|
On (9/8/2020), the House of Representatives held its third session of the first legislative term for the third year, the fourth electoral cycle headed by Mr. Muhammad Al-Halbousi, with the presence of (169), which included the session.
- The council postponed the vote on the first amendment law proposal to the Iraqi Commission for Approval (78) for the year 2017 submitted by the Economy, Investment and Finance Committees until the government’s opinion on the financial aspect of amending the law is taken.
- The President of the Council directs each of the two committees concerned with approaching the Council of Ministers to express their opinion on amending the Iraqi Accreditation and Answer Authority law within a period not exceeding one week. Otherwise, the Council of Representatives proceeds with the enactment of the law.
- The first reading of the draft law of the first amendment of the General Census of Population and Housing Law No. (40) for the year 2008 submitted by the committees monitoring the implementation of the government program and strategic and legal planning.
- The first reading of the proposed law to cancel the Revolutionary Command Council (dissolved) Resolution No. 218 of 2002 submitted by the Legal Committee.
- Mr. Al-Halbousi called for the cooperation of the Financial and Legal Committees to deliberate on the proposed law to cancel the dissolved Revolution Command Council's decision before proceeding with the second -Reading to find out the financial obligations related to it.
-Mr. Bashir Al-Haddad headed part of the session.
- Public discussions, the interventions demanded to expedite the provision of job grades for degree holders, the appointment of the first to departments and colleges, serious consideration of the demands of those whose contracts have been canceled by the employees of the defense and the interior, and the call to activate the application of the Federal Service Law to ensure social justice among graduates.
- Deputy Chairman of the Council Dr. Bashir Al-Haddad directed the Finance and Legal Committees to expedite the legislation of the Federal Civil Service Law and explain the reasons for the increase in the interest rate on loans allocated to retirees from the Rasheed and Rafidian banks, which reached 20%.
- The Speaker welcomed the attendance of the gentlemen. Ali Allawi, Minister of Finance, and Khaled Battal, Minister of Planning, to answer an oral question addressed to them by Representative Muhammad Sahib al-Darraji, member of the Finance Committee, in accordance with the bylaw of the House of Representatives to exercise its oversight role.
- Representative Mohamed Al-Darraji asked about the government's failure to submit the economic reforms paper within the 60-day period stipulated in the Domestic and Foreign Borrowing Law of 2020 in Article Seven of it, noting that the House of Representatives voted on the law on 6/24/2020.
- The Minister of Finance clarified that the economic reform program needs a long time to present it because the economic situation in Iraq is going through a critical situation due to the repercussions of previous cumulative economic policies that passed on the Iraqi state since the fifties of the last century until now.
- The Minister of Planning indicated that there are 6,250 projects under construction that need to provide 126 trillion dinars to complete them, and this large number of projects caused the failure to include any new project in the new budget law, explaining that the delay in completing the projects led to the failure to provide services to citizens, including the presence of 42 residential complexes unfinished, it needs to be recounted accurately in order to start its implementation, in addition to the necessity to devise a real reform plan to address the delay in implementing projects.
- Deputy Muhammad al-Darraji's emphasis on the need to fully and not partially implement the legislated law, wondering about the value of internal and external borrowing and the size of what was allocated to pay salaries or in the investment sector, as well as knowing the value of the exchange rate specified in the next budget.
-Minister Allawi pointed out that there are three types of loans, including commercial that the Iraqi government has shied away from borrowing from governments, and the third by borrowing from international development institutions such as the World Bank and the Arab Fund for the purpose of investment in particular.
- The Minister of Planning indicated that the Ministry instructed to stop international obligations to pressure spending units, which led to the deprivation of some provinces of services.
- Representative Muhammad Al-Darraji referred to his inquiries about the feasibility of borrowing an amount of 5 billion dollars abroad despite the lack of benefit from previous loans in meeting the needs, and knowing the extent of the continuation of the loan from the central reserve.
- The Minister of Finance indicated that the need to borrow was to support the general budget and fill the financial deficit without giving support to investment projects, explaining that the tendency to borrow from the International Monetary Fund comes because it has certain support programs for countries suffering from financial crises, such as Iraq, with loans for a period of three years, on condition To be associated with administrative and financial reforms.
- The Minister added that it takes 5 years to carry out concrete economic reforms by finding new alternatives for revenues, indicating that the total debt represents 80 to 90 percent of the Iraqi national product, which amounts to 160 trillion dinars in foreign debts, including Kuwait and Saudi debts amounting to 40 billion dollars. Citing the lack of the possibility of the Ministry of Finance to count the monetary mass in Iraq.
- The Speaker of Parliament affirmed the necessity of presenting any government move to negotiate any external loan to the relevant parliamentary committees before negotiating with foreign parties.
The session was adjourned to 9/10/2020 |
Return
