Junior justice minister Fred Teeven said on Wednesday he had used his discretionary powers to grant residency permits to 290 people since taking office in November 2012.

The permits have been given to failed asylum seekers whose situation merits a licence to stay even though they don’t qualify formally for refugee status, the minister said in a briefing to MPs.

Teeven said he approved 80 of the 210 cases presented to him in 2013. Last year, however, he approved 190 out of 830 appeals for clemency.

This is a similar approval rate to the previous government, Teeven, who is known as a hardliner, said.

The minister does not say how many of the cases he approved concern children who were not covered by the amnesty for child refugees. Last year it was reported that Teeven had given permits to up to 75 families who were not covered by the amnesty.