Joint Committees Discuss Two Draft Laws on Construction Violations Settlement and Establishment of Technology Ministry

The Joint Parliamentary Committees held a session chaired by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, attended by Minister of Displaced Persons and State Minister for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shalhadeh, State Minister for Administrative Development Fadi Makki, and committee member MPs.

Bou Saab

After the session, Bou Saab stated: "The agenda of the Joint Committees included two items. The first relates to the settlement of construction violations occurring from 1971 until December 31, 2018. This law required clarification in an article to allow the judiciary to adjudicate matters concerning violations against neighbors, private property, or public property, or if any ruling has been issued in such cases, ensuring they do not benefit from this settlement previously approved in the law. We adopted this clarification, stipulating that only encroachments on neighbor's private property, public property, or cases where a prior judicial ruling exists shall be excluded from these settlements."

He added: "The second item is a draft law concerning the establishment of the Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Lebanon. This project was thoroughly studied in the Joint Committees and examined by a subcommittee which introduced amendments. It was expected to be approved today, but it appears there are divergent views regarding the ministry's powers and those of another ministry. While it is important to establish this ministry, unfortunately, this disagreement led to the quorum being broken before voting on this item, preventing the project's approval."

Shalhadeh

In turn, the Minister of Technology said: "I thank the MPs who attended and participated in the subcommittee and expressed their observations from all blocs. Those who walked out today chose to take a political stance, whereas the country's interest lies in having a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence regardless of who heads it. Some questions were raised in the committees, and the project was studied in the Council of Ministers, the Technology Committee, and the subcommittee. Discussions in the committees addressed the ministry's powers, clarifying matters with no conflicts. The issue returns to the Parliament, and the President decides what action to take. I hope the committees will be convened for a joint session before Thursday to incorporate the observations, as this project serves the national interest."