Committee to study labour accommodation projects

QNADohaThe cabinet yesterday approved the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning’s draft decision to form a joint committee to study labour accommodation projects and strategy. HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud chaired the cabinet’s regular meeting at Emiri Diwan. Under the draft decision, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning will form a committee chaired by the ministry’s representative with members from the authorities concerned. The committee will prepare a study on labour accommodation projects and strategy by exploring the current and future supply and demand for workers’ accommodation in addition to planning the provision of such temporary and permanent accommodation, co-ordinating with the authorities concerned to ensure the construction of residential labour complexes to meet the needs of state development programmes, considering workers’ housing rental costs and providing its recommendations.The cabinet also took necessary measures to issue a draft law on outlets for commercial, industrial and similar public purposes, as well as on street vendors, after reviewing the Advisory Council’s recommendation on the draft law. Under the provisions of the draft law, it is prohibited to open or run an outlet, or work as a street vendor, without obtaining a licence from the competent department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. The Minister of Economy and Commerce will issue a decision on public and private requirements that must be met by the outlets in addition to their working hours, the terms and conditions for granting licences to open shops in residential areas and the permitted activities. Provisions of the draft law will apply to commercial and industrial outlets, similar public outlets that include restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, clubs, clinics and others, as well as street vendors.