As Table 1 demonstrates, the Dutch independent agencies differ considerably in terms of provisions for political accountability. The most
common accountability provisions in the design of the organizations are the
obligation to submit an annual activity report (present for 72 percent of the agencies), the obligation to provide the minister with information on
request (65 percent), the obligation to submit an annual budget (64 percent), and the possibility for the minister to dismiss the executive head of the
agency (63 percent). By far the least common provision is the possibility for
the minister to disapprove the annual plan of the agency, which is present
in the design of only 19 percent of the agencies