KUWAIT CITY, April 26: The parliamentary Financial Affairs Committee on Tuesday rejected a draft bill on granting KD 50 salary increment to all State employees.
The legislature had earlier approved the bill but the executive authority rejected and returned it to the panel. Committee Chairman MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah revealed they will submit its report to the Parliament soon for voting.

Al-Zalzalah said the panel also approved a bill on the establishment of a fund to finance small enterprises. He affirmed the formation of a team to work on the proposal and make it an important part of the development plan. He clarified a specialized committee consisting of experts from other countries to ensure the successful implementation of this project to avoid the recurrence of the problems encountered by the small enterprises under the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA). He added the panel will vote on the bill on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee MP Hussein Al-Huraiti confirmed the approval of the proposed amendments on the Credit and Savings Bank (CSB) draft bill to increase the housing loan amount from KD 70,000 to KD 100,000 due to the rising cost of construction materials in the local market. He said the panel also agreed to increase the house renovation loan from KD 25,000 to KD 30,000.
However, Al-Huraiti said the panel rejected a proposal to allow Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis and are renting a house to transfer its ownership to the women. He explained the panel based its decision on the CSB’s regulation that the house ownership is exclusive for the Kuwaiti men.

Al-Huraiti added the panel also endorsed a bill on ethical classification at the Ministry of Information to be in line with the latest developments in the international community. He stated the panel will continue its meetings despite the absence of government representatives to finalize the bills and deliberate on reports from other committees.

On the formation of the new government, Al-Huraiti stressed there is no valid reason for delaying the announcement of the new Cabinet members because it has been almost a month now since the resignation of the caretaker government. He argued the Constitution does not allow disruption in the parliamentary work even if it means dealing with an interim Cabinet.

Moreover, MP Saleh Ashour asserted nobody has the right to use the oil sector as a tool for political bargaining or making deals related to the formation of the new government, considering the sector plays a crucial role in the national economy.

Ashour also divulged his plan to forward questions on the alleged violations committed by the Ministry of Oil and Kuwait Oil Tankers Company (KOTC). He added, “We need a minister who can efficiently handle the affairs of this important institution.”