Women should be allowed to wear burqas in some circumstances, integration minister Ella Vogelaar told TV programme Nova on Thursday night. ‘As far as I am concerned it should be possible on the street,’ Vogelaar said.

But burqas were not desirable if women were working in public functions or jobs in which human contact was important, Vogelaar said.
The previous government had announced plans to ban the burqa in all public places. The new coalition agreement states that clothing which covers the face may be banned if necessary to maintain public order.
Vogelaar also said she was pleased the new government had decided that overseeing immigration policy and the integration of immigrants should no longer be done by the same person. Rita Verdonk held both functions in the previous cabinet.