- Ministry of General Affairs (Netherlands)
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Netherlands 
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The Dutch Ministry of General Affairs ("Ministerie van Algemene Zaken") is the ministry headed by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands (currently Mark Rutte). It is comparable to the Chancellery of the Chancellor of Germany, British Cabinet Office, and (at a stretch) the American Executive Office of the President, although its designation as "ministry" emphasises the role of Prime Minister of the Netherlands as primus inter pares among the ministers of the Dutch government.
The Ministry of General Affairs was instituted in 1947. Since that year every prime minister of the Netherlands has held the post. Between 1959 and 1963 there was a state secretary added to the ministry.
The ministry has three responsibilities: namely coordination of government policy, the Dutch Royal House and government communication on the Royal house and government policy. The ministry also houses the secretariat of the Cabinet of the Netherlands. The main office of the ministry is located in the Binnenhof, the political centre of the Netherlands. With only about 400 employees this ministry is by far the smallest ministry in the Netherlands.
The most important divisions of the Ministry of General Affairs are:
- The Office of the Prime Minister ("Het Kabinet van de Minister-President").
- The Netherlands Government Information Service ("Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst" or "RVD").
The following are also part of the Ministry, but operate relatively independent of the Prime Minister:
- The Scientific Council for Government Policy ("Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid" or "WRR").
- The Commission of Dutch Intelligence Services ("Commissie van Toezicht op de Inlichtingen en Veiligheidsdiensten").
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Structure and process StructureGovernmentMinisters, including Ministers without Portfolio, chaired by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and one or more Deputy Prime Minister of the NetherlandsMinisters, including Ministers without Portfolio and State SecretariesProcessCurrent ministries Cabinets Schimmelpenninck • De Kempenaer-Donker Curtius • Thorbecke I • Van Hall-Donker Curtius • Van der Brugghen • Rochussen • Van Hall-Van Heemstra • Van Zuylen van Nijevelt-Van Heemstra •Thorbecke II • Fransen van de Putte •Van Zuylen van Nijevelt • Van Bosse-Fock • Thorbecke III • De Vries-Fransen van de Putte • Heemskerk-Van Lynden van Sandenburg • Kappeyne van de Coppello • Van Lynden van Sandenburg • Heemskerk Azn. • Mackay • Van Tienhoven • Röell • Pierson • Kuyper • De Meester • Heemskerk • Cort van der Linden • Ruijs de Beerenbrouck I • Ruijs de Beerenbrouck II • Colijn I • De Geer I • Ruijs de Beerenbrouck III • Colijn II • Colijn III • Colijn IV • Colijn V • De Geer II • Gerbrandy I • Gerbrandy II • Gerbrandy III • Schermerhorn-Drees • Beel I • Drees-Van Schaik • Drees I • Drees II • Drees III • Beel II • De Quay • Marijnen • Cals • Zijlstra • De Jong • Biesheuvel I • Biesheuvel II • Den Uyl • Van Agt I • Van Agt II • Van Agt III • Lubbers I • Lubbers II • Lubbers III • Kok I • Kok II • Balkenende I • Balkenende II • Balkenende III • Balkenende IV • RutteCategories:- Dutch ministries
- Information ministries
- Ministries established in 1947
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