Immediate fines for companies in bahrain found to be illegally selling commercial registrations (CRs) on the black market are being considered by the Industry and Commerce Ministry.

Minister Zayed Al Zayani told MPs yesterday (March 10) that an amendment to the law was under consideration to avoid long wait for court verdicts, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

He was responding to a question from parliament's environment affairs committee vice-chairman Ghazy Al Rahma on the number of CRs currently in circulation.

The minister said there were around 86,000 CRs, but added that it was difficult to monitor them with the ministry's six inspectors and said help was being sought from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority and its 70 inspectors.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Sadiq Al Shehabi said information presented to parliament by its woman and child committee chairwoman Dr Jameela Al Sammak on huge shortages of doctors in government facilities was wrong.

“We are working with the Civil Service Bureau to employ more doctors to meet needs in some specialisations which have shortages,” he said.

“But not in the manner suggested by the MP, which gives the impression specialised doctors are completely unavailable.”

Ten MPs were named to the free visa workers probe committee formed last week.

They are legislative and legal affairs committee chairman Anas Buhindi, Mr Al Rahma, financial and economic affairs committee vice-chairman Nasser Al Qaseer, and MPs Ali Al Muqla, Theyab Al Nuaimi, Mohsin Al Bakri, Adel Al Asoomi, Hamad Al Dossary, Jalal Kadhem and Dr Shaikh Abdulmajeed Al Asfoor. - TradeArabia News Service