Cabinet hails Kuwait ties, condemns Orlando shooting

Manama, June 13 (BNA): The Cabinet has welcomed the outcomes of the brotherly visit of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to the State of Kuwait, and his meeting with the Kuwaiti Amir, HH Shaikh Sabah Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah. The session stressed that the Premier’s visit to Kuwait would boost the deep-rooted relations and cooperation with Kuwait. Chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session, HRH Premier informed the Council of Ministers about the talks he had with the Kuwaiti Amir, in the presence of Crown Prince, HH Shaikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Prime Minister, HH Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah. HRH the Prime Minister praised the gracious welcome accorded to him, which, he stressed, reflects the strong fraternal ties binding the two countries’ leaderships, governments and peoples, lauding, in this regard, Kuwait’s ‘positive stances’ towards the Kingdom of Bahrain in various fields, Cabinet Secretary General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al Nasser said in a statement following today’s session, held at the Gudaibiya Palace. On education, the Cabinet reviewed a memorandum presented by the Education Minister on the results of the first session of the end of year exams, and extended congratulations to the successful students, wishing them further success. The session also commended the efforts of the teaching and administrative staff in all education institutions. In this regard, HRH the Prime Minister directed to ensure scholarships meet the future needs of the kingdom concerning the requirements of the development process and the labour market. The session condemned the terrorist act that took place in Orlando, Florida, and led to the death and injury of dozens, reiterating Bahrain’s principled stance in rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism, whatever their motives and reasons. It also expressed solidarity with the friendly United States of America during such an ordeal. On employment, HRH the Prime Minister directed to generate new job opportunities for Bahraini job-seekers, stressing that efforts and plans aimed at achieving employee-stability and increasing salaries at the private should continue. The Prime Minister was commenting on the memorandum presented by the Labour and Social Development Minister and Board Chairman of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) on the labour market’s indicators. Figures indicated the success of the labour market in increasing the number of Bahraini workers in the private sector to 104,000, a rise of 3 per cent. Statistics indicated that the number of jobs created by the Bahraini economy over the past five years had surged by 20 per cent, including 14 per cent for Bahrainis. The session was informed about the labour market’s updates in the first quarter of 2016. Figures presented show that a total of 1,926 Bahrainis have entered the private sector, marking an increase of about 15 per cent compared with the same period in 2015. This reflects the steady growth of efforts to find suitable job opportunities for Bahrainis in the private sector, the session was told. As part of efforts to reduce expenditure, the Cabinet reviewed a memorandum presented by the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments containing procedures to recover the cost of some of its services. The session referred the memorandum, along with the five draft edicts included in it, to the Ministerial Committee for Financial Affairs and Rationalising Expenditure for further study. The Cabinet also referred to the Council of Representatives a draft-law submitted by the Shura Council on amending Article 2 of Law 74 / 2006 on the Welfare, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, alongside a memorandum on the government’s reply, in accordance with the constitutional and legal procedures in force. The session also referred to the Council of Representatives a draft law on amending Article 47 of the Traffic Law issued as per Decree-Law 23/2014, which was submitted by the Shura Council, along with the government’s response to it. The Cabinet also discussed proposals submitted by the Representatives Council, and approved the government’s replies to them, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. They included encouraging the establishment of cooperatives, the construction of an events hall for women in Riffa, the building and expansion of units in housing projects, control over car insurance rates, the building of a primary and intermediate school, and the driving instructors’ licenses.