Muscat: The Office of Majlis Ash’shura held its fifteenth regular meeting for the first annual session of the tenth term under the chairmanship of Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of Majlis Ash’shura, on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the Office of Majlis Ash’shura discussed the possibility of expanding the benefits provided by the social protection system to include other segments such as job-seekers. The Office members underscored the importance of understanding the nature of the social structure in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of income level and the extent of eligibility for assistance and benefits to improve the quality of life and to raise the standard of living for low-income segments.
The meeting reviewed the work plans of the standing committees of Majlis Ash’shura and their executive programmes for the second annual session (2024-2025) of the tenth term of the council (2023-2027). The plans include expressing opinions and studying draft laws referred to the standing committees in addition to a number of expressed desires proposed for study during the next session.
The meeting also discussed the ministerial statements proposed for discussion during the second annual session and the topics they will include.
In addition, the Office discussed a number of governmental responses to a number of follow-up tools submitted by the members of Majlis Ash’shura. These included reviewing the response provided by the minister of education to a parliamentary question about the appointment of non-Omani teachers. The response stated that the ministry is working hard in coordination with the relevant authorities to appoint all Omani graduates who meet the conditions in accordance with the needs of the ministry.
The meeting also reviewed the response of the minister of commerce, industry and investment promotion to the request for a briefing regarding foreign investment in the Sultanate of Oman. The response stated that the government endeavouring to create an appropriate environment to attract investments by improving the economic environment, providing incentives and amending the laws and legislation.
Also reviewed at the meeting was the response of the CEO of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) to a request for a briefing on the fees imposed by the Central Bank of Oman on commercial stores for the use of the electronic payment service. In its response, the CBO said that it is making efforts to develop the banking and financial sector in the Sultanate of Oman and spread the electronic payment services in commercial activities in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP), to enhance digital transformation and e-services.
The meeting reviewed the response of the CEO of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), to a request for briefing on the efforts of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority to block access to websites and accounts that post inappropriate content. In its response, the TRA stated that it is working along with the relevant authorities to combat inappropriate content that violates the laws applied in the Sultanate of Oman.
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