Women members attend the 56th session of the Shoura Council in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

The Shoura Council has opened deliberations on a draft system to impose fines and other municipal penalties on violators of public health regulations.

Chaired by Speaker Abdullah Al-Asheikh, the council heard a report presented by the Committee of Haj, Housing and Services on the proposed 14-point system.

The system is being devised to cope with efforts by the Saudi Food and Drugs Agency (SFDA) on a food law currently being applied, Assistant Speaker Yahya Al-Samaan told reporters after the council’s 56th ordinary session.

He said a new system will be presented to the Shoura Council related to penalties to be imposed against irregular water bottling plants.

In addition to a fine, the proposed system imposes other penalties on a violating firm to include closure for a period not exceeding seven days for the first offense, he said.

However, if the violation is repeated in the same year and has a serious impact on public health, the license of the firm is to be canceled by the order of the minister of municipal affairs and further banned from practicing the activity for a period not exceeding two years in the city where the violation was detected.

The ruling issued is to be published in one of the local newspapers at the expense of the violator in the city where the violation occurred, or in the nearest city where the newspaper is being published.

In irregularities which have no serious impact on public health, the fine is doubled and the firm closed for a period not exceeding seven days if it repeated the violation. If the violation is repeated for the third time, the firm shall be closed for a period not exceeding 30 days, the fine doubled and the ruling published.

Later, the Council deliberated other issues where a member proposed the creation of suitable mechanisms of fixing Zakat rates from the bank accounts.

Another member asked the Department of Zakat to organize conferences and workshops in cooperation with universities and research centers to pinpoint its leading role in caring for this important pillar of Islam. Other members called on the department to provide technical and administrative incentives with a view to attracting national cadres in this context.

The council approved the suitability of a draft study meant to amend some items of the Civil Status System which were contained in a report presented by the Security Affairs Committee.

The amendments primarily focus on granting and protecting the rights of mothers as stipulated by the Shariah.

The amendments boost the status of Saudi women and stipulate that no difference exists between her and a male citizen, notably in obtaining national documents, respecting her dignity, granting her documents proving her relationship to her children, and protection of official documents from forgery at the Civil Status departments.

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