1. At the request of the Board, Our Minister whom it concerns may appoint one or more experts coming under him, who with due observance of the directions given by or on behalf of the Board assist the Board in the execution of an investigation to be further specified.

2. For the investigation into an incident as referred to in Article 4, third paragraph, assistance shall only be rendered by experts appointed by virtue of the first paragraph, to whom pursuant to the Security Clearances Act a certificate has been issued that there are no objections against the performance of a confidential function for reasons of state security or other vital interests of the state, except for cases in which Our Minister of Defence should decide otherwise.

3. Our Minister or Our Minister of Justice respectively, may determine that assistance for the investigation into another incident than referred to in the second paragraph, shall only be rendered by experts, appointed by virtue of the first paragraph, to whom a certificate as referred to in the second paragraph has been issued.

4. The experts appointed by virtue of the first paragraph will be attached to the Office for the duration of the investigation.

5. The experts appointed by virtue of the first paragraph shall fall under the responsibility of the Board during the execution of the investigation in question.

1. The members sitting on the Board are not bound by a mandate.

2. A member of the Board shall refrain from participating in dealing with an investigation that:

a. concerns himself or one of his relatives by blood or affinity up to the fourth degree;

b. concerns an institution or legal person at which he is employed or in which he has an interest;

c. concerns an incident in which he has been involved in any manner whatsoever.

3. The members of the Board shall disclose any functions other than their membership of the Board by making a specification of these other functions, available for inspection by the Board and Our Minister.

1. An employee of the Office, as well as an expert appointed by virtue of Article 14, first paragraph, shall inform the chairman without delay that the investigation:

a. concerns himself or one of his relatives by blood or affinity up to the fourth degree;

b. concerns an institution or legal person at which he is employed or in which he has an interest;

c. concerns an incident in which he has been involved in any manner whatsoever. The Board shall decide whether he will have to refrain from participation for that reason.

2. For the application of the first paragraph the general secretary is considered an employee of the Office.

3. If the Board should request it by virtue of the first paragraph, Our Minister whom it concerns will replace one or more of the experts in the investigation concerned, who have been appointed by virtue of Article 14, first paragraph.

1. Within half a year after having been instituted the Board shall draw up management regulations, subject to the approval of Our Minister.

2. The approval may be withheld on the ground that in the opinion of Our Minister these management regulations could obstruct a proper performance of the tasks of the Board.

 The legal person Safety Investigation Board shall be represented in and out of court by the chairman of the Board and in his absence by the deputy chairman of the Board.

1. The revenue of the legal person Safety Investigation Board consists of an annual contribution at the expense of the budget for the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

2. If special circumstances should require it, additional funds may be put at the disposal of the Board.

1. Before 1 November the Board draws up a budget for the next financial year, as well as a financial multiannual policy plan.

2. The budget shall include an estimate of the revenues and charges, an estimate of the intended investment expenses and an estimate of income and expenditure.

3. Each of the budget headings shall be accompanied by a separate explanation.

4. Each explanation shall make clear whether the budget heading refers to the performance of the tasks assigned to the Board or to other activities.

5. Unless the activities to which the budget refers have not been performed before, the budget shall contain a comparison with the budget of the current year and the last adopted annual account.

6. The decision to adopt the budget and the financial multiannual policy plan require the approval of Our Minister.

7. The approval may be withheld on account of being in conflict with the law or the public interest.

 If in the course of the year considerable differences should arise or threaten to arise between the actual and the estimated revenues and charges or income and expenditure, the Board shall inform Our Minister of this fact without delay, stating the reasons of the differences.

1. The Board forms an equalisation reserve.

2. The maximum amount of the equalisation reserve will be fixed by ministerial regulation.

3. The difference between the realised revenues of the Board and the realised charges of the activities shall be for the benefit or at the expense of respectively, of the equalisation reserve.

4. The interest received from the equalisation reserve shall be added to the equalisation reserve.

1. Every year before 1 July the Board shall present the annual accounts to Our Minister.

2. The decision to adopt the annual accounts requires the approval of Our Minister.

3. The approval may be withheld on account of being in conflict with the law or the public interest.

1. The annual accounts, in which the financial management and the performance during the expired financial year are accounted for, shall be drawn up as much as possible by application mutatis mutandis of the provisions in title 9 of Book 2 of the Netherlands Civil Code.

2. The annual accounts shall be accompanied by a certificate of truthfulness issued by an accountant as referred to in Article 393, first paragraph, Book 2 of the Netherlands Civil Code. In appointing the accountant the Board shall stipulate that, if requested. Our Minister will be allowed inspection of the auditing work executed by the accountant.

3. The certificate referred to in the second paragraph also refers to the lawful collection and spending of funds by the Board.

4. The accountant shall also add a report of his findings to the certificate referred to in the second paragraph, with respect to the question if the management and the organisation of the Board meet the requirements of efficiency.

5. The Board shall make the annual accounts and the certificate referred to in the second paragraph generally available.

1. Annually before 1 July the Board shall draw up a report of its activities, the policy conducted during the past calendar year in general and the efficiency and expediency of its work in particular.

2. The annual report shall at any rate include a review of the incidents investigated, the conclusions concerning these incidents in the reports and, if necessary, the recommendations in connection with them. The annual report shall also include the investigation programme of the Board.

3. The annual report shall be sent to Our Ministers, to both Chambers of the States General, to the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles and the Parliament of Aruba and be made generally available.

1. If requested, the Board shall provide Our Minister with all the information required for his task. Our Minister may demand inspection of all the relevant data and documents, in so far as reasonably necessary for the performance of his task. The provisions in the preceding two sentences do. not refer to information, relevant data and documents concerning the contents of and approach to concrete investigations of the Board.

2. Our Minister shall provide the Board with all the information required by it for the performance of its task.

3. Our Minister shall draw up an Information Charter. The Information Charter will contain regulations as regards contents and procedure with respect to the communication between Our Minister and the Board, which is necessary for a proper implementation of this Kingdom Act.

 By ministerial regulation further rules may be laid down concerning the organisation of the draft budget, the financial multiannual policy plan, the auditing and the annual report.

　

1. By a Kingdom Order in Council or an Order in Council persons or authorities may be appointed who/which are obliged to report incidents, to be further specified upon such appointment, In addition, further regulations may be laid down as regards the reporting.

2. It may be stipulated by a Kingdom Order in Council or an Order in Council that the Board shall pass such reports on to Our Minister whom it concerns.

 By ministerial regulation rules shall be laid down with respect to the reporting by the Netherlands of incidents, to be further specified, and the supply of other information to a foreign state or an international organisation.

　

1. The mayor, the lieutenant governor of one of the island territories of the Netherlands Antilles, Our Minister who has the public order of Aruba in his portfolio, or, if it concerns a drilling platform, the Inspector General of Mining, will be authorised to take measures to the effect that the situation on the scene of an incident is not changed. As regards areas and ships under the management of Our Minister of Defence, Our Minister of Defence shall be entitled to this authority.

2. It may be stipulated by a Kingdom Order in Council or an Order in Council that, in the cases to be specified, measures as referred to in the first paragraph are taken.

1. It may be stipulated by or pursuant to a Kingdom Order in Council or an Order in Council that, in the cases to be specified, the objects directly involved in an incident, apart from certain exceptions to be further specified, shall continue to be or be rendered available for the Board for the duration of the investigation or so much shorter or longer as the chairman of the Board considers necessary.

2. In the application of the first paragraph it may be stipulated that no-one shall be allowed to remove or otherwise withdraw from the investigation any objects involved in the incident without being authorised to do so.

3. By or pursuant to a Kingdom Order in Council or an Order in Council further rules may be laid down with respect to the provisions in the first paragraph and with respect to returning the objects concerned.

4. By or pursuant to a Kingdom Order in Council or an Order in Council rules may be laid down with respect to assistance to be rendered by the authorities in making the objects referred to in the first paragraph available again.

　

 The stipulations with respect to the investigators in or pursuant to Articles 33 through 40 and Article 69, fourth paragraph, shall also apply to the members of the Board, the employees of the Office, in so far as they have been appointed investigators, and the experts appointed by virtue of Article 14, first paragraph.

1. In the performance of his task an investigator shall carry an identity card, issued by the Board.

2. If requested, an investigator shall immediately produce his identity card.

3. The identity card shall include a photograph of the investigator and at any rate state his name and capacity.

 An investigator shall only avail himself of his powers in so far as this is reasonably required for the performance of his task.

 By ministerial regulation further rules may be laid down for the exercise of the powers that an investigator is entitled to.

1. An investigator is authorised to enter any location and bring along the necessary equipment, including the living quarters of a ship. A dwelling that is not aboard a ship can only be entered with the consent of the resident.

2. If necessary, he may effect entry with the assistance of the police.

3. He is authorised to be accompanied by persons whom he has appointed for this purpose.

4. As regards areas and ships in use with Our Minister of Defence the powers referred to in the first and third paragraphs shall be exercised in agreement with Our Minister of Defence.

 An investigator is authorised to demand information.

1. An investigator is authorised to demand inspection of relevant data and documents.

2. He is authorised to make copies of data and documents.

3. If the copies cannot be made in loco, he will be authorised to take the data and documents with him for that purpose for a short period of time against submission of written proof.

1. An investigator is authorised to investigate objects, to inspect them and to take samples of them.

2. He is authorised to open packaging for that purpose.

3. If the investigation, inspection or the taking of samples cannot take place in loco, he will be authorised to take the objects with him for that purpose for a short period of time against submission of written proof.

4. The samples taken will be returned in so far as possible.

1. Everyone shall be obliged to render an investigator all the assistance and information that he may reasonably demand in the exercise of his powers within the term he may reasonably stipulate.

2. When assistance is rendered by themselves or by persons coming under them, Our Minister, Our Minister of Defence and Our Minister of Justice may indicate that the information in question is supplied to the Board in strict confidence. The confidential supply of information to the Board shall take place by application mutatis mutandis of Article 57. The confidentially supplied information shall not be made public.

3. Those who on account of their office, profession or a statutory provision are obliged to observe confidentiality, may refuse to render assistance in so far as this arises from their obligation of confidentiality. Those to whom a statutory provision applies by which they are bound to confidentiality, except in so far as any other statutory provision obliges them to disclosure or co-operation, may also refuse their assistance if there are serious reasons for it.