Crown Prince Accepts Government Task Forces' Recommendations to Reduce Government Expenditure by 30%

Manama, Bahrain (ots/PRNewswire) -

As part of the Kingdom of Bahrain's recently announced programme of
economic and fiscal reform, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has
chaired a meeting of the Government Executive Committee, during which
the final report of the six government task forces, responsible for
reducing government expenditure, was accepted. The report includes a
series of short-term and medium-term measures to reduce government
expenditure by 30% and improve efficiency across entities. The
Kingdom of Bahrain is implementing a comprehensive programme of
structural economic and fiscal reforms to further strengthen its
long-term development. The programme is underpinned by three pillars:
streamlining government expenditure; redistributing government
subsidies; and a series of economic reforms and infrastructure
projects worth more than $32bn to increase investment and growth.
The programme includes detailed reviews of how government's
administrative spending can be reduced and redirected to areas that
deliver increased economic returns. Work in this area has already led
to a reduction in the number of government ministries and the merging
of ten government entities. The Crown Prince noted that the target
to reduce expenditure by 30% demonstrates the government's commitment
to a sustainable fiscal position. Over the past two months the
government task forces have conducted in-depth spending review
meetings and site visits to assess government efficiency. The
Crown Prince reiterated that fiscal reform efforts must start from
within government and that the implementation of the recommendations
will modernise administrative procedures across government.

NOTES TO EDITORS Spending Review Task Forces

- In October 2015, the Government of Bahrain established 6 specialist
government task forces to review and identify areas of government
expenditure that could be reduced, as well as the redistribution of
spending to areas that deliver high economic returns. The
recommendations were presented within the agreed time period and
have been accepted by the government.
- The areas of spending assessed include: - Maintenance of
government buildings
- Government travel expenses and transportation
- Government property rental costs
- Government advertisements and administration
- Government IT expenditure
- Efficient use of medical equipment

Reduced number of government ministries

- The government has consolidated the number of government ministries
down from 23 to 16 to more efficiently and effectively serve the
citizens of Bahrain.

Merging of government entities

- In October 2015, 10 government entities were merged to streamline
services and reduce government expenditure. The merged entities
include: - The Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority with
the Ministry
of Industry, Commerce and Tourism
- The National Health Regulatory Authority with the Supreme Health
Council
- The Supreme Council for Vocational Training with the Labour Fund
(Tamkeen)
- The General Organisation for Youth and Sports with the Ministry
of
Youth and Sports
- The eGovernment Authority with the Central Information
Organisation

ots Originaltext: Bahrain Economic Development Board
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