The next government will not include a specialist minister for immigration and asylum affairs, sources close to the coalition talks have told Nos television.

The job, currently done by Gerd Leers, will disappear in the new cabinet line-up. In order to keep the number of ministers at 12, immigration will be replaced by foreign trade or development aid.
Nos reports the right-wing VVD and Labour party (PvdA) have agreed each should get six ministerial positions and the VVD will supply the prime minister if their coalition talks succeed.
The creation of an immigration minister was one of the demands of the anti-Islam PVV in return for its support of the outgoing government. Leers was charged with tightening up immigration rules and attempting to persuade Brussels to take a tougher line.