MP Pieter Omtzigt demands that the cabinet takes measures to stop the leakage of Budget Day plans. “It seriously hinders my work,” he says. State Secretary Van Rij promises to discuss the issue in the Council of Ministers at the end of this week.
It has been a tradition for many years that before the third Tuesday in September, details of the plans presented by the cabinet on Budget Day are already leaking out. This year was no exception. A few hours after the coalition parties signed a budget agreement last week, its contents were on the street.
When MPs subsequently ask questions about leaked information in debates, they are invariably told that the cabinet cannot say anything about it yet and that they must be patient until Budget Day. “I have difficulty with that as a Member of Parliament,” says Omtzigt in a debate with State Secretary Van Rij of Finance.
According to Omtzigt, it is not a mistake. “It really didn’t accidentally fall off the table somewhere.” And he says it’s not difficult to find out where the leaks come from. “These documents have only been discussed with the coalition.” Omtzigt wants to know what the government will do to prevent a recurrence.
‘Not amused’
Van Rij also says he is ‘not amused’ that the Budget Day plans are constantly being leaked. “It’s a state of affairs that serves no one.” The State Secretary promises to raise the subject in the next Council of Ministers.
Omtzigt expects a serious response about how the cabinet intends to prevent the premature leakage of Budget Day plans next year. “Because formally I can also report a criminal offense against the entire coalition. These are cabinet documents that have been leaked.”
In an explanation after the debate, Omtzigt says that he does not intend to actually file a report.
