Hire expats only when needed

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26: The National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Sa’adoun submitted a proposal to recommend dedicating jobs in the public sector exclusively for Kuwaiti citizens. He suggested allowing to contract with expatriate workers to do jobs in the public sector only if no Kuwaitis who hold the required qualifications or have the required experience have applied for such jobs. These workers should not be given salaries higher than the salaries of Kuwaiti workers occupying similar jobs. Meanwhile, MP Fayez Al-Jomhour submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of Health Ahmad Al-Awadhi, asking to be provided with a copy of the contract signed by the ministry and the relevant insurance company for the health insurance for retirees “Afi a”, as well as copies of the entire relevant contracts signed later. He wanted to know the number of beneficiaries of Afi a, the number of retirees holding Afia cards per year from the time the contract was enforced until today.

The lawmaker also asked if there were expatriates among the beneficiaries. If yes, he wanted to know their names and the legal basis upon which they were added to the list of beneficiaries. MP Al-Jomhour wanted to know the amount of money provided by the Ministry of Health to the relevant insurance company, the maximum amount allocated annually for every beneficiary, and a report from the department in the Ministry of Health that is assigned to follow up the commitment of the insurance company to the contract requirements. He asked about the method adopted to settle the remaining balance allocated for the beneficiary by the end of every year when the maximum amount allocated for a beneficiary is not exhausted. The lawmaker asked if any violations have been recorded against the hospitals and clinics that provide Afi a health service to retirees. If yes, he wanted to know the procedures taken by the ministry against them.

Submitted Furthermore, MP Marzouq Al-Hebeini submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of Public Works Dr. Amani Sulaiman Buqamaz, asking about the progress rate of the establishment of Terminal 2 of Kuwait International Airport and the scheduled date for completion. He asked if the ministry will enforce penalties against the contracting company in case the completion of the project is delayed. The lawmaker also wanted to know if the contractor asked to change the vertical spiral conveyor system to ordinary elevators. If so, he wanted to know why the ministry approved such a request, as it violates the requirements included in the contract. In another development, MP Majed Al-Mutairi submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Adel Al-Manee about the vacancies of supervisory positions, copies of the advertisements published to fill them, and the results of interviews with the nominated individuals. He requested for details on the information he received, as per which the ministry refrained from paying the award allocated for excellent students in Kuwait and scholarship students. If the information is true, he wanted to know the reasons behind the nonpayment of the award.

The lawmaker asked to be provided with copies of the decisions issued by the ministry since 2020 to establish private sector universities in Kuwait, showing the criteria and requirements defined to issue the licenses for private universities. He wanted to know the number of schools in the southern part of Kuwait including Wafra and Khairan residential areas, the number of registered students, and the number of teachers. In addition, the parliament’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the decision of the National Assembly to assign the committee to conduct a study on the reasons behind the increase in prices and the growing inflation rates, and then issue recommendations to tackle this issue. The meeting was held in the presence of the Minister of Finance Fahad Al-Jarallah, the Minister of Commerce and Industry and State Minister for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Aiban and several senior officials from both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

They also discussed the bills on the loans provided by the Public Institution for Social Security to retirees. Also, parliament’s fact-finding committee assigned to investigate the violations concerning the distribution of industrial, commercial and agricultural plots by the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) held a meeting in the presence of former chairman of PAAAFR Ali Fahad Al-Mudhaf, and members of the Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Industry Ahmad Sulaiman Al-Qudhaibi, Khalid Mehalhal Al-Mudhaf and Samira Muhammad Al-Kandari.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff