The government of Kuwait has approved an increase in the allowances paid to nurses working in state hospitals . Speaking after a cabinet meeting on Monday, Roudhan Al-Roudhan, the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, said that the council of ministers had approved the increase in allowances in appreciation of nurses' vital role. Al-Roudhan also revealed that the cabinet would declare Thursday, Sept 24 an official public holiday if Eid Al-Fitr falls on Monday, Sept 21.

The minister further revealed that the cabinet had approved the appointment of Dr. Humoud Fulaiteh as Deputy Director General in the Public Authority for Youth and Sport (PAYS) at the rank of Assistant Undersecretary.

Several issues were discussed during Monday's meeting, including the postponement of the start of the school year, the Mishref sewage plant crisis, the subsequent pollution threat and drinking water safety.

In the light of the continuing developments affecting these issues and related condemnation from a number of MPs against Minister of Public Works Dr. Fadhil Safar for his handling of the Mishref plant crisis, several other parliamentarians have voiced their support for Dr. Safar's efforts to resolve the situation. Meanwhile, there have been demands from a large number of MPs to form a parliamentary investigation committee to look into the Mishref plant crisis following the start of the next parliamentary t
erm.

MP Saleh Al-Mulla said that his parliamentary colleagues would have to wait until the reopening of parliament before holding Dr. Safar accountable for the sewage plant crisis. If they were incapable of waiting until then, he continued, they would have to call an emergency session beforehand. to discuss the issue urgently and comprehensively

He said that any decision on the minister's part to resign could only be made by the minister himself and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah. Al-Mulla warned that the next parliamentary term would see a significant increase in political tension, with a similar atmosphere to that which led to the 2008 dissolution of parliament currently building up.

MP Naji Al-Abdulhadi, meanwhile, called for the sewage plant crisis to be referred to the Audit Bureau for investigation, further insisting that the number of investigation committees formed to look into the issue should be limited as far as possible to ensure accuracy and speed.

One parliamentary official said that the proposal to establish a parliamentary committee to look into the matter was made following coordination between the Islamic Salaf Assembly, the National Islamic Alliance and a number of liberal MPs. The official said that the committee would help by taking some of the burden from the minister's shoulders, although some supporters of the proposal are still critical of the measures taken by Dr. Safar, particularly his denial that the ministry had taken over the running of the plant from the contractor, when documents clearly proved that this had taken place four days before the crisis began.

MP Adnan Albdulsamad, who represents the National Islamic Alliance, revealed that he had met with a number of fellow MPs in order to discuss the proposal, while abstaining from officially announcing his support for forming the committee, since Safar is a member of the same bloc.

Kuwaittimes