Shura Council Speaker H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim chairing a meeting of the Council, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim has praised the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s support to the Council, to perform its duties and responsibilities with dedication and sincerity.
This came in a speech delivered by Al Ghanim yesterday during the closing meeting of the second ordinary session of the first legislative term, corresponding to the Council’s 51st annual session, at Tamim bin Hamad Hall.
Speaking on behalf of the Shura Council members, Al Ghanim expressed the highest appreciation for the Amir and his support of the Council which had a significant impact in facilitating the Council’s performance of its duties.
“The Council concludes today a continuous march of effort, perseverance and giving, in the second session of the first legislative term, during which the Council held 35 plenary sessions, two extraordinary sessions, and 69 meetings of the Council’s permanent and temporary committees,” Al Ghanim said.
He reviewed the Council’s achievements during the second session, indicating that it was full of discussion and study of many issues within the framework of the Council’s terms of reference, according to what was decided by the country’s constitution, which includes legislation, approving the State’s general budget, and exercising control over the executive authority.
In this context, Al Ghanim said that the Council was keen to discuss the draft state general budget in detail, and the Council also approved nine draft laws after discussing and studying them extensively by the various Council committees that were referred to it.
During his speech, he indicated that the Council discussed eight draft laws amending the provisions of some laws, in addition to six requests for general discussion submitted by the Council members and six Shura Council proposals to the esteemed government.
Al Ghanim also appreciated the efforts of the Shura Council members, which had a major role in what was achieved for the council during its second session.
He noted that the cooperation and understanding among the members of the Council were evident during the discussion of the draft internal regulations of the Council, which took place during three plenary sessions, two of which were extraordinary.
He indicated that the draft internal regulations were a culmination of the Council’s efforts over the past period, stressing that the regulations will have the greatest impact in supporting and conducting the Council’s work in the future.
Al Ghanim reviewed the Council’s role in parliamentary diplomacy, its active participation in Gulf, Arab, regional and international conferences, seminars and parliamentary meetings, and its hosting of international events concerned with parliamentary affairs.
He added that during those events, the Council dealt with various issues, reflecting the opinion of the Qatari nationals, and in particular those related to the recurrence of attacks on Islam and its sanctities, and contempt for religions in general, in addition to its support for the Palestinian cause, and its emphasis on human nature and normal values. The Shura Council also confronted the systematic media campaigns launched against Qatar because of its hosting of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
He also praised the balanced role played by the print, audio and visual media outlets, and their professionalism in reporting its news, sessions and committee meetings, thanking the Council’s General Secretariat and all its employees for their clear contribution to the Council’s workflow.
During the session, the Shura Council approved its final account for the year 2022, and the Council’s draft budget for the year 2024, after reviewing the report of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee on them.
The Council also approved a draft law regulating fishing ports, in its amended form, and a draft law regulating postal services, as received by the esteemed government, after reviewing the reports of the Public Services and Utilities Committee on them and discussing the provisions of the two draft laws by Their Excellencies the members of the Council.
