A parliamentary committee is a committee set up by the House of Representatives or the Senate for a specific substantive or procedural subject. The committees consult in so-called committee meetings.
A parliamentary committee is a committee set up by the House of Representatives or the Senate for a specific substantive or procedural subject. The committees consult in so-called committee meetings.
A standing committee is a committee set up to monitor a policy area of a ministry. They are defined in the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives . Standing committees were established in 1953 to relieve the plenary of overly detailed discussions. In 1980 the House of Representatives had 30 permanent and 60 special committees. [1]
In the period from the 2023 Dutch general election, there are a total of fifteen standing committees. Except for the Ministry of General Affairs, there is a permanent committee for each ministry that deals with subjects in the field of that ministry. For some ministries, the portfolio is divided over several committees. In addition, there are standing committees without a ministry for European Affairs and Digital Affairs.
| Committee [2] [3] | Chair | Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | Peter de Groot (acting) | VVD | |
| Kingdom Relations | Wieke Paulusma (acting) | D66 | |
| Foreign Affairs | Raymond de Roon (acting) | PVV | |
| Defence | Raymond de Roon (acting) | PVV | |
| Economic Affairs and Climate Policy | Chris Stoffer (acting) | SGP | |
| Finance | Judith Tielen (acting) | VVD | |
| Infrastructure and Water Management | Wytske Postma (acting) | NSC | |
| Justice and Security | Michiel van Nispen (acting) | SP | |
| Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality | Dion Graus (acting) | PVV | |
| Education, Culture and Science | Ingrid Michon (acting) | VVD | |
| Social Affairs and Employment | Léon de Jong (acting) | PVV | |
| Health, Welfare and Sport | Vacant | ||
| European Affairs | Laura Bromet (acting) | GL/PvdA | |
| Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation | Joris Thijssen (acting) | GL/PvdA | |
| Digital Affairs | Barbara Kathmann (acting) | GL/PvdA | |
| Contact group [2] [3] | Chair | Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Thierry Aartsen | VVD | |
| United States | Derk Boswijk (deputy) | CDA | |
| Germany | Vacant | ||
| United Kingdom | Vacant | ||
| France | Vacant | ||
| Delegation [2] [3] | Chair | Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe | Vacant | ||
| NATO Parliamentary Assembly | Vacant | ||
| OSCE Parliamentary Assembly | Vacant | ||
| Benelux Parliament | Vacant | ||
| Interparliamentary Commission of the Dutch Language Union | Vacant | ||
| Interparliamentary Union | Vacant | ||
| Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean | Vacant | ||
| Committee [2] [3] | Chair | Group | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petitions | Raoul White (acting) | GL/PvdA | Receives and reviews citizens' petitions [4] | |
| Intelligence and Security Services | Geert Wilders | PVV | Reviews confidential aspects of government policy [5] | |
| Public Expenditure | Joost Sneller (acting) | D66 | Reviews the legality, effectiveness and efficiency of public expenditure [6] | |
| Presidium | Martin Bosma | PVV | Responsible for the House of Representatives' day-to-day management [7] | |
| Procedure | Martin Bosma | PVV | Responsible for changes to the Rules of Procedure [8] | |
| Credentials | Ulysse Ellian | VVD | Reviews the conduct of elections and the admission of new members [9] | |
| Art | Peter van Haasen (acting) | PVV | Responsible for the House of Representatives' art collection [10] | |
Temporary committees differ from general committees in that they have a precisely defined mission. As soon as that assignment has been carried out, i.e. as soon as the committee has issued a report and this has been discussed in the House of Representatives, the committee will cease to exist.
| Committee [11] | Chair | Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | Ilona Lagas | BBB | |
| Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Cooperation | Koen Petersen | VVD | |
| Economic Affairs and Climate Policy | Saskia Kluit | GL/PvdA | |
| European Affairs | Bastiaan van Apeldoorn | SP | |
| Finance | Pim van Ballekom | VVD | |
| Immigration & Asylum / JHA Council | Alexander van Hattem | PVV | |
| Infrastructure, Water Management and Environment | Erik Kemperman | BBB | |
| Justice and Security | Boris Dittrich | D66 | |
| Kingdom Relations | Paul Rosenmöller | GL/PvdA | |
| Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality | Gert-Jan Oplaat | BBB | |
| Education, Culture and Science | Theo Rietkerk | CDA | |
| Social Affairs and Employment | Mei Li Vos | GL/PvdA | |
| Health, Welfare and Sport | Greet Prins | CDA | |
| Committee [11] | Chair | Group | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petitions | Gom van Strien | PVV | Receives and reviews citizens' petitions [12] | |
| Credentials | Reviews the admission of new members [13] | |||
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General, the other one being the Senate. It has 150 seats, which are filled through elections using party-list proportional representation. Generally, the house is located in the Binnenhof in The Hague, however, it has temporarily moved to the former building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67 in The Hague while the Binnenhof is being renovated.
The Senate is the upper house of the States General, the legislature of the Netherlands. Its 75 members are elected on lists by the members of the twelve States-Provincial and four electoral colleges for the Senate every four years, within three months of the provincial elections. All provinces and colleges have different electoral weight depending on their population.
Klaas George de Vries is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and jurist.
Kees Verhoeven is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 17 June 2010. A geographer by occupation, he was first elected during the 2010 Dutch general election and was reelected in the 2012 and 2017 elections. He focuses on matters of economic affairs, housing, spatial planning and infrastructure.
The president of the Senate is one of the 75 members of the Senate of the Netherlands and is elected to lead its meetings and be its representative. The officeholder also chairs the Internal Committee, the Committee of Senior Members as well as the joint sessions of both houses of the States General, the so-called Verenigde Vergadering.
Christine Teunissen is a Dutch politician of the Party for the Animals. Since 24 March 2014 she has been a member of the municipal council of The Hague, and since 9 June 2015 she has also been a member of the Senate. She was the youngest one of that Senate session. In the senate elections of May 2019 she was reelected as a senate member.
Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten is a Dutch politician, who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister for Climate and Energy Policy until 2024. He has been the Leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party since August 2023 and a member of the House of Representatives since 2017.
Alexandra Carla van Huffelen is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party.
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Barbara Catharina Kathmann is a Dutch politician, serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2021. She is a member of the Labour Party (PvdA). Before being elected to the House, she served as a municipal councilor and alderwoman in her hometown Rotterdam. Kathmann has also worked in media and at two nonprofit organizations.
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Mariëlle Lucienne Josepha Paul is a Dutch politician. A member of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), she was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election, and she became Minister for Primary and Secondary Education as part of the fourth Rutte cabinet in July 2023. She continued with the same portfolio in the Schoof cabinet as State Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education and Equal Opportunities starting in July 2024. Paul previously worked as a communications director for several multinational corporations.
Pepijn van Houwelingen is a Dutch politician, who has been serving as member of the House of Representatives with a short pause since 2021. He is a member of the conservative populist party Forum for Democracy (FvD). Van Houwelingen holds a doctorate and has worked for the Netherlands Institute for Social Research for a decade.
Roelien J. Kamminga is a Dutch politician and civil servant who has represented the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) in the House of Representatives since 2021. She previously worked at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations for most of her career.
Hülya Kat is a Dutch politician, serving as a member of the House of Representatives on behalf of the social liberal party Democrats 66 (D66). She was a member of the Velsen municipal council between 2010 and 2018, when she was elected to the Amsterdam council. Kat won a seat in the House in the 2021 general election.
Ingrid Johanna Maria Michon-Derkzen is a Dutch civil servant and politician of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). She was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election, and she previously served as a member of the municipal council of The Hague (2014–18).
Eric van der Burg is a Dutch politician, who served as State Secretary for Justice and Security in the fourth Rutte cabinet between January 2022 and July 2024. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), he was elected to the Senate in 2019. Van der Burg previously had a lengthy political career in the municipality of Amsterdam which culminated in his brief service as ad interim Mayor of Amsterdam in 2017.
Peter Johannes "Peter" Valstar is a Dutch politician of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He worked as a press officer for the VVD, as the political assistant of Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and as a spokesperson at the Ministry of Defence before being elected to the House of Representatives in March 2021.
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