His Majesty issues seven Royal Decrees

Business Wednesday 12/August/2020 17:31 PM
By: Times News Service
His Majesty issues seven Royal Decrees

Muscat: His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik on Wednesday issued seven Royal decrees reading as follows:
Royal Decree No. 75/2020 on the State’s Administrative Apparatus.
Article (1) stipulates that the system (law) attached to this decree shall be applied to the State’s Administrative Apparatus.
Article (2) cancels Royal Decree No. 26/75 on promulgating the “Law Regulating the State’s Administrative Apparatus” and Royal Decree No. 116/91 on promulgating the “System of Public Authorities and Establishments”. It also cancels all that contradicts the system attached to this decree or contravenes its provisions.
Article (3) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on its date of issue.
Royal Decree No. 76/2020 establishes the University of Technology and Applied Sciences.
Article (1) states that a governmental university to be named “University of Technology and Applied Sciences” shall be established, and that it shall have a legal identity, enjoy financial and administrative independence and have its main headquarters in the Governorate of Muscat.
Article (2) states that the University of Technology and Applied Sciences shall have a Vice-Chancellor—with the Special Grade—who shall be appointed under Royal decree.
Article (3) states that the following shall come under the purview of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences: All specialisations, allocations, origins, rights, obligations and assets at each of the College of Education in A’Rustaq, the Colleges of Applied Sciences, the Directorate General of Applied Science Colleges at the Ministry of Higher Education, the Higher College of Technology, Colleges of Technology and the Directorate General of Technical Education at the Ministry of Manpower.
Article (4) states that the following shall be transferred to the University of Technology and Applied Sciences: The teaching and academic staff from each of the College of Education in A’Rustaq, the Colleges of Applied Sciences at the Ministry of Higher Education, the Higher College of Technology and Colleges of Technology at the Ministry of Manpower, along with their job status and financial allocations. Employees of those colleges shall be transferred to the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, along with their financial grades.
Also, employees of the Directorate General of Colleges of Applied Sciences at the Ministry of Higher Education and the Directorate General of Technical Education at the Ministry of Manpower shall be transferred to the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, along with their financial grades, in accordance with the terms to be set by the Council of Ministers.
Article (5) stipulates that the University shall assume the specializations prescribed (authorized) to the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Manpower as stated in Royal decrees and systems (laws) pertaining to colleges stated in Article 3 of this decree.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences shall practice the specialisations prescribed to the Minister of Higher Education and the Minister of Manpower pertaining to Royal decrees and aforementioned systems in this article.
Article (6) states that the system of functioning of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences shall be promulgated by Royal decree. Till the decree is issued, the existing Royal decrees and systems related to the colleges mentioned in Article 3 of this decree shall continue to be enforced without prejudice to its provisions.
Article (7) cancels all that contravenes this decree or contradicts with its provisions.
Article (8) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced from its date of issue.
Royal Decree No. 77/2020 on the Public Authority for Consumer Protection.
Article (1) amends the name of the Public Authority for Consumer Protection to read as follows: “Consumer Protection Authority”.
Article (2) replaces the text of Article (5) of the said Consumer Protection Authority’s System with the following text:
“The management and regulation of the Consumer Protection Authority shall be undertaken by a board of directors to be structured by a decision from the Council of Ministers. The duration of membership of the board shall be three years, renewable for a similar term.
Article (3) says that the two phrases “Public Authority for Consumer Protection” and “Chairman of the Public Authority for Consumer Protection” shall be replaced, wherever they might occur in laws and Royal decrees, with the two phrases “Consumer Protection Authority” and “Chairman of the Consumer Protection Authority”, respectively.
Article (4) cancels all that contradicts this decree or contravenes its provisions.
Article (5) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on its date of issue.
Royal Decree No. 78/2020 amends the name of the Electricity and (Related) Water Sector Regulation Authority to read as follows: “Public Services Regulation Authority” and assigns some specializations to it.
Article (1) renames the Electricity and (Related) Water Sector Regulation Authority as “Public Services Regulation Authority”.
Article (2) stipulates that specializations pertaining to the regulation of natural gas transport stated in Articles 4, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 of the Oil and Gas Law, issued under Royal Decree No. 8/2011, shall be entrusted (assigned) to the Public Services Regulation Authority.
Article (3) the Public Services Regulation Authority, by virtue of its mandate to organize the transport of natural gas, may have all authorities and in particular to perform the following:
1. Issue licenses related to the transport of natural gas.
2. Sign concession agreements for the transport of natural gas. These agreements shall not be effective unless endorsed by a Royal decree.
Article (4) states that the provisions of this decree shall not abrogate existing natural gas transport agreements—upon the date of enforcement of this decree—when the Sultanate is party to the agreements.
Article (5) states that the Council of Ministers shall determine other services that might by assigned to the Public Services Regulation Authority.
Article (6) states that the phrases “Electricity and (Related) Water Sector Regulation Authority”, “Members of the Electricity and (Related) Water Sector Regulation Authority” and “Executive Director of the Electricity and (Related) Water Sector Regulation Authority” shall be replaced, wherever they might occur, with the phrases “Public Services Regulation Authority”, “Board of Directors of Public Services Regulation Authority”, “Chairman of Board of Directors of Public Services Regulation Authority” and “Chairman of Public Services Regulation Authority”. Also, the two phrases “Ministry of Oil and Gas” and “Minister of Oil and Gas”, wherever they might occur in Articles 4, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 of the above-mentioned Oil and Gas Law, where it pertains to regulation of natural gas transport activity, shall be replaced with “Public Services Regulation Authority” and “Chairman of Board of Directors of Public Services Regulation Authority”.
Article (7) cancels all that contradicts this decree or contravenes with its provisions.
Article (8) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on its date of issue.
Royal Decree No. 79/2020 on endorsing the specialisations of the Ministry of Education and endorses its organisational structure.
Article (1) defines the specialisations of the Ministry of Education in accordance with Annex( 1 )attached to this decree.
Article (2) states that the organisational structure of the Ministry of Education shall be endorsed in accordance with Annex (2)attached to this decree.
Article (3) cancels all that contravenes this decree or contradicts with its provisions.
Article (4) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on its date of issue.
Royal Decree No. 80/2020 on endorsing the organisational structure of the Ministry of Health.
Article (1) endorses the Organizational Structure of the Ministry of Health in accordance with the Annex attached to this decree.
Article (2) cancels all that contravenes this decree or contradicts with its provisions.
Article (3) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced from its date of issue.
Royal Decree No. 81/2020 on appointment to some posts.
Article (1) appoints the following officials to the posts indicated along their names:
Dr. Said bin Hamad bin Said Al Rubei’ee as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, with his existing grade and financial allocations.
Dr. Abdullah bin Khamis bin Ali Ambusaidi as Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Education.
Majid bin Said bin Sulaiman Al Bahri as Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Administrative and Financial Affairs.
Dr. Mohammed bin Said bin Khalfan Al-Ma’amari as Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.
Dr. Fatma bint Mohammed bin Baqir al-Ajmiya as Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Health for Administrative, Financial and Planning Affairs.
Ahmed bin Salim bin Rashid Al-Rujaibi as Deputy Chairman of the State’s Financial and Administrative Audit Institution, with the Special Grade.
Dr. Mansoor bin Talib bin Ali al-Hina’ee as Chairman of the Public Services Regulation Authority, with the Special Grade.
Sulayem bin Ali bin Sulayem Al-Hakmani as Chairman of the Consumer Protection Authority, with the Special Grade.
Eng. Omar bin Hamdan bin Hamoud Al-Isma’eeli as Executive President of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, with the Special Grade.
Article (2) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced from its date of issue.