Coalition party VVD has called for ministers to be stripped of the power to give asylum-seekers facing deportation a last-minute reprieve. VVD MP Malik Azmani said the current system puts politicians under too much pressure to override the courts, especially in high-profile cases such as that of the Armenian foster children Howick and Lili. Junior justice minister Mark Harbers allowed the brother and sister, who have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years, to stay in September. They had gone into hiding to avoid being sent to rejoin their mother in Armenia. Azmani told the Telegraaf that judges should have the last word to avoid 'abritrary' decisions. 'There is no way of checking who is trying to exert influence,' he said. The MP stressed that he was not criticising the approach taken by his party colleague Harbers, who used his discretionary power 59 times during his first year in office. His predecessor, Klaas Dijkhoff, now parliamentary group leader of the VVD, issued 240 permits to rejected asylum seekers out of 780 cases that landed on his desk in two years. However, coalition partners the Christian Democrats rejected the idea of removing the minister's right to intervene. 'We shouldn't allow party politics to sully discretionary powers,' said justice spokeswoman Madeleine van Toorenburg. Prime minister Mark Rutte said in the wake of the Howick and Lili case that the cabinet has no plans to change the rules on amnesty for children, despite calls from opposition MPs, celebrities and aid organisations.  More >

International workers campaigning to have a full transition period built into government plans to cut the 30% ruling entitlement say they are now focusing on the senate to fight their corner. The government is planning to cut the number of years workers can claim the tax break from eight to five years. Originally, the government said it would not include a transition period but tax minister Menno Snel has now agreed to delay making the change for two years after pressure from industry and campaign groups. However, campaigners argue this does not go far enough, is extremely confusing and that 'a large majority of users are still losing significant income.' Last week, an amendment by the Socialist Party and GroenLinks, which would have brought in a transition period for current beneficiaries as well as a salary cap, failed to generate enough support in parliament. Senate Jessica Taylor Piotrowski of the campaign group United Expats of the Netherlands, told DutchNews.nl the organisation is now pinning its hopes on the senate. 'Snel said that introducing a salary cap, as proposed by the SP and GroenLinks would damage the business climate,' she said. 'But that is just what is happening now with the government breaking its word.' 'We are now evaluating what next steps to take,' she said. 'Our community is frustrated and we are discussing with them what to do.' Different treatment Legal advice prepared for the campaign group by law firm Stibbe states that the government's changes violate the principles of legal certainty and proportionality and that the implementation of transition period for some but not everyone means beneficiaries are also being treated differently. This, Stibbe argues is counter to the legal principles of good governance. Legal Campaigners now hope that the senate will take notice of the legal points raised in the Stibbe document. The senate has traditionally acted as a venue to check legislation on its quality rather than its political perspective In addition, the UNEL is considering taking legal action against the state, Piotrowski said. 'We are currently evaluating all options to determine whether legal action in court is a reasonable next step,' she said. 'In the coming days, we will continue our ongoing conversations with our legal team as well as with legal advisors to identify what is the most feasible and realistic solution.'  More >