Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Netherlands)

Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport

Coat of arms of the Netherlands

Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
Department overview
Formed September 15, 1951 (1951-09-15)
Jurisdiction Kingdom of the Netherlands
Headquarters Parnassusplein 5, The Hague, Netherlands
Annual budget €76,7 billion (2013)[1]
Minister responsible
Deputy Minister responsible
Website www.government.nl/ministries/vws

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Dutch: Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport; VWS) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for Health, Welfare and Sport. The Ministry was created in 1951 as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and had several name changes before it became the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in 1994. The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, currently Edith Schippers.

Kingdom of the Netherlands
Azure, billetty Or a lion with a coronet Or armed and langued Gules holding in his dexter paw a sword Argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and bound together Or. [The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht.] The shield is crowned with the (Dutch) royal crown and supported by two lions Or armed and langued gules. They stand on a scroll Azure with the text (Or) "Je Maintiendrai" (French for "I will maintain".)
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Responsibilities

The ministry is responsible for three policy areas:

Organisation

The ministry is currently headed by a minister and one State Secretary. The ministry's main office is located in the centre of The Hague. The civil service is headed by a secretary general and a deputy secretary general, who head a system of three directorates general:

The ministry is also responsible for several autonomous agencies, most prominently:

History

There had been a ministry of Social Work since 1952. In 1965 it was also given responsibility for Culture and Recreation and it was named Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Work. Between 1951 and 1973 there had been a Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Care. In 1973 a separate Ministry of Health and the Environment was formed. In 1982 these two ministries merged to form the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Sports. Responsibilities concerning the environment and nature management were given to the newly reorganized Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries. The ministry built a new headquarters in 2003 designed by architect Michael Graves. In 1996 the responsibility for culture was transferred to the newly reorganized Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

List of Ministers of Health, Welfare and Sport

For full list, see Ministers of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands. (in Dutch)

Minister of Social Affairs and Health Term of office Party Prime Minister
(Cabinet)
Dolf Joekes March 15, 1951 –
September 2, 1952		 VDB Willem Drees
(Drees I)
Ko Suurhoff September 2, 1952 –
December 22, 1958		 PvdA Willem Drees
(Drees II • III)
Louis Beel
(ad interim, as
Prime Minister)		 December 22, 1958 –
May 19, 1959		 KVP Louis Beel
(Beel II)
Charles van Rooy May 19, 1959 –
July 3, 1961[Res]		 KVP Jan de Quay
(De Quay)
Victor Marijnen
(ad interim, as
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries)		 July 3, 1961 –
July 17, 1961		 KVP
Gerard Veldkamp July 17, 1961 –
April 5, 1967		 KVP Jan de Quay
(De Quay)
Victor Marijnen
(Marijnen)
Jo Cals
(Cals)
Jelle Zijlstra
(Zijlstra)
Bauke Roolvink April 5, 1967 –
July 6, 1971		 ARP Piet de Jong
(De Jong)
Minister of Health,
the Environment and Hygiene		 Term of office Party Prime Minister
(Cabinet)
Louis Stuyt July 6, 1971 –
May 11, 1973		 KVP Barend Biesheuvel
(Biesheuvel I • II)
Irene Vorrink May 11, 1973 -
December 19, 1977		 PvdA Joop den Uyl
(Den Uyl)
Leendert Ginjaar December 19, 1977 –
September 11, 1981		 VVD Dries van Agt
(Van Agt I)
Til Gardeniers-Berendsen September 11, 1981 –
November 4, 1982		 CDA Dries van Agt
(Van Agt II • III)
Minister of Health,
Welfare and Culture		 Term of office Party Prime Minister
(Cabinet)
Elco Brinkman November 4, 1982 –
November 7, 1989		 CDA Ruud Lubbers
(Lubbers I • II)
Hedy d'Ancona November 7, 1989 –
August 22, 1994		 PvdA Ruud Lubbers
(Lubbers III)
Minister of Health,
Welfare and Sport		 Term of office Party Prime Minister
(Cabinet)
Els Borst
(also Deputy Prime Minister 1998–2002)		 August 22, 1994 –
July 22, 2002		 D66 Wim Kok
(Kok I • II)
Eduard Bomhoff
(also Deputy Prime Minister)		 July 22, 2002 –
October 16, 2002[Res]		 LPF Jan Peter Balkenende
(Balkenende I)
Aart Jan de Geus
(also Minister of Social Affairs and Employment)		 October 16, 2002 –
May 27, 2003		 CDA
Hans Hoogervorst May 27, 2003 –
February 22, 2007		 VVD Jan Peter Balkenende
(Balkenende II • III)
Ab Klink February 22, 2007 –
October 14, 2010		 CDA Jan Peter Balkenende
(Balkenende IV)
Edith Schippers October 14, 2010 – VVD Mark Rutte
(Rutte I • II)
Res. Resigned.

Living former Ministers of Health, Welfare and Sport

Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Term Age
Til Gardeniers-Berendsen 1981-1982 February 18, 1925
Elco Brinkman 1982-1989 February 5, 1948
Hedy d'Ancona 1989-1994 October 1, 1937
Eduard Bomhoff 2002 September 30, 1944
Aart Jan de Geus 2002-2003 July 28, 1955
Hans Hoogervorst 2003-2007 April 19, 1956
Ab Klink 2007-2010 November 2, 1958
Edith Schippers 2010- August 25, 1964

References

  1. ↑ (in Dutch) XVI Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport, Rijksoverheid, September 18, 2012
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