Oman

Shura office reviews ministerial reports

 
MUSCAT: The Office of Majlis Ash’shura held its 10th ordinary meeting of the 4th annual session (2022-2023) under the chairmanship of Said bin Hamad al Saadi, Deputy Chairman of Majlis Ash’shura, on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the office reviewed the Council of Ministers’ letter regarding ministerial reports for the year 2022 before referring them to the relevant committees for study and to decide whether they are consistent with the Law of the Council of Oman.

The office also reviewed responses provided by government authorities regarding questions raised by members of Majlis Ash’shura on the government oversight tools including the response of the minister of housing and urban planning’s response to a request for briefing regarding the development projects of the Tenth Five-Year Development Plan in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.

The office reviewed the response provided by the chairman of Oman Investment Authority (OIA) on the financial performance of the global integrated energy company OQ for the fiscal year 2022. The response contained the financial report of OQ which included the investment portfolio and the policies and programmes of social investment.

The meeting discussed the response of the minister of labour to the request for briefing on the employment of Omanis in cultural attachés, and the response of the minister of health to the question about addressing the problem of the large number of resignations by medical professionals. In his response, the minister of health stated that the ministry had studied the conditions of health professionals and the importance of creating a motivating work environment that raises job satisfaction and reduces resignations.

Also reviewed at the meeting was a request for briefing submitted to the minister of transport, communications and information technology regarding Oman Rail. The request included a briefing on the extent of transparency of the bidding system at Oman Rail and the role of the competent authorities in reviewing the project, supervising the validity of the bidding and tracking the stages of project delivery and the details of the financing plans. This was in addition to a request for briefing submitted to the minister of agriculture, fisheries and water resources on the ministry’s contribution to the provision of job opportunities for Omanis and the mechanisms applied by the ministry to ensure food security.

The office also reviewed a request for briefing presented to the minister of energy and minerals concerning the mechanism of calculating raw materials and the mechanism for obtaining permits for backfillers and crushers and the fate of non-renewed permits.