A majority of MPs are calling for a formal parliamentary inquiry into the support given by the government to banks and insurance companies over the past few years.

The financial crisis led to the state being forced to nationalise ABN Amro and Fortis banks and make loans of almost €14bn to ING, Aegon and SNS Reaal.
A parliamentary inquiry would enable witnesses to be questioned under oath, unlike the parliamentary commission which reported its findings on the causes of the financial crisis on Monday. The commission could not force witnesses to appear or answer questions, leading to criticism in some quarters.
Nevertheless, Monday’s commission report was highly criticial of all players in the financial sector – bankers, regulators, MPs, shareholders, companies and savers. Each group had contributed in its own way to the crisis, the report said.
Next stage
In particular, the report criticised former finance minister Wouter Bos and the central bank for not resisting the takeover and break up of the ABN Amro empire or keeping the Icelandic internet savings bank Icesave at bay.
The commission, led by Socialist MP Jan de Wit, has now completed the first stage of its work. The second stage is to look into state support for banks and insurance companies which got into financial difficulty.
majority of MPs, including the CDA and VVD, say this part of the research should take the form of a full parliamentary inquiry which gives broader powers to the investigators.