Netherlands Government Information Service
Encyclopedia
The Netherlands Government Information Service (Dutch: Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, abbrev.: RVD) is a Dutch government agency
. The RVD is the official information service of the Dutch government and is the spokesbody for the prime minister
, the Council of Ministers
and the Dutch Royal House
. The RVD is also responsible for providing public information on government policy, the prime minister and the Ministry of General Affairs.
In addition to its Information Service duties, the RVD is also responsible for giving advice on publicity and communications to several agencies and the Royal House, plus it coordinates between all the ministerial information services in The Netherlands.
Organizationally, the RVD is a directorate-general
of the Ministry of General Affairs. It consists of the following sections:
As part of the coordinating responsibilities of the RVD, the director-general of the RVD is also the chairman of the Voorlichtingsraad, which is a meeting of all the information service directors of all the Dutch ministries.
The current director general of the RVD is Gerard van der Wulp, who took over from Eef Brouwers
in 2004.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
. The RVD is the official information service of the Dutch government and is the spokesbody for the prime minister
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
, the Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers of the Netherlands
The Dutch Council of Ministers is the executive council of Dutch government, formed by all the ministers. This executive council initiates laws and policy. The Council of Ministers is distinct from the Cabinet which also includes state secretaries...
and the Dutch Royal House
Dutch Royal House
In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Monarchy is a constitutional office and is controlled by the constitution of the Netherlands. A distinction is made between members of the royal family and members of the Royal House. The royal family is the Orange-Nassau family, however not every member is a...
. The RVD is also responsible for providing public information on government policy, the prime minister and the Ministry of General Affairs.
In addition to its Information Service duties, the RVD is also responsible for giving advice on publicity and communications to several agencies and the Royal House, plus it coordinates between all the ministerial information services in The Netherlands.
Organizationally, the RVD is a directorate-general
Directorate-General
A Directorate-General is a branch of an administration dedicated to a specific field of expertise.* The European Commission: Commission Directorates-General are each headed by a European Commissioner;* The European Patent Office: EPO Directorates-General;...
of the Ministry of General Affairs. It consists of the following sections:
- The management staff.
- The Press and Publicity department, whose primary duties are coordinating the public appearances of the members of the Royal House.
- The Information Services department, which is responsible for providing information regarding government policy to the prime minister and the chief civil servants at the ministry. This group collects and analyzes data 24 hours a day from a myriad of sources (both open and confidential). The department also includes the "new media" group, which publishes the ministry and royal house websites and the government website.
- The Communications Policy department, which is responsible for defining the entire government (strategic) policy on communications and coordinating information provision between the ministries.
- The Directorate Public and Communication, which is the operational part of the RVD. This department seeks to improve communication between the government and the public. As an extension of this, the department is responsible for government contracting with third parties in the area of communications, communications project management, communications research and development of means of communication. The department is also responsible for running "Postbus 51", the government public information channel (which spreads government information through flyers, television ads, and other advertising channels).
As part of the coordinating responsibilities of the RVD, the director-general of the RVD is also the chairman of the Voorlichtingsraad, which is a meeting of all the information service directors of all the Dutch ministries.
The current director general of the RVD is Gerard van der Wulp, who took over from Eef Brouwers
Eef Brouwers
Evert Brouwers is a Dutch journalist, director-general and spokesman.- Life :Brouwers started his career as journalist at the Nieuwe Provinciale Groninger Courant and then as news presenter at Regionale Omroep Noord en Oost, AVRO, NOS Studio Sport, NOS and NOS Journaal.From 1977-1983 he was...
in 2004.