SP livid about DUO debts after benefits scandal

The Socialist Party is reacting ‘with anger’ to the cabinet’s letter on DUO debts following the childcare benefits scandal. Several other parties are also bombarding the State Secretary for Finance with questions.
The DUO office in Groningen.

Some students felt forced to help their parents, who had run up high debts because of the childcare benefits scandal. To do so, they took out loans from DUO. A majority in the House of Representatives wants such debts to be eligible for cancellation.

But the caretaker cabinet does not want to cooperate. It is setting aside a motion on cancelling such debts. According to the cabinet, there are already sufficient options for tailored solutions.

SP: an insult

The SP is reacting ‘with anger and great dissatisfaction’ to the response from State Secretary Aukje de Vries (Finance). The party speaks of an ‘insult’ and calls it ‘incomprehensible and unacceptable’.

‘Can the State Secretary indicate whether she takes the House seriously at all?’, the SP asks in a written consultation. ‘And if so, why she does not implement adopted motions, without providing any substantive arguments?’

D66 wants details

D66 is taking a different approach and is asking the State Secretary for many details. ‘Can the State Secretary periodically inform the House about how DUO provides tailored solutions, how many applications for tailored solutions have been submitted and rejected, in how many cases the monthly amount has been reduced, in how many cases it has been (partially) cancelled and for what amount, and in how many cases payment has been spread?’

The democrats also want to know to what extent municipalities stand ‘alongside the young person under the child arrangement’ in such cases, ‘rather than opposite them’. And does DUO provide these victims of the childcare benefits scandal with sufficient information? Incidentally, the party voted against the SP motion on cancelling study debts.

CDA doesn’t see the refusal

The CDA doesn’t understand the cabinet’s refusal. Of course tailored solutions are possible; that should always be the case. ‘But these members note that the whole point of these debts is precisely that several children borrowed the money from DUO in order to financially support their parents.’ Can such debts not be cancelled, whether or not through ‘tailored solutions’?

The State Secretary had also said that parents receive money and can then repay their children. Can that study debt then be included via the parents for compensation, the CDA asks. ‘Because if the debt had been incurred by the parent themselves, it could also have been included.’

The Christian Democrats further want to be sure that other ministries are involved and explicitly ask about the ministries of Social Affairs and of Education, where ministers from the CDA and D66 are in charge. Are they prepared to do something about it ‘together with this State Secretary’? State Secretary De Vries is from the VVD.

BBB and VVD are satisfied

BBB is mainly ‘pleased’ that affected young people can count on tailored solutions if they are left with study debts after a debt assistance trajectory. The VVD is even briefer and has ‘at this moment no further questions or comments’. The other parties did not submit any input for this written consultation.