Committees' recent meetings - 4 October 2020
A summary of Kurdistan Parliament committees’ recent meetings and activities:
Finance and Economic Affairs Committee
30 September – The committee, led by the vice-chair Hevidar Ahmad (KDP), met to prepare a report on the committee's field visits to the customs border points.
The MPs drafted their report on their findings at the border gates and decided to submit it the Presidency of Parliament, who will send it to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The report calls on the government to reorganize the customs borders and centralize administration of the trade movements. The reorganisation has been on the KRG’s reform agenda.
1 October – The committee, led by the vice-chair Hevidar Ahmad (KDP), met with members of the government to get their input on the Bill on the Sale and Lease of Public Assets. They met with Farsat Ahmad, Minister of Justice; Dr. Vala Fareed, Minister for the Region for Parliamentary Affairs; and Amanj Rahim, Cabinet Secretary.
The MPs and government officials gave their comments on the bill, in order to refine the bill’s report before it is submitted to Parliament’s Presidency. The bill’s first reading by MPs in the chamber took place on 2nd September.
Agriculture and Irrigation Committee
29 September – The committee, led by the chair Abdulsatar Majeed (KIG), met to discuss the current problems in agriculture and the establishment of a sand quarry on the Sirwan River.
The MPs read a report on a sub-committee’s visit to Garmian where MPs looked into several issues, including the creation of a sand quarry on the Sirwan River.
The committee also discussed potato imports for food processing businesses. They decided to hold a meeting owners of potato chips factories, potato farmers, wholesale markets and the relevant government authorities.
Committee on Kurdistani Areas outside the KRG Administrative Area
29 September – The committee, led by the chair Jiwan Rojbayani (KDP), held their regular meeting.
The MPs discussed the Iraq parliamentary election currently scheduled for June 2021 and the situation of the Kurdistani areas outside the KRG administration.
All the reports and requests sent to the committee were read and given responses, and some were directed to Parliament’s Presidency to investigate and resolve them.
At the meeting, an intensive discussion was held on the circle of Iraqi elections and the situation of
The Committee are writing a book, in coordination with Parliament’s Research Centre, which will be published soon.
Parliament Affairs and Complaints Committee
29 September – The committee, led by the chair Esmail Sgery (KIU), held their regular meeting.
The MPs discussed Parliament’s security guards and decided to form a sub-committee to visit the KRG Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Finance to help solve the guards’ administrative and financial problems.
The MPs also discussed the structure of the Diwan, which is Parliament’s administrative management. The committee needs more details on the Diwan’s offices and departments. They decided to create a subcommittee and ask the Chief of the Diwan for the required information.
The committee decided to ask Parliament’s Presidency in writing to be assessed by different criteria in the quantative assessments of all the Parliament committees’ performance, because their work is focused on internal matters and does not involve field visits. In July 2020, Parliament published a quantitative assessment of all committees’ performance over the previous seven months.
Peshmerga Affairs Committee
29 September – The committee, led by the chair Reving Heruri (KDP), met to discuss reform of some directorates of the Peshmerga Ministry.
The MPs decided to form a sub-committee to visit the Peshmerga Ministry’s retirement, reform and health directorates, to look into the challenges to the reform process faced by the directorates.