Dutch news in brief, 13 October 2004

Concern over decline in Dutch tolerance of gays

The Social and Cultural Planning Office has called for a new study into the feared decline in acceptance of gay people in the Netherlands. The Dutch Parliament has also backed calls for a similar study. The calls come after a large number of Christian and immigrant schools rejected the distribution of gay youth magazine Expreszo last week. A Maurice de Hond survey has indicated that a majority of Dutch residents support distributing the magazine among schools to combat discrimination against gays. Despite this, 50 percent of respondents said schools had the right to refuse the magazine. Health Minister Maria van der Hoeven is investigating why the schools refused the magazine. Some schools said that the magazine was rejected because of its content rather than the subject matter. A “tolerance test” in the magazine included a question in relation to seeing a neighbour having sex with a goat.

Number of female managers increasing

The number of women business managers in the Netherlands rose from 14 percent in 1995 to 25 percent in 2002, the Central Bureau of Statistics said. A relatively large number of women are employed in the non-commercial service sector. In 2002, some 36 percent of managers in this sector were women, primarily in healthcare and education. In the industry and construction sector, just one in 50 managers is a woman. In the business sector, the number of women managers remains low at 13 percent. A study published last week by research bureau Spencer Stuart also found that three of the 321 top positions in the top 100 list of companies are filled by a woman.

GP visits excluded from no-claim scheme

The three coalition government parties agreed on Tuesday that a visit to a GP will not be counted in the no-claim scheme for the national health scheme that will be introduced next year. The Cabinet had previously agreed that every Dutch resident would have to pay EUR 250 in advance, on top of their health insurance. Part or the entire advance fee would have been repaid at the end of the year depending on the amount a person availed of the healthcare system. But the Christian Democrat CDA, Liberal VVD and Democrat D66 coalition parties have agreed that GP visits should not be included in the no-claim system. In compensation, GPs will have to cut costs by 4 percent or the premium for patients will go up by EUR 1 to 2 per month and the no-claim sum will be EUR 255. GPs will also have to give up EUR 50 million in increased funding.

LPF MPs keep name, at least for now

The LPF MPs have been given until 1 December to find a new name, after reaching an agreement with the LPF party executive. In exchange, the dissident MPs must give the party back its administration documents. LPF MPs cut ties with the party in August after ongoing conflicts, but were ordered by Rotterdam Court on 5 October that they could no longer use the LPF name. Starting from Friday, the MPs faced a EUR 2,500 fine per person if they continued using the name. That threat has now been postponed.

Subject: Dutch news