The government’s controversial plans to radically reorganise home care services were given the green light in parliament on Wednesday.

The plans, which mean 117,000 people will lose budgets to buy care services, were backed by the coalition, the populist PVV and fundamentalist Christian SGP.
The cuts are aimed at saving €700m from the healthcare budget. In future, only 13,000 people who would otherwise be in an institution will be given money to buy directly care services to help them live independently.
Those losing funding under the pgb scheme will have their needs assessed by local councils and insurance companies to determine what help they need.
Junior health minister Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten has told her critics no-one will be left without the help they need.