Minister push for specific audit mechanism to verify figures supplied by CSB

TDT | Manama

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A debate over official hiring figures surfaced in Parliament yesterday after Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, His Excellency Ghanim Al Buainain, urged MP Dr Hisham Al Ashiri to agree a clear way to verify data supplied by the Civil Service Bureau.

“I hope we can agree on a specific mechanism to verify the figures,” Al Buainain said, arguing that his reply was drawn from “the competent body (the Civil Service Bureau)”.

He said there were other ways to cross-check the figures, naming the Social Insurance Organisation as one route.

“There are multiple ways to verify, including the Social Insurance Organisation, for example,” he told MPs, while warning that any check must respect privacy.

“It is not possible to disclose people’s data without their wish or consent,” he said.

The minister said 3,884 employees were hired through the Civil Service Bureau from 2023 up to the date of the question, 24 December 2025, across a range of specialisations.

Of that total, 2,329 were taken on in education and health. “Most recruitment has been channelled into the health system and education generally, because both are subject to international requirements when it comes to staffing teaching bodies, rather than administrative bodies,” Al Buainain said.

He broke the 2,329 down as 1,702 education posts, 145 in higher education, 283 medical roles, 40 in pharmacy, eight in medical laboratories, 135 engineering posts and 16 engineering technician roles.

Al Buainain said hiring does not rest on public adverts alone, telling MPs that general adverts come only after other routes are used.

He described an internal vacancy system known as Shawaghir, allowing any government employee to apply for posts listed within a ministry.