Prague, Nov 3 (CTK) – The Czech Chamber of Deputies will hold an
extraordinary session in November to discuss the international financial
crisis and namely a bill on bank saving deposits, Radana Jurankova, head of
the Chamber of Deputies organisational committee, told CTK Monday.
The session that will take place on November 11 was convoked by Chamber of
Deputies chairman Miloslav Vlcek (senior opposition Social Democrats, CSSD)
at the Social Democrat deputies’ request , Jurankova said.
It will also discuss the future of the Injury Hospital in Brno, south
Moravia, she said.
Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (junior government Christian Democrats,
KDU-CSL) said last week that the government wanted to convoke an
extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies with the main point on the
agenda being an amendment to the law on banks.
However, head of the CSSD deputies’ group Michal Hasek said that the Social
Democrats had taken over the initiative from the government because
although it passed the amendment, it did nothing for it to be passed
quickly by parliament.
Hasek, who is on a working visit to Cyprus said this in an e-mail message
he sent to CTK.
The opposition CSSD called on taking quick measures against the
consequences of the crisis and the protection of people’s bank saving
deposits.
Opposition and coalition deputies discussed the necessity to convoke an
extraordinary session over bank deposits a few days ago.
The government has sent the amendment to the Chamber of Deputies in such a
wording that will allow deputies to pass it in the first reading already.
The government approved an amendment to the law on banks that will
guarantee bank account savings up to 50,000 euros (about 1.24 million
crowns) in mid-October but it did not have time to submit it to the Chamber
before its October session.
In such a way it reacted to the current world financial crisis.
CSSD shadow finance minister Bohuslav Sobotka told CTK previously that he
would propose to increase the limit of 100-percent guaranteed bank accounts
to up to 100,000 euros (about 2.48 million crowns).
He also said he intended to propose to shorten the deadline for the Chamber
of Deputies’ committees’ debate of the bill to two days.
At the extraordinary session, the lower house is also to take a vote on
whether the Brno-based Injury Hospital will be closed and part of
transferred to the Brno-Bohunice Teaching Hospital or whether the city of
Brno will purchase and operate it.
Health Minister Tomas Julinek (senior government Civic Democrats, ODS)
planned to abolish the Injury Hospital and transfer the trauma centre to
Bohunice.
However, the Social Democrats have submitted a bill under which the
hospital would continue to function and would be in the ownership of Brno.
The regular November session is to open on November 25 and to last two
weeks.
The legislators could debate the bills and agreements at it that they had
no time to discuss in October.
Originally, they had more than 170 points on the October session agenda but
discussed less than 60.
