Some 450 asylum seekers who had their applications rejected have been allowed to stay in the Netherlands after all since February 2007, the Telegraaf quotes junior justice minister Nebahat Albayrak as saying.

Albayrak has special powers to grant refugee status to failed asylum seekers on compassionate or other special grounds.
MPs will this week debate the justice ministry’s spending plans for 2010. In particular, MPs are unhappy that the minstry expects 17,000 asylum seekers next year, nearly 7,000 more than earlier estimates, the paper says.
The previous junior justice minister Rita Verdonk used her special powers to allow 1,150 refugees to stay.