MPs are dissatisfied with how money spent within the STAP budget is being used. “It’s a failure, and I say that with a heavy heart,” says VVD deputy Ruben Brekelmans. Independent MP Nilüfer Gündoğan is also critical and calls the approach “half-hearted”.
MEPs respond to the fact that the UWV social security body, which implements the scheme, has failed to recover millions of euros from course providers or students if someone has not taken or barely taken the course. Within the program, course participants must complete at least 80% of a course or obtain a certificate within a certain period. If this is not possible, the UWV can reclaim the money.
‘In fact you throw the baby out with the bathwater’
So far it hasn’t happened once, while it often happens that students don’t show up, cancel due to personal circumstances or have not attended the course enough. As a result, the UWV lost 2.6 million euros. Brekelmans hopes that money can be recovered. ‘I think it’s a shame the UWV is showing up with this. I hope there is a way to get hot money back without people getting into trouble.’
Criticisms of the STAP scheme first
Hundreds of millions would be spent on improving people’s position on the labor market under the STAP scheme. In reality, the maximum subsidy of 1,000 euros that students could receive has been used for many other purposes. In practice it is also used for beer tasting courses, for horse training and for reiki massage. FTM research has previously shown that course providers have raised their prices to make the most of the subsidy.
The possible problems that arise are one of the reasons the UWV has not recovered the money. The UWV says it was “easygoing” with STAP students because it “didn’t want to burden participants with debt”. However, Brekelmans wants to know from the UWV why the agency is “unable to adequately recover the money”.
Earlier, SP Member of Parliament Bart van Kent had also expressed doubts about the UWV’s actions. “It was already clear that the STAP budget was a huge waste of money,” says van Kent. “This is further proof that this agreement should never have existed.” Van Kent wants the responsible minister Karien van Gennip to clarify and asks “how we can still fix it”.
Money recovered from suppliers
The UWV says it recovered the £3.3m subsidy, but only when courses couldn’t run due to the fault of the provider. “Because the course was moved to another city, because the course group to be trained was too small, or because no course leader was available,” a spokesperson said.
The STAP budget will disappear permanently in 2024, due to the regime’s many shortcomings. ‘It’s actually a shame we had to decide to go with it because of that. In effect, you throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Brekelmans says. MP Gündoğan hopes that a regulation similar to that of Denmark will return. “There, getting unemployment benefits is tied to training if you work in an industry that’s not going to be big in the next few years.”
Source: BNR
Andrew Dwight is an author and economy journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of financial markets and a passion for analyzing economic trends and news. With a talent for breaking down complex economic concepts into easily understandable terms, Andrew has become a respected voice in the field of economics journalism.
