Parliament Oks bill on regulating credit information

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti government is taking a rational and careful approach in merger of the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) with the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), considering interests of the employees and the country, a top official affirmed yesterday.

The government is quite willing to consider recommendations by the State Audit Bureau, the Parliamentary Accounting and Final Accounts Committee, the Health, Social and Labor Affairs Committee with respect of the integration and transfer of jurisdictions of the MGRP and PAM, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, addressing a regular parliamentary session.

Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled made the comments during a debate in response to a letter by MP Mohammad Al-Dallal on tasking the Parliamentary Health, Social and Labor Affairs Committee to examine the incorporation. Moreover, the government is keen on cooperating with the legislative authority, on basis of Article 50 of Kuwait Constitution, as to non-intervention in issues of any authority, he said. However, he added that its cooperation would not imply stripping it of its right as an executive authority to take decisions, in line with its prerogatives.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled pledged that the government would take into consideration interests of the citizens and the country "in any decisions it may take as stipulated in the jurisdictions accorded to it." Meanwhile, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel also spoke during the session, affirming in part that the planned merger triggered concerns about employees' "legal status" and financial conditions, indicating that the process should ensure that the staff be paid fairly.

Credit information

Separately, the National Assembly approved a bill stipulating regulations for credit information. The draft law, endorsed in the second reading, was blessed by 45 members, with six objecting out of the present 51 legislators. The voting took place after examining a relevant report by the parliamentary financial and economic committee.

It stipulates clients' consent for inquiring about personal data and information according to executive by-laws; data presenters must supply the relevant company with clients' credit information, prohibiting circulation of information about persons' private life, views, beliefs or health condition; credit information companies must be subject to supervision by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) to ensure adherence to related laws. Moreover, the credit information company must be a shareholding firm, with a capital no less than KD 25 million (some $82 million). The CBK issues rules for regulating companies' operations, their dealings with the clients and the credit information companies. Offenders are punished with a year behind bars, a fine of KD 5,000 ($16,000), or one of these two penalties. - KUNA