It is now very likely the legal age for buying wine and beer in the Netherlands will rise from 16 to 18, possibly even ahead of the September general election.
In 2011, parents took children out of school illegally 6,500 times, a rise of
10% on 2010. Van Bijsterveldt wants to stop this by ensuring parents know when
they can and cannot remove children from school.
Parents can be find €4,000 for keeping children away from school outside the
school holidays without the permission of the head teacher.