Busy schedule ahead for Parliament

A heavy workload is in store for Parliament when it reconvenes on Oct. 3 after an almost three-month-long summer recess, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.

Parliament and its commissions are expected to handle 97 bills, 42 proposals and 242 motions to be researched on various topics in the upcoming legislative year. Additionally, the prime minister and his ministers are expected to respond to 1,237 written and 394 verbal official questions.

Five investigative commissions that were set up in the last legislative year will continue with their tasks. The reports from commissions on the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), potato producers and violence in sports are on the agenda of the General Assembly.

The parliamentary commissions are expected to debate 108 bills; the agenda of the Planning and Budgetary Commission is the busiest with 40 to be discussed.

The Foreign Affairs Commission will tackle 21 bills, the Defense Commission 13, the Internal Affairs Commission 10, the Justice Commission eight, the Education Commission six, the Health Commission four, Constitutional Commission three, the Industry and Commerce Commission two and the Agriculture Commission one bill. There is no bill on the agenda for the public works and environment commissions.

Vetoed laws:

Parliament is expected to re-discuss 14 laws previously vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, among them the banking law, judges and prosecutors' law, higher education law and the 2B law on the sale of deforested land.

After the opening of the new legislative year, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies will hold a retreat in Kızılcahamam. Parliament is expected to discuss a bill on social insurance and general health insurance first. If studies on the draft anti-terror law are completed in time and sent to Parliament, this will then become the top item on the deputies' agenda.