House of Representatives Adopts Four Government Bills Related to Banking, Health, and Social Sectors
The House of Representatives adopted on Monday, July 17, 2023, four Government bills related to the banking, health, and social sectors. The adoption took place during a legislative plenary sitting chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Mohamed Sabbari, and attended by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ms. Nadia Fettah Alaoui, and the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Mr. Khalid Aït Taleb,
During the sitting, the House adopted by a majority of votes Government Bill 01-22 on Credit Information Offices, which aims to improve access to financing by making non-financial data of credit institutions available to interested individuals and enriching the database of Credit Information Offices. The Bill also aims to enable vulnerable categories excluded from or lacking access to financing, to benefit from the financial services of credit institutions.
The adopted Bill stipulates the designation of Bank Al-Maghrib as the authority responsible for regulating and supervising Credit Information Offices and coordinating their action with the relevant sectoral control and organization authorities regarding information providers. The text also provides for the respect of confidentiality, the protection of personal data, and the explicit, clear, and prior consent of the persons whose credit information has been collected and shared.
During the same sitting, the Representatives unanimously adopted Government Bill 61-22, amending and supplementing Dahir 1-75-292 of September 19, 1977 (Chaoual 5, 1397), operating as Law on the measures to protect domestic animals from infectious diseases. The Bill aims to adapt Moroccan legislation to the requirements of importing countries and the recommendations of the World Organization for Animal Health, and in line with the epidemic mutations of animal diseases at the international level. Within this framework, the Bill provides for adding 22 new diseases, omitting five diseases, and modifying the names of five others.
The Bill, consisting of a sole article, would help promote the export of domestic agricultural animal products, eradicate contagious animal diseases affecting the health of the national animal capital, strengthen ongoing animal health monitoring, and enforce the adoption of animal health measures in line with internationally applied regulations and procedures.
Moreover, the House adopted by a majority of votes Government Bill 07-22 on the creation of the Higher Health Authority, which defines the Authority's prerogatives and roles in terms of the technical supervision of compulsory health insurance and assessment of the quality of services provided by public and private health establishments.
Among the most important prerogatives to be entrusted to the Higher Health Authority are the accreditation of healthcare establishments, mediation in disputes brought before it by healthcare professionals, and, in particular, the assessment of the quality of services provided by healthcare establishments in the public and private sectors.
The aforementioned Bill falls within the scope of the project of social protection and reform the healthcare system. In the same regard, the Authority will be tasked with issuing an opinion on public policies in the healthcare field, which can make a qualitative contribution to the healthcare sector in our country, in line with a clear strategic vision for overseeing the far-reaching reform of the healthcare system.
Besides, the Representatives approved by a majority of votes Government Bill 39-22 amending and supplementing Dahir 1-57-187 of November 12, 1963 (Jumada II 24, 1383) enacting the Statute of Mutual Insurance Scheme. The Bill stipulates the inclusion of mutual insurance associations set up within National Security in the list of mutual insurance associations for which the Administration may authorize some exceptions in applying the provisions of Dahir 1-57-187.
Under the terms of this Law, the prerogatives entrusted to the Minister of Employment under the above-mentioned Dahir will be assigned to the government authority or authorities to be determined by decree.