Khaberni - The House of Representatives discussed during a control session held on Wednesday, chaired by the acting Speaker Khamis Attyah, and in the presence of Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan and members of the government team, a set of parliamentary questions and government responses to them.
The session, which is the third of its kind in terms of oversight in the second regular session of the council, dealt with parliamentary questions submitted to the government, focusing on several local files, the most prominent among them, tourism, municipalities, agriculture, transportation, and health.
Question raised by Deputy Ibrahim Sarairah regarding the state of tourism in Karak Governorate and ways to promote it, where the Deputy affirmed the importance of touristic sites in the governorate, hoping for the implementation of projects that would enhance this vital sector.
Deputy Khalifa Al-Diyat asked about the permits for importing barley and the mechanisms of granting them, considering that providing barley could directly affect production costs.
In turn, Minister of Agriculture Saeb Khreisat mentioned that the mechanism of granting permits is carried out through electronic procedures that involve receiving applications, then reviewing them, and thereafter granting the permits.
Question posed by Deputy Haitham Al-Ziyadin about the owners of application companies and their nationalities, and the number of vehicles operating on the applications, and he talked about the absence of a cap on the deduction rates on drivers (captains) which sometimes reaches 35% of the daily income, noting that there are about 60,000 “captains” working in this field, which necessitates including them in the social security.
In his turn, the Minister of Transport, Nidal Al-Qatamin, spoke about the system for regulating passenger transport using smart applications for the year 2025, which came to address gaps in the old system, in addition to encouraging competitiveness through opening new markets.
He pointed out the cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship to block any regulator or service outside the system limits, which maintains the rights of citizens, drivers, and companies. He noted that the operating age of cars using applications is designated at 7 years.
Al-Qatamin added that 12 companies had obtained preliminary approvals to work in the sector, assuring that the system will soon be activated, and mentioning that there is cooperation with the Ministry of Labor to include the drivers in this field in social security.
In his role, Deputy Mustafa Al-Amawi posed a question about health insurance for employees of the Jordan Post Company, stating that the absence of providing health insurance is a precedent and threatens job security, and he confirmed that he was not satisfied with the answer provided by the government and would suspend the response pending further actions.
The government answered the question through the Minister of Environment Ayman Sulaiman, stating that the Jordan Post affirms that no employee will be deprived of health insurance, pointing out that the post had moved from private health insurance to general.
Deputy Feryal Bani Salman submitted a question about the building of the Directorate of Agriculture in Kufranjah sub-district, Ajloun, and spoke during the session about the rampant felling of forest trees, especially since it is recurrent and leaves a serious environmental impact, stating that forest protection is a shared responsibility.
Meanwhile, Deputy Nesim Al-Abadi was content with the government’s response related to her question about the mechanism for forming technical committees to determine medical errors.
On his part, Deputy Malik Al-Tahrawi asked about the technical and structural condition of King Abdullah II Industrial City bridge in Sahab, and the reasons for closing some traffic lanes, along with the financial provisions earmarked for bridge maintenance.
Minister of Local Administration Walid Al-Masri said that the Ministry of Public Works and Housing had prepared the technical basis related to the bridge of King Abdullah II Industrial City, indicating that the tender will be floated in the second quarter of this year, funded by the government.
A list of questions was postponed to the next oversight session.
Deputy Atiyah initiated the session by reading Al-Fatiha for the soul of the former Prime Minister and Upper House member Ahmed Obeidat, who passed away after a life filled with contribution in serving the homeland and its Hashemite leadership.
