On the occasion of HM the King’s reception of the final report of the government committee in charge of following up on implementation of the National Consensus Dialogue’s visions, HRH the Prime Minister instructed ministries and government bodies to adopt new mechanisms to assess the quality of their services.
He also directed ministers and officials to pay field visits to various regions to cater for their needs. Following a visit he made last Tuesday to Askar, Jaw and Al Dour villages, HRH the Premier instructed ministries to embark on the executive steps of health, housing, educational and services projects to cater to the needs of people in these areas and the southern region in the Southern Governorate. Marking the start of the second session of the third legislative term, the cabinet wished the legislative power success in its work underlining the need for more cooperation between the executive and legislative powers to bring about more economic, political and social achievements in light of the consensual visions reached at the national dialogue. The ministerial council reviewed, in this regard, a report by the Minister of State for Shura Council and Parliament Affairs detailing the volume of cooperation between the executive power and the legislature during the first session of the third legislative term. A statistic study on the government and National Assembly’s achievements in this period was also reviewed.HRH the Prime Minister directed to review the budget allocated for Bahraini students on scholarships abroad, including those studying at GCC universities. He tasked the Education Ministry to conduct a thorough study in this regard. He also directed to set up mechanisms to provide sufficient car parks in all regions, especially old ones. He instructed the High Traffic Council to conduct a study in this regard in coordination with concerned parties, including the Culture Ministry, the Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry and the Works Ministry. The Cabinet approved a proposal by the parliament on the issue. The council approved the validity of law 13 for 1975 regarding the regulation of pensions and retirement premiums for Bahraini employees working in the public sector. It approved a draft decision in this regard after reviewing a memorandum by the Finance Minister. The Cabinet decided to take the necessary administrative and legal tools in this regard. The cabinet approved a line-up of activities prepared by the Culture Ministry to celebrate “Manama the Capital of Arab Culture 2012”. It tasked concerned authorities to cooperate to ensure success of the event which will help project the kingdom’s rich cultural heritage. The ministerial council approved and referred to the legislative power a draft law to ratify an international land transportation agreement between Bahrain and Turkey which aims to streamline international land transportation procedures between both countries and across their lands. The cabinet approved the final signing of a draft protocol to amend an agreement between Bahrain and Brunei on avoiding double taxation and fiscal evasion. It tasked concerned authorities to take the necessary legal tools for that. The council also approved a proposal by the parliament to raise the number of scholarships and the capacity of the Health Sciences College for those wishing to study nursing.