By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A meeting between the National Assembly's human resources committee with the government to study amendments to the population law has been postponed for next week because the Cabinet weekly meeting was delayed. The assembly approved the law in the first reading last week with all Cabinet's 12 members present voting against the law after the government objected to a number of points.

The law calls on the government to set a cap for the number of expats needed by the country within six months of issuing the law and asks the government to gradually reduce the number of expats over the next five years. It also requires the government to introduce quotas for various foreign communities in the country. The government has reportedly objected to the six-month period and also to setting specific quotas for expat communities.

The two sides were supposed to make the necessary amendments before sending the law back to the assembly to make its second and final vote on the legislation that basically aims at substantially reducing the number of expats.

MP Mohammad Al-Dallal yesterday asked the Minister of Social Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel about measures adopted by the ministry against employers who delay the payment of salaries to employees. He demanded to know the number of labor complaints filed by individual or groups of workers in the private sector for not receiving their salaries or those who had their passports taken by employers since 2017. He asked for the names of companies which committed such violations.

In the meantime, MP Osama Al-Shaheen asked Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh about Kuwait's readiness to face the danger of drones. The lawmaker was referring to a statement by a Pentagon official saying Kuwait needs a comprehensive assessment to its system of countering drones. Shaheen asked the minister about Kuwait's military and technical preparedness against the dangers of drones and in protecting vital installations and if Kuwait has devised a plan to protect its vital facilities against possible attacks by drones.