The Council of Ministers here Monday ordered the establishment of a center to assess efficiency of the performance of government bodies. The center, which will submit annual indices evaluating the performance and productivity of the government bodies, will be linked to the Directaor General of the Institute of Public Administration. But gradually it will be linked to the Cabinet as an independent body. The Cabinet, presided over by Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Vicegerent, also approved credit information regulations to lay down the basis and controls for collecting and exchange of consumer data and protection of privacy. New regulations will apply to the private sector and government bodies which collect consumer data. The government bodies will provide the data to licensed companies according to controls to avoid monopolies. The Cabinet also approved a closed joint stock Saudi land bridge company to establish, develop, operate and maintain railway lines linking the east and west of the Kingdom. The Council of Ministers reviewed the progress of projects needed to fight dengue fever in Jeddah. The ministries of water and electricity, agriculture, health and Jeddah mayoralty are carrying out numerous environmental and health projects like sanitary drainage network, aerial and ground spraying and awareness campaign. The Cabinet lauded the deep ties between the Kingdom and Qatar and the keenness of the two countries' leadership to cement these relations in various fields. It praised the achievements of the two visits to the Kingdom by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. His discussions with Crown Prince Sultan culminated in signing of the minutes for completion of border demarcation and the establishment of a coordination council. __
