QNA/Doha
The Weekly Cabinet meeting, presided over by HE the Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani at the Emiri Diwan yesterday has approved a draft law aimed at curbing excessive use of electricity and potable water.
The draft law, amending some provisions of Law No 26 of 2008 on the rationalisation of electricity and water consumption, has been referred to the Advisory Council.
As per the draft law’s provisions, special automatic switches for external lighting of buildings and institutions shall be fitted in accordance with the terms and specifications set in a decision to be issued by the President of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa).
Anyone violating provisions of Article (4/item1) of the law, which prohibits occupants of buildings and establishments, owners or tenants, from using or allowing the use of potable water for washing cars, equipment, external yards of buildings and establishments, by using hoses or other means of direct flow, shall be punished with a fine not exceeding QR10,000.
Anyone violating Article (4/ item 3,4), which prohibits leaving lights fixed on walls, external facades of buildings, public or private establishments on from 7am to 4.30 pm and leaving destroyed or broken parts of the internal water network which can cause leakage of water, unrepaired after receiving a notification from the Corporation to repair leakages, shall be punished with a fine not exceeding QR10,000.
The Cabinet took steps for the issuance of the safety regulations for small cargo ships not covered by international maritime treaties in GCC states after the Cabinet took note of the Advisory Council’s recommendation on the draft law.
The Cabinet approved the following:
1. A draft law on persons with disabilities.
The draft law includes provisions pertaining to rights of persons with disabilities and the organisation of services and programmes delivered to them. In accordance with these provisions a committee, to be named “the National Committee for Persons with Disabilities”, is to be formed by a cabinet decision under the chairmanship of the Labour and Social Affairs Undersecretary. A representative of the ministry will be the vice-chairman and representatives of bodies concerned will be members of the committee. The decision shall define its functions and regulations. A committee for persons with disabilities will also be set up to care for their interests, defend their rights and represent them with regard to all matters concerning them.
The draft law stipulates that a person with disability shall have the right to enjoy a special social and psychological care to promote his self-reliance and facilitate his integration into society.
Not less than 2% of job scales in bodies concerned shall be allocated for persons with disabilities and employment shall be in accordance to the capacities and qualifications of the persons with disabilities upon a proposal by the ministry to the bodies concerned.
Business owners in the private sector who appoint 25 workers and more shall abide by allocating the abovementioned percentage to persons with disabilities to occupy them with a minimum number on one worker.
According the to the cabinet draft decision, concerned bodies in the government, each within its competence, shall take the necessary measures to enable persons with disabilities, each within his capacities, to take advantage of job and appointment opportunities and of receiving education, qualifying, health and preventive services as well as appropriate housing. They shall also have access to public and private facilities as well as medically-equipped means of transport to carry them to different places.
The Cabinet also approved the following:
1. A draft cabinet decision amending the organisation of some administrative units of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and defining its functions.
2. A draft decision by the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning establishing sections at administrative units of the Public Works Corporation (Ashghal) and defining its functions.
The Cabinet approved a draft decision by the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning issuing regulations for the law organising the practice of engineering professions.
The ministerial draft decision includes provisions related to registration in the engineering professions register, engineering professions specialisations, categories and bases of classification, applications, procedures and fees of registration and its renewal, and commitments of the licensee.
The Cabinet approved a draft decision by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs setting rules of the classification of nurseries, qualification of their staff, regulations of technical and educational expertise, the expenses they levy and licensing fees.
A draft decision by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs setting conditions and regulations of nurseries ‘ premises.
The first draft decision covers rules related to the classification of nurseries, conditions of work there, necessary technical and educational expertise, the expenses they levy and defining of licenses and their renewal.
The second draft decision covers rules related to procedures of getting nurseries’ licences, conditions and regulations of their premises and their supervision and control.
The Cabinet approved a draft decision by the Minister of Environment endorsing a GCC technical regulation as a Qatari technical regulation.
The cabinet also approved the following:
1. A draft air services agreement between governments of Qatar and Hungary.
2. A draft agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with regard to income tax between governments of Qatar and Nigeria and its annexed draft protocol.
3. A draft co-operation agreement on the development of trade services of the intellectual property office between the Qatari Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
The Cabinet reviewed a letter by HE the Minister of Energy and Industry who is also head of the Standing Committee of Water Resources on the fourth quarterly report of 2014 on the committee’s activities and took the appropriate decision.
