In the Netherlands, a minister without portfolio (Dutch: minister zonder portefeuille) is a Government minister that does not head a specific ministry, but assumes the same power and responsibilities as a minister that does.
The minister is responsible for a specific part of another minister's policy field.
In that sense, a minister without portfolio is comparable to a state secretary (staatssecretaris), a junior minister in Dutch politics, who also falls under another ministry and is responsible for a specific part of that minister's policy field.
However, one distinct difference is that a minister without portfolio is a member of the Council of Ministers and can vote in it, whereas a state secretary is not.
The minister for development cooperation has always been a minister without portfolio.