KUWAIT CITY, June 26: The Budgets and Final Audit Committee at the Parliament will soon finalize discussions on the national budget and include recommendations in its report to the National Assembly for deliberation in the next legislative round, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily quoting sources.
Sources said the panel has not done any major amendment to the budget, especially in the chapters for expenditures, revenues and deficit. Sources disclosed the committee’s plan to estimate the budget based on the ideal oil price, which is $50 per barrel, as it matches the current price in the international market that is above $70, instead of $43 - the price projected by the Ministry of Finance earlier.
Meanwhile, sources affirmed the government has amended the local sports laws in line with international regulations and activities of global sports federations. Sources stated Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi is expected to present the amendments to the National Assembly in the coming days. Sources explained the government has agreed to present the amendments only if deliberation on the sports laws takes place in the Parliament; otherwise, the presentation will not go on as planned. Sources confirmed the executive authority’s attendance to the special parliamentary sessions slated for next week before the end of the current legislative round to discuss amendments to the sports laws and Fund for the Needy.
In another development, sources revealed the Ministry of Education is on the verge of amending the Islamic Studies curricula for the eighth and ninth grades after doing the same in the elementary level.
Sources said the ministry floated tenders in 2008 to contract with a foreign publishing company for the appropriate adjustments in the Social Studies, Islamic Studies and Arabic textbooks for grades 10 and 11. Sources added the officials later cancelled the tenders due to flaws in the method used for developing the curricula.
Moreover, Al-Anba daily has quoted MP Dr Rola Dashti as saying that the National Assembly is heading towards the approval of free health insurance scheme for citizens in the next legislative round, adding the Health Affairs Committee has forwarded a report in this regard to the legislature.
Dashti asserted the proposal will lead to a comprehensive reform in the health sector. She said a team of experts and consultants has been studying the recommendation, indicating an independent council will supervise the public and private hospitals to evaluate the services and determine the right authority to handle the health insurance scheme.
Stating the government will pay health insurance fees for the citizens, Dashti said the citizens will shoulder the costs for additional services that they might request personally. She clarified the insurance will also cover part of the payment for overseas treatment.