KUWAIT CITY, Feb 4: MP Muhannad Al-Sayer has asked Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Yusuf Al-Sabah to provide him with a copy of Ministerial Resolution number 56/2024 on the rules and regulations for the issuance of family visas. He wants to know if some categories were excluded from the salary and university qualification requirements stated in the decision, what these categories and the reasons for their exclusion, the reasons for the suspension of the issuance of family visas in the previous period, and the resumption of the issuance of such visas, and copies of studies in this regard if any.

Meanwhile, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah has referred to National Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al-Saadoun a draft law on opening an additional appropriation amounting to KD 50 million in the budget of ministries and government departments for fiscal 2023/2024 (Chapter Eight: Public Accounts, Other Expenditures and Transfers.) The parliamentary Budgets and Final Accounts Committee received the draft law for approval and inclusion in the agenda of the session slated for Tuesday to vote on it, along with the committee’s report regarding the allocations of the Head of State, provided that the additional appropriation is taken from the State’s general reserve.

The government explained in its draft law that in view of the death of HH the late Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah and the assumption of the emirate by HH Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah, the approved amount does not cover the allocations of the Head of State in fiscal 2023/2024. In addition, Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri revealed that the Priorities Committee on Sunday discussed the agenda of the upcoming session with the representatives of the government. He stressed that he will not allow the removal of the bills on increasing the cost of living allowance and the zero interest loans for retirees from the agenda. He pointed out that he can accept this only on one condition – if the government issues decisions to increase the cost of living allowance and the zero interest loans for retirees.

He urged the government to pay attention to the citizens’ demands, asserting that the claims about the budget deficit are not true. He affirmed that the financial condition of the State is very strong, such that it will not be affected by the approval of the aforementioned bills. He pointed out that the deficit is not in the State budget, but in the minds of some people. On the other hand, the Assembly Speaker has included 12 incoming letters in the agenda of Tuesday’s session as follows:

• A letter from MP Shuaib Shaaban requesting that the Health Affairs Committee be assigned to review the justifications for not establishing a hospital or increasing the capacity of the health center in Jaber Al-Ahmad City and the delay in providing health services in Al-Mutlaa City; indicating the committee must submit its report within three months.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Public Utilities Committee be assigned to investigate the causes of the dilapidation of the buildings designated for the Ministry of Social Affairs in Sulaibikhat. The committee must submit its report within three months.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Public Funds Protection Committee be assigned to investigate the amounts that Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) spent on media advertisements.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Environmental Affairs, Food and Water Security Committee be assigned to investigate the environmental damage resulting from the lack of sanitation in Al-Mutlaa.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Environmental Affairs, Food and Water Security Committee be assigned to investigate the environmental situation of the landfills in South Abdullah Al-Mubarak.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Environmental Affairs, Food and Water Security Committee be assigned to investigate the lack of green spaces in various regions.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Environmental Affairs, Food and Water Security Committee be assigned to investigate the existing environmental violations in Asherij.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Environmental Affairs, Food and Water Security Committee be assigned to investigate the environmental damage to telecommunications towers.

• A letter from the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee requesting for an extension of its mandate to submit its report on the draft law on establishing the Northern Economic Zone for a period of four months.

• A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the Priorities Committee be assigned to set a two-hour period in one of the upcoming legislative sessions to discuss the State Audit Bureau’s report on assessing all the work of the Health Insurance Hospitals Company.

• A letter from MP Dr Hamad Al-Matar requesting the invitation of the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to implement recommendation number eight issued in the special session of the Assembly on Nov 1, 2023, to quickly complete the procedures for transferring the injured from the Al-Aqsa Flood to undergo treatment in the State of Kuwait.

A letter from a group of MPs requesting that the joint committee between the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee and the Human Resources Committee urgently study and discuss proposals to issue laws regulating the appointment of officials; indicating the joint committee must submit its report within one month.

Moreover, MP Hamad Al-Matar asked Sheikh Fahd Yusuf Al- Sabah to provide him with copies of the contracts that the Ministry of Interior signed in 2022 for the maintenance of Banhard AML armored vehicles for three years, copy of the advertisement for this tender, names of the two contracting companies, reasons for awarding the tender to Smartech General Trading and Contracting Company, if this company is owned by the previous company or owned by any of the previous company’s partners. He also inquired about contract number 715 for fiscal 2014/2015 to build, supply and maintain interceptor cruisers and contract number 68 for fiscal year 2018/2019 to build and supply special cruisers in view of the report of the State Audit Bureau (SAB) about the financial violations uncovered in the contracts. He pointed out that SAB recommended the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate these violations.

He requested a copy of the decision to form the fact-finding committee, the tasks of the committee, and the conclusion and recommendations presented by the committee. He asked about the ministerial decision on authorizing private companies to conduct technical inspections of vehicles and issue registration books. He wants to know the number of authorized companies, oversight procedures adopted by the ministry in dealing with these companies, fees paid by each company to obtain the authorization, number of transactions completed by the companies compared to that of the concerned department at the Ministry of Interior, total revenues collected from the companies for obtaining authorization, and amount of revenues transferred to the public treasury.

Al-Matar also forwarded queries to Minister of Health Dr Ahmed Al-Awadhi about Retirees Health Insurance Law number 114/2014 and its amendment -- law number 71/2023, which stipulates the additional categories of beneficiaries. He said Article 11 of the law allows the retirees specified in a decision of the health minister to visit the facilities allocated for providing health insurance services, inspect them, view the files, and record violations that will be referred to the concerned authorities. He requested a detailed report; including the list of inspected facilities, recorded violations, and measures taken regarding these violations.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh and Raed Youssef
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff