Tweede Kamer

The Dutch government used old figures when calculating the average energy bill increase for this year, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate acknowledged to NOS after reports in AD.

While the majority of the opposition parties in parliament is pleased with the expansion of the children's pardon, the government parties still faced strong criticism during a parliamentary debate on the matter on Wednesday. Opposition parties are particularly dissatisfied about the decision to take in fewer recognized asylum seekers from the United Nations, NU.nl reports.

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, will get some control over an emergency law for the event of a no-deal Brexit. Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs is willing to make some of the amendments that parliament demanded. A large part of the Tweede Kamer called the law as it currently stands "undemocratic", NOS reports.

The Public Prosecutor is investigating a controversial sale of NS land to a real estate entrepreneur in 2014. Two people involved are suspected of non-official bribery around the deal, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor said to newspaper AD. The investigation is not focused on NS or ProRail, according to the newspaper.

Almost all parties in the Tweede Kamer want the government to amend Article 10 of a special emergency law for the Brexit. The 'Brexit Collective Law' will be implemented if the United Kingdom breaks with the European Union with no agreements in place. But the parliamentarians feel the law gives too much power to one minister and uncontrollable powers to the government, NOS reports.

The journalists' press tower on the Binnenhof in The Hague was temporarily on lockdown on Tuesday morning after a letter containing white powder was delivered to the parliamentary editorial office of newspaper De Telegraaf. The press tower is part of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, building.

The police investigated and concluded that the powder was not harmful. Around 12:40 p.m., over 30 minutes after the letter was delivered, the building was released again. 

A majority of the lower house of Dutch parliament is very concerned about the communication system for the emergency services and police C2000, which is provided by a Chinese company. "Our communication systems must never be unnecessarily vulnerable", the VVD said. The ruling party and opposition parties GroenLinks, SP and PVV therefore call for the Netherlands to stop using Chinese software for vital infrastructure, RTL Nieuws reports. 

For the first time in Dutch history on Tuesday the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, held a children's question hour. A total of 150 children from primary schools across the country took the places of parliamentarians and asked the government about matters that concern them, NOS reports.

Have all teachers, from primary to secondary education and from pre-school to secondary vocational education, follow the same basic teacher training, after which they can specialize if they wish, the Education Council said in advice to parliament. This will make the profession more attractive and thus help solve the teacher shortage, the Council said, RTL Nieuws reports.

Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Managements considers it possible that "some form of the Stint" electric cargo bikes will eventually be allowed to ride on Dutch roads again. "But the doubts about safety must be removed", she said during a parliamentary debate on the matter on Tuesday, NU.nl reports.

31 mayors of larger Dutch cities are calling on the Senate not to remove the appointment of mayors from the Dutch constitution, and to keep the procedure as is. Removing the appointment procedure from the constitution is the first step in enabling an elected mayor. The mayors are worried that this will result in them losing their connecting role as "father or mother for all residents, businesses and institutions", they wrote in an open letter to the Senate, the Volkskrant reports.