The controversial ‘dispersal law’, which, according to the cabinet, should lead to a fairer distribution of asylum seekers among municipalities, will be discussed by the House of Representatives before the elections. A majority supports a request to this effect from Volt.
The law, written by outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg, was definitively declared non-controversial earlier today. This means that there is no need to wait until a new House of Representatives has been installed.
However, because the House’s agenda is full and the time until November 22 is short, not every topic that has been declared non-controversial can be discussed before then. But a majority considers this bill so important that it will be discussed as soon as possible after Budget Day.
With the law, the government also wants to prevent a recurrence of the dire situation that occurred last year at the registration center in Ter Apel, when people were forced to sleep outside.
Forcing municipalities
The dispersal law is controversial because it can force municipalities to accept an asylum seeker center, even if there is no support among the population. Parties such as the PVV, JA21 and BBB are completely opposed and would prefer to postpone the bill until after the elections, in the hope that a majority will then be against it.
Today they pointed out again that the government has fallen on the subject of asylum, and that this is precisely why this law should have been declared controversial.
Van der Burg’s party, the VVD, is also against it and has campaigned for the postponement of the treatment. But after a roll-call vote, a majority of the House turned out not to be in favor of this. The treatment will now probably take place in the week after Budget Day and the General Political Considerations, from September 26.
- Asylum Reception Distribution Act not yet in place
- COA wants the House not to postpone the asylum seeker dispersal law
