Cabinet welcomes Government's fiscal reforms

Manama, Oct. 5 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, today chaired the Cabinet session at Gudaibiya Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister participated in the session. During the - session, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince extended congratulations to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister on receiving the Information and Communication Technology on Sustainable Development Award, awarded by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and praised his initiative and continued efforts, which have led to the steady development of the Kingdom’s telecommunications sector. The Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa, also extended congratulations to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister on receiving the award. His Royal Highness the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and to ministers and officials for their congratulations. His Royal Highness the Prime Minister then welcomed His Majesty King Hamad’s recently issued Royal Decree, which appointed a new Cabinet. His Royal Highness noted that the decision reflects His Majesty’s vision for improved government efficiency and highlights the coordinated approach to strengthening the country’s fiscal position and achieving sustainable development The Cabinet then went on to praise the professionalism and effectiveness of the Kingdom’s security forces following the seizure of a large explosives cache, and the arrests of members of a terrorist cell with foreign links. In this regard, the Cabinet stressed the importance of applying laws and toughening the penalties against those who attempt to destabilise the safety and security of the Kingdom and its citizens. The Cabinet then extended sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its great efforts in administrating and regulating the Hajj pilgrimage. The Cabinet then strongly condemned the recent terrorist plots foiled in Saudi Arabia, and confirmed that the safety and security of Saudi Arabia is important to the region as a whole. The Cabinet went on to confirm that the Kingdom fully supports Saudi Arabia in any measures it takes to maintain safety and security. His Royal Highness the Prime Minister then directed the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to further improve goods and commodities price regulation, in order to meet the needs of citizens. A number of memorandums submitted by ministries and ministerial committees were also discussed during this week’s Cabinet session, including: 1. The Cabinet approved a memorandum by the Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, regarding the establishment of six government task forces concerned with reducing recurring expenditure. They are: I. A task force concerned with expenditure related to maintenance of government buildings, headed by the Minister of Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning II. A task force concerned with expenditure related to travel expenses and transportation, headed by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications III. A task force concerned with expenditure related to property rental costs, headed by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism IV. A task force concerned with expenditure related to advertisements, publications, subscriptions and stationery, headed by the Minister of Information Affairs and Shura and Representatives’ Councils Affairs V. A task force concerned with IT expenditure, headed by the Chief Executive of the eGovernment Authority VI. A task force concerned with expenditure related to medications and medical equipment, headed by the Ministry of Health’s Undersecretary 2. The Cabinet approved a memorandum by the Executive Committee regarding the merging of 10 government entities. They are: I. A draft decree-law to incorporate the Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority into the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism II. A draft law to incorporate the National Health Regulatory Authority into the Supreme Health Council III. A draft law to transfer the responsibilities of the Supreme Council for Vocational Training to the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) IV. A draft law to terminate the General Organisation for Youth and Sports and transfer its responsibilities to the Ministry of Youth and Sports V. A draft law to merge the eGovernment Authority and the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) 3. The Cabinet approved a memorandum by the Executive Committee regarding various proposed economic draft laws, including: I. A draft decree-law - on the collection of the cost of establishing and developing the infrastructure in construction areas II. A draft decree-law to establish and regulate industrial areas III. A draft decree-law regarding commercial registration IV. A draft law to amend some provisions of the law related to commercial companies of Decree Law No. 21 for the year 2001 V. A draft law to amend some provisions of the law related to the Civil and Commercial Procedures Act promulgated by Decree Law No. 12 of the year 1971 VI. A draft law amending some provisions of decree law No. 15 of the year 1977 related to issuing development bonds 4. The Cabinet approved a memorandum regarding labour market indicators in the second quarter of 2015. According to the memorandum, total employment within the Kingdom for Q2 was 701,296, with an estimated annual increase of 6.5%, compared to total employment of 667,112 during the same period last year. Average wages of Bahrainis increased by 3.5% in the private sector, and 5.1% in the public sector. 5. The Cabinet took note of a number of proposals relating to the legislative committee.