With two overworked MPs in a week and a heart crying about MPs’ work stress, there is a growing call to do something about the work pressure in The Hague. Last week, MP spokeswoman Vera Bergkamp again gave advice on company pension schemes, which MPs have been able to use for a year.

“We sat down again to see where we could expand this offering,” she says. “Because it can always get better.”

The problem of the workload in Parliament is anything but new. It has been discussed for years, but now the agenda continues to grow and as the number of factions fragmented so does the need for support. There are still around 200 debates to be scheduled, a number that is not decreasing.

Fewer late-night meetings

“I myself regularly thought: I’m tired, I don’t want any more debates,” says former CDU MP Carla Dik-Faber, looking back on her nine years in politics. “I often had sixty-hour workweeks, and in the fall, when we were discussing the budget, it could be eighty hours.”

Dik-Faber left politics after last year’s elections. Since then, several measures have been taken to reduce the workload there. The team of civil servants, which supports the MPs with analyzes and research, for example, has been expanded to ten full-time employees. Since last year, roll-call votes, at which all MPs must be present, have also been announced as early as possible.

According to Chamber President Bergkamp, ​​the current procedure ensures more peace. “In my role, I continue to get by with fewer late-night meetings and a predictable agenda,” she said in a reply. “So the things that contribute to a good work-life balance.”

A larger House of Representatives?

The question is whether this is enough to prevent future burnouts. Some parties and political scientists believe that more is needed. A larger House of Representatives, for example, with at least 200 instead of the current 150 seats.

ChristenUnie, PvdA, Volt and GroenLinks have shown their support for such an extension this summer, also to strengthen Parliament’s position. But GroenLinks MEP Bromet added: “If a larger parliament leads to even more groups, then we will benefit little from it.”

Constitutional law professor Wim Voermans advocates a larger House of Representatives:

The political scientist Simon Otjes has also repeatedly spoken out in favor of a larger parliament, which would require a constitutional amendment. He argues that the House of Representatives should have 259 seats, based on a formula well-known among political scientists about the ideal ratio between the number of residents and the number of people’s representatives.

“The issue has become more relevant now because the factions in the House of Representatives are much smaller than they used to be: they have an average of less than eight MPs. This means that each faction can divide the entire political agenda among very few people.”

According to Otjes, a larger parliament is not enough to solve the workload problem: we also have to critically question what we expect from the members of parliament, he says. “Perhaps it is better to switch from a ‘debate parliament’ to a ‘working parliament’, with more space for MPs to deal with files.”

“Ratrace” of debates and motions

But there is also a role for the politicians themselves. A working group led by SGP chief Kees van der Staaij concluded late last year that MPs should make fewer motions, i.e. requests for the cabinet to do something or not to do. Every application, of which many hundreds to several thousands are submitted every year, has to be voted on.

“The intention is always there,” says former MP Dik-Faber of repeated calls to reduce applications, “but it’s difficult to implement.”

In her opinion, there is also a dynamic that is self-sustaining. A species rat raceshe says. “Something is happening in society, politicians should think about it and that leads to debates and motions.”

Many stakeholders are finding that all of the “work pressure” proposals cannot take away at least one thing: the pressure exerted on politicians via social media. “You’re not in the House of Representatives to get applause, but the criticism is often really bad,” says Dik-Faber. “It doesn’t help to enjoy the work.”

“Unfortunately, with this approach, we are not curbing the constant personal attacks that our MPs are exposed to on social media,” Bergkamp continues. “Dealing with it requires elephant skin or distance, while as a representative of the people you want and need to be in contact with people.”