The finan­cial administration of the Social Affairs and Employ­ment SZW unit within the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands
RCN remains inadequate, despite years of efforts to correct persistent issues. The General Chamber of Auditors (“Algemene Rek­enkamer”) is once again urging immediate and concrete action.

The deficiencies jeopar­dize the proper distribution of social benefits to resi­dents, the General Cham­ber of Auditors warns.

RCN’s SZW unit man­ages an annual budget of 131 million euros, but long-standing flaws in its financial oversight mean it remains unclear whether benefits are being distribut­ed fairly and accurately. In its latest review of the Min­istry of Social Affairs and Employment’s 2024 annual report, the General Cham­ber of Auditors noted that the same shortcomings first identified in 2016 remain unresolved.

“The shortcomings in the financial management of the RCN SZW unit have ex­isted since 2016 and remain difficult to resolve,” the Court stated. “We observe no visible improvement in the lawfulness of benefit payments in 2024. The unit itself also acknowledged this. As a result, there is still a risk that benefits have been granted unjustly or calculated incorrectly—ei­ther too high or too low.” A recovery plan has been drafted by the ministry and the SZW unit, but the Gen­eral Chamber of Auditors expressed scepticism about its effectiveness. A key part of the problem lies in out­dated information technol­ogy (IT) infrastructure. However, replacing the sys­tem has proven challenging due to a shortage of quali­fied IT personnel in the Ca­ribbean Netherlands.

Further complicating the situation is the scope of the unit’s responsibilities: RCN executes a range of tasks on behalf of multiple Dutch ministries within a small and often resource-constrained community. Despite the challenges, the General Chamber of Audi­tors insists that improve­ments are urgently needed. It is calling on Minister Eddy van Hijum of SZW to define a clear goal and timeline for resolving the deficiencies before the end of the year.

“The final objective and schedule must provide clar­ity for staff within the RCN SZW unit, outlining what is expected of them in order to prevent, identify, and correct errors and uncer­tainties in the benefit process,” the auditors stressed.

In response, Minister van Hijum acknowledged the ongoing problems since 2016 and affirmed that the improvement plan will pro­ceed. He also announced that a broader operational review will be conducted to assess which tasks and reforms are realistically achievable for the SZW unit in the years ahead. The goal, he stated, is to imple­ment a new IT system and streamline operations for better accountability and service delivery.

The Daily Herald.