Members of the council have approved the formation of 13 committees with a majority vote, Secretary-General of the Shoura Council Muhammad Al-Ghamdi said in a press statement after the meeting. The 80th session of the council was presided over by its Chairman Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al-Asheikh here on Monday.

Al-Ghamdi said members considered a report presented by the council’s general secretariat with regard to the reconstitution of the committees for the fourth year.

Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Askar was chosen as head of the foreign committee while Sadaqat bin Yahya Fadel will be his deputy. Saad bin Muhammad Mareq and Hatem bin Hassan Al-Marzouqi were named as chairman and deputy chairman of the finance committee respectively.

The names of the chairman and deputy chairman of the remaining committees are as follows: Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al-Baraheem and Faleh bin Muhammad Al-Sagheer (Islamic and judicial affairs), Thamer bin Nasir Al-Ghashyan and Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Qadi (social, family and youth affairs), Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Naji and Rashid bin Hamad Al-Katheeri (administration and human resources), Osama bin Ali Qabani and Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh (economic and energy affairs), Saud bin Humaid Al-Subaie and Maj. Gen. Abdullah bin Abdul Kareem Al-Saadun (security affairs), Ahmad bin Saad Al-Mofreh and Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Silmi (education and scientific research affairs), Saad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bazie and Zamil bin Abbas Abu Zinada (culture and information affairs), Mohsen bin Ali Al-Hazimi and Ali bin Saleh Al-Dohaiman (health and environment affairs), Muhammad bin Hamed Al-Naqadi and Ali bin Saad Al-Tokhais (housing, water and general services), Suleiman ibn Awad Al-Zayidi and Abdul Rahman bin Ahmad Haijan (human rights and petitions). Jibreel bin Hassan Al-Areeshi was named deputy chairman of the transport, communications and IT committee.

Al-Ghamdi said the council meeting discussed a recommendation made by member Hassan Al-Shahri with regard to carrying out a feasibility study on whether the Ministry of Communications and IT should continue to exist in the wake of the formation of the Communications and Information Technology Commission and privatization of the communications sector.

The council rejected the recommendation after a majority of members voted in favor of the motion that the ministry would continue to exist as a supervisory and organizational agency for the communications and IT sector.