Budget, restorative justice, funding COVID-19 battle among top achievements of 5th term, says Minister
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Fruitful cooperation between the Shura Council and Parliament had led to the comprehensive development of Bahrain’s legislative system during the third session of the fifth legislative term, said the Minister of Shura Council and Parliamentary Affairs.Ghanem bin Fadl Al-Buainain said the councils had played a crucial role in extending bridges of cooperation with brotherly and friendly countries. Speaking during a media briefing held by the National Communication Centre, in association with the Ministry of Shura and Parliamentary Affairs, the minister said the legislative authorities, since the start of the fifth term, had approved 84 decree-laws by holding 63 sessions and 85 meetings of the two council committees.
Shura Council members sat together for 30 sessions to approve 27 decree-law, as the Council of Representative held 33 sessions to approve 35 law proposals to the government for drafting. The most prominent legislation passed during the sessions were for combating the coronavirus pandemic, Al-Buainain said.
“This included adding emergency expenditures to the General State Budget for the fiscal year 2020, approving a decree-law on disposing cash from the Future Generation Reserve fund and two decrees on unemployment insurance.” “These are in addition to approving many legislations concerning economic, financial and commercial sectors, which includes the approval of General State Budget for the fiscal years 2021 to 2022.”
Among others, members approved a decree-law amending some provisions of the law concerning ‘reorganisation and bankruptcy’ and development bonds. In the Economic sector, the councils also approved a law amending the Gulf Cooperation Council Trademark. In the security sector, approvals were given to a decree-law amending a law concerning Anti-money laundering and combating terrorism financing. Members also approved a draft law adding a new article to the Penal Code. In the Youth and Sports Sector, parliamentarians and shura members approved a decree-law adding a new article to the law on social and cultural clubs, private bodies working in youth and sports.
They also approved a law concerning sports professionalism law. In the Environment and Urban Development Sector, members approved a law on the regulation and control of international trade in endangered species of animals and plants, Bahrain’s accession to the Convention on the Preservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, and a bill approving Bahrain’s accession to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
In the scientific legislation, Councils approved Bahrain’s accession to the Convention on the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space. In the Human Development and Social services sectors, approval was given to the issuance of the restorative justice law for children and their protection from maltreatment.
The minister also said they referred 389 proposals to the government since the beginning of the fifth legislative term, of which 167 was during the third session. Members also took part in two general discussions and five public discussions during the period. The third session also witnessed the formation of three parliamentary committees, during which the house of representative asked 205 questions. Out of which 179 received responses, while 24 got dropped when the sessions expired. One of the questions was taken back by the presenter. Shura council addressed 40 questions during the period, of which the Council answered 34.
Termination of the sessions prevented the members from answering five questions, while one question got rejected over jurisdiction issues.
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