RIVM is part of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Since RIVM is a government body, anyone can submit a request for disclosure of information contained in documents regarding public affairs. The Government Information (Public Access) Act (Wet openbaarheid van bestuur, Wob) sets out how such requests are processed and provides an assessment framework.

Criteria for disclosure requests

A request for disclosure of public information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act does not have to be submitted in any specific format, but it does need to meet the following four criteria:

  • the disclosure request needs to state as precisely as possible which information is being requested;
  • the request must involve information that is recorded in documents, either on paper or in a digital format;
  • the request must deal with information that is in RIVM’s possession;
  • the requested information must involve RIVM policy or the preparation and/or implementation of such policy.

After receiving your disclosure request, we will assess whether we can provide the requested information (provide public access to everyone) based on the Government Information (Public Access) Act.

If it is not clear to RIVM whether a disclosure request meets the criteria, the requesting party will be asked for a more detailed explanation. In that case, we will wait to continue processing the request until the explanation has been received.

Public to everyone

Information which has been disclosed in response to a decision under the Govenment Information (Public Access) Act will be made public to everyone. In addition, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport will publish the anonymised disclosure decisions and the disclosed documents at Government.nl under Documents and Publications.

Disclosure requests processed centrally by the Ministry

All disclosure requests that fall under the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport will be processed by a specialised unit at the Ministry’s Directorate of Legislation and Legal Affairs. This dedicated Wob team also handles all disclosure requests for information from the Central Information Unit on Health Care Professions (CIBG), the Healthcare Inspectorate (IGZ) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). All correspondence regarding disclosure requests submitted to RIVM will therefore be routed via the relevant unit of the Ministry.

Where can I submit a disclosure request?

In order to expedite processing of disclosure requests under the Government Information (Public Access) Act, we advise you to address your disclosure requests directly to the relevant unit at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. They can be contacted at:

Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
c/o Wob-eenheid, directie Wetgeving en Juridische Zaken
Postbus 20350
2500 EJ Den Haag

Fax: +31 70 340 59 84

Can I also submit a disclosure request to RIVM?

You can also submit a disclosure request to RIVM, but your request will be passed on to the relevant unit at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, which processes disclosure requests under the Government Information (Public Access) Act. Any disclosure requests and/or questions regarding the Government Information (Public Access) Act can be e-mailed to Wobverzoeken@rivm.nlMailto link. For that reason, it is more efficient (and faster) to send a disclosure request directly to the relevant unit of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.