Riyadh, Mar 21 (Arab News): Shoura Council called on the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance to strengthen control on the mosque workers to make sure they fulfil their duties properly.

The call came during the council's 25th ordinary session held on Tuesday and chaired by the president of the council Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh.

In a press conference following the session, Assistant Speaker of the council Dr. Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan said the council took its decision after listening to the Islamic and Judicial Affairs Committee’s opinion on the members’ remarks regarding the ministry’s annual report for the fiscal year 2016-2017.

The council decided to call on the ministry to create accounts on social media and smart phone applications.

Al-Samaan added that the council requested the General Authority for Statistics (GAS) to develop the statistics of the 2020 Population Census and update the reports on Saudi family incomes, average spending and consumer purchasing power every six and 12 months.

The council also requested detailed statistical reports of women’s involvement in public and private sectors, adding gender to all bank and investment statistics.

As previously reported by Arab News, 60 percent of young women in the Kingdom are unemployed, compared to 17 percent of young men. The government of Saudi Arabia has prioritized increasing young women’s employment.

The committee also requested the ministry to study the impacts of increasing non-oil revenues and present recommendations to reduce negative impact on the economy.

After discussing the committee’s report and recommendations, one the council’s members indicated that the ministry has focused on the developmental sides without mentioning the economic side.

Another member wondered why the ministry had used foreign consultancy companies instead of ones in the Kingdom.

Al-Samaan said the council approved harmonization of the project proposal study regarding the control on video games.

The project on controlling video games is made up of 14 articles. It aims to limit the negative impact of video games on children. The project will control video games content and give information on the minimum age for each game as advice for parents and guardians.