Parliament passed on July 4 amendments to this year’s state budget envisaging allocating GEL 950,000 (about USD 577,500) to fund a newly set up State Ministry for Employment

Paata Trapaidze, who was chief executive of construction firm Caucasus Road Project Ltd before becoming the State Minister for Employment, will have a staff of up to 30 people.
 
The Parliament approved reshuffled cabinet and its new four-year program with Vano Merabishvili as new Prime Minister on July 4.

In separate legislative amendments, also related to government, Parliament approved on July 5 with its second and third hearings changes in the law regulating government’s work. In one change to the law, the post of head of the government’s administration was abolished and PM will assume this authority. 

According to the same amendments, Prime Minister will be able to delegate some of his powers “to authorized persons defined by PM” to perform duties in coordinating policies in respect of regions and government’s relations with local authorities in provinces. This official, authorized by PM, will also be able to issue orders
 
Amendment also delegates to the government authority to define rule of decision-making during government sessions – that also implies defining quorum of cabinet members required for passing decisions. These regulations were until now defined by the law, but now the government itself can outline these rules with its own regulations.

Government’s parliamentary secretary, Gia Khuroshvili, said that the amendment aimed at making cabinet’s day-to-day work more flexible.

Tbilisi-based legal advocacy group, Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), however, said delegating this authority to the government, instead of prescribing rules by the law as it was before these amendments, was “a step towards weakening the parliamentary control over the government”.