Proposition 55K0714

Projet de loi portant création d'un Fonds blouses blanches.

General information ¶

Authors

Vooruit Jan Bertels, Karin Jiroflée

Submission date

Nov. 7, 2019

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

health care profession pay policy national budget public health medical institution

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP DéFI Open Vld N-VA LDD MR PVDA | PTB VB

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

Nov. 21, 2019 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

The rapporteurs are Mr Bertels and Mrs Taquin.

Mr. Speaker, colleagues, I am giving you a brief oral report following the initially four bills on a healthcare personnel fund. The submitted legislative proposals intend to implement the €67 million in resources, included in the final slice of the provisional twelve of 2019, especially for the months November and December.

I myself will briefly explain the organized hearings. Ms. Taquin, co-rapporteur, discusses the part on the preserved bill itself.

The hearings took place on 13 November last year. Representatives from the nursing sector, the trade unions, the hospital sector and the relevant federal government services, the DG Healthcare of the FOD Public Health and the Social Maribel cell of the FOD Work were heard. The full view of those hearings can be consulted on the Chamber’s website. As agreed, a podcast has been created. I will limit myself here to the guidelines based on the explanations of the speakers and their answers to the questions of the committee members. The hearings were useful and – I am convinced – will ⁇ be useful for the continuation of our work in the coming weeks and months regarding the further use of the additional financial resources of the Health Care Personnel Fund.

In the various explanations and answers, in my opinion, five somewhat general strength lines were returned that were shared by most or all speakers.

First, the track of spending the 2019 funds through the Maribelfonds, both the private and the public fund, is the correct technique for the application of those funds in 2019 and the best track to avoid losing the funds for 2019.

Second, there is a need for additional personnel in the healthcare sector, throughout the healthcare chain, such as nurses, nurses and support staff.

Third, in addition to the need for additional personnel, other accompanying measures are needed, for example, regarding the employment standards, the financing standards for nurses and healthcare personnel, the alignment of those standards, taking into account the needs of quality care, and so on.

Fourth, structural measures are needed, so the financing must also be sustainable. The new financing is a good step forward, but the financing must also be sustainable. It should only be a first step. More resources will be needed for more healthcare personnel, better working conditions, the attractiveness of the profession, and so on.

Finally, the last force line, it is best not to fragment the new resources too much. Federal funds should be allocated to federal sectors. Subregions should assume responsibility for sectors for which they are competent. I think, for example, of the need for healthcare personnel in the residential and care centers, which is their competence.

Mr. Speaker, so far my brief oral report, for the next, I would like to give the floor to Mrs. Taquin.

Mr. Speaker, here is the report on the bill on the creation of a White Bluses Fund, filed by Mr. Jan Bertels and Mrs. Karin Jiroflée, of whom I have the honour to be a co-rapporteur – and I thank the colleague.

First, the introductory exposition of the authors. Mr. Bertels presented his proposal this Wednesday 20 November in the Health Committee. This text follows the adoption of an amendment to the law opening provisional appropriations for the months of November and December 2019. It is a bill that regulates how the budget fund will obtain its resources, as well as the expenses to which these resources may be allocated. This will make the budget resources available to the sector for 2019. The fund will be fed by a tax on the income of the Personal Tax (IPP). Expenditures may be allocated to finance the recruitment of nurses, to promote employment, to improve the working conditions of nurses and to finance nurses’ training. The recommended budgetary technique is the Social Maribel Fund, both for the public and private sectors.

Mr. Jan Bertels specified that an amendment would be submitted at a committee meeting in order to clarify the division of the allocation of resources as well as the distribution key between the public and private sectors. This amendment was drafted in collaboration with the budget cells of the relevant cabinets.

Mr. Marc Goblet (PS) recalled that he presided over the informal working group constituted by the PS to reach a consensus on the various proposals under discussion.

Then we went to the discussion and vote on the articles.

The first two articles did not call for comments and were adopted unanimously.

Article 3 provides that the fund is fed by a fee on IPP proceeds. Mr Christian Leysen (Open Vld) and his colleagues introduced amendment no. 3. It aims to remove the reference to the amount of EUR 400 million from the financial year 2020.

This means that the law will regulate the allocation of funds only for 2019. Mr Leysen indicated that a reference to the 2020 budget was premature and contrary to budgetary orthodoxy in this period of ordinary business, where it is customary to work with provisional appropriations.

Mrs Kathleen Depoorter (N-VA) is of the opinion that expenditure should not be financed by additional taxes. Single financing should be avoided and structural financing for nursing personnel should be provided, not only in hospitals, but also in rest homes and rest and care homes. According to Depoorter, it is possible, from now on, to transfer funds for this purpose to federal entities. The N-VA specified that it supports the amendments that will allow funding for the nursing sector. The amendment was adopted by 7 votes and 9 abstentions. Article 3 as amended was adopted by 7 votes and 9 abstentions.

The majority of the discussions focused on Article 4. Mr Leysen and consorts introduced Amendment No. 1 to replace Article 4 in its entirety. The amendment provides for a reserve of €8 million from the €67 million envelope for independent nurses. How these 8 million will be distributed will be the subject of a subsequent legislative initiative. The amendment also extends the scope of the law to all services within the Social Maribel Fund in which care personnel are employed. This means that home nurses are part of it. The amendment regulates the allocation of resources between the public and private sectors, as well as between the different subsectors, based on the number of ETPs occupied in these subsectors during the previous year. Finally, the amendment removes the ceilings within the Maribel Social Fund.

Another amendment was introduced for Article 4. This is the 4th amendment by Ms. Yoleen Van Camp (N-VA) and co-workers, which aims to extend the scope of the bill, not only to independent nurses, but also to nursing staff working in elderly care institutions. The N-VA has always believed that additional financial resources should be allocated to the entire nursing sector, not only in hospitals, but also in rest homes and rest and care homes.

Mr Steven Creyelman (VB) joined Mr Van Camp’s arguments and denounced the shortage of nursing personnel in rest homes and rest and care homes in Flanders, for example in his municipality.

Mr. Raoul Hedebouw (PVDA-PTB) insisted on the importance of inserting the funds into the Social Maribel Fund because the social actors in the field are best placed to know which sector to allocate the funds through parity negotiation. Mr Hedebouw noted the government’s commitment in current affairs to provide the necessary resources under the provisional appropriations in early 2020 in order to continue financing the staff that will be hired from now on.

Mr Robby De Caluwé (Open Vld) recalled that the Minister of Social Affairs has already devoted a significant budget to the nursing sector as part of the social agreements. Since the funds allocated are not enormous, it is not appropriate to spray them by including rest homes. Of course, this sector is also facing a staff shortage but it is within the competence of federal entities.

Mr. Jan Briers (CD&V) stated that CD&V supports the bill and amendment no. 1. The solution of a Social Maribel Fund is the subject of consensus within all political groups and among representatives of the sector. The CD&V is of the opinion that the funds allocated should be used for additional recruitment. Regarding Amendment No. 4 by Ms. Van Camp et consorts, Mr. Briers considers that sectors belonging to federated entities should not be financed by means of the federal state. However, he acknowledges that the holiday homes sector in Flanders would also need assistance.

Mr. Benoît Piedboeuf (MR) was pleased that the hearings made it possible to clarify the needs of the sector and that the measure was extended to include independent nurses. Furthermore, the focus should be on federal powers. It is therefore the responsibility of the Regions to take measures with regard to rest homes and rest and care homes.

Mr. Jan Bertels (sp.a) indicated that the working group has obtained government commitments in current affairs to provide the necessary resources in the first tranche of the provisional appropriations for 2020. He clarified that the home care sector is covered by the amendment but not rest houses or rest and care houses, which fall within the competence of the Regions. There is no proposal to amend the funding law. It is up to the N-VA to question its ministers responsible to the Flemish government.

Dominiek Sneppe (VB) regretted that her group was not invited to participate in the working group while she supported the amendment in the plenary session. But she welcomed that her group’s voices are useful in the debate and allow the nursing sector to benefit from an additional budget.

Mr. Marc Goblet (PS) recalled his group’s desire to take into account all healthcare staff at the federal level. He recalled the government’s commitment in current affairs to provide provisional appropriations for the first three months of 2020.

He also stressed the commitment of all political groups to sustain the financing system, regardless of the composition of the next full-time government.

Laurence Hennuy (Ecolo-Groen) was pleased that an agreement could be reached, despite the difficult conditions.

Amendment No. 1 by Mr. Leysen et consorts was adopted by 14 votes and 2 abstentions. Amendment No. 4 by Mrs Van Camp et consorts was rejected by 10 votes against 5 and 1 abstinence.

As regards Article 5, Mr Leysen et consorts introduced Amendment No. 2, aiming to clarify that Article 5 produces its effects retroactively on 1 November 2019. The amendment was adopted unanimously, as was the article 5 as amended.

The amended draft law was adopted unanimously. Consequently, the bill proposals no. 704, 731 and 741, attached to the discussion, become obsolete. I thank you for your attention.

Mrs. Taquin, I thank you for your report.

Thank you for the extensive reporting. That saves some explanation here.

I will limit myself to the essence, as the rapporteur has already very well explained what our proposed amendment is and why we submitted it.

As for the financial aspect, my colleague Kathleen Depoorter will take the floor. I will limit myself to the nursing aspect, as I did in the committee.

In fact, with this proposal we are implementing a resolution that my party and I have submitted this summer, in particular the resolution on improving the working conditions of nurses. I am pleased that we are able to implement it in large part today, with at least a commitment already for this year to an important professional group. As far as we are concerned, this professional group includes all nurses in all sectors, which is why we have submitted this proposal.

I would like to repeat the figures for everyone.

When it comes to home care, a home nurse receives a fee of only 5 euros for an injection. This does not even cover the material, transportation and administrative costs, let alone the act itself. These are the actions that are reimbursed. In fact, many acts of home nurses are not even compensated. Think of many actions related to prevention, education and distance care. However, if we invest in home care, we can ensure a similar quality of care and often even a better one. A lot of people want to be cared for at home. In this way, we can also ⁇ significant savings for the patient and society. I will address this aspect again because with every home nursing care we can ⁇ , we save hundreds of euros in daylight prices.

The reason I emphasize it here again is because my group is convinced that the savings we can ⁇ in this way must be returned directly to the sector and the patient. As far as home care is concerned. Fortunately, there was consensus in the committee.

There was also consensus on the healthcare institutions, the lukewar of the hospitals. There we all know that the burden of care has increased enormously due to ageing, the complexity of care and innovation, while the norm setting, as I have repeatedly cited here, has remained virtually unchanged since the 1960s. The hospitals adapt, because research shows that we have 1 nurse per 10.7 patients. Of these, however, only 80 % has been financed. In fact, we are thus on 13 patients per nurse, with which we are in the same regions as Spain, Poland and Greece. Let us compare ourselves to the Scandinavian countries or to the United States, where one nurse but half of the patients are under her/her care, especially 5 patients per nurse.

We now know that each additional patient under the wings of a nurse increases the chance of unexpected death and a preventable death by 7% and also increases the chance of burn-out in the healthcare staff by 23%. Nevertheless, investments in nursing and healthcare personnel are a very good investment: three-quarters of them are rewarded by fewer complications and fewer avoidable deaths.

There are already shortages in the sector. In the next 50 years, we will need an additional 500,000 workers in the white sector. We can only address this situation if we also reduce the workload in all healthcare institutions.

In summary, for us, it is not only about home care and the hospitals, but also about the rest and care homes. This is why our amendment is in favour, because we believe that the whole sector needs a push in the back.

The two rapporteurs have already said that each Community is responsible for its own powers. This is indeed the case, and in Flanders there is already an additional investment on, among other things, the rest and care homes. Specifically, 9 million euros will be added in this sector by 2020. In the meantime, without adjusting the funding law within the social Maribel, we can indeed invest in all sectors, not only the home care and the hospitals, but also the rest and care homes. The Cabinet can assume that there have already been precedents in which this was also applied. Therefore, there is no legal reason or obstacle that would prevent us today from investing in additional support for the healthcare staff in the rest and care homes, where the workload is equally high.

My group therefore finds it very regrettable that the masks in the committee have fallen and that many parties, except the N-VA and the Flemish Belang, who did not want to approve support for the healthcare personnel in the rest and care homes. We are therefore very pleased to submit our amendment again to the plenary session. Per ⁇ the colleagues have come to an understanding today and think that the healthcare staff in the rest and care homes also has the right to additional resources, just like that of the home care and the hospitals.

I go around.

For the N-VA, every nurse, from all sectors, counts. I hope that you have come to an understanding today and will fully support our amendment, so that additional funds will also go to the healthcare sector in the rest and care homes.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, the nurse staff has been suffering, and for too long. The number of sick workers explodes and dismissals, burn-outs and vacancies aggravate the phenomenon of pressure on the staff in place who can no longer lift their feet. Mal-treated caregivers cannot be permanently well-treated caregivers.

It comes to us from the ground that nurses and nurses must constantly adapt to technological, socioeconomic or political changes. For example, home hospitalization or limiting the duration of stay requires resources on the ground. While public authorities have a fundamental responsibility to implement policies to improve the health of citizens, they also have a responsibility to provide means to implement them.

Faced with this urgency, there was this vote in the plenary session to allocate a fund to the benefit of the white shirts. Voting for a fund is one thing, but allocating budgetary resources and finding technical means to benefit them on the ground is another. Since the vote in the plenary session, environmentalists have been actively working on the drafting of the bill, with the valuable assistance of the field and the sector, of which it is necessary to emphasize the effective mobilization. That is why we have proposed from the beginning to go through the Social Maribel. It was essential for us to work efficiently, quickly and above all constructively. From committees to hearings, from meetings in technical working groups, we have reached in three weeks an agreement that seems balanced and which in any case allows to meet the initial goal: to strengthen the presence of arms around the patient, regardless of his status, whether in the hospital or at home.

All nurses and nurses, regardless of their status or sector, should benefit from this fund. We took care of it, as we pledged.

Practically, in 2019, 59 million are planned for the employee staff of private and public hospitals and home care through the Maribel and, as the allocation of funds is based on a local parity agreement, we have the guarantee that they will meet the needs of the field.

The bill also provides for an eight-million-euro envelope for independent home care nurses who provide huge nearby and front-line work. The arrangements for the allocation of funds and the objectives will still need to be refined in a working group.

In any case, we will remain very attentive to the sustainability of this fund in the coming years – starting by 2020 – to the evaluation of its proper functioning in the very short term, i.e. to the actual allocation of resources to the net increase in employment and in the right sectors. We will propose improvements if necessary.

We are indeed pleased to have devoted a significant budget to health because this is an essential area for us. This has a significant impact on public finances. We assume it. The public deficit preceded this measure, and if this issue must be addressed, it cannot be at the expense of essential needs, such as those of white blouses or their patients.

We are also very aware that other social and environmental needs deserve to be addressed. You will need to make savings and gains in efficiency, find new revenues. We are fully prepared to work on this.

Parliament has done an unprecedented work. We reached this agreement because parties agreed to see reality face-to-face and agreed to take their responsibilities and work together. This wasn’t done without voices, but we acted in record time as we promised to do with white shirts.

Let us take this as a constructive exercise that, we hope, can serve as an example in forming a government. Because if we can vote today on the allocation of a White Bluses Fund, there is still no medium- and long-term vision for the sector. There is no real plan for the white sweaters as there is no plan for justice or for the rail, because that is the role of a visionary and courageous majority and government that we call with all our wishes to respond to the economic, ecological and social emergencies we face. Thank you for listening.

Each group is given the word in order of importance. I just said this to the N-VA, which apparently has a second speaker. I will first let all the groups speak and you will choose in which order you will register. Afterwards, as there is no limitation in speech time, the groups have the possibility to enroll a second speaker in the second round. That is the logic I follow.

We are aware of the situation of the healthcare staff that has become unthinkable.

Over the course of the day, nurses, nurses, caregivers do everything they can. They run, provide care, manipulate patients and heavy loads. They accompany the pain of the sick, families and sometimes death. They do not count their hours between the guards and alternating hours. Their working conditions are difficult and this obviously impacts their privacy.

I will allow myself to ask parliamentarians, out of respect for the people who, every day, pay attention to your health, to be at least listening.

Despite all the efforts and the best will, the strength is to find that the situation is catastrophic and that it is the patient who pays. Having to wait long hours to receive care is the daily life of patients who suffer and can no longer.

In this vicious circle, the exasperation of patients insufficiently accompanied, cared for or listened, leads to an aggression that leads to making the task of caregivers, who simply struggle to perform their profession in appropriate conditions, even more complicated.

In the face of this urgency, Parliament has taken on its responsibilities and adopted an additional budget to address the problems of white shirts. Dear colleagues, our responsibility was there, namely to implement this budget in order to be able to concretely improve the working conditions of all the caring staff.

On the basis of the proposals submitted, the PS Group proposed to set up a working group that I had the honour to preside over. After sometimes difficult, but still constructive discussions, we were able to come up with an urgent solution for 2019 that takes into account all the caregivers both in the hospital and at home, both employees and self-employed. This solution resulted in the adoption of amendments to the bill submitted by our colleagues of sp.a.

For the last two months of the year, €67 million will therefore be allocated to improve the use of white shirts, but also their working conditions, taking into account different realities.

Fifty-nine million are allocated to employees through the Maribel Social Fund (public and private), according to an objective distribution taking into account the number of full-time equivalents in 2017. Eight million are reserved for independent nurses and nurses. As the commitment has been made, it will be necessary to define in a clear and precise way, not only the terms of use, but also the conditions of control of the use of these eight million euros.

The key point is that we are not limited to 2009. The commitment was made by all parties to sustain the situation. Thus, 402 million euros will be provided in the various budgets either provisional for 2020 or as part of a budget in case of formation of a government. It is important to emphasize the willingness of all parties to find a solution that is technically appropriate on the budgetary level but also guarantees, in relation to the staff, the sustainability of the system.

As the chairman of this working group, which has led to a concrete solution to turn promises into reality, I would like to thank all the democratic groups that have shown a willingness to move forward in responding to the emergencies of the healthcare personnel.

I would also like to greet all the health care workers to whom we owe a great deal. Through their dedication, courage and professionalism, they provide quality care and allow our country to prioritize patients. I thank you.

The establishment of a health care fund is almost a fact. Just vote and it’s over. This proposal came thanks to the Flemish Interest, and we are of course pleased with that. Especially because the healthcare sector will be involved. In the long run, especially happy because the patient will go along with it.

So far our joy. This should also come from my heart. On October 24, a praiseworthy amendment was adopted here that would ensure that budgets were released for the white rage, les blouses blanches. That amendment was approved because the Vlaams Belang found that a good proposal. Thanks to our votes. Eighteen Flemish Interest Votes were decisive. You would then think: for what belongs something, but apparently not in this House. Therefore, we were not invited to convert the amendment into a bill. Unfortunately, we were allowed to sign it.

So far the democratic content of the self-proclaimed Democrats in this hemisphere. So far, the real concern about the white rage. After all, I can’t get rid of the impression, colleagues, that it’s mainly about what feathers come on which hat, and in the first place to ensure that the feathers don’t come on a Flemish Interest Hood.

As I said, thanks to the Flemish Belang, the healthcare sector will be granted an additional budget in the coming years. That, my colleagues, should be seriously hurt. The Flemish Importance ensures that this proposal is accepted. That is your worst nightmare, I think.

There was no one who said on October 24 that those 18 votes were undemocratic votes. There was no one who said, yes, but we should not hear those voices of that undemocratic party. And well too, my colleagues. But it is good that the democratic rules in Parliament play in crucial moments.

It is also good that imposed rules of political dinosaurs, such as the cordon around the Flemish Interest, do not catch the common sense. It is also good that the Flemish Interest does not play this undemocratic game.

The Flemish Interest judges every bill soberly, based on the content and in the interests of our people, across party boundaries and ideological differences. That and only that is why we can and will approve this proposal today, beyond party boundaries and ideological differences.

Let it then be just another call to evaluate, in the interests of our people, of our citizens – for whom we are all here as people’s representatives – every proposal, from whom or where it comes, soberly and on the basis of content, as the Flemish Interest does and as the Flemish Interest will do in the future, independent of any ideology and in the interests of our people.

The needs in care are high. We all know and recognize this. We all want to do something about it. However, we have a lot of motivated and fantastic nurses and nurses. However, the conclusion remains that we need more hands on the patient’s bed.

Providing a solution to this is not a simple exercise. It is then about recognizing talent in care, the attractiveness of the profession, task shifts to get the right task at the right profile, agile and workable work. In short, it is a whole exercise, an exercise that will become one of the most important issues in the future and that will undoubtedly be pursued.

When we submitted the PVDA amendment and voted on 24 October, we were convinced that this inclusion in the preliminary twelve was not the best tool to address this problem. However, it was approved here. We have therefore immediately fully cooperated to implement those 67 million euros. For us it was important that this happened in a correct and concrete way and also carried out by the sector.

We are therefore pleased with the proposal and the way the 67 million euros will eventually be spent, through the funds of the Social Maribel, which have the expertise but also the structure to get the money quickly and properly on the spot, both in employment and in training.

We can also support the substantive outcome. It is about creating employment or improving working conditions, but also about investing in training so that the necessary profiles are ready to enter those jobs. In addition, it covers both the public and private sector, the home care and also the self-employed nurses.

In short, the working group has prepared a well-behaved proposal that can be taken very quickly to ensure more helping hands at the patient’s bed.

CD&V will therefore fully support this.

Mr. Hedebouw, do you speak for your group? I should have spoken to you earlier. There is no intention of discrimination. Do not worry!

Dear colleagues and colleagues, the moment is important. Today will see the implementation of the PTB amendment aiming at bringing 402 million euros additional to the healthcare sector and the hospital sector.

It is an important moment, first and foremost for all women and men working in the sector. Today they decide what should normally be a wonderful job. After all, it is a job in which you help people heal, in which you give love and positive energy to people at a time in their lives when they need it.

This is really something exceptional.

Dear colleagues, I think especially of all those people who, today, are burn-out in the sector, who are tired and who are asking us to give them additional resources. Everyone has agreed with this for a year. Everyone talks about the need for this industry.

On 18 July, we introduced an amendment that demanded 402 million euros. This fine was rejected. On October 24, we introduced...

Mr. Hedebouw, remember maybe who voted for this amendment on 18 July. It would be useful.

Absolutely at all. Excellent question !

May the answer be just as good!

The PS actually voted for, like the sp.a.

From the colleagues, the comrades of...

You don’t have to be personal.

No, but it can be effectively said. We did not have a majority in favour of this amendment.

On 24 October, this amendment was introduced on 18 July to our initiative passes. What has changed between October 24 and July 18? The struggle, dear comrades! The struggle, the strrijd, the struggle, led by workers in the sector, led by workers concerted by the trade union organizations! You can say it, Marc. They can be cited.

In hospitals, in a sector where it is not easy to strike, because the staff wants to continue to treat despite everything, the pressure has served something. This is the lesson we need to learn today, Mr. President!

The political lesson is that the struggle pays off. The dialectic that existed between the social movement that did not weaken and the pressure that was exercised in Parliament led to the victory. This has not happened often in our history in the last ten years. This is why today’s vote is important. Give hope to the class. To give hope to all these workers! If the white shirt industry has been able to win, the other sectors can also win! This is beautiful!

That the workers in those sectors don’t think that politics is just something of fifteen or twenty professional politicians who just go in a cage to negotiate a new government, no. Come with me in the dance. Join us in the battle. Come with your voice, all the inhabitants of Belgium, the workers from all sectors, public services, private sector, young people. You can make your voice heard. It is the moment, now or never. Traditional parties no longer know which side: left, right, above, below, they no longer know. It is the moment. This is the political balance of what is going to happen today, dear colleagues. It is not just Belgian. Yesterday there was a historic strike in the Netherlands: 119 hospitals in the Netherlands were in strike, three-quarters of workers in the sector were in strike yesterday, for the same demands as in Belgium.

France has experienced a social movement as one has rarely experienced one in the healthcare sector, against the measures of Mr. Macron who wants to privatize it and make workers pay. It is an inspiration. I have received messages, in particular, from French comrades, comrades from the Netherlands, saying that fighting can serve something.

I do not know if you remember the vote on the amendment. I see in fact that everyone is visibly hot for the amendment but, on October 24, it was less hot. Some colleagues, I will not name names, even said that this amendment was a PTB scam that had created false hopes among workers in the sector. (Brouhaha) by

No personal facts on the subject.

No false hopes, because from the beginning we believed in them. Remember the speech. We would find the technical methods. From the moment when politically there was the relationship of forces to go looking for them, we would solve the technical issues. I thank in this regard all the colleagues of the working group and in particular, I welcome the assembly work carried out by Comrade Marc Goblet. All these common battles leave traces.

It was important to meet together to agree to find technical solutions. That is what we did. The PTB welcomes the minister’s very clear commitment. During the next three months, the provisional twelve will provide for the integration of this contribution into the Fund. Of course and Maggie De Block said it from the beginning, we will not hire workers and then dismiss them in two or three months. That would not be a solution. We are talking here about thousands of possible employment with the funds that have been unlocked. There are 4 to 5 thousand additional jobs in the sector. This is important and it is a great victory!

Dear colleagues, I will stop here. With regard to the technical arrangements relating to the management of these funds, we have had discussions and we are pleased, at the PTB, that the wisest solution has been taken, namely to trust the actors in the sector.

It was very important that we had reached an agreement to work through the Maribelfonds. You know that, Mr Bertels. In this way, the sector can decide itself, because in the sector one knows where there are needs in the hospitals and on the ground.

Passing, for the private sector, through the parity commission 330 was crucial. They already have to make such choices. Through the social Maribel, we gave them this power. This also applies to the public sector. We also think of self-employed workers, because it is very difficult for a self-employed nurse to manage to round its ends of month and run to the left and right to provide home care without knowing where to give the head. How many times have we not heard of those independent nurses who are also on the brink of burn-out?

Madame Fonck, it is a pleasure to hear this wind of revolt and resistance in a parliament.

The [...]

Yes, yes, I expected no less of you, Mrs. Fonck. Do not create false hopes. From the beginning, you said that this was impossible, because you could not touch the provisional twelve and that it was populism. and no! This is the serious policy we are practicing here: 402 million euros, this is very important! History is essential, because it is exactly the same dialectic. (The tumble)

They are nervous, Mr. President!

Mrs. Fonck can interrupt you, Mr. Hedebouw.

Better two times than one, Mr. President.

I give him the word.

Mr. Hedebouw, until now I had patiently told myself that I would answer you from the top of the tribune. Every nurse I met, Mr. Hedebouw, said to me, "Ah, we were promised 20,000?! But, Mrs. Fonck, we are soon in December and we have still seen nothing. Nevertheless, we were told that this amendment would settle everything overnight.” – Mr. Hedebouw, 20,000! With 400 million euros, this gives them a bargain of 50%. At that time, you played the pipe to the whole sector. What is incredible is that...

The [...]

Today, the 400 million don’t provide you with 20,000 nurses.

No, at least 5 000.

Yes, yes and 20,000! You have written it in your amendment.

Then, this amendment alone, was wind. We had to work to secure the funds. In addition, you had planned only two months. Therefore, it was also necessary to ensure that by January 1st, nurses would not be out of play. It was therefore important to develop a legal arrangement that allowed to concrete what, at that time – sorry, dear colleague – was just wind.

To promise to a sector, with communication by hand, that there will be 20,000 additional nurses, is not only populism but it is to laugh at nurses who, every day, have a ⁇ difficult journey and an increasing burden!

We have reached a first step here. Mr. Hedebouw, dare to acknowledge that it was necessary to concrete your story, which at first was only a wind, and that it was necessary to tell the truth! The truth is that it is not 20,000 nurses but around – I hope – 8,000 complementary nurses.

Mr. Hedebouw, you were about to conclude, I think. and laughing)

I would like to respond briefly to Ms. Fonck.

I don’t know who you met in the sector who told you it was a pipe. I have to admit that I have had completely different returns. More specifically, I received a lot of testimony from trade union workers at CSC and CNE who asked me the following question: "Raoul, how is it possible that the CDH did not support your amendment that demanded 400 million?" and sincerely!

We do not have to agree on everything. I recently cited the comrades of the PS who, immediately, said that this was a good measure, that as a social party, they would support it. But I can assure you, I didn’t know what to say about the CDH. Today, I thought you would give me an answer, but you don’t give me any element.

The [...]

I think they will come to themselves. I will tell you why. Because they didn’t need this relationship to traditional policies to win their victory. They have been fighting for two or three years to get this refinancing. That is the difference! And you have not yet understood that the social movement is realizing that it can weigh in the political hemisphere, in the political spectacle, that it can weigh in political decisions. This is what you still do not understand, Mrs. Fonck! It was not enough to introduce the amendment; it was already done at the end of July. We knew that an amendment in itself did not make a difference.

And finally!

of course ! I say nothing else! It is incredible. I’ve been trying for two weeks to tell you the difference...

Mr Laououej asks for the floor.

Mr. Speaker, this is not about starting arbitration, but frankly, does this debate not deserve anything other than empty controversy?

In this Parliament, we have succeeded in building a parliamentary majority. A working group was set up with all the parties who, with good will, wanted to reach a solution. This has been achieved through parliamentary work. It deserves more than this controversy. honestly !

Mr Laaouej had the right to interrupt under the Rules. I cannot appreciate either. I had said before that Mr. Hedebouw was about to conclude. It was wrong. There are flies flying around him. If you give me permission to kill them, I will go there.

Do not strike too hard, Mr. President.

Mr. Hedebouw, your speech time was reasonable.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with you.

So I will close by thanking all the colleagues for this constructive work and I will end with this call to the other sectors. Do not hesitate! I know that the situation is difficult in justice, in railways, and in education. Do not let yourself do it! Have confidence in yourself! The struggle pays off. That is today’s lesson. I thank you.

For a little ideological counterweight, I pass the word to Mr. Leysen.

Several weeks ago, the provisional appropriations were approved here in the hemisphere. With an unissued change majority on the eve of a near shutdown, an amendment for an additional budget for nurses was approved. These are currently unusual times. The absence of a new federal government with full powers leads to new rules and unusual alliances.

Almost a full year, there is a budget financed with provisional twelve, while structural interventions are needed. One euro can only be spent once. When more is spent than received, someone will pay the bill, although sometimes we don’t want to know that. If we don’t really know it, then it will be the next generations who will have to pay.

The European Commission’s warning yesterday was therefore quite correct. We need to put things in order as soon as possible and re-manage our budget in a normal way. After all, seeking a new policy space without a government program and budget management can and should not be the habit.

That said, we respect and execute Parliament’s decisions. We also understand the needs of the sector.

I thank Marc Goblet for leading this working group. I’ve learned that when the cameras aren’t there, it’s sometimes more animated, but you get results. We came to a solution in which colleague Jan Bertels also played a very important role.

We have found a destination and a method of application for those resources. Minister De Block has already provided substantial resources in recent years to consolidate the social agreement in care. These funds will contribute to this.

At the proposal of colleague Bertels, who gave a good start through the system of the Social Maribel, we have found a solution for a large part. The commitment and importance of the nurses are known to us. We also know the need for more hands. Everyone knows someone who is a nurse and we’ve probably all appealed to their good care at some point.

However, it is important that we take into account not only the nurses in the hospitals, but also the numerous nurses active in home care. I have a family there myself and I have seen my father use it very valuably during his last five difficult years of life. The care in the home environment cannot be underestimated. There are about 15,000 people working full-time and 11,000 people working part-time. Thanks to the colleague who found the rule-Fonck, we have decided that of the 67 million 8 million should be spent on the people in the home care sector. All hands on the bed are equally important and equal, in the hospital and the home situation, in wage and as self-employed.

The amount we draw out here is important but of course does not solve all problems. In business, it is said that management by declaration does not work, but that one must have management by implementation. Now that we are taking this important step, we must make sure that there is a correct application in every domain. This should not just lead to more employment, one must meet the demands in the sector. There is still work in the store.

We found a compromise here that is important, knowing that home nursing will become even more important in the future. Technically complex interventions will likely move to home nursing in the long run. Certain acts could be delegated. We must see this in a broad framework.

It is clear that every policy level must take its responsibility. Therefore, we will not support the amendment that wants to further fund the regional powers with federal funds.

It is difficult to make too big claims for the future, but during the work we have heard from the Minister of Budget that he will also bring those figures in the preliminary twelve for the first quarter. The next government with full powers must create the framework and allocate the resources available to the government.

The agreement reached provides a meaningful impulse, but it is not a blanco cheque. What brings forward is a balanced compromise, which has been reached with a great sense of responsibility from everyone. I also look at the colleagues of Ecolo, who have contributed to this. This is not a political statement from which you should draw other conclusions, but our group would be happy to give its approval to this proposal.

Ms. Taquin spoke as a rapporteur, and she will now speak on behalf of her group.

We amended and voted yesterday in the Health Committee the proposal of law of colleague Bertels.

The text presented today constitutes, in our view, the necessary legal basis for concrete response to the urgent concerns expressed by nurses throughout our country. It is a collective work that was accomplished, in concertation – whoever would have believed it –, with rapidity but without precipitation. In this regard, allow me to thank the Ministers of Budget, Social Affairs, Health, and Employment for the valuable technical support provided by their offices.

I am not going back to the details of the proposal – this has just been done – but I would like to remind here, however, of some elements that we find fundamental. Thro ⁇ our meetings with the various political groups, we have pledged for serious, methodical and effective work. Indeed, we have always insisted on the need to be constructive and responsible, and to have – which was essential for us – an informed view of the needs of the sector.

It is in this perspective that we wanted to organize hearings in order to know precisely the urgent needs of this sector and to respond to them as appropriately as possible. With the help of experts and experts, this has been done. And this allowed to raise a corner of the veil on the complex implementation of such a measure.

Furthermore, we also pledged – supported by our colleagues from the Open Vld, and I welcome colleague Leysen by the way – that all nurses and nurses can benefit from this support, and therefore that nurses and independent nurses also benefit from the measure. A nurse is equal to a nurse. A nurse is a nurse.

It was by insisting on this key point for the Reform Movement that the following decision was achieved: out of the €67 million planned for 2019, €8 million returned to independent nurses. During the preparatory work, we found that this sector was not affected. These self-employed people actually generally remain in the shadow of the social debate around the caring staff, and that was a shame.

For us, they could not be forgotten. All nursing care providers should be taken into account, whether they are employed or independent. These represent ⁇ 22,000 people who work every day at the patient’s home. We have already been able to objectivize the real needs and define their priorities in the use of this fund.

We all know that this is a first step. For 2020, a comprehensive work must be done to engage additional personnel, for the working conditions of these care providers and to strengthen the attractiveness of this profession today in shortage. This will impose collective work not only at the federal level, but also within federal entities.

Keep in mind that through this work, we have ⁇ all become aware, and I really wish, that the “only to” do not exist. There are constraints, but these constraints, we can overcome them while being reasonable, working together in all legality and respecting the rules imposed.

We, of course, support this proposal.

Mr. Speaker, I hope to make a constructive contribution in the same way as I tried to contribute constructively to a solution for the implementation of the Healthcare Personnel Fund.

We all agree that there is a need for additional staff in the healthcare sector. More hands on the bed, more hands around the bed, we have heard enough with those who were present at the hearings. It is a widespread need and it is good and necessary that a beginning of response to this is given.

The SP has been a requesting party in this matter for some time. We are also asking party for next steps in this regard. We will know this discussion. And yes, we are also requesting party for all healthcare sectors, according to the applicable jurisdiction rules in this country. The Flemish government must assume its responsibility for the Flemish housing and care centres. If the N-VA in the Flemish Parliament wants to honor our pending proposals regarding the staff for the housing and care centers, yes, then we are the requesting party. You just have to look for a moment: the proposals were hanging there, are hanging and will remain. We can approve it in the Flemish Parliament.

Second, today we vote on the concrete implementation of the additional funds for the healthcare sector in our federal budget. I am happy and a little proud, maybe even a little vain, that I have been able to be at the base of a hopefully broadly carried and later unanimously approved proposal.

We have come to a proposal for the use of €67 million in additional resources for 2019. The technique of the Maribelfonds does not allow the resources of 2019 to be lost. The already existing technique of the Maribelfonds should lead to a concrete improvement in the field. This concrete improvement can and should be expected from us by our inhabitants, our population, and the healthcare and nursing staff, nurses and support staff. Not words, but actions.

Not only words, but also actions, dear colleagues, that is why I went into politics. Acting for a caring and solidary society is my political motto.

I want to develop solutions that are sensible to our citizens, those in need of care, and the healthcare providers, the whole healthcare staff. I am therefore satisfied, or content as they say in our region, that there was cooperation across party boundaries.

I also hope that we can continue this constructive cooperation. After all, the exercise is not finished. We still need to find a concrete implementation – that will succeed, even where there are possibilities – for the resources provided for self-employed nursing personnel. We also need to look at how we can sustain the resources for 2020.

I am therefore pleased that the Government has undertaken in ongoing matters to provide the necessary resources in the first plate of provisional twelve for 2020, if such plate will be needed. I also noted the implicit commitment of all the parties involved in the working group to provide sustainable resources in the next government’s program, regardless of its composition. This will continue to be followed by the SP.

I would like to end with a positive note.

After all, positive, solution-oriented policy is what we need and is also what citizens demand from us. We have found good spending opportunities to spend the extra money for 2019. The social partners in the Maribelfonds have this experience: they know how it works and what the needs are on the ground. Employers and workers’ organisations have all indicated that they are ready to participate effectively in this and to use the resources properly for the recruitment of nurses and nurses – also to find them, there are opportunities – for the strengthening of employment throughout the healthcare chain, for the improvement of working conditions, for training for nurses and so on. They can do it. After all, it is the intention of the sp.a – we are all for that – that the healthcare sector can dedicate itself to what it can best and what it is already trying to do day after day as well as possible: provide care.

I would like to thank you, colleagues, for sending this important signal to the healthcare sector. They deserve the support of us all. And yes, it is always a good time to provide that support, but today it is something more, because coincidentally today in Flanders starts the campaign for the Day of Care 2020. The theme of the Day of Care 2020 is Care works. Colleagues, let’s make sure that the healthcare sector can work better, with more hands around the bed.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, my concern about the situation of the white shirts and the pressure that weighs on their shoulders is not from today. This pressure has only increased in recent years due to the much faster rotation of patients to the hospital, their premature exit leading to greater weight at home, their greater dependence, the patients being often older, isolated and carrying multiple diseases.

Talking about a White Blus Fund, improving working conditions or engaging complementary nurses should not make us forget that the first priority is the quality of patient care. However, having nurses, sufficient care personnel, is also what allows to improve the quality of patient care. It is known that the risk of mortality or complications is less significant when sufficient care personnel are present.

We had to do a serious job to not just pretend. It was necessary to translate and concrete in texts the advances for the white blouses. It was especially important for us not to work only on the case of hospital nurses, as some had planned from the beginning, but to include home nurses, whether they are employed or self-employed. It was also crucial for us to have sufficiently clear guarantees so that there were more caregivers in the patient bed. Therefore, it was not only the involvement of administrative personnel.

It was about improving the quality of working conditions, obtaining a structural commitment and not only over the last two months of 2019, not recycling budgets from other health departments. Finally, it was about ensuring that all the costs were covered, otherwise it was to transfer a part of the burden to hospitals that we know – Belfius’ MAHA study recently released – that their financial situation is ⁇ fragile.

Dear colleagues, the work is not finished, in the first place because the political agreement includes two complementary commitments that will need to be implemented.

First commitment, as long as the current affairs continue, the budget will have to be ⁇ ined through the provisional appropriations. In this regard, there is a commitment regarding an amount of €100.5 million for the first three months of 2020, to be repeated if, subsequently, a new government is not yet in place.

The second political commitment foresees, when the government is in place, a perpetuation of this envelope both for home care, but also for hospital care. Several actors – I congratulate all the actors who were heard during the hearings – have pledged that this be done, for hospitals, through the budget of the financial means of the hospitals.

Then the work is not finished either because the pressure is equally important in the rest home sector, but also in the facilities for people with disabilities. In this regard, I can only call on the Regions to issue a budget that will be allocated, why not, through a Maribel Fund or, in any case, to strengthen funding allowing the engagement of additional nurses in rest homes, rest and care homes and institutions for people with disabilities.

I hear some parties advocate that this Fund should also integrate the institutions now dependent on the Regions.

To do this, it is directly diluting the existing budget significantly. I made a quick calculation myself. This would allow to hire only a few nurses per hospital. This would clearly be pretending compared to the commitment to improve working conditions and decrease the pressure on the shoulders of white sweaters. Yes, very clearly, the Regions must be able as soon as possible to raise additional resources and invest to reduce the pressure on the white bluses of these different sectors.

The work is not finished either, because it is a job in shortage. It is not for nothing that many nurses leave their jobs early, even though they have an experience that they could continue to value. It is also not for nothing that it is observed that there is in nursing schools a sometimes significant decrease (up to 50%) of young people who engage in these studies. This means that the Regions and Communities must work to improve and increase the attractiveness of the business.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the work is not finished either because, as regards federal powers, whether at the level of hospitals or home, a whole series of provisions will need to be revised. For example, the list of home nursing acts has not been updated for years by INAMI. Some aspects such as displacement or partial indexation of funding must be taken into account, as well as the actual number of nurses within hospitals but also the recognition of the training of all these nurses, including their specialization.

I will end by reminding you that being caring – and I’m not just saying it personally, I’m also saying it on behalf of all those who engage in daily life – is not just a profession.

Being caring is first and foremost a full and complete commitment on the professional level, on the personal level. It is a dedication beyond what one can imagine. A dedication in terms of time, a dedication to patients, a full and complete dedication, I repeat! For this reason, I would like to be able, through this vote, which I hope unanimously, to greet and support all our caregivers and what they do on a daily basis for patients.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, we are, of course, also very happy for the white shirts. There is no doubt that they deserve this investment. As such, we should thank the colleagues who worked in the technical groups to concrete this support. However, I think the nursing sector would have deserved even better. Their revaluation should have taken place in a normal budget, decided by a full-time government.

Even if we will obviously vote in favour of the creation of this fund, I cannot hide a little hassle or even a slight discomfort from you. We can turn it as we want, dear colleagues, but we will distribute resources without actually creating them. And we do so for the benefit of a sector that is cruelly in need, but without taking into account the other legitimate suffering in this country. What are we going to say to others tomorrow? What will we say tomorrow to the retirees, who are unable to tie the two ends? What will we say tomorrow to the justice sector, which is in a half-disastrous situation? What will we say tomorrow to the police, civil protection and everyone else?

There is a philosopher named Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In a book that Mr. Hedebouw has probably read – Of the Social Contract – he explains the difference that is necessary to operate between the particular wills and the general will. The latter is not the addition of the former, but their harmonization. This requires choices, arbitration and a general framework that allows, for example, refinancing healthcare not to be the result of a parliamentary one shot in times of ordinary affairs, but the result of a work that reconciles the interests of all. So, of course, it’s a little less easy, but it’s the only right way to govern. To govern is not to satisfy one or more particular needs, even the most legitimate; it is also to satisfy the general interest.

We will vote for this fund. However, if we continue this way, dear colleagues – even with the best and purest intentions – we will soon spend our time here having to weigh and confront needs and suffering without any other direction and vision than those of one emergency chasing another. That is why I will finish by making a small call. If we could invest the same energy that we put in the concrete implementation of this amendment to the constitution of a full-fledged government, which will not only allow to meet all these needs and all these suffering, but also to do so within the framework of the general interest, then I think that everything will become possible.

In the second round, Ms. Depoorter will now have the word. Ms Creemers will conclude the debate. Last but not least.

Colleagues, I had to wait a long time, but it was interesting to listen to everything. We will immediately vote on the 67 million amendment. You have just taken us back to October 24th, colleague Hedebouw. You talked about 402 million. The amendment amounted to 67 million. You count pretty quickly.

The [...]

Yes, you said that.

The N-VA will absolutely support the amendment, because we recognize and emphasize the needs in care. However, please allow me to point out, colleagues, that this case has taken a special course. First you decided to spend money and only then to what. That is a little special. The demand for funds in health care – my colleague Van Camp has just confirmed it – is there. We want affordable and good care for our patients.

We worked very well together in the working group. It is absolutely so, and for that I thank you all. I just listened well. Green and MR have emphasized that every nurse is equal. Every nurse takes on very valuable tasks for our patients. Every patient is equal.

I therefore invite you, colleagues, to approve the amendment of colleague Van Camp. It is coming. Then we will effectively help every nurse and every patient. The funds can therefore be distributed to the care in the residential care centers. Colleague Fonck has said that it will be a much too small particle. It would only be a number of nurses per hospital. However, I am absolutely convinced that people will be very satisfied, even if we can finance only one nurse extra in a residential care center. Patients will also be treated very well at that time. This is a warm invitation. You can still agree with this.

What colleague Bertels said about the Flemish government, which, of course, also applies to care. If you have read the Flemish government agreement, you know that there are 9 million extra reserved for the RVTs, so that is Flemish concern.

Colleagues, I have repeatedly asked in the working group how those funds in care will be paid. I am very pleased that we have kept the discussion on 2019 and 2020 separate.

The funds for 2019 were approved, we have fully taken part in it, and the funds for 2020 have been provided. However, we need to see how we will pay them. No one has given me an answer to this. How will you pay them? You do not answer me, because you have no answer.

We discussed this in the committee. Mr. Hedebouw, you said that our group chairman called you Sinterklaas and said that you are doing sinterklaas policy. If I listen to you now, and you also call on other sectors to ask for more and more resources, then you will also need the Easter and Santa. They will all have to reach out to the people who work, save, and undertake to raise the funds for these extra burdens. N-VA has said from the beginning, and it is also well-noted in the report, "no additional burden".

Additional resources for care, absolutely, but then we will work with quality indicators and with health goals. In this way, we will shift things in healthcare so that our patients receive optimal care.

Those burn-outs should not occur in other sectors, where those who pay all those taxes, because even then we have a problem. It is our all intention to ensure that our patients are properly cared for, that our nurses and nurses can do their work well in a pleasant atmosphere, that they get opportunities and that they stay, because that is where we must go. We have enough nurses. When we look at the RIZIV figures on the diplomas, we find that enough people have been trained as nurses. Only the very big problem is that they do not end up in the hospitals and do not stay in the residential care centers. The RIZIV has indeed indicated that problem. Just those residential care centers that you do not want to finance have the greatest competition and know the greatest flow of nurses to the hospitals.

For us, the answer is absolutely yes. There should be more hands on a bed and more hands for care.

Mrs Depoorter, Mr Bertels asks for the word for a brief interruption of your speech.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Depoorter, I want to say two sentences.

First, you cite a senior official from the hearing, which you also attended. Your colleague was not present, but you did. However, you need to quote it in full. At the hearing, all sectors have pledged against the fragmentation of the resources.

Second, the same senior official you cite has literally noted that – you just have to read it in the report – the transfer of funding from the federal level to the states, as you want to fix, is unconstitutional. I will only quote what he said during the hearing.

Mr. Bertels, I will bring you back to the working group in which you removed some subsectors from the Social Maribel, in order not to have to finance in the residential care centers.

The senior official I have quoted is not the one you name. This is the case for Mr Hermesse during the RIZIV hearing. Just is right.

I agree with the point of de-federalization.

I thought you were talking about defederalization. I thought I had found a partner.

Refédéraliser is only one letter difference.

That is only news.

Mr. Speaker, briefly, I would like to say that I am very interested in the speech held here by the N-VA. You are explaining that you want, with federal money, to finance the regionalized holiday homes. I am pleased to see a turn.

Basically, you join us in the sense of wanting to refederalize certain skills. You will see, we will be able to find an agreement to refederalize and we will be able to find a mass for, in addition to the hospitals and the home, to allow to finance the white blouses in the rest homes.

Ms. Fonck, I have said it once in a debate: then the Flammers will not be allowed to get sick for ten years. Honour that hospital networks are a fact, which will take a long time. Please continue with the discussion. If you want to confederate, or even more federalize, we are your partner. I just said this to Minister De Block, and I repeat it. What we do ourselves, we do better. Give us the resources. A Flemish public health, we are absolutely in favor of that.

I will conclude with a positive note. We have a good deal for care. It is very unfortunate that the people in the residential care centers have not been involved, but for all those patients, for all those nurses, I find it a very positive story.

67 million euros will be invested in care for those who care. 67 million euros extra for our nurses, in the hospitals, but also in the home care. That was highly necessary. Because our nurses sit on their gums. They run their legs from under the body. On average, they take care of more patients than their colleagues in the countries around us.

Therefore, it was more than necessary to invest in the well-being of those nurses. The money now goes to more recruitment so that we can make the teams stronger. Strong nursing teams will ensure that our nurses can record their much-needed holiday days. They will ensure that they can be replaced if they want to attend training. Strong teams, the necessary rest, the necessary further training, we are convinced that all this contributes to sustainable and healthy careers. That is what we all need. Especially those who care about us all.

Distributing 67 million euros properly and legally, was not so simple. This has been worked very hard in Parliament in the last few weeks. I am especially proud that I, together with my colleague from Ecolo, have been able to contribute to this. Working quickly, efficiently and across party boundaries can indeed be done, even in Parliament.

Let me conclude with the call not to leave it here. These €67 million are a provisional and temporary measure. Please make sure that we will continue to invest in the white sector in 2020, also with the next budget, also with the next government agreement. Taking care of those who take care of us benefits us all. This is actually investing in all of us.