The Dutch Senate, the Dutch House of Representatives, or the two houses of parliament jointly, can decide to initiate a parliamentary inquiry. This is an inquiry for which the law grants them various far-reaching powers. In practice, only the Dutch House of Representatives exercises this right. Parliamentary inquires may also extend beyond the political arena, affecting companies, organisations and individual persons. Apart from a few exceptions, everyone is obliged to cooperate.
The impact of a parliamentary inquiry can be immense. This applies to the persons or legal entities subject to the inquiry and to those who are to provide documents or information. In many cases, enormous numbers of documents must be searched and provided. Hundreds of thousands of documents, emails, etc. may be involved. In addition, the information provided will usually be public after completion of the inquiry. The public hearings under oath also often put great pressure on the persons involved and present major risks.
Thorough preparations right from the start of a parliamentary inquiry are therefore of the essence. Houthoff has a wealth of experience assisting and advising organisations in parliamentary inquiries.
