Parliamentary questions about the state of the notary profession

Is there sufficient oversight of the notarial profession, and what are the consequences of market forces on the profession? Michiel van Nispen (SP) would like to see these and other questions about the notarial profession answered by the Minister for Legal Protection, Sander Dekker.

Van Nispen's parliamentary questions stem from an article in the WPNR newspaper, in which former notary Guus Rieter critically examines the current notarial profession. The Socialist Party member wants to know, among other things, whether it is true that statutory supervision of the notarial profession lies exclusively with the Financial Supervision Office (BFT) and that the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries (KNB) only contributes to quality assurance through peer reviews. He also wants to know whether these peer reviews are conducted a maximum of once every three years for one day and how many full-time equivalents the BFT has available for the inspection of notary offices.

Pels Rijcken
In light of the fraud committed by notary Frank Oranje at Pels Rijcken, Van Nispen wants to know from the minister how this could have escaped the attention of the Financial Supervision and Enforcement Agency (BFT) for so many years. He also questions why the public is not allowed to know which notary offices are under enhanced financial supervision.

Market forces
Finally, Van Nispen also raises some questions about the market forces within the notarial profession. He wants to know from Dekker whether the notary has become too expensive for those with limited financial resources and whether it isn't time to evaluate the Notary Act (Wna). He therefore advocates for a thorough investigation into the state of the notarial profession.