Move parliament from Hague to Amsterdam: 50Plus MP

50Plus Senator Jan Nagel wants to move all ministries, the Tweede Kamer (lower house of parliament), the Eerste Kamer (Senate) and the Council of State to a new island in IJburg, Amsterdam. According to Nagel, the Binnenhof no longer meets the minimum requirements, is a fire hazard and should be completely stripped. Last year it was announced that the Binnenhof is in serious need of repairs and renovations. The renovation of the Binnenhof will take 5 years, if everything is done at once, or 13 years if it has to be done piece by piece. Everyone in the Binnenhof will have to move until the renovations are complete. Nagel thinks that government should be moved to completely new buildings that meet modern requirements in the capital of the Netherlands. He asked architect Cees Dam to make a design for such a place. In this design all ministries, the Tweede Kamer, Eerste Kamer and the Council of State are situated close together on a yet to be realized island in IJburg, Amsterdam. The island will have a total area of 900 thousand square meters, will cost an estimated 1.5 billion euros and will take three years to construct. In their plans Nagel and Dam also considered what to do with the buildings currently occupied by the government in The Hague. According to them, the ministries' buildings can be sold, but the buildings in the Binnenhof should serve a different purpose. The Tweede Kamer building should be turned into a museum of the parliamentary history where students can learn about parliamentary rights and customs and also be able to conduct their own debates.