HRH Premier directs to restructure government

Manama, Mar. 13 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has directed to restructure the government commensurate with the nature of its action in the next stage and to achieve the royal directives in this regard. This can be achieved through reducing the number of ministries and government departments by merging ministries, and minimizing the number of departments and institutions and affiliating them with the existing ministries to downsize the large government apparatus and ensure more efficiency and productivity, the Prime Minister said. HRH Premier gave the directives while chairing the Cabinet regular weekly session at the Gudaibiya Palace today. HRH the Prime Minister gave instructions to promote the available investment opportunities in the kingdom's oil industries through attracting international mega companies and expertise, a statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser said. The Prime Minister urged to identify the latest developments and challenges in the oil and gas sector and exchange opinion on them through taking advantage of international conferences, such as the 20th Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference (MEOS 2017), held under the patronage of HRH the Prime Minister, and opened on his behalf by Deputy Premier, HH Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, to develop common visions that could serve the sector and stimulate its growth. HRH Premier stressed the need to respect the principles of the Islamic religion and Bahrain's deep-rooted values and traditions while tackling issues and events in the media, requesting the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry, and the Information Affairs Ministry to coordinate in this regard. In a related context, the Prime Minister extended thanks to the press, media outlets and columnists for their objectivity and constructive criticism while tackling issues that interest the citizens and support the government's efforts to deliver the best for them, stressing that ministries and government departments should always interact with the press and respond to remarks and issues regarding the work of ministries and state departments. HRH Premier requested the Information Affairs Ministry to coordinate with various media outlets and ministries in this regard. The session reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure on the findings of the committee in charge of making an inventory of the leased government schools and assessing their construction situation, in line with the Prime Minister's directives in this regard. According to the committee's assessment, carried out in coordination with the Education Ministry and the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, the three rented public schools, out of the 209 schools in the kingdom, are in good condition and benefit from regular control and maintenance work. The Cabinet was informed by the Electricity and Water Affairs Minister about the remarkable improvement made by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) regarding the collection of consumption fees, and the decrease in the unpaid sums compared with those in the previous years. The report also indicated a good improvement concerning the reduction in the volume of wasted water. The Cabinet commended the efforts being exerted by the Electricity and Water Affairs Minister and EWA in this regard. Tackling issues related to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Cabinet approved a mechanism proposed by the GCC Secretariat-General on expediting the ratification of the systems, laws and agreements that are approved by the GCC Supreme Council. The mechanism is consistent with the constitutional and legal regulations in force, as well as the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, as highlighted in the memorandum submitted by the Deputy Premier and Chairman of the committee. The session also agreed to take the necessary procedures to ratify the two protocols amending the Convention on International Civil Aviation (CICA), signed in Montreal, Canada, on October 6, 2016, and referred the related memorandum presented by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications to Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. The Cabinet also reviewed the results of the sixth Joint Bahraini-Turkish Committee meeting, which was held recently in Ankara, and was informed about the agreements of the two parties concerning bilateral trade, the financial and banking sector, housing and infrastructure, the industrial sector, transportation and health, as well as other areas of technical cooperation. The session also endorsed a draft law on ratifying a Bahrain-US agreement on International Tax Compliance Regulations, and the application of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), as well as its first and second annexes, signed in Manama on January 18, 2017. The necessary constitutional and legal procedures will be taken in order to refer the bill to the Legislature. The session reviewed two draft laws proposed by the Council of Representatives on amending Article 4 of Decree-Law 16/2002 on the establishment of the National Audit Court, and on amending some provisions of Law 62/2016 on the establishment and organisation of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority.