The cabinet wants to continue its meetings with the commission for information and intelligence services, dubbed the ‘Stiekem’ (Sneaky) commission by the press, sources have told the Telegraaf.

The commission meets in secret with the cabinet to discuss such issues of national security as the use of the US spy system PRISM. However, the cabinet members can make no use of the information they receive during the meetings, and are forbidden from discussing it with parliament.

The existence of the Stiekem commission became public knowledge when reports about the Dutch involvement with PRISM started appearing in the press last year.

Since then there have been calls for the cabinet to share information from the commission meetings with the MPs whose brief can be affected by the actions of the security services.

The Telegraaf’s sources say the government wants to continue the secrecy surrounding the meetings and will not brief MPs.

The government’s refusal to share the information is a reaction to a report by a committee under the chairmanship of Stan Dessens last December which called for greater transparency on electronic surveillance and greater powers for the security services to intercept internet traffic.