(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Doha: The Shura Council held its regular weekly session today under the chairmanship of H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, Speaker of the Council.
At the beginning of the session, H E Dr Ahmed bin Nasser Al-Fadala, Secretary-General of the Shura Council, read out the agenda of the session, and the minutes of the previous session were approved.
During its session, the Council discussed the two bills of 'social insurance' and 'military retirement' in light of the report of the joint committee formed by the Committees for legal and Legislative Affairs, and financial and Economic Affairs, on the two draft laws, and the responses of the competent authorities to the inquiries and observations of members of the committee, and the consultations that took place. Coordination with the esteemed government regarding them.
After extensive discussions about the conditions of retirees and their keenness to achieve their aspirations and in appreciation of their sacrifice for the country, the Shura Council approved the two draft laws that were prepared to implement the directives of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to build an effective system for social protection of all Qataris, facing the burdens of life, meeting the aspirations of retirees and ensuring a decent life for them.
The two bills approved by the Council included a number of improvements and amendments in favor of retirees, which were not stipulated in the current laws, most notably: the retirement pension shall not be less than QR 15,000 as a minimum, while the two bills set the highest ceiling for pensions including It does not exceed QR 100,000, which is the upper limit in the countries of the region.
The two bills also authorized the granting of exceptional retirement pensions to Qataris who are not eligible for the pension, and the state bears the costs of this, which is an advantage in Qatari law. And it is permissible to grant a periodic pension allowance by a decision of the Council of Ministers, which is a new feature for retirees related to the cost of living and the solvency of pension funds.
The two bills also permitted granting advances to pensioners, provided that the permit here is linked to the financial solvency of the fund. They also permitted the installment of all amounts owed to the fund, so that the insured has to pay any obligations he owes to the fund in monthly installments, in order to facilitate and take into account the insured's circumstances.
In support of the private sector, according to the draft social insurance law, it is permissible with the approval of the Council of Ministers and in accordance with the controls it determines, that the state's public treasury bears a percentage of the contribution determined for the employer from the private sector.
The two draft laws also regulate the issue of transferring the right to a pension to the beneficiaries upon the death of the insured or the pensioner, and among the beneficiaries are non-Qatari children, with the aim of preserving the right of the pensioners, even if they are not Qataris.
Under the project, the“Social Security” law voluntarily applies to Qataris working for themselves, with the aim of giving protection to them and their families, and stipulates that the pensions due may be paid without being restricted to the employee's or worker's registration, provided that the relationship between the insured and the employer is proven, with the aim of protecting the employee or worker.
Among the other advantages, the two projects stipulated the possibility of combining more than one pension or salary, not exceeding one hundred thousand riyals, and also stipulated a reward for the pensioner for the subscription period of more than thirty years, and this reward will be in addition to the reward that the employee will receive in accordance with the Human Resources Law Civil.
As a new feature - not found in other laws - the two bills stipulated the eligibility to retain the pension without reduction in the event that the insured woman (the woman) resigns to care for her children with disabilities, provided that she has actual service for a period of twenty years.
In order to preserve the rights of the employee, the two projects also stipulate that the insured, who does not meet the conditions for entitlement to the pension, be given a one-time compensation, so that the insured's contributions he paid in addition to the returns on their investment are refunded in accordance with the principles and controls contained in the two projects.
On the other hand, the two bills stipulated increasing the percentage of the widow to 100% of the pension in the absence of beneficiaries, in order to help her with the burdens of life and support her children.
The draft military retirement law also stipulated adding a specialization allowance not exceeding five thousand riyals to the subscription calculation base, in addition to the housing allowance. While the draft Social Security Law stipulated adding the social allowance and housing allowance to the subscription account base.
The draft Social Security Law excluded those who had reached the age of sixty and were entitled to a pension in accordance with the provisions of Law No. (24) 2002 regarding retirement and pensions, from the contribution period stipulated in the draft law, so that their pension would be settled in accordance with the controls set by the project.
The draft law also stipulated an increase in the average pensions of the insured in the private sector by calculating the pension on the basis of the average salary of the last three subscription years instead of five years as in the current law, in order to ensure the highest average retirement pension for the employee.
As for the national service members who do not hold civilian jobs, the draft military retirement law stipulates that they receive insurance protection at the time of performing the national service, in the event of death or disability.
MENAFN14022022000063011010ID1103691276
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.