Premier chairs Cabinet session, directs to protect children

Manama, Aug. 8 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has directed to provide constant care and protection for children, calling for the need to activate the role of the Labour and Social Development Ministry’s Child Protection Centre. In this regard, he issued instructions to ministries and relevant parties to re-consider child-related legislation to ensure that tougher and more deterrent punishment is inflicted on whoever targets children or abuses them. Chairing the Cabinet regular weekly session at the Gudaibiya Palace today, HRH Premier also directed the Health Ministry to take all precautionary measures to monitor the Zika virus and make the necessary preventive preparations to prevent its outbreak in the kingdom through close cooperation with the relevant international organisations and coordination with the Supreme Council for Health. In a related context, the Prime Minister requested the Health Minister to ensure the availability of sufficient medicines and to address any shortages in the pharmacies of government hospitals and health centres, Cabinet Secretary-General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser said in a statement following the session. Tackling development issues, HRH the Prime Minister issued directives to ministries and government departments to follow-up on the citizens’ needs and concerns raised through the media, study them and respond to them promptly and clearly, especially regarding housing projects which the government has spared no effort to implement across the kingdom’s towns and villages. HRH the Prime Minister was informed, through a presentation given by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, about the administrative and technical measures taken so far regarding the relocation of the fuel tanks from Arad to Bahrain International Airport. He issued instructions to expedite the implementation of the project while taking safety and aesthetic aspects into consideration in the new location. The session then discussed a draft law on preventing terror suspects from traveling abroad during the investigations and evidence collection process, as highlighted in the memorandum presented by the Interior Minister. The draft-law was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. A draft-law on amending Article 5 of Law 39/2005 on the acquisition of real estate for public interests was endorsed by the Cabinet. The amendment, aiming to ensure that all properties acquired for public interests meet standardised norms, stipulates that the minister in charge should issue an acquisition edict including detailed information about the reason for the acquisition and the location of the real estate after making sure it meets the requirements. The draft-law, outlined in the memorandum presented by Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, was referred to the Council of Representatives. The session also approved a draft-law prepared in light of a proposal submitted by the Shura Council on amending Article 31 of Decree-Law 15/2002 on the Shura and Representatives Council, highlighted in the memorandum presented by Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. Aiming to regulate the electoral campaigning and safeguard it against violations, the amendment toughens penalties on violators of the campaigning regulations through inflicting a prison sentence not exceeding two years and/or a fine of no more than BD 2,000 on them. Employees of public entities, public institutions or municipal councils who campaign for candidates at their work places will be jailed for a period of no more than three years and/or fined BD 3,000. The Cabinet also endorsed a draft Friendship Agreement between Manama and Wuhan City in China. It also approved a draft Air Services Agreement between the Bahrain and Finland and commissioned the relevant minister to sign it on behalf of the kingdom. On education, the session reviewed the results of the National Examinations for the sixth grade which was held in May 2016 in Arabic, English, Math and Science. The memorandum presented by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications in this regard was referred to the Supreme Council for the Development of Education of Training for further study. The Cabinet discussed two proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives, and approved the Government's replies to them as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. They were related to the use of the international barcode system and the construction of an multi-function hall in Arad.