Speaker Faiq’s speech at opening of autumn session: Parliament’s achievements and next tasks
Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq on 2 September, at the opening of the autumn session, made the following speech regarding the current Parliament’s work so far and its tasks and responsibilities that lie ahead:
Honourable Members of Parliament, citizens of Kurdistan Region,
The second legislative session of the second year of the fifth term of the Kurdistan Parliament commences while we are in the grips of the Coronavirus pandemic that has taken many lives and is a threat to all humanity.
This Parliament has been:
- Supporting the position of the KRG negotiating team in their negotiations with the Iraqi Federal Government, and reaffirming that a coordinated agreement within the framework of Constitutional and legal rights at this stage is urgently needed.
- Focusing MPs’ and committees’ responsibilities on monitoring the implementation of many laws, resolutions and instructions, including those on oil revenues, customs and borders income, income tax from oil production and services, and the management and organization of all national revenues. These revenues will increase, and it is hoped that Kurdistan will enter a new era with more prosperity for our people and our region.
- No public funds should be spent unless they are part a budget law, and MPs and committees have a duty to investigate the sending of the budget bill. For the past seven years, Parliament has been unable to fulfill one of its main responsibilities which is to scrutinize and pass a budget.
In the spring session of this second year of Parliament [March to July 2020], unfortunately because of lockdowns and other protective measures our legislative process was unsatisfactory, but we were able to hold eight sittings to question and hear from government ministers on the key issues of the day, as per Article 66 of Parliament’s Internal Rules of Procedure.
The number and stages of legislative proposals and draft resolutions in the first and second sessions of the first year of Kurdistan Parliament’s fifth term (2019) have been published on Parliament’s website, and I will also outline them here:
Legislative proposals and draft resolutions in the first and second sessions of the first year of Kurdistan Parliament’s fifth term (2019)
Total: 65
Passed: 10
Rejected by the government or by Parliament’s standing committees: 12
Covered by laws and resolutions that have already been passed: 5
Proposals that affect the finances of Kurdistan Region or require restructuring of departments, and the government has not yet supported them: 21
Not yet had their first reading: 10
At the standing committee stage, committees are working on them: 7
Number of duplicate legislative proposals that need to be resolved or consolidated
Government employment for highest attaining graduates – 2
Amendments to Kurdistan Region Presidency Law (Law no. 1 of 2005) – 2
Amendments to Investment Law (Law no. 4 of 2006) – 2
Protection of teachers and education leaders – 2
Repayment of financial dues to government employees from salary cuts – 3
Protection of domestic products – 2
General demands – 2
Health insurance – 2
Provision of student loans and grants – 3
Provision of home and marriage loans - 3
Notes:
- Of the total 65 legislative proposals, MPs have 38 left to work on.
- 17 legislative proposals are with the Legislative Committee and relevant standing committees.
- 10 are with the Legislative Committee and a decision must be made on holding their first reading, according to the criteria for bills set out in Article 79 of Parliament’s Internal Rules of Procedure.
- 7 have had their first reading, and the relevant standing committee should have prepared their report for the bills’ second readings months ago, but have not yet done so.