Assembly approves budgets of state agencies
KUWAIT CITY, May 24: The National Assembly, in its ordinary session Wednesday, approved the final accounts and budgets of several government agencies for fiscal 2015/2016 in addition to their link budgets for 2017/2018 as follows:
Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR): Expenses for financial year 2017/2018 are estimated at KD 98,185,000 and revenues at KD 7,143, 000 with expenses higher than income by KD 91,042,000. Its expenses for 2015/2016 reached KD 104,135,730 while income totaled KD 6,784,869 with expenses higher than income by KD 97,350862.
Public Authority for Manpower (PAM): Expenses for financial year 2017/2018 are estimated at KD 34,470,581 and revenues at KD 10,841,996.
Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI): Expenses for financial year 2017/2018 are estimated at KD 47,452,000 and revenues at KD 14,723,000. Its expenses for 2015/2016 reached KD 33,314,049 and income totaled KD 8,914, 087.
Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED): Expenses for financial year 2017/2018 are estimated at KD 28,348,000; revenues at KD 185,753,000 and net profits at KD 157,405,000.
Kuwait Municipality: Expenses for financial year 2017/2018 are estimated at KD 237,764,000; revenues at KD 32,945,000 and net profits at KD 157,405,000. Its expenditures are higher than revenues by KD 204,819,000.
Zakat House: Expenses for financial year 2017/2018 are estimated at KD 24,298,000 and revenues at KD 114,000. Its funding from the budgets of ministries and other government departments for the same year is estimated at KD 24,184,000. A total of KD 1,500,000 is allocated as annual assistance for the budgets of ministries and other government departments for 2017/2018.
Furthermore, the Assembly approved the final accounts and budgets of the Public-Private Partnership Projects, Public Authority for Industry, Capital Market Authority and Kuwait Credit Bank.
Rejected
On the other hand, the Parliament rejected the final accounts for fiscal 2015/2016 and link budgets for 2017/2018 of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) with 23 votes against and 20 votes in favor, in addition to the Public Authority for Social Security (PASS) with 27 votes against and 17 votes in favor.
Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim adjourned the session, saying there will be special sessions next week to deliberate on the budgets of State institutions.
In another development, Al-Ghanim met in his office on Wednesday with visiting head of Kuwaiti-Chilean parliamentary friendship committee at the Parliament of Chile Ivan Zambrana Flores and his accompanying delegation.
During the meeting they discussed the bilateral relations and ways to enhance and develop it, in addition to the regional and international political situation and how to coordinate their stances at parliamentary gatherings, the National Assembly’s News Network, Al-Dustor reported.
The meeting was attended by head of the mission of honor accompanying Flores the National Assembly’s Secretary MP Dr Ouda Al-Rowaei.
The visiting MP and his accompanied delegation arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday on a five-day official visit.
The Council of Ministers has no intention to increase fees for public services as it remains committed to the Constitution and related regulations, reports Al-Anba daily.
A source explained that amending the Constitution to allow the government to issue such decrees might fuel ambiguity in terms of breaking the law on the part of the executive authority. He pointed out it is impossible to increase fees unless it is done in accordance with the Constitution and this is not under the jurisdiction of the council.