Dutch PM Promises Fresh Scrutiny of Royal Finances
Written by Joanne Leyland
Wednesday, 04 June 2008
While political debate on matters royal is
essentially banned from the floor of Britain's House of Commons, over
in The Netherlands the tricky subject of royal wealth is once again taxing
the minds of MPs...
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has made
clear to Parliament that he will ensure that a new system is
implemented which will open up the finances of the Dutch royal
household to public
scrutiny.
The letter, details of which were delivered by Defence Minister Eimert van
Middelkoop, comes in response to growing concern over the fact it’s currently difficult
for those outside the palace to discover just how much money from the foreign
and defence ministries goes towards the upkeep of the royal family
and household.
Causing even more confusion over a subject which is as perennially complex as it is controversial, Mr van Middelkoop
also revealed that
his ministry published incorrect figures about the royal finances of 2006 and
2007.
The upgraded figures reveal that the cost of royal air travel was actually higher
than previously disclosed.
However, there was some good news for Queen
Beatrix and her family, for this erroneous estimate was offset by the news that the expenditure
on the royal yacht, the Green Dragon, was actually lower than original figures
suggested.
Thanks so much for spotting what was an inexcusable mistake on my part. Tired eyes misread Dutch for Danish in a newswire piece, hence my error/s.
I'll go and stand in the corner with my head in my hands as I'm horrified at having made such a pathetic error.
Sorry everybody, mistake now fixed (thanks to Joseph).
Joanne
Name: Joseph
Comment: Balkenende is the Dutch not Danish Prime Minister
Name: Monika
Comment: I find the timing of one of the 'On this day' items interesting. Currently, John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, is on a committee to select Barack Obama’s running mate…a man she feels will be “a president like my father.”
