News item | 16-12-2024 | 20:26
Mastering the Dutch language is crucial to integrate and participate effectively in society and the labor market. The government therefore wants to retain the language requirement in the Participation Act. This is what State Secretary Jurgen Nobel (Participation and Integration) writes in response to questions from Parliament about the Balanced Participation Act bill.
The language requirement states that people on social assistance must have basic knowledge of the Dutch language or must make an effort to do so. The bill, which would abolish the language requirement, was sent to the House of Representatives by the previous cabinet earlier this year. The House has asked the cabinet to reconsider the removal of the language requirement in the new Participation Act and to examine language education. State Secretary Nobel complies with this. He therefore does not want to abolish the existing language requirement for the right to social assistance and to see how it can be improved.
State Secretary Jurgen Nobel: “The chance of getting a job is greater if you master the Dutch language and it is crucial for good integration. That is why I think it is important to continue to focus on this. We need everyone in the labor market, employers are eager for staff. I want to prevent people from being left out just because they don’t speak the language. Everyone should be able to participate and be enabled to do so.”
Nobel will further develop the plans in an integration action agenda that is currently being prepared and which will also focus on language and labor participation. The government will also look at the language education system.
Tackling bottlenecks
The Balanced Participation Act bill also contains more than twenty measures to remove bottlenecks in the current Participation Act in the short term. One of the measures is that people on social assistance benefits may receive up to € 1,200 in gifts from third parties every year, without this affecting their benefits. State Secretary Nobel reports in answers to parliamentary questions that this exemption will also apply to groceries.
Other measures are aimed at making work in addition to benefits more attractive, such as expanding the additional income limits if people start working in addition to benefits and the buffer budget, so that fluctuations due to fluctuating income from work can be absorbed. This gives people more financial security if they go to work in addition to receiving benefits.
Bill
With the Balanced Participation Act bill, the government wants to work on simplification, based on trust and with an eye for the human dimension. The bill therefore contributes to more people getting to work more quickly under the Participation Act. And if that still doesn’t work, people can participate in society in a different way. That is good for the people themselves, society and the support for social assistance.
Municipalities will be given the opportunity to introduce the Balanced Participation Act bill in steps. The government, together with the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), is looking at the implementation period for each measure, with the aim that the first measures can come into effect on July 1, 2025. The government will make every effort to meet this date.
In addition to the measures to improve the Participation Act in the short term, the government is also working on a fundamental revision of the law. Simplification, working from trust and with an eye for the human dimension are also important principles.