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Old, sick or disabled Dutch people will be asked to work in return for care
Elderly, chronically sick or disabled people will be asked to carry out voluntary work in their community in return for social care, under new government proposals to overhaul the Dutch welfare state.
The legislation is part of a radical shake-up in the Netherlands where Dutch policies to demand something in return for benefits have been cited as inspiration by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, for reform of the British welfare state.
The plans, drafted by Martin van Rijn, a Dutch health minister, would mean that recipients of social care would be "urgently requested" to carry out voluntary work to do something for society in payment for the benefits they receive.
"Loneliness could perhaps be overcome if the elderly helped pre-school children with language impairments improve their reading," his draft legislation, given to the Volkskrant newspaper proposed. "Or a retired accountant in a wheelchair could help out at the local councilﾒs debt advice service."
Unlike the Dutch unemployed, who can be obliged to do community service, the elderly, disabled or chronically sick cannot be forced to volunteer but local councils, who provide care, will be entitled to ask in an "intrusive manner" to work.
Liane de Haan, the director of ANBO, an organisation of Dutch "seniors" welcomed the proposals but warned against putting elderly people in the "black book" without asking them what they want and have to offer the community.
"Elderly people, who receive care, are not necessarily sick and pathetic. The way some talk about needy seniors places them outside society," she said. "I think everyone wants to be useful, Infirm or not."
Under the new proposals, it will also be up to municipalities to assess what services people are entitled to, how much they should pay and whether family, friends and neighbours should be enlisted to help provide care.
"The government is of the opinion that it is quite normal for people to try to improve their own situations or to help their partners or family members who cannot participate fully in society by themselves," the proposal said. "The government will no longer automatically take on this role."
Local councils are being given a budget of £9.4 billion (€11.2bn) to fund home care services for 750,000 people, a spending cut of £1.7bn (ﾀ2bn) as part of Dutch austerity measures required by the European Union under eurozone budgetary enforcement powers.
Announcing the end of the "classical welfare state" while presenting the government's austerity budget last month, the new Dutch King Willem-Alexander, hailed a new "participation society in social security and long-term care".
In a keynote speech on welfare reform in June, Mr Cameron praised the Netherlands as a model for Britain because its "emphasis on family responsibility is much stronger".