Dick Schoof in the context of "Cabinet of the Netherlands"

The Ministry of General Affairs (Dutch: Ministerie van Algemene Zaken; AZ) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for government policy, planning, information, and the Dutch royal house. The Ministry was created in 1937 and dissolved in 1945, but in 1947 it was reinstated by Prime Minister Louis Beel. The Ministry remained small until 1967, when it was greatly expanded by Prime Minister Piet de Jong. Since his premiership the Ministry has continued to expand to the present day. The Minister of General Affairs (Dutch: Minister van Algemene Zaken) is the head of the Ministry who is also Prime Minister and a member of the Cabinet of the Netherlands. The current Minister and Prime Minister is Dick Schoof.

The Ministry is comparable to the German Chancellery, the British Cabinet Office, or the U.S. Executive Office of the President, but its designation as a Ministry emphasises the role of Prime Minister of the Netherlands as primus inter pares among the ministers of the government.

The prime minister of the Netherlands (Dutch: Minister-president van Nederland) or, before 1945, the chairman of the Council of Ministers (Dutch: voorzitter van de ministerraad) is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands. Although the monarch is the de jure head of government, in practice the prime minister occupies this role as chair of the Council of Ministers, coordinating its policy with the rest of the cabinet. In his role as the de facto head of government, the prime minister also represents the Netherlands in the European Council. Forty-three incumbents have served in the position. The current prime minister since 2 July 2024 is Dick Schoof.