return to work in education.
Minister of Immigration, Integration and Asylum Gerd Leers committed to provide Parliament before February 10 with detailed figures of residency permit requests on the islands. The Minister will inform Parliament about the issue of movement of persons and goods within two weeks after the Kingdom Conference in Aruba in August. He also will discuss the possible involvement of Kingdom Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN in handling visa requests, with his Foreign Affairs colleague.
Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Liesbeth Spies committed to send a report on her trip to the islands before February 29. She will send the half-yearly report of the Dutch Government Representative (Rijksvertegenwoordiger) to Parliament before March 9.
The Minister will look into the possibility of setting up an investment fund and will report to Parliament before April 27. She will provide details to Parliament about the number of Dutch civil servants working on and for the islands, together with the 2013 draft budget of her Ministry.
State Secretary for Safety and Justice Fred Teeven will inform Parliament of the improvements in combating youth crime when he submits the 2013 draft budget of Justice. He also will report at that time on the payment arrangement with Curaçao for the cost of detainees from Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba who were housed at the Curaçao prison.
Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten will report on the crime situation on the public entities when he submits the 2013 draft budget of Justice, after which he will update Parliament every quarter. In this report, the Minister will provide details on personnel in the various parts of the Justice System and will go into ways to improve communication between police and local residents.
Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation Maxime Verhagen committed during the first session on January 30 to inform Parliament in writing before May 1 about the possibility to set up an investment fund with low interest rates for the islands and the possibilities for the islands to invest more in infrastructural projects. He will inform Parliament about the energy-regulating framework no later than December 2012.
Verhagen further promised to relay the message to his colleague in Infrastructure and Environment that Parliament would be informed beforehand about the possible granting of a permit to expand the NuStar terminal in St. Eustatius.
State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation Henk Bleker will send his nature policy plan for the islands to Parliament no later than June.
Minister of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports Edith Schippers committed to inform Parliament about the cost and benefits of cooperation between hospitals in the Dutch Caribbean in 2012 and 2013, and the cost of sending patients to hospitals in the region.
Schippers will discuss with her colleague in Defence before May 1 the possibility of sharing the cost of stationing the medical evacuation helicopter in St. Maarten. She also will involve Windward Islands Airways International Winair and St. Maarten Medical Center, to come to an affordable construction for patients of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
The Minister will inform Parliament before April 1 about the combating of dengue on the islands. She also will inform Parliament about possible new population research covering the age bracket 0-18. She promised to facilitate cooperation with hospitals in the Dutch Caribbean as long as this didn't interfere with the cost and quality of health care.
Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Henk Kamp will inform Parliament about the court case to seek more harmonisation between social welfare on the islands and in The Netherlands. The Minister will send before July 1 his analysis on poverty on the islands and the problem of the lack of after-school activities.
State Secretary for Infrastructure and Environment Joop Atsma will keep Parliament informed of the process of granting a permit for NuStar and will provide details before March 1 on the percentage of NuStar's property after the expansion. He will let Parliament know why the necessary infrastructure will be built at the same location in pieces, instead of doing the work all at once, which would be more efficient.
State Secretary for Finance Frans Weekers committed to inform Parliament before May 1 of the first results of the inter-departmental capacity investigation on the islands, including the income position of the elderly. He also promised to provide more information on the zero tariff for transport cost to the islands of primary necessities of life.
Weekers will inform Parliament no later than May 1 on his efforts to arrange a tax exemption on goods that are imported from Curaçao and St. Maarten to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. He will try to eliminate double taxation on the islands and remove other bottlenecks where it comes to trade between the islands.
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