MP Renews Call to Up Fees for Services Provided to Expats
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 10: MP Dr Abdulrahman Al- Jeeran has once again stressed the need to increase fees and charges for the services provided to expatriates, and review their bank accounts, reports Al-Rai daily. Al-Jeeran also called for reduction of the number of expatriate communities living in the country especially those known for committing crimes and violating laws.
He insisted on the importance of creating a balance between the number of members in each community and the developmental requirements and their role in vital projects. Al-Jeeran said it is possible to review the bank accounts of expatriates through a free-access law and through confirmation of the importance of the country’s higher interests, indicating, “Secrecy of bank accounts is guaranteed to all under the Central Bank Act, but we can follow up the income and the financial movement of the accounts as done in European countries”.
He reiterated that fees should be imposed on the services provided to all expatriates without discrimination. He suggested increasing the fees for residency, medical treatments in hospitals and polyclinics, health insurance and the renewal of driving licenses, considering the fact that the number of expatriates in Kuwait has exceeded three million.
Meanwhile, ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, in cooperation with the Public Authority for Manpower and the State Ministry for Planning, has decided to take new measures to reduce the marginal labor, reports Al-Shahed daily quoting sources.
They explained that the procedures for the establishment of a company for recruiting laborers have been completed and its Board of Directors consists of members from Ministry of Interior, State Ministry for Planning, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and a number of relevant government agencies. The sources said the law of establishing the company will be submitted to the Fatwa and Legislation Department followed by the Cabinet and then to the National Assembly for approval, indicating that this law will completely eliminate the sponsorship system such that the role of the company will be limited to recruiting laborers and employing them based on the demand of the labor market.
The sources explained that the draft law consists of 43 articles concerning government and private contracts mechanism, which will develop an automated system to link applicants for employment, the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program, Ministry of Interior and the newly established company.
The company will determine the countries from where domestic workers will be recruited and it will apply a quota policy for each expatriate community. This new policy is aimed at reducing the increasing numbers of workers in some communities and ensuring that the highest rate of workers from each community will not be more than 20 percent of the Kuwaiti population.
They said the draft law shall include provisions concerning appointing expatriates in the public sector to keep the old appointments mechanism and amend foreign contracts mechanism by linking with the new company. The sources added Ministry of Interior has demanded for a new mechanism to address the travel ban on those whose residencies have expired through amendment of certain legislation.
(Source: ArabTimesOnline.com)