Hundreds of elderly people on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius regularly go to bed hungry. They have no food at home and often can't find a spot at the daycare, where food is provided, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen said in his report Eye for the Elderly in the Caribbean Netherlands, NOS reports.
National Ombudsman
Jun 17 '19 09:10
A victim of violence and sexual abuse in youth care is suing the Dutch state for acting unlawfully in her request for recognition and compensation. The now 68-year-old Jeannette de Geus is also suing Youth Protection for negligence, NOS reports.
Jun 6 '19 08:33
Mayor John Jorritsma of Eindhoven must allow Pegida to demonstrate in the city, according to National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen. By banning a protest the anti-Islam movement requested for Thursday, the mayor "damages Pegida's fundamental right" to demonstrate, Van Zutphen said to Omroep Brabant. "We must look carefully at whether we can give Pegida another chance to exercise that fundamental right."
May 14 '19 08:33
Women's shelters in the Netherlands can still do with a lot of improvement, according to National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen. Especially women who want to move on from a shelter to a rental property encounter problems, he said in a new report, NU.nl reports.
Mar 11 '19 15:40
The Dutch State acted carelessly in the investigation into Johan van Laarhoven and his wife. This negligence led to the arrest of the Dutch couple in Thailand in 2014, as well as they years' long prison sentences they received in the country, the National Ombudsman said in a report on Monday, NU.nl reports.
Oct 17 '18 10:20
The Rutte III government has too little regard for the thousands of vulnerable people in the Netherlands who do not receive the care that they need, the National Ombudsman, the Netherlands Court of Auditors and social and cultural planning office SCP said in a joint statement on Wednesday. The Tweede Kamer, lower house of Dutch parliament, is discussing the healthcare budget on Wednesday afternoon, NU.nl reports.
Sep 14 '18 09:18
Too many people still fall through the cracks when it comes to municipal debt counseling, according to National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen in a new report. The municipalities are improving, but the ombudsman still has concerns, ANP reports.
"It must be faster and better", Van Zutphen said in his report. "Several studies show that debts are harmful, especially for families with children. Municipalities should work on that."
May 14 '18 09:30
People in the Netherlands often do not get the care they need and are entitled to, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen said in a report about the new healthcare system introduced in the Netherlands in 2015, NOS reports.
The new system gave municipalities more responsibilities when it came to healthcare. The idea behind that was that municipalities know their residents better than the national government, and therefore would also know better what care their residents need.The intent was to make healthcare more accessible and more customizable.
Mar 15 '18 08:48
Being able to demonstrate for or against something you believe in is a fundamental right in the Netherlands. But that right is under pressure, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen said in a new report, ANP reports.
Dec 15 '17 09:33
The Veterans Motorcycle Club, established by a group of former soldiers, is unjustly listed as a criminal club, the National Ombudsman said in a new report. With this the group of veterans are one step closer to being allowed to ride during the veteran's day parade again, AD reports.
Nov 15 '17 08:05
National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen is critical about the Dutch government's stance on how to handle Sint Maarten residents who came to seek shelter in the Netherlands after Hurricane Irma caused devastation on the island in September. According to the Dutch government, aid money is going to the island, so emergency relief is happening there.
Aug 9 '17 08:26
In 2014 the Tax Authority wrongly stopped the childcare allowance for 232 families, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen said in a report published on Wednesday .The Tax office took this measure because of suspicions that the allowance may have been misused, but did not take into account the serious financial consequences the measure would have for the affected parents, the Ombudsman said, ANP reports.
"The Tax Authority left the parents in an impossible position, major financial problems and long term uncertainty", Van Zutphen said.
Jul 11 '17 13:10
Refugees who received residency to the Netherlands through a general pardon in 2007 are still having problems applying for Dutch citizenship, according to the National Ombudsman and Children's Ombudsman. This process must be simplified, they find, NOS reports.
Jul 7 '17 11:45
Amsterdam-Zuid took extra measures to remove all doubts about the fact that no scooters are allowed in the passage under the Rijksmuseum. These include more and clearer signage and fines, Het Parool reports.
Jul 6 '17 10:44
Women forced to seek help from women's shelters in the Netherlands often leave with more money problems than they started with, according to a report by National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen. From the start these vulnerable women are faced with incomprehensible procedures, administrative red tape and a lack of adequate financial and debt counseling, the Ombudsman concludes, NOS and ANP report.
May 19 '17 12:45
The fundamental rights of Volkert van der Graaf, convicted murderer of politician Pim Fortuyn, were violated when personal information about him leaked to the public just before his release in 2014, the National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen concluded in a complaint filed by Van der Graaf, the Volkskrant reports.
According to the newspaper, an anonymized version of the report can be found on the Ombudsman's website. "The applicant was imprisoned for a criminal offense which received a lot of media attention" the Ombudsman's report states.
Mar 2 '17 14:05
Many municipalities in the Netherlands aren't good at dealing with citizen complaints about healthcare, youth support and guidance to work, according to the National Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is handing the results of an investigation in this field to the Home Affairs Minister today.
Nov 7 '16 11:25
National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen calls on Dutch municipalities to immediately act on welfare requests from residents over the age of 27. A number of municipalities first require applicants to apply for jobs. According to the Ombudsman, this is "absolutely improper" and against the welfare rules, NU.nl reports.
Sep 15 '16 13:25
National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen is studying the case of Tilburg coffeeshop owner Johan van Laarhoven, who is currently serving a 103 year prison sentence in Thailand. The Ombudsman wants to find out how the Dutch judiciary handled his case and make sure that everything was done carefully and properly
Sep 5 '16 11:40
Many Dutch are irritated by the government. The biggest annoyance is that civil servants often don't seem capable of solving citizens' problems, according to a study among 500 Dutch commissioned by National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen.
Aug 25 '16 11:50
Items seized by the police are often too difficult to trace and recover, according to a study done by National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen. According to him, seized items often end up in "a sort of black hole", never to be seen again
Jul 14 '16 10:56
326 protesting Feyenoord fans suffered an "unlawful infringement on their fundamental rights" when they were arrested on February 21st, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen and Rotterdam Ombudsman Anne Mieke Zwaneveld conclude in their report on the mass arrests titled No Winners
May 11 '16 13:35
The Dutch government's approach to helping citizens with their debts is definitely lacking, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen writes in a critical report. Those who ask the government for help with their debt, are faced by obstacle after obstacle
Apr 20 '16 15:55
Margrite Kalverboer was sworn in as the new Children's Ombudsman in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, on Wednesday. She is succeeding Marc Dullaert, whose term ended on April 1st.
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