KUWAIT CITY, Nov 1: Several parliamentary committees held meetings Sunday and elected their chairmen and Rapporteur. The Housing Affairs Committee elected MP Faisal Al-Kandari chairman and MP Saud Al-Hareeji Rapporteur. MPs Rakan Al-Nisf, Sultan Al-Gosaim Al-Shimiri and Mansour Al-Zufairi are the committee members.The Interior and Defense Committee elected MP Sultan Al-Gosaim Al-Shimmari chairman and MP Majed Mousa Al- Mutairi Rapporteur with MPs Abdullah Al-Mayouf, Abdullah Al-Adwani, and Khalil Al- Saleh as members. The Youth and Sports Committee elected Abdullah Al-Mayouth chairman and Abdullah Al-Turaiji Rapporteur with MPs Nabil Al- Fadel, Askar Al-Anzi and Faris Al-Otaibi as members.

The Handicapped Affairs Committee elected MP Madhi Al-Hajiri Chairman and MP Mohammed Barrak Al-Rashidi Rapporteur with MPs Saleh Ashour, Abdullah Al-Adwani and Khalil Al-Saleh as members. Chairman of Interior and Defense Committee, MP Sultan Al-Gosaim stressed the next stage is significant to complete the course of achievements that is being followed by the current Parliament in the interest of the country and its people. He stressed on the need to crystallize all pending issues and files in the committee due to their importance.

VisionsHe explained the committee will work in the new phase in accordance with the visions and clear insight in order to finalize their reports in line with the public interest as soon as possible so that they can be included on the Parliament agenda. He said the committee’s priorities will be clarified next week after the first meeting of the members of the committee.

In the meantime, the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly Sunday discussed and approved several laws including the Juvenile Law, the Prison System Law and end of service financial benefits for senior positions and Audio- Visual media. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Rapporteur of the committee MP Ahmad Al- Qudaibi said the committee has unanimously approved the deletion of some clauses of articles of the Juvenile Law due to similarities in Child Rights Law No. 21/2015 and decided to refer it to a competent committee. He added the committee also approved a bill on financial benefits and insurance for those in leading positions until the end of the service and decided to submit it to a competent committee.

He said the Committee also approved a bill to add article number (90 repeated) to Law No. 26/1962 on Prisons System and decided to submit it with notes to the relevant committee. He added the committee approved yet another bill to add a new article with number (17 repeated) to Law No. 61/2007 on the audio-visual media and decided to submit it to the competent committee.

He called on the government to maintain the tempo at which the parliamentary committees will move which will reflect on the agenda of the Parliament. He stressed on the need for the Prime Minister to speed up internal regulations of the laws that will emerge from the Parliament and not to delay their implementation.

Meanwhile, MP Ahmad Al-Qudaibi has forwarded queries to the Minister of Oil and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Ali Al-Omair about the oil pipeline tender. Al-Qudaibi stated the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) in the minutes of its meeting No. (38/2015) dated Nov 5, 2015 had issued a decision to cancel the tender RFP-2013041 for pipelines for the Kuwait Oil Company to feed the Fourth Refinery project.

The lawmaker wants to know if the minister had requested to stop the cancellation of the tender. If yes, he wants a copy of the request and the legal opinion which was submitted to the minister in light of which the decision was taken. He also wants to know if the minister has the right to suspend the cancellation procedures of the tender officially canceled by the CTC and publish the decision of the cancellation in the Official Gazette and if the minister had informed the CTC of his decision. He has also asked for clarification if the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) had asked the Minister about the data, information and documents on the above tender.

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff