The general amnesty for long-term aslyum seekers granted by the current government when it came into power earlier this year could cost local councils €270m in benefit payments, reports Friday’s Volkskrant.

The figure is based on calculations by The Hague city council which work out at 20,000 welfare recipients nationwide, the paper says. The figure assumes most people to benefit from the amnesty will not have a job.
The government has estimated the cost of the amnesty at €329m up to 2009 but did not include the welfare payments.