Bill to rectify status of bedoun gets nod

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Leadership to grace opening session Tuesday

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 24: The inaugural session of the second round of the 16th parliamentary term will be held at 10:00 am on Tuesday with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mesha’al Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in attendance.

During the session, HH the Amir will deliver a speech after the reading of Holy Qur’an verses; followed by the election of the National Assembly secretary and observer, as well as members of permanent and temporary parliamentary committees, and four MPs who will represent the Assembly at the Arab Parliament.

Following are the permanent parliamentary committees: · Replying to the Amiri Speech Committee (three to five members)

· Complaints and Petitions Committee (five members) · Interior and Defense Affairs Committee (five members)

· Financial and Economic Affairs Committee (seven members) · Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee (seven members)

· Education, Culture and Guidance Affairs Committee (five members)

· Health, Social and Labor Affairs Committee (five members)

· Foreign Affairs Committee (five members) · Public Utilities Committee (seven members)

· Budgets and Final Accounts Committee (seven members)

· Public Funds Protection Committee (five members)

· Parliamentary Priorities Committee (three members in addition to the chairpersons of the Financial, Economic Affairs, Legislative and Legal Affairs committees).

In another development, the parliamentary Illegal Residents (Bedouns) Affairs Committee on Sunday approved the bill on rectifying the status of Bedouns. The bill defines ‘Bedouns’ as individuals residing in the country without any document proving their nationalities and no other countries admitted them as citizens. The bill stipulates the need to determine the actual number of Bedouns based on the records of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), Higher Committee for Citizenship Affairs, Al- Shaheed Office, and Central System for Remedying the Status of Illegal Residents (CSRSIR). The bill states that Bedouns will be granted permanent residency through which they will be granted civil rights including the right to obtain a driving license, birth, death and marriage certificates; as well as access to free education and health services.

The committee also approved two bills on making the allowances and salaries of Bedoun Muezzins, Imams and engineers equal with their counterparts in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Meanwhile, MP Osama Al-Shaheen submitted a proposal to resume the formation and activation of the National Committee for Combating Drugs. He highlighted the dangers of the spread of drugs among the youths, indicating the GCC countries are the targets of drug smugglers and traffickers.

In addition, several MPs met at the house of MP Obaid Al-Wasmi on Sunday; during which they agreed on forming a fact-finding committee chaired by Al-Wasmi and MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji to investigate the alleged involvement of some incumbent and former MPs in financial cases at the beginning of the second round of the 16th parliamentary term.

Moreover, Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim on Sunday met His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid and Judicial Council Chairman Judge Ahmed Al-Ojail in compliance with the directive of His Highness the Amir for the three authorities – executive, legislative and judicial – to specify the conditions for granting amnesty to those convicted in political and opinion cases. He affirmed that a plan has been laid down to complete the task as soon as possible, adding the first report will be submitted to His Highness the Amir within the first two weeks of the second legislative round. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

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