Dutch government plans €22m annual investment in social legal aid

The Dutch government plans to invest €22 million a year in social legal aid from 2030, aiming to address a shortage of training places and ensure more lawyers remain in the publicly funded sector.

State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen set out the plan in a letter to parliament on Thursday. The government aims to have 3,000 social lawyers enter or remain in the profession over the next decade, according to a report by Dutch news agency ANP.

The money will help fund training allowances and higher rates for social lawyers. Van Bruggen said she was convinced the investment would help counter “the urgent threat of a declining supply of social lawyers and the shortage of training places”.

The €22 million is part of an annual €45 million fund for strengthening the rule of law, which will be available from 2030. The rest is earmarked for social-legal services (€10 million) and reducing court fees (€13 million). The fund is due to increase to that level over the coming years.