The unemployment benefit bill for former MPs and ministers has eached almost €15m since 2012, website Nu.nl reported at the weekend.

The website used freedom of information legislation to find out how much money has been paid to ministers and MPs who have lost their jobs. The average payment is €3,600 a month, Nu.nl said. No names were made public.

There was a general election in 2012, after which a large number of MPs and ministers were out of work and could claim wachtgeld (waiting money). Politicians are entitled to 80% of their salary for the first year, followed by 70% for 26 months.

This has been reduced considerably in recent years because of protests that ministers and MPs had a better deal than the man in the street.

However, home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk has no plans to make any further cuts. He says people may reject taking political office because of the financial uncertainty the job brings with every election.