During Question Time, Schouten came under heavy fire from the opposition, which is demanding concrete measures now that figures from the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis show that one in ten children is at risk of growing up in poverty. In her response, Schouten indicated that they must wait for Budget Day. Attje Kuiken (PvdA) called this “an empty answer”, while Jesse Klaver described it as “a disgraceful spectacle”. He challenged Schouten to show leadership on this issue.
The discussion was prompted by the fact that on 5 September, an 11-year-old pupil at De Catamaran primary school in Rotterdam became dizzy due to malnutrition. His mother told the parent counsellor: “He isn’t missing. Sorry, but we ran out of money on Friday. We didn’t eat anything all weekend.”