Nicosia, Cyprus. Parliamentary committees will begin meeting this week under the new composition of the House of Representatives following the May 24 election, formally resuming parliamentary business after the vote. Ministers, government officials and auditor-general Andreas Papaconstantinou are scheduled to appear before committees as MPs begin examining legislation, regulations and public policy issues.
Wildfire preparedness
One of the first major issues on the agenda will be the government’s preparedness for the wildfire season. The House interior committee is due to examine whether the state has sufficient personnel, equipment and resources for fire prevention and firefighting operations.
Representatives from multiple ministries, the fire service, forestry department, civil defence, police and other agencies have been invited to attend.
Ethics and legal affairs
The House ethics committee will begin examining amendments to legislation governing asset declarations by public officials. The proposed bill would remove the president and members of the advisory council from the list of officials required to submit electronic declarations of assets.
The legal affairs committee will hold its first meeting with Justice Minister Costas Fitiris for an exchange of views on issues falling under the committee’s purview.
Refugee, environment and transport matters
The House refugee committee will meet Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou and discuss matters within its remit.
Environmental issues will also feature prominently, with the House environment committee set to discuss proposed amendments to waste management legislation, including regulations introducing a landfill tax on municipal waste.
The transport committee will meet Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades.
Health, defence and audit
The health committee will hold its first meeting with Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides.
The defence committee is expected to discuss recent developments from the defence ministry, with Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas, National Guard chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou and other officials invited to attend.
Separately, the audit committee will hold a meeting with auditor-general Andreas Papaconstantinou to discuss various issues.