International

The fact that asylum seekers have to be accommodated in tents is the result of mismanagement by the Secretary of State for Justice Nebahat Albayrak, according to SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen. "There are thousands fewer asylum seekers arriving than she predicted," says Van Velzen, "and yet people have to sleep in tents."

People must be housed in tents because of a lack of capacity at the Central Organ for the Relief of Asylum Seekers (COA), despite a lower influx than predicted. The shortfall in emergency accommodation has been created by the closure of a number of relief centres. More are planned, but these are not yet available. Krista van Velzen: "Albayrak has long been aware that there would be a change to the location of the relief centres, but has nevertheless failed to prevent a shortage emerging. Recently, the accompaniment of much fanfare, a hotel in the Limburg village of Tienray was rented to provide temporary relief accommodation, but Albayrak needs to take structural measures to guarantee that capacity will be sufficient."