For Minister Ben Weyts (N-VA), the response must go through the parents, not only via incentives, but also via sanctions. “We must think about ways to intervene when parents manifestly flee their parental responsibility, for example by intervening on the ‘Groeipakket’ (the old family allowances and other support for schooling, editor’s note) or in government bonuses”, according to the Flemish nationalist.
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Partners of the N-VA in the government, the CD&V and the Open Vld stood up against this idea. For the Minister of Youth Benjamin Dalle (CD&V), any sanction in the learning of Dutch would be harmful to the interests of the child. On the contrary, it is necessary to encourage, for example via the leisure offer. The minister in charge of family allowances, Hilde Crevits (CD&V), also considers that sanctioning parents on this post will only accentuate the fragility of the family.
The Open Vld promotes the freedom to speak the language you want at home. “There is no question of a society which imposes fines on mothers and fathers who speak with their children a language which would not suit an authority. Dutch is important, freedom too”, reacted Flemish MP Gwendolyn Rutten.
In opposition, strong criticism came from Groen, Vooruit and the PTB, while the Vlaams Belang (extreme right) supported Minister N-VA and urged him to go even further.