Groningen mayor wants hearings on earthquakes; VVD says no

Groningen Mayor Peter den Oudsten wants a parliamentary inquiry to find out what decisions had been made for his province. He thinks that the people in his region has been shamefully deceived. This is in reaction to a report by the Dutch Safety Board which shows that the safety of the Groningen province for years didn't play a role in the the decision making for gas extraction in that region, BNR reports.

The VVD is against such a parliamentary inquiry. "An inquiry mainly looks backwards. Who made which decisions in the past? Then you're talking about 50 years of decision-making." VVD Parliamentarian André Bosman said to BNR. He thinks that the report clearly states that safety was not a priority for a long time. "We must make clear that what happened in the past is no longer relevant."

Bosman also things that excuses are unnecessary. "What are apologies going to do for the Groningen residents? I think that the Groningen residents are especially happy that it is now being addressed and that we are looking seriously at the safety and quality of life. For the past 50 years we have really failed as a government and as a business. We are now doing that differently."