Information management at the Benefits Agency is still deficient on two crucial points. The Ministry of Finance - to which the Benefits Agency belongs - will therefore remain under extended supervision at least until the end of 2026. This is the conclusion of the Government Information and Heritage Inspectorate in a letter to the Ministry of Finance.
In 2021, the Inspectorate found that the information management of the Benefits Department was not in order. Information regarding the granting of benefits was stored in various places without a clear overview of what information was where. This resulted in a great fragmentation of information, made file creation difficult, and therefore had consequences for citizens involved in the benefits affair. It also hindered the provision of information to the House of Representatives and there was a lack of control over information management. Since then, talks have been held annually between the Ministry of Finance, the Benefits Agency and the Inspectorate about the progress made in improving information management.
Progress meetings in 2024 revealed that a number of recommendations had not yet been fully implemented. The information provided by the Benefits Department before the summer showed that clear steps had been taken to get the information management in order. However, insufficient progress had been made on two crucial points.
The destruction freeze instituted in 2020 has still not been lifted. The process-based destruction of records eligible for destruction according to the Selection List is an obligation under the Archives Act. Timely destruction of information that has no lasting value prevents privacy-sensitive data from being kept unnecessarily long. It reduces risks of data leaks and misuse of information. It also keeps archives manageable, which enhances an organization's efficiency and transparency. So it is essential that the destruction freeze be lifted as soon as possible but no later than 2026. Until then, the Surcharge Service is in violation of the Archives Act in this regard.
The intake of records, including the implementation of the requirements of the Archives Act (such as retention periods and metadata) in the Document Management Systems, has not yet been completed. Inbeheername means that an archival service ensures that the information is and remains permanently accessible.
Because the above points have not yet been resolved, the Ministry of Finance (under which the Benefits Agency falls) will remain under extended supervision at least until the end of 2026. This means that the Inspectorate will continue to perform additional checks to ensure that these shortcomings are resolved. In 2026, the Inspectorate will reassess whether the bottlenecks have been resolved.
