Some 2,000 people working for state-owned institutions such as hospitals, universities and housing corporations earned more than the prime minister in 2009, according to research by tv show Zembla.

By law, public institutions have to make it public if they pay senior staff more than the prime minister’s salary. In 2009, Balkenende’s total package amounted to €191,000, Zembla said.
One of the top earners is Hans Hoogervoorst, a former minister and head of the financial sector regulator AFM. He earned €420,000 last year.
‘I do indeed earn a lot but I have reached that level after a very long career,’ Hoogervoorst, 55, told the show.