Dutch Deputy Finance Minister Frans Weekers has confirmed that his department spent 270 million euros on temporary workers in 2009.

His statement followed questions in the Lower House about planned cuts at the Tax Office which could lead to the loss of 5,000 jobs. Labour MP Pierre Heijnen said that the department should first look for savings among temporary staff, rather than firing experienced employees.

The deputy minister told the InOverheid.nl website that it was a requirement of an efficiently run service to be able to hire workers for short periods. The need arises when the workload varies, Mr Weekers said, but also when specific external expertise is needed.

In 2009 the Finance Ministry contracted 3,250 full-time temporary workers. Estimates for 2010 are lower, but still amount to some 2,400 temporary staff, at a cost of 170 million euros.

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