Manama: Mohamed Ibrahim Al Sisi Al Buainain, Secretary General of the Council of Representatives, extended his congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the occasion of the Royal Order concluding the third session of the sixth legislative term of the Shura Council and the Council of Representatives.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Al Sisi Al Buainain praised Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam, Speaker of the Council of Representatives, for his leadership and applauded the contributions of all members of the Council, the Shura Council, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the media, and national institutions for their accomplishments during the session. He also highlighted the role of the General Secretariat staff in providing support services to MPs through advanced systems and a collaborative "Team Bahrain" spirit.
During the third session, the Council held 30 general meetings, 29 regular and one exceptional, addressing 758 topics. These included 13 Decrees, 143 draft laws, 93 legislative proposals, 342 proposals for recommendations, 10 general discussion requests, 3 investigation committees, and 154 parliamentary questions, with 82 addressed in the chamber.
Out of the 10 general discussion requests, 8 were debated, covering topics such as the performance of Sunni and Jaafari Endowments Directorates, facilities for transit passengers and tourists, labour market regulation, inflation in building materials, electronic pilgrim registration, services for minors, government service provision in the Southern Governorate, traffic congestion, unsafe housing, and unemployment challenges.
The Council formed one parliamentary investigation committee to assess housing policies and programmes and reviewed three reports from previous committees. It approved 394 items, with 315 in political and oversight areas (80%) and 79 in legislation (20%). A total of 35 items were jointly approved with the Shura Council and submitted to the government. Items referred to the Shura Council included 5 Decrees, 47 draft laws, and 2 final accounts, while those sent to the government included 222 proposals for recommendations and 26 legislative proposals.
The approved items were distributed across various sectors: 268 in services (41%), 241 in financial and economic affairs (37%), 49 in foreign affairs, defence, and national security (7%), 24 in women and children's affairs (4%), 43 in public utilities and the environment (6%), and 22 in youth and sports (3%).
Al Sisi Al Buainain noted that the Council held 134 committee meetings, producing 324 reports. The Committee on Legislative and Legal Affairs issued 137 opinions, while the Committee on Financial and Economic Affairs produced 49 reports. Bahrain's parliamentary delegation hosted the Standing Committee on Economic and Sustainable Development of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), chaired by MP Ahmed Sabah Al Saloom, between December 7-10, 2024. The delegation participated in 51 in-person and virtual events, along with 13 official visits and parliamentary missions.
In its outreach efforts, the Council welcomed 15 official foreign delegations and hosted visits from 59 schools (44 public, 15 private), involving 1,343 students, as well as 280 university students from 10 institutions.