Eleven issues were considered at the meeting of the Milli Majlis Labour and Social Policy Committee held on 18 June.

The discussion that revolved round the transition to new handicap determination criteria and retirement pensions predominantly involved First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis Ali Huseynli, Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis Adil Aliyev, Chie of the Milli Majlis Staff Safa Mirzayev and the chairs and deputy chairs of eight parliamentary committees as well as representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population and of the State Medical-Social Expert Assessment and Rehabilitation Agency.

First, Labour and Social Policy Committee Chairman Musa Guliyev informed the assembly of the items on the agenda. He commented on the amendments to the Law ‘On the Rights of Disabled Persons’, tabled for the third reading, and made clear the issues raised by the MPs during the second reading of that document.

Then, Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Protection of the Population Anar Aliyev told the meeting participants of the Ministry’s reforms in the fields of medical and social expert checks and rehabilitation. Mr Aliyev said that it was deemed important to ensure social justice and transparency in handicap assignations as well as keeping the latter well-targeted. The other important points are determining eligible persons’ disabilities correctly and discouraging false assignations.

The MPs were told that the Law ‘On the Rights of Disabled Persons’ itself as well as the 19 regulatory by-laws concerned with its enforcement had been drawn up and enacted over the three years past. The ‘Disability Assessment Criteria’ had been drafted in collaboration with international organisations and experts; a package of amendments to almost 100 legal and regulatory acts (including 11 codes and 50 laws) had been put together in connection with the application of those new criteria.

Right now, the branches of the State Medical-Social Expert Assessment and Rehabilitation Agency assess disabilities relying on the Form 88 excerpts in which personal identification and medical institution information is codified. Disability is assigned for life in such irreversible cases as limb amputations and incurable ailments; this approach dispenses with the need in re-examination of the covered persons. And, naturally, a status assignment application will be declined when the excerpts prove incomplete and when there are no grounds for the assignation.

The Deputy Minister proceeded to tell the assembly of the structural changes undertaken to improve the disability assessment process. He mentioned the emergence of the 5 new specialist MSEACs (medical and social expert assessment commissions) for different diseases and of the 20 new regional MSEACs. Those employees whose work had been found to contain irregularities and shortcomings had been subjected to disciplinary action. Besides, the data on 266 employees had been submitted to the Azerbaijan Republic Prosecutor General’s Office for legal appraisal in connection with the facts of the Form 88 forgeries revealed.

Anar Aliyev mentioned as he was telling the MPs of the large amount of work done in relation to the Patriotic War that the Cabinet of Ministers was going to follow the to-be-enacted laws tabled currently with the adoption of the Disability Determination Criteria. A disability will be determined on the basis of the bodily functionality loss percentages; this, in turn, will guarantee implementation of the international practice and standards in assigning the disability categories as well as it will do a better quality and a higher citizens’ satisfaction with these services.

The thorough discussion of the Bill that followed involved First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis Ali Huseynli, Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis Adil Aliyev, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Health Committee Ahliman Amiraslanov, Chair of the Milli Majlis Culture Committee Ganira Pashayeva, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee Tahir Mirkishili and the MPs Vahid Ahmadov, Aghil Abbas, Fazail Agamali, Ali Masimli and Malahat Ibrahimghizi. They all converged on a number of important issues. Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Protection of the Population Anar Aliyev answered the MPs’ questions.

Then, Musa Guliyev announced that the next six amendment packages (in the third reading) were connected to the tabled changes in the Law ‘On the Rights of Disabled Persons’ and were unifying in nature.

An exchange of opinions followed, after which the Committee recommended that the Bills specified below should be tabled at a plenary sitting of the Milli Majlis:

The draft amendments to the Law ‘On the Rights of Disabled Persons’ (the third reading);

the draft amendments to the Law ‘On Retirement Pensions’ (the third reading);

the draft amendments to the Labour, Civil, Civil Procedural, Family, Criminal, Tax, Sentence Enforcement, Housing, Migration, Administrative Offences and Land Codes of the Azerbaijan Republic

the draft amendments to the ‘On the Status and Social Protection of the Chernobyl Disaster Liquidators with Damaged Health’, ‘On the Immune Prophylactics of Infectious Diseases’, ‘On the Narcological Service and the Narcological Control’, ‘On the (Special) Education for Persons with Health Limitations’, ‘On the State Care of Diabetes Mellitus Patients’, ‘On Blood and Blood Component Donation, and the Blood Service’, ‘On the State Care of Persons with Hereditary Blood Diseases – Haemophilia and Thalassemia’, ‘On the Targeted State Social Aid’, ‘On Social Benefits’, ‘On the Oncological Aid’, ‘On the Social Service’, ‘On Culture’, ‘On the Compulsory Periodic Paediatric Wellness Checks’, ‘On Preschool Education’, ‘On Employment’ and ‘On Vocational Education’ (the third reading);

the draft amendments to the laws ‘On Perpetuating the Shahid Title and on the Shahid Household Benefits’, ‘On the Social Insurance’, ‘On the Police’, ‘On the Shorter Hours Worked by Certain Civil Servant Categories’, ‘On the Compulsory Insurance of Persons Serving with the Azerbaijan Republic Diplomatic Stations in Foreign Countries and with International Institutions’, ‘On the Insurance Practice’, ‘On the Non-State (private) Security Activity’, ‘On the Social Adaptation of Persons Relieved of Penitentiary Sentence Service’ and ‘On the Protection of the Rights and Liberties of Persons Held in Detention Facilities’ (the third reading);

the draft amendments to the laws ‘On the Place of Abode Registration’, ‘On the Status of a Member of the Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic’, ‘On the Compulsory State Personal Insurance of Military Servicemen’, ‘On Courts of Law and Judges’, ‘On Protection of the Population Health’, ‘On the Adoption of the Military Service Charter’, ‘On the Rights of Children’, ‘On the Motor Traffic’, ‘On the State Protection of Persons Engaged in Criminal Proceedings’, ‘On the Social Protection of Orphans and Children Deprived of Parental Care’, ‘On the Compulsory State Personal Insurance of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Personnel’, ‘On Motorways’, ‘On the Action against Tuberculosis in the Azerbaijan Republic’, ‘On the Psychiatric Aid’, ‘On the Compulsory Insurance Classes’ and ‘On the State Care of Multiple Sclerosis Patients’ (the third reading);

and the draft amendments to the laws ‘On the Civil Service’, ‘On the State Duty’, ‘On Execution’, ‘On the Youth Policy’, ‘On the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors’ and ‘On Physical Culture and Sports’ (the third reading).

Head of the Social Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Adil Valiyev spoke of the next four agenda items. He provided the overviews of the draft amendments to the Law ‘On Retirement Pensions’ (the first reading), the draft amendments to the Law ‘On the Rights of Disabled Persons’ (the first reading) and the draft amendments to the Employment Law (the first reading).

The MPs Vugar Bayramov, Jala Aliyeva, Soltan Mammadov, Arzu Naghiyev, Sevinj Huseynova, Aziz Alakbarov and Malahat Ibrahimghizi voiced their comments and suggestions as a discussion ensued.

All the Bills considered at the meeting of the Labour and Social Policy Committee were cleared for tabling at a plenum of the Milli Majlis.

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis