FNC seeks more detail on ministry evaluations

ABU DHABI // The FNC will ask the Government this week to better explain how it evaluates ministries. Sultan Saqr al Suweidi, an FNC member from Dubai, said he will have questions prepared for Mohammed Abdullah al Gargawi, the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, when the council meets tomorrow. "I want to know what are the criteria for evaluating the ministries," Mr al Suweidi said.

Mr al Gargawi is not expected to attend the session. Mr al Suweidi said he would ask for the minister to appear at a later date rather than deal with a written answer to his questions. He said the FNC's concerns were prompted by the budget debate in December where the council learnt that several ministries did not implement all their proposed programmes during 2008. The council cited "repeated violations" in ministries' spending habits and criticised some for not carrying out their basic tasks.

The problems were attributed to lack of budget or improper planning. mhabboush@thenational.ae