Dutch ministries
Encyclopedia
There are eleven ministries
of the Netherlands, all with their own minister, there are also several ministers without portfolio
and about as many state secretaries. The ministries are:
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of the Netherlands, all with their own minister, there are also several ministers without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
and about as many state secretaries. The ministries are:
- Ministry of General AffairsMinistry of General Affairs (Netherlands)The Dutch Ministry of General Affairs is the ministry headed by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands...
, dealing with the coordination of government policy; - Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations occupied with a range of tasks including the police, the civil service and the constitution. Most ministries broke off from this ministry, when portfolios like social affairs, education and agriculture became more important; the term "Kingdom Relations" refers to relations between the Netherlands and the other parts of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of the NetherlandsThe Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
. - Ministry of Public Safety and Justice occupied with legislation, law enforcement and immigration;
- Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development...
which Minister of Foreign Affairs and a junior Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation; - Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (Netherlands)The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
, which coordinates the military of the NetherlandsMilitary of the NetherlandsThe Armed forces of the Netherlands consist of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.The service branches consist of:* Koninklijke Landmacht , Royal Netherlands Army....
; - Ministry of FinanceMinistry of Finance (Netherlands)The Ministry of Finance is the Dutch ministry of finance: it is occupied with the national budget, taxation and financial economic policy, including supervision of financial markets...
responsible for taxation, the national budget and monetary affairs; - Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, which has the task of ensuring sustainable economic growth. It is the result of a merger of the old Ministry of Economic Affairs with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in 2010. In addition to the Minister, it has a state secretary known internationally as Minister for Foreign Trade and Agriculture;
- Ministry of Social Affairs and EmploymentMinistry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands)The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is the Dutch ministry of social affairs: it is occupied with employment, relations between employers and employees, the system of social security, and emancipation...
, which coordinates social security and employment; - Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, traditionally led by a minister and two state secretaries one of whom is typically occupied with culture and the Netherlands Public Broadcasting;
- Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport;
- Ministry of Infrastructure and the EnvironmentMinistry of Infrastructure and the Environment (Netherlands)The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment is a Dutch ministry created in 2010 by the Rutte Cabinet, and is a merger of the former Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. The minister is Melanie Schultz van...
, which deals with planning, use of land, infrastructure and water managementGeography of the NetherlandsThe geography of the European part of Netherlands is unusual in that much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below sea level, protected by dikes. Another factor that has influenced its physical appearance is that the country is among the most densely populated on earth...
. It is the result of a merger of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management with the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the EnvironmentMinistry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (Netherlands)The Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment was a Dutch ministry. It was responsible for policies on public housing, spatial planning, the environment and the housing of national government agencies...
in 2010.