Dutch caretaker State Secretary for Digitisation and Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen has taken on a number of additional responsibilities since the departure of Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Hanke Bruins Slot.
Bruins Slot has become caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Hugo de Jonge caretaker Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations. Some tasks of the Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations have been transferred to State Secretary Van Huffelen.
For the remaining term of the current caretaker government, Van Huffelen will now also be responsible for Public Housing and Physical Planning in the Caribbean Netherlands islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
“This means that the state secretary from now on will handle the further implementation of the Policy Agenda Public Housing and Physical Planning for the Caribbean. This policy agenda includes planned measures to construct affordable and sustainable rental and owned homes, to set out a physical path and to get the legal and information base in order,” stated De Jonge in a letter to the Dutch Parliament.
Van Huffelen will also be the coordinating member of government for the follow-up of the apologies for the Dutch slavery past. The minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations will remain involved in the latter subject, also in connection with the tackling of racism and discrimination.
Furthermore, the state secretary will become responsible for almost all tasks relating to the functioning of the Dutch civil service (“Rijksdienst”), both in terms of policy and execution. The state secretary will coordinate government’s approach to disinformation and handle the topic good governance.
The Daily Herald.