Suggestions by social affairs minister Henk Kamp that the entire social security system needs to be overhauled have been criticised by MPs from partner coalition party CDA and the opposition.

Kamp said in an interview with the Volkskrant that sick pay, unemployment pay, invalidity benefit and widows’ benefits threaten to become too expensive and need to be reformed.
‘A smaller working population will have to pay for the care of 600,000 elderly people. The economy will have to be kept turning by fewer people. That is an enormous challenge and will lead to a totally new situation in terms of social security,’ Kamp said.
Coalition
There are no plans for reforming social security in the coalition agreement between Kamp’s conservative liberal VVD, the CDA and alliance partner PVV.
CDA MP Eddy van Hijum told the Financieele Dagblad Kamp should first focus on the increase in the state pension age and on merging various provisions for the long-term jobless and the handicapped.
‘Kamp is putting us [the CDA] in the supporters’ camp but he cannot count on the CDA’s support,’ Van Hijum said.