Shh! Parliamentary rebuild designated official state secret

Binnenhof Photo: Guilhem Vellut via Wiki Commons

What will take five-and-a-half years and cost €475 million in public money? The answer has just been designated an official state secret.

Stef Blok, minister for housing and central government, has just announced that a forthcoming renovation of the House of Representatives – the Binnenhof, where parliament operates – is officially hush-hush.

There will be no public tender for construction companies, architects, installation experts or public discussion of wallpaper, for reasons of state safety, reports broadcaster NOS .

‘It is important for national security to ensure the safety and undisturbed functioning of the parliament, president and members of the Council of State, and members of government and its institutions,’ the government announced.

Blok stressed that the public would be informed as much as possible, despite the secrecy, and that there will be a visitor information centre with some element of information about it. It is expected that the buildings in The Hague will close from 2020 for the top-secret project.

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