Debates of 15 Jun 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings, Tuesday, 14th June, 2005. Pages 1, 2, 3…6?
Mr. K. o. Frimpong 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there is a strange scenario in our list here because there is one name which appears all the time but the face is not seen on the floor of Parliament. Mr. Speaker, page 5, (178), “Twumasi-Appiah, Felix”; his name always appears among those who were present but he is hardly seen in the House; most of us even do not know him. So I wish to bring this to the attention of the House - [Uproar.]
Some hon. Members -- rose -
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
That is no point of order, hon. Member.
An hon. Member: No, we have to respond.
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
I do not know what he was saying. There is no point. If it is for purposes of record then go ahead, only one of you.
Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, you are right to say that you just do not know what he has said; because the man
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Order! Order!
Mr. Bagbin 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I know him personally; this is his second term in Parliament; he is not a new Member. Yes, duty could take him outside Parliament, like any other hon. Member. As we are here, how many of your Members are assembled here? But as we go on, people would come and participate; and that means they are present. So Mr. Speaker, I believe it was raised out of malice; it is not meant to help the House at all and it should be ignored.
Mr. osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity. Mr. Speaker, I think that this House must fashion out a very credible system of marketing hon. Members who attend to the business of this House.
Mr. J. A. Tia 10:15 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Majority Chief Whip is misleading this House. The hon. Member who raised the issue was very, very specific; he went to the extent of mentioning the hon. Member's name. He
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Hon. Minority Chief Whip, in fact, you were raising a point of order and I have heard it, so resume your seat.
Hon. Chief Whip for the Majority, the point he was raising was that this was specific.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what I said, if my hon. Colleague was listening attentively to me. I said that he started by saying that - And if I do recollect what he said, he said that some scenario is emerging in this House; so it means that he was not clear about some development. In specific terms he cited hon. Felix Twumasi-Appiah, Mr. Speaker; that is the point at issue. He said that he was not present in this House yesterday and I was going on to say that there are certain hon. Members, even in the previous dispensation, whose names kept appearing as if they were present in this House whereas, as a matter of fact, they were not, which is why - [Interruption.]
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know the role the hon. Majority Chief Whip is playing and whether he has been solicited to act as legal officer to my
hon. Friend out there. My hon. Friend is there; let him explain what he said and what he meant.
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Hon. Members, we will go on. Let us go on. Page 7?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Please, let us go on. Let us make progress.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:25 a.m.
The use of those words - [Uproar] -- No. They are intolerable -- “useless”, “baseless” -- How can he say that here? [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Order! Order! Hon. Members, let us have decorum in this House. You only speak when you are called upon. Please, let us have decorum in this House. Hon. Deputy Leader, let us make progress. Let us go on. [Uproar.]
Some hon. Members - rose -
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Order! Order! Order! Page 8?
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Hon. Minister, do you have any corrections to make? [Pause.] Hon. Minister for Energy, do you have any corrections to make or do you want to contribute?
Prof. oquaye 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as a matter of great urgency, I would like the hon. Member who spoke last from the other
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Order! Order!
Prof. oquaye 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, this is a most unparliamentary language. To say - [Uproar.]
Prof. oquaye 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker - [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
You have made a point; let me also express a view.
Prof. oquaye 10:25 a.m.
Most respectfully, that should certainly be taken off the record by being withdrawn.
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
I do not know whether anybody was called upon to speak at all. Hon. Minister for Energy, who was speaking?
Prof. oquaye 10:25 a.m.
Hon. Abukari, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale North? [Uproar.] Hon. Member for Tamale North, did you use any language which was unparliamentary? I just want to be sure about that.
Alhaji Abukari 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with all respect, I did not use any word that is unparliamentary. [Uproar.]
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Order! Yes, hon. Minister for Energy?
Prof . oquaye 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speake r, respectfully, it is not for the hon. Member to decide whether a word he used is parliamentary or not. [Uproar.] Did he use the word “useless”? [Interruptions.]
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Order!
Mr. Felix owusu-Adjapong 10:25 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, it looks like we have got the solution because he said he never used the word “useless”. [Interruptions.] He said so, please. [Interruptions.] Yes, he said he did not use the word “useless”; and that is the argument. He is here. If what I am saying is not the truth he would have said so. So why do we not make progress and move on?
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
All right, let us go on. You all know the rules of the House and I do not have to lecture you on them -- [Interruptions.] Order! [Uproar.] Order! Pages 11, 12 … 15?
We do not have any Official Report for today. Item 3; Urgent Question standing in the name of hon. David Tetteh Assumeng, Member of Parliament for Shai Osudoku.
URGENT QUESTIoN
MINISTRY OF HEALTH 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Assumeng 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister, ever since he assumed office whether he has visited the place to ascertain the situation and for first-hand information.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I have not been there yet.
Mr. Michael Teye Nyaunu 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in fact, Dodowa is so close to Lower Manya and the inhabitants have been moving to Lower Manya to get their medical services from the Atoa Government Hospital. This has been putting so much stress on the Atoa Government Hospital in Lower Manya Krobo.
May I know, considering this situation, if he will consider doing something for Dodowa, maybe, before the end of the year, as he has said, so that it could relieve the stress on Atoa Government Hospital.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, the answer I gave earlier would have answered that question because we have got this on priority, so Dodowa would be tackled.
Alhaji collins Dauda 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out if the hon. Minister has any plans to visit the hospital in question.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I have a plan to do my regional tours. But in the meantime, I have my agents everywhere and I collect sufficient
information from them.
Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Mustapha Ahmed (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister whether from the information he has, he can confirm to us the percentage of works that have been completed at the hospital and whether it is possible for the hospital to start operating at the level that it is now before the major intervention that he has spoken about.

Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, the hospital is still functional. The only thing is that there are a few things that we say we want to do there for renovation works, and things like that. So it has not been closed down; it is still functional.
Mr. Samuel Sallas-Mensah 10:35 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I just want to find out from the Minster for Health when the health centres built by the Saudi Fund would start functioning. A lot of health centres have been built by the Saudi Fund but have not been commissioned. They have been completed but they have not been commissioned, so they are not functioning. So when are these health centres going to start functioning?
Mr. Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Hon. Member, are you
referring to the Dodowa District Hospital? I want to find out whether you are referring to the Dodowa District Hospital because this Question is on Dodowa.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah 10:35 a.m.
Yes, it includes
Dodowa.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker,
may I request that this question be reframed; I do not seem to understand it.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah 10:35 a.m.
When are you going to commission the Saudi Fund -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10:35 a.m.
I have not called you.

Are you asking another question?
Mr. Sallas-Mensah 10:35 a.m.
The hon. Minister
is saying that I should reframe my question.
Mr. Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Please go ahead and ask.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah 10:35 a.m.
Hon. Minister,
when are the health centres built by the Saudi Fund, which include the Dodowa Health Centre going to be commissioned.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I
would need notice to answer this question.
Nii Amasah Namoale: Mr. Speaker,
I want to ask the hon. Minister whether the health facility that we are talking of is a health centre, a clinic or a hospital. Because, I know that place and I do not think it is a hospital yet -- [Interruption.] -- I have asked the question.
Mr. Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Hon. Member, as you
know, we are referring to Dodowa District Hospital; that is the question. If you want to ask a question on that kindly go ahead and ask a question on that.
Nii Namoale: Mr. Speaker, I want
to know whether it is a health post or a district hospital.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker,
when I started answering the Question, I did say the upgrading of some health centres to district hospitals -- So Dodowa is a health centre being upgraded to a district hospital. oRAL ANSWERS To QUESTIoNS
MINISTRY OF HEALTH 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Agbenu 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
know from the hon. Minister if he is aware that the clinic was built by the Government and only handed over to the Mission for management -- [Pause.] I want to ask the hon. Minister if he is aware that the clinic or hospital was built by the Government and only handed over to the Mission for management.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank him for the information. I will check up and confirm.
Mr. Agbenu 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
ask the hon. Minister whether he is aware that the doctors and nurses are being paid by the Government of Ghana. I mean the doctors and some nurses are being paid by
the Government -- if he is aware.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker,
I am aware; that is why I said we provide the financial support from Items 1 - 4.
Mr. Agbenu 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
know from the hon. Minister when the Christian Health Association of Ghana was formed and if this is the first time they are getting the ¢5 billion investment fund.
Mr. Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Hon. Member, you are asking him when a certain association was formed?
Agbenu: Yes, Mr. Speaker. He
is talking about the Christian Health Association of Ghana and I am asking him when this Association was formed; I have never heard of it before. And is this the first time they are getting this particular ¢5 billion loan for investment?
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker,
on request I will provide a full answer to this question. But I am sure that since the Missionaries were here they started putting up hospitals.
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the
Minster's Answer he said that a whopping sum of ¢5 billion is given to CHAG. I am wondering whether his Ministry has any influence in the selection of facilities for their hospitals.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I
did say that we have no control over what they select as the facilities that the money should be used for. That is actually left to CHAG to decide in their own meeting and set the priorities for the use of the money.
Dr. Kwame Ampofo 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I wish to know from the hon. Minister whether the hospitals operating under the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) do not operate under the general policy guidelines of the Ministry
of Health.

Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, they do.
Dr. Ampofo 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if they do, then I would wish further to know from the hon. Minister why is it that they do not have any influence in prioritizing which hospitals are attended to, when they give CHAG the fund.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, CHAG is an Association they have formed themselves and each hospital has its own governing board. And it is at this board that they put the priorities together to be consolidated at CHAG. Now, it is only then that they submit all their requests to the Ministry for another consolidation. We do not normally need to have influence on them, otherwise, we would have actually taken over the hospitals.
Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Mustapha Ahmed (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister what percentage of the five billion cedis that has been allocated to CHAG has been disbursed already; and if the hon. Minister can tell us the number of projects that are supposed to be undertaken under this disbursement.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I will not have the answers offhand but on request I would provide them.
Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital (Mortuary)
Q.12. Mr. Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu asked the Minister for Health what plans his Ministry had to build a mortuary at the Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, my Answer to this Question is the same as I have given to the previous Question

numbered 11.
Ms. Akua Sena Dansua 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister if there is any other facility from which Donkorkrom Hospital can be assisted, in view of the distressing conditions in the hospital. Is there any other facility from which they can benefit?
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, apart from the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Health, I believe that some of the District Assemblies have also been helping most of these distressed hospitals.
Mr. James Klutse Avedzi 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister what they do to monitor the revenue that the CHAG facilities generate, knowing very well that the CHAG facilities are supported through the donor fund and therefore they report on the donor fund. What control measures do they have on their internally-generated fund?
Mr. Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Hon. Member, this Question relates to construction of a mortuary.
Mr. Avedzi 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it concerns the construction of a mortuary, which ties down the revenue; and that is why I asked that question.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, as far as I know, most of the hospitals have their own internally-generated funds and they are mandated to utilize them and account for them. We do not necessarily need to have control over what they generate internally. That is what they use to keep running the hospital. But I promise to find out some more about this and let the honourable House know about it.
Mr. Samuel owusu-Agyei 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is a point of information.
With regard to the allocation of funds to the agencies, the Ministry allocates the bulk of the fund to the agencies when it comes to budgeting; and it is the agency itself, which would determine its priorities. So the priorities are determined by the agencies and submitted to the Ministry for collation. Though a discussion is held, that does not mean that the Ministry, per se, will not have a say in determining whatever should be in the budget.
Mr. Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Hon. Deputy Minister, are you asking a question?
Mr. owusu-Agyei 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, that was a point of information.
Mr. Alfred K. Agbesi 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to know from the hon. Minister whether he is aware that there is no mortuary facility in the Afram Plains area and that is forcing people to carry their dead bodies to as far as Kpando or Nkawkaw. Is the hon. Minister aware that there is no mortuary facilities in that area?
Mr. Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ashaiman, this is not a supplementary question; it is not.
Mr. Agbesi 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the Afram Plains area where Donkorkrom is. The Question is on the mortuary facility over there. And I am asking him whether he is aware that there is no mortuary in that area and which is forcing people to carry dead bodies to as far as Kpando and Nkawkaw, which is across the Volta.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker this is very useful information he has passed to on to me and I promise to find out more details when I start my rounds to the districts.
Kpedze Health centre (Rehabilitation)
Q. 27. Mr. Francis Aggrey Agbotse: asked the Minister for Health when the Kpedze Health Centre would be rehabilitated as the facility is seriously deteriorating.
Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, the award of contract for the rehabilitation of the Kpedze Health Centre in the Ho District was effected on 30th August, 1999 with the rehabilitation of the staff quarters at a sum of seventy-four million, seven hundred and eighty-eight thousand, two hundred and twenty-seven cedis
(¢74,788,227.00).
In view of some additional works the project sum was subsequently revised in October 2001. The execution of works on the project continued until 2003 when works got stalled because there was no budgetary allocation for the project in the 2004 and 2005 Budgets.
The Ministry would work through the Ghana Health Service for the Volta Region to get budgetary allocation for the project in the 2006 Budget to get the project reactivated.
Mr. Agbotse 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the Minister for Health whether he is aware that in the year 2003 the health centre was burnt by bushfire and that his Ministry came to this House on 4th March, 2003 and promised this House in the following terms. Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I beg to quote from column 1571 of the Hansard of 4th March
2003:
“Mr. Speaker, I have told the hon. Member that as soon as the Budget
  • [Official Report dated 4-3-03, column 1571]
    • Mr. Agbotse 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in view of his present answer, will it not be proper for him to take action this year as the centre is seriously deteriorating, in view of the fire that engulfed the centre sometime ago? Would it not be possible to take action this year?
    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, in order not to make another promise and fail, I would suggest that the region puts together all the priorities and submit that to us. That is why I said we would make provision for that this year. I am sure by next year we would start serious works.
    Dr. Kwame Ampofo 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister whether in the handing-over notes to him from his predecessor, he did not find this assurance.
    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I believe that in handing-over notes, as we ought know, it is not every single detail that is captured. That is why I said that I
    think the region itself has got its priorities and we are sure to have them sorted out this year; and we would make provision for the rehabilitation of that hospital.
    Dr. Ampofo 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, can the hon. Minister assure the House once more, as his predecessor did -- but I know that he would follow up -- when this serious situation would be remedied?
    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is really pushing me to commit myself, but I am not exactly going to commit myself. I promise that I would look at it seriously and see what can be done quickly about it.
    Agona Nkwanta Health centre
    Q. 28. Mr. Samuel Johnfiah asked the Minister for Health when the Agona Nkwanta Health Centre in the Ahanta West constituency would be upgraded to a fully-fledged hospital since the promise made over three years ago by his Ministry in answer to a Parliamentary Question, to upgrade the centre is yet to be fulfilled.
    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, the Ministry recognizes that Agona Ahanta is one of the districts without hospital and the promise made by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to ultimately upgrade the health centre to a hospital status still stands. However, how soon this can happen can be informed by the following factors: first of all, ranking of the project on the Capital Investment Plan of GHS for the Western Region, availability of funds, proximity to adjourning facilities and the needed human resource.
    The proximity of Agona Ahanta township to Dixcove Hospital (a distance of 8 kilometres and 10 minutes drive) and to the Shama Ahanta East Metropolis, makes the ranking of the project low compared
    to Wassa Akropong and Essiama where access to services is extremely inhibited.
    The Ministry/Ghana Health Service (GHS) as an interim measure, will station an ambulance at the health centre to transport cases requiring emergency hospital care to Dixcove or Sekondi- Takoradi.
    Mr. Johnfiah 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the hon. Minister for the Answer he has provided. From his Answer it looks like the upgrading of the health centre to a full hospital would not see the light of day in the next few years, but he has however assured us that he would provide the services of an ambulance. May I know whether this provision would be made this year?
    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, can I make a promise? Yes, we are establishing the ambulance service and I believe that this area would be seriously considered this year for the allocation of an ambulance.
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister has been giving assurances about “this year, this year”. I want to ask him whether he is not aware that the year is almost six (6) months old. How convinced is he that he would be able to deliver on all his promises?
    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, I really do not remember the number of promises I have made for this year. However, we have a calendar and we are going by it.
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Minister has made at least two promises here this morning about prioritisation of the hospital at the regional level and also made another promise that this year that would also happen. That is my concern; that if the prioritisation is
    done then that year, they will capture it and bring it on board. I am saying that the year is half way through, and if they have not already captured this in the Budget, how sure is the Minister, because he has been concerned about making promises. That is my worry.
    Mr. owusu-Adjapong 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I thought my hon. Colleague should be happy that the hon. Minister has been frank and giving a promise. We have a Government Assurance Committee and therefore why do we not leave it and send it to them rather than asking whether he has got a calendar or he has not got a calendar. He has a calendar and he knows we are in the sixth month; and that is only half the year.
    Mr. Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Hon. Deputy Minority Chief Whip, your supplementary question does not appear to come out of the Question really posed.
    Mr. John Tia 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the hon. Majority Leader has just tried to defend a stand that I think is not helping the cause of this House. I can recall several assurances that have been given which when the Government Assurances Committee, especially in the last Parliament, acted upon, resulted in some people being vilified, and no action was taken. So what the hon. Member was doing was to really get the assurance and commit him before he can hold him through the Government Assurances Committee. So I do not see why he should urge Mr. Speaker to disallow the hon. Member's question.
    We want him to really give us the assurance and then from there we can move to the Government Assurances Committee, which normally, you have made moribund, anyway.
    Mr. Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    We want to make progress, hon. Members.
    Mr. owusu-Adjapong 10:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, if the hon. Minister gives the first, second, and third assurances and you are still asking, then you are trying to put him in a situation like Peter had. The third time, he said “Lord, you know I love you”. [Laughter.] So why do we have to continue doing this? He has given the assurance; let us move on.
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon. Members, the last
    question.
    Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Ahmed Mustapha (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister has said that an ambulance would be stationed at the health centre to transport cases. But in answering a supplementary question from the hon. Member who put the Question, he said again that this would be linked to the establishment of the National Ambulance Service. I would like to know from the hon. Minister which one is coming first. Is it the stationing of the ambulance at the health centre or the setting up of the National Ambulance Service in the Western Region before the commissioning of the ambulance?

    Maj. Quashigah (rtd.): Mr. Speaker, we are working on both. The reason why I mentioned the ambulance service is that that has given us the opportunity to bring in more ambulances than we have ever done before, and that is why I say we can fall on that and supply the district with an ambulance.
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon. Minister, thank
    you very much for appearing and to answer these Questions. You are hereby discharged.
    Item 5 -- Statements -- First, a
    Statement by hon. K. Osei-Prempeh.
    STATEMENTS 11:05 a.m.
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon. Member, do you
    have a point of order to raise?
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the
    hon. Member is misleading this House. [Interruption.] I have the floor; the two of us cannot speak at the same time.
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Please, address the
    Chair.
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the
    hon. Member is misleading this House; he has assumed the responsibility of the disbursement of the -- [Interruption] -- The debt has been cancelled and he has assumed the role of the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning in disbursing -- without contacting anybody, which is in my view not correct.
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    It is not a point of order.
    Mr. osei-Prempeh 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    wish the hon. Member had listened to me.
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Please, continue.
    Mr. osei-Prempeh 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon. Minister for Works and Housing, do you have a point of order?
    Mr. owusu-Agyemang 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, presumably, you have approved of this Statement; and when a Statement is being read it is not normal practice to stand on a point of order. After the
    Statement, if anybody has any view, he or she can articulate it. The Statement has been accepted by your goodself -- [Interruptions] -- It is completely out of order. Mr. Speaker, I plead that my brother-in-law, hon. E. T. Mensah be completely ruled out of order.
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    I have directed him to continue.
    Mr. osei-Prempeh 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, personally I feel so happy because while in London before the recent British elections, I convinced everybody I know in Britain to vote for the Labour Party to enable Tony Blair implement his vision for Africa during his tenure as Chairman of the G8 and EU even though I am not a socialist.

    Mr. Speaker, one important criterion for countries which are benefiting from the G8 debt relief is the attainment of the completion point of the HIPC initiative.

    Mr. Speaker, it is on this note that I want to say a big “Ayekoo” to President John Agyekum Kufuor for his courage in opting for the HIPC initiative when on

    assumption of power he found that what he had inherited was not the best. Mr. Speaker, events have proved our President right and people who told the whole world that the President had done the most abominable thing have been proved wrong. Mr. Speaker, by now our crippling debt is almost gone and I believe it would be proper to call on my hon. Colleagues in this House and the country at large to laud the President, his government and the entire people of this country who showed support and understanding for the President's move.

    It is however important to state that as a collective people, we must not be complacent. We must resolve to put to good use the money which would have been spent in servicing the debt and the debt stock itself. If we do not do that we shall find ourselves in square one. And if it happens that way, we shall not have any sympathies or support from anywhere.
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon. Deputy Minority
    Chief Whip, do you have anything?
    Ms. Akua Dansua 11:05 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    was only rising to correct a factual error committed by my hon. Colleague. He mentioned me in association with South Dayi constituency, which is not my constituency.
    Mr. c. S. Hodogbey (NDc -- North
    Tongu): Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Statement made by the hon. Member.
    Ms. Akua Dansua 11:15 a.m.


    What I want to say is, a lot of people
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon Member, do you
    have any objection?
    Mr. osei-Prempeh 11:15 a.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon. Member, continue.
    Mr. Hodogbey 11:15 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I did not
    Prof. G. Y. Gyan-Baffour 11:15 a.m.
    On a
    point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. Gentleman on the other side does
    Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon. Member for North
    Tongu, you may take it into account in dealing with this matter.
    Mr. Hodogbey 11:15 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in my
    earlier statement I said that the debt which has been forgiven us is a dead weight debt and the G-8, they know very well, that this debt would never be paid anyway, so why not write it off? So it is not cash which has been given to Ghana, even though it is a relief that we do not have to think about it. It is not cash which has been given to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:15 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, as has been said, my hon. Colleague certainly does not know what he is talking about; it is not a debt that has been given to us, the debt has not been given to us; it has been written off, it has not been given to us. He should understand this elementary thing.
    Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon. Member, please
    take it into account and complete. Hon. Member, if you have finished, tell me.
    Mr. Hodogbey 11:15 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I have
    already finished.
    Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Oh, you have already
    finished? Thank you very much.
    Mr. Abu-Bakar S. Boniface (NPP
    -- Salaga): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to associate myself with the Statement on the floor. I
    think this debt cancellation is something that should be laudable to all Ghanaians in this country. In the first place, in writing off one's debt -- hypothetically, if you take yourself as a human being, you owe your brother and he tells you that “I have written off that debt”, in fact, for the number of days that you did not sleep, that very day you would have a sound sleep. So the hon. Gentleman on the other side did not understand what debt cancellation meant.
    Secondly, it relieves you of the pressure
    on you. Now having written off the debt, we are not going to be given money, but at least, that debt that we would have been servicing, would now be redirected into other social and economic infrastructural developments. For example, he even forgot to mention the Tamale/Salaga/ Navrongo road, which is very important. So I believe that with this, we would think about it.
    Thirdly, you would realise that before any country decides to write off Ghana's debt, it means that Ghana is now being repositioned, in terms of our credibility and due diligence. The country rating means that Ghana is coming on top because we have exhibited some good governance and also exhibited some sincerity to our creditors. We have many countries that owe the World Bank and other financial institutions.
    Fourthly, it also gives us that opportunity
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:15 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Friend is misleading himself and this House. Talking about the fact that with debt cancellation we can now go to the Open Market, I want to draw his attention that we went to the IFC, CNTCI and nothing materialised so he cannot confuse anybody here. Thank you very much. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr. Boniface 11:25 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am
    sorry my hon. Colleague and my former Manager does not understand what I am saying. When he was talking about going to CNTCI and so on, at that time, we had our hands in shackles. Now those shackles have been broken. I am now able to walk freely as an independent person to any financial institution or any group of people to solicit for finance that will help you and I in this country in development. Right now we are crying of poverty and all the reliefs that we are getting would be directed and channelled into poverty- related activities so that we create wealth and that wealth would have ripple effects on our brothers and sisters back home, and at the end of the day, I believe hon. E. T. Mensah would enjoy this debt relief. Mr. Speaker, on this note I thank you very much.
    Mr. D. K. Abodakpi (NDc --
    Keta): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity to speak in support of the Statement by my hon. Colleague. Mr. Speaker, truly, this recent development is very significant, and as a House, we cannot refuse to take notice of it.
    It is to be recalled that as far back as around 1999, there have been international outcry by African countries calling on the multilateral institutions of this world to help reduce the debt burden of the debt- overhang on Africa to enable Africa face the challenges of globalisation. That it has taken this while for British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to champion this

    effort is something that is noteworthy and I think that as a country, we would need to extend our appreciation to the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) for championing the cause of Africa in this regard.

    Having said that, debt cancellation is only one of the remedies that our countries need in order to survive in this global environment. Liberalization and globalization have brought about immense challenges that African countries would have to overcome. These challenges that we have to overcome are underpinned by capacity issues that African countries are hardly able to cope with and therefore rendering our capacity, our ability to take advantage of the opportunities very, very difficult.

    So as correctly identified in the African Commission Report, we would need to take some further actions to create a truly level playing-field to enable Africa take advantage of a gesture such as debt cancellation. Mr. Speaker, one would urge all of us to bring additional pressure to bear on the developed countries of this world, especially, during the Presidency of the European Union (EU) by Right Hon. Tony Blair for us to remove some of the inimical conditions that continue to impede Africa's development, that continue to undermine our capacity to take advantage of opportunities that are opening up in the global arena.

    What am I talking about? In the Economic Partnership Agreement that is currently under discussion, and which we know the EU is virtually forcing the hands of African countries to adopt, certain safeguards that enable us to play an important role in the global market are being eroded, for example, the issue of reciprocity. Today, a critical condition

    in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approach is that trade must be based on reciprocity.

    But if you look at the uneven nature of development in the global situation, there is no way we can operate on the same keel with the developed countries of this world. So if they are cancelling our debts on one hand and yet conditions exist that will not enable us to maximize our benefits from the global trading environment, then this would just be a whitewash; it will not go deep in dealing with the situation that we need to deal with in order to become active participants in the global market.

    It is within this context that I will urge us to request Right Hon. Tony Blair to take advantage of his Presidency of the EU and the G8 to ensure that more fundamental changes are effected in the way Brussels operate and in the way that the EU partnership agreement is currently couched which, as it were, is eroding the capacities and the possibilities that we have as countries.

    There is this other issue of non-tariff measures that are being imposed and therefore rendering our entering into various markets very, very difficult. Here, I am talking of the rules of origin issues which undermine our investment efforts. You go to seek an external investor into your economy, the investors produce and their ability and capacity to export to get to countries is undermined by this stringent and ruthless application of the rules of origin condition.

    Here, one can cite various examples that recently occurred in the issue of processed Tuna from Ghana. Even in the south region this application of the rules of origin is affecting us in various ways, rendering the possibilities that our export processing zone offers us quite nugatory.

    It is in this regard that we should look at this in its totality to ensure that in our various international negotiations and discussions we bring in these technical issues that undermine our capacity to bear. It is then and only then that we would not go back to the situation where we accumulate debts which sometime, someday, some Father Christmas would cancel in order to give us a respite.

    The rules of origin issue is only one of the many issues that need to be looked at within the global trading system. I have cause to call on this House to develop a capacity to understanding the multilateral implications of trade as a Parliament that legislates, as a Parliament that the Executive brings issues involving multi- lateralism to legislate on. It is important that as part of the capacity-building efforts of African countries, our Parliaments understand the issue, our Parliaments are able to interpret the issue, our Parliaments are able to analyze the issues so that we can assist our executive branch to take advantage of the possibilities and to meet the challenges head on.
    Mr. Speaker 11:25 a.m.
    I hope you are winding up now.
    Mr. Abodakpi 11:25 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this is a welcome relief but it is limited. Clearly, Africa does not want to be a beggar continent, Africa wants fair trade; genuine fair trade is what we require and this is one step forward. We need to move beyond this debt cancellation and establish the instruments that will make us move forward in gaining or earning from the efforts that we make at entering the international market.
    Finally, I think that cancelling debts for 18 countries is good but not good enough. It is time we believed that the debts of the entire African countries are cancelled in
    order to provide an even playing-field for us all to start from.
    Deputy Minister for the Interior (capt. Effah-Dartey (rtd.)): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity of contributing to this very important Statement.
    Mr. Speaker, since independence, most African countries have been reeling under the weight of external debt. It has been a death-trap; it has been a culture that has been hanging on our necks like an albatross. I do recall when in 1972, in Ghana our leader at the time, the late Colonel I. K. Acheampong announced that we would not pay debts that had been tainted with corruption and so on. Within a few years, he was compelled, almost literally, to eat back his words because the external countries insisted that in the light of this declaration then we must pay cash for every service.
    Mr. Speaker, it is on record that the Republic of Nigeria took a loan of two hundred million dollars from France and the interest was so much, they paid almost four hundred million dollars as interest but still the substantive amount was outstanding.
    I felt sad in the days of the Government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when almost more than 50 per cent of the nation's resources were just being used in servicing debts and there was nothing you could do about it; that was the reality. Indeed, when the President of Ghana was compelled to take this nation into Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative it was a bitter pill to swallow, to tell ourselves that we were a poor country.
    Even though we know that we have a lot of resources and we have the potential of becoming a developed country, we were compelled to go HIPC because that was the only pre-condition given to us as a basis for continuing to be solvent.
    Mr. Abodakpi 11:25 a.m.


    It is against this background that when the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, visited us and he saw with his own eyes, the level of poverty and suffering, it made him set up a Commission for Africa and the Commission published a Report and after he had read the Report and studied it, he together with his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gordon Brown decided to push forward this initiative.

    So today, the news that an amount of $4.1 billion, making up some of Ghana's total foreign debt has been completely written off, Mr. Speaker, is good news. [Hear! Hear!] I think that we must give thanks to the Almighty God, our Heavenly Father for this grace -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 11:35 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member for Berekum (Capt. Effah-Dartey) is misleading this House. He is misleading the House because we do not even know the amount of debts that have been written off. We do not know the exact amount involved and yesterday, I listened to the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning also saying the same thing that the exact amount is not known because they do not know the exact cut-off period. So when we get an hon. Member of this House coming to say the amount is $4.1 billion whilst the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning does not know the exact amount, he can only be misleading this House. [Interruptions.]

    capt. Effah-Dartey (rtd): Mr.
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:35 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my hon. Friend is misleading the House and he is confusing everybody. It was not the HIPC Initiative which brought about the debt cancellation -- [Interruptions] -- It was not HIPC per se which brought about the debt cancellation.
    capt. Effah-Dartey (rtd): Mr.
    Speaker, in my view, Prime Minister Tony Blair and his colleague, Gordon Brown have indeed set the pace. What they have done is to give us a ray of hope. What this means is that henceforth we the eighteen countries who are beneficiaries of this initiative, when we are preparing our budgets, the pressure of debt payment would no longer be so menacing as it was in the past. What it means is that, henceforth so much money which goes away out of our shores, out of our motherland for other persons to benefit, that money can be retained here for our developmental purposes. Mr. Speaker, what it means is that, henceforth with good governance and with proper accounting, we can make use of our own resources.
    Mr. Speaker, when you travel -- and
    it is significant to say that I have just returned from the Upper West and Upper East Regions -- and when you see the level of poverty, food to eat is even at times a problem. Transportation is at times a problem, the road network -- And Mr. Speaker, if you see the houses that human beings sleep in at night, it is very disturbing and you cannot just write it off and say that it is because they do not work hard or because they are deprived or because they are poor.
    I believe that it is the system, it is the mechanism which has led to this chaotic state of affairs over a long period of time and it is in this light that I see the debt cancellation by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and their efforts as a major step forward and an attempt to lessen the sufferings on us.

    Mr. Speaker, in winding up I would personally describe Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as heroes of the moment and urge them to continue to help us and give us a lifeline. Thank you very much.
    Mr. E. K. Salia (NDc -- Jirapa) 11:35 a.m.


    Mr. Speaker, it is therefore important to
    Mr. K. osei-Prempeh 11:35 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    the hon. Member said that but for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) we would not be enjoying the power and electricity we are enjoying today. I want to know whether it is the NDC which built the Akosombo Dam. He cannot claim credit for something which does not belong to him.
    Mr. Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Hon. Member, we do not have much time so let him finish.
    Mr. Salia 11:35 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, how did the
    Mr. Kojo Armah 11:35 a.m.
    On a point of order.
    Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. Colleague is misleading this House and the country. The eighteen countries that benefited from the debt relief are not the only countries in the world that owed but because the burden of debt, as he was saying, sits on the conscience of the people. They looked at certain criteria and said those countries that meet these criteria, let us cancel their debts.
    If he wants to create the impression that the NGOs and other institutions which deal in that arena talked to those people and therefore we also benefited, I think he is misleading this House. We must accept the fact that we satisfied certain criteria and therefore became part of the beneficiary countries. We must accept that fact.
    Mr. Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Hon. Member, you will
    be given plenty of time to contribute.
    Mr. Salia 11:35 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, Ghana has
    always been a beacon of hope since time immemorial. Indeed, since 1983 Ghana has received a lot of international support because of the good performance of the

    Government that was in power. Ghana became a darling of the international community and indeed it was the envy of the rest of the developing world on account of the support it received from the multilateral institutions and the bilateral support from various countries. This is the basis for the current relationship between Ghana and the rest of the world.

    Mr. Speaker, it is important to mention
    Ms. Theresa A. Tagoe 11:35 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Salia 11:35 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the current
    problem with this debt cancellation is that a lot of people are trying to politicize and personalize Ghana's selection. It must be borne in mind that it is true that eighteen countries were chosen but if you look at those eighteen countries, there are very few commonalities among them. What is the relationship between Ghana and Mauritania? What is the relationship between Ghana and Chad? What is relationship between Mauritania and Malawi? In general one can say that Ghana is democratic, it went HIPC, it is heavily indebted and indeed there is abject poverty among sections of the community.
    But those particular factors were not brought about by just one Government. So it is important that people, in talking about the debt forgiveness, must see it as a benefit to all Ghanaians and that it was a contribution made by governments before this one and all the people of this country. It is on the suffering of our people and the good background and foundations laid by the governments before this one that has led to all these talks about good governance. There could not have
    been good governance if there were not the basis laid prior to the ascension by President J. A. Kufour in 2001.
    Mr. S. K. B. Manu 11:45 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading this House and Ghanaians in general who may have the opportunity to be listening. Mr. Speaker, he is saying that the NDC laid the foundation for good governance. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about good governance -- [Interrup- tions.]
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Order, order!
    Mr. Manu 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, when we
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Order, order! Hon.
    Member for Jirapa, please continue and wind up.
    Mr. Salia 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my current
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Please wind up.
    Mr. Salia 11:45 a.m.
    In the last three years or five
    years, what proportion of resources have gone to the poor segment of our society? If we are going to continue in the same manner, even if we are given a debt relief of a hundred million, Ghana's progress of development will be slow. We need to look at the way we use our resources.
    Mr. Salia 11:45 a.m.


    They should be applied equitably and in a regionally balanced manner and not applied to frivolous projects as what is happening these days. Unless we get our acts together, the debt cancellation will mean nothing to Ghana. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. K. o. Agyapong 11:45 a.m.
    On a point
    of order. Mr. Speaker, I do not like the expression my senior Colleague used -- “frivolous projects”. It is unparlia- mentary. He has to withdraw that because the Hansard will capture it.
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon. Member for Jirapa, I understand you used a certain word. Which word did you use?
    Mr. Salia 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, well, I used
    the word “frivolous”.
    Mr. M. K. Jumah (NPP -- Asokwa) 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. K. o. Agyapong 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    you still have not ruled on my point of order. Mr. Speaker, I raised an objection but it has not been ruled on.
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon. Member, you
    raised objection to the use of the word “frivolous”, I do not think it is this or that; I cannot really make up my mind on that.
    Mr. K. o. Agyapong 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon. Member, please
    allow the hon. Member for Asokwa to continue.
    Mr. Jumah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, for a while I have resigned myself -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Two minutes, please.
    Mr. Jumah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I have been

    Some hon. Members: Bo ho bio!
    Mr. Jumah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this is an
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Order! Order!
    Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:45 a.m.
    This is so because
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Order, order! Chief
    Whip.
    Mr. Jumah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this
    endorsement is definitely a slap in the face of the wahala demonstrators. [Hear! Hear!] Mr. Speaker, what is going on now in this country, if we are not sure -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading this House. The reason is that we know that debt cancellations to countries come as a result of struggling economies where the economies cannot pay the debt and so they are forgiven the debt, and Ghana is one of the eighteen poorest countries supported by this relief. So it should not be touted in this House as if it is a pride to Ghana. It is a shame that for nearly fifty years after Independence, we should be priding ourselves with debt cancel-lation -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Order! Order!
    Mr. Pelpuo 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the hon.
    Member is misleading the House and we want to keep our pride as a nation; we want to tell everybody that it is not a good thing that we should struggle with the economies to the extent we are forgiven debts which otherwise could have paid with good economic management. Thank you.
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    It is not a point of order,
    let him continue.
    Mr. Jumah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, listening
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    You must be winding
    up.
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon. Member for
    Asutifi South do you have a point of order to raise?
    Alhaji Dauda 11:55 a.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker. I want to find out from my hon. Friend whether the corruption aspects of his statements include the waawaa theory -- [Laughter] -- and the 10 million per diem.
    Mr. Jumah 11:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I want to
    caution my friends that we had to smell the coffee. Let us wake up. Otherwise, if we do not take care we are going to become political dinosaurs waiting to become extinct because things have changed, a new government is in place and the world is endorsing this new government.
    Mr. Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon. Members, we
    have two other Statements so we may call maximum two from either side. Deputy Minority Leader?
    Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho (NDc -- Avenor/Ave) 11:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I support the Statement to the extent that our debts have been written off. At least, we hope that money that would accrue from that would be diverted to other useful purposes.
    But Mr. Speaker, I would want to say that we on this side of the House would come at the appropriate time to make Statements on this debt cancellation when we know the full amount involved and find out whether there are other conditionalities attached to this debt relief. As at now, we do not even know the amount of money involved, we do not know the cut-off period. When all these full facts are made available to us, we on this side of the House would come and make a Statement.
    Mr. Speaker, I listened to a staff of the World Bank resident here on Monday and yesterday as I indicated earlier and I had the opportunity of listening to the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning on air. He was also not too sure with regard to the total amount of debt

    that is involved and that is why I was a bit taken aback with the speed with which this Statement was made while we do not know the full amount involved. But Mr. Speaker, at this stage, we would just as usual support the Statement. We say that we would come back at the appropriate time.
    Mr. Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon. Members, since the Deputy Minority Leader has spoken, I would ask the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning to speak and then we go to other matters.
    Minister for Finance and Economic
    Planning (Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu): Mr. Speaker, we thank hon. Members for the useful contributions that have been made. I think this is not the first time that the world is seeing something of this nature. In 1947, a Bill was signed into operation for about $13 billion to be invested in the European countries and that was called the Marshal Plan. I think that we are lucky we have got this plan. In fact, in the law itself, I have seen it myself; no interest was even demanded from those countries. So if today we are to get that plan, it is in our best interests.
    Mr. Speaker, the decision taken is based on an informed position over the years and anybody who has gone through the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the Commission for Africa report would see that it is not surprising that these things have come about. But as it has been indicated, the cut-off date has not been fixed so it is very difficult to know the exact amount. But there can be some estimates -- [Uproar] -- Because as an accountant, there are basic principles that at least you can be conservative in some of the positions taken.
    So Mr. Speaker, the exact figure as far as I am concerned would be really known around September when after the July meeting and then the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) position meetings, it would also come about. So Mr. Speaker, we would obviously get the estimates and then the amount of $4.1 billion obviously was from my side and we still stand by that.
    Mr. Speaker, the impact on our revenue writing from the liability side onto the revenue and expenditure side would obviously improve upon whatever we want to do for our nation. It obviously includes the social services that have been mentioned by even those who are working on our behalf and then the infrastructure development, investing in roads, investing in ports and investing in our railway systems and the telecommunication system. Mr. Speaker, these are the good things that we have to work on.
    An hon. Member made a statement with regard to trade. Mr. Speaker, without trading, you would not get revenue and obviously without trade you would not get liabilities. So the statement from the Finance Ministers, paragraphs 4 and 5, actually have tackled the issues of the disparities in the international trade system including the trade barriers and others.
    Under the Doha Development Agenda these issues are going to be tackled. All that we have to do is to accept the challenge and then do our homework well, prepare very well for some of these summits or meetings so that we can present our case. We have the good will and we have to work on that.
    Mr. Speaker, I think the conditions under which these facilities are being granted are very explicit. It is debatable, it can stray into the political arena and, it can stray into the economic arena. That is the

    beauty of it. What we are doing here, has even been the basis for selecting Ghana as one of the countries to qualify for this. [Hear! Hear!] The debate here from both left and right, that is good governance. Mr. Speaker, I think we have made it. It is an opportunity for us. The amount that is being written off, the total $40 billion that they have talked about is inadequate to make a breakthrough. That is why the CFA have talked about the big push, we need to work on. So Mr. Speaker, we are on the right course -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. A. K. Agbesi 11:55 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is saying that the debate here is a sign of good governance. Mr. Speaker, during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) era, there were debates in this House; so the fact that today there is debate in this House does not mean that there is a sign of good governance. During the NDC era, there were debates in this House; and that was the time we were having good governance. So the Minister should not mislead this House.
    Mr. Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon. Member, you know it is not a point of order at all. Let him continue.
    Mr. Baah-Wiredu 11:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it is
    Mr. Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Please continue.
    Mr. Baah-Wiredu 11:55 a.m.
    He was the
    Chairman, and he knows what went on. We would not go into those details. [Laughter.] He was the Chairman -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    You please continue.
    Mr. Baah-Wiredu 12:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    think the issue of having a good financial and economic framework depends on all of us. For example, what we did yesterday with regard to the National Petroleum Act is part of some of the things that helped us. So Mr. Speaker, the most important thing is that we have got this facility. The G8 Finance Ministers have issued a statement. Reading and reading and reading through, you can see that all the balancing acts have been taken into consideration. All that we have to do is to work faster, deal with them and just make sure that these monies are available to us.
    I believe we are all going to use it in the best interests of this country. We have the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy, we have budgets, we have manifestos, we have constitutions, we have the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) including even a report on the MDG, and the linkages both forwards and backwards are there. I believe that this fund whenever it comes, is going to be good to the people of Ghana.

    Flooding in the central Region

    Deputy Minister for Tourism and Mcc (Mr. Stephen Asamoah-Boateng): Mr. Speaker, a couple of weekends ago, the Central Region experienced heavy downpour of rain resulting in severe flooding that caused extensive destruction to property worth thousands of millions of cedis. Sadly, a five-year old child died in the storm in Elmina. Several communities including the districts of Mfantsiman, KEEA, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese, Assin North, Assin South, Awutu-Efutu-Senya,

    Gomoa East and West and Cape Coast Municipality have been severely affected.

    Towns with long historic buildings and structures such as Saltpond, Mankessim, Kromantse, Assin Breku, Mpeseduadze, Abandze, Egyaa No. 2, Otsir, Kuntu, Tuafo, Brofoyedur, Techiman, Oboadze, Ogookrom, Krofu, Anomansa, Yamoransa and, indeed, Cape Coast itself suffered destruction and damage. Over all, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) report indicates that about 69 towns and villages, Mr. Speaker I am told, including Kakum, have been affected.

    Many people have lost valuable items, some irreplaceable because of their personal and emotional significance. Many streets and briges were washed away, houses collapsed, whilst many of those left standing have severe cracks in the walls. Livestock was also lost. NADMO reported that over 15 houses collapsed. Three major landslides were recorded in Kromantse and Abandze with the one in the latter causing the blockade of the main Accra-Takoradi highway for most part of the day on Sunday, 5th June

    2005.

    Mr. Speaker, according to the NADMO report, some of the causes of the flooding were found to be very small and lowly constructed bridges, choked gutters, some structures which have been constructed in waterways, and choked lagoons that prevent the rain water from entering the sea.

    Mr. Speaker, the sheer scale if the flooding, the life lost and damage to property lead me to describe the affected areas as a disaster zone that requires emergency action by the Government.

    Mr. Speaker, the people in the Central Region are calling on the Government to, as a matter of urgency, provide the affected people with assistance as presented by NADMO to the Minister of the Interior
    Mr. Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Please, only two contributions, one from either side. Hon. Member for Jomoro?
    Mr. Lee ocran (NDc -- Jomoro) 12:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Member for Mfantsiman West, and I wish to express my sympathies to the people of the Central Region for the sufferings that
    they have gone through.
    But Mr. Speaker, this brings to the fore the Statements we have made several times on this floor that the Government should try to resource the Town and Country Planning Department to enable them enforce rules and regulations concerning building; how we build in this country. Because the Town and Country Planning Department is under-resourced, they cannot enforce the regulations.
    Mr. Speaker, you go round Accra and you see buildings being put up in waterways. Even when it is raining and the place seems to be flooded, people are still pouring concrete into the drains, hoping that the rains would subside and they can get back into their buildings. Mr. Speaker, if you go round Weija where the dam is, I wonder what will happen if the dam is full and the stream-ways are open. Those downstream will definitely suffer, buildings would go down and people will have to run for their lives.
    Mr. Speaker, I am happy that the hon. Minister for Environment and Science is in this House -- although she is listening to the phone, she will hear something. [Laughter.] She should please ask the Government to provide the funds to assist the Town and Country Planning Department.
    The hon . Min i s t e r fo r Loca l Government and Rural Development is also in the House -- he is also talking to a friend -- [Laughter] -- He should also try to make sure that the Building Inspectorate Department of the various towns do their work properly.
    Mr. Speaker, go round East Legon and buildings are going up right in waterways where the main drains are and nobody seems to care. I have been to the Sub- Metro about four times to report. Maybe, I look funny when I go to report -- Maybe, they say, “This man, he is too known”, as the usual Ghanaian panlance is. The rains would come and they are going to
    come plenty and you will see what will happen. We will come to this House to make Statements that places are flooded.
    Mr. Speaker, with these few comments, I associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Member for Mfantseman. Thank you, very much.
    Minister for Environment and Science (Ms. christine churcher) 12:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I wish to associate myself with the Statement made on the floor.
    Mr. Speaker, I personally travelled to Cape Coast, my constituency to see the extent of the damage caused by the floods. Mr. Speaker, I was alarmed at the extent of the damage. Property worth millions and lives were lost, Mr. Speaker; very strong buildings have collapsed. What shocked me most was the devastation in the villages around the University of Cape Coast where many of the students who were non-residential were staying. Mr. Speaker, very strong buildings had collapsed and books and materials have all been overtaken by the floods.
    Mr. Speaker, I tend to agree with the hon. Ranking Member for the Committee on Science and Environment that many of the problems that cause the flood are as a result of improper planning. I had the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to visit Cape Coast, not alone, but with the boss of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Regional boss of Town and Country Planning. My understanding, after a survey, was that most of the buildings which have been severely affected, have been built in the waterways.
    People have been cautioned not to build there, but they have continued. So I asked the question, who enforces the laws there? I was told that the Assembly together with Town and Country Planning were supposed to make sure that these things do not happen, but who in the first place decided to give away these lands which were waterways, to sell them to people for money, not caring about the disastrous
    consequences.

    Mr. Speaker, indeed, the law setting up the Town and Country Planning Department dates back to 1945. Since then, nothing has been done about the law. The law has certainly become obsolete, anachronistic and certainly it is weakened and constrained by Civil Service strings, we know. Mr. Speaker that is why the Town and Country Planning Department is in the process of being restructured to be able to meet the demands expected of it.

    But Mr. Speaker, let me use this opportunity to also call for proper education of our people. Mr. Speaker, if I need to build and I really want to build, I might not even know which places are safe and which are not. The question that I put to the regional boss of the Town and Country Planning Department in Cape Coast was, how often had he educated the public on why not build here but build there? If somebody has already started building and you go and cross the building with some red paint and say “stop work”, you have not done anything, because the person does not even understand why you want him or her to stop building.

    I think it is high time that in this country, proper education was given just so that we would know why we should not build in certain places. And it is high time landowners who also sell plots that had been declared as places unfit for habitation, just for the sake of money, also stood and faced the law, because Mr. Speaker, so much is lost.

    That is why I also want to agree with the maker of the Statement, hon. Asamoah-Boateng, that given the extent of the damage, we are calling for the support of our Government so that the affected families, the affected areas might have support to be able to start life and start their businesses again.
    Mr. owusu-Adjapong 12:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to have here the Minister for the Interior, under whose supervision we have the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO). This flooding is becoming a very serious matter; and I am sure there are some Members of Parliament (MPs) whose constituencies are affected. I was wondering whether we could not have allowed one or two Members from each side, including the Minister for the Interior, to go and see to what extent the Statement is being put to use. That is why I was pleading.
    Mr. Speaker 12:15 p.m.
    Majority Leader, if the Minister for the Interior has something to say, I will allow him to do so. But I think only one person, because you know the schedule.
    Minister for the Interior (Papa owusu-Ankomah) 12:15 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Statement.
    Indeed, rainstorms, earthquakes, et cetera, are acts of God but their effects can be devastating, depending on the lifestyles of a people and the way they treat their environment. I wish on behalf of Government to extend my condolences and commiseration to the people of the Central Region, particularly those areas adversely affected by the floods and particularly the parents of the young child who lost his life in this tragedy.
    Mr. Speaker, NADMO has visited the areas affected by the disaster and their report has been submitted to the Ministry of the Interior. The Government has examined the report and is going to make interventions so as to alleviate the plight of the people affected by the disaster. Indeed, yesterday, a committee met and made some proposal which will be put before Cabinet at its next meeting and I am certain that it will receive a
    Minister for the Interior (Papa owusu-Ankomah) 12:25 p.m.
    disasters and tragedies occur. But as human being we should also note that we owe it a duty to ourselves to keep our environment clean, to make our farming practices conform to new trends so that when we have rainfall, the effect is not as devastating as that which occurred in the Central Region recently.
    I have also had a discussion with the hon. Minister for Works and Housing that we also need to change the way we build in our rural areas; that instead of swish buildings, we could use bricks which would be heated in homes, as is done in some eastern countries. Most of the buildings that were damaged were not so strong. People had not been maintaining the buildings that had been standing for so long a time. So with the inundation of the rains, they easily fell down.

    We hope and are confident that with the relief that we are getting from the donors, we would be able to, as it were, make some positive interventions that would go to reduce the poverty levels in certain areas of our country.

    Now, we are saving about two hundred million dollars every year through the HIPC initiative. With this, we are certain that we would be saving about not less than four billion dollars and that would go a long way.

    We have reached a stage in our national life where we ought to adopt a very nationalistic approach to development because if we do not do that, we cannot meet the challenges of the global environment these days.

    Mr. Speaker, I thank hon. Members for the contributions they have made and I am sure that as the days go by, the people of the Central Region would get to know

    positive response. Meanwhile, I have given instructions to the NADMO to immediately send relief items to the areas affected by the disaster.

    However, I wish to emphasize that every district has a Disaster Management Committee chaired by the District Chief Executive and by the guidelines relating to the District Assemblies Common Fund, have to set aside 5 per cent of the Fund to meet interventions when such disasters occur. So I urge Colleagues to liaise with the District Assemblies to ensure that they make such provisions.

    We should also know that as human beings we need to take very good care of our environment. In the case of the Central Region, a certain river overflowed its banks and it was because, due to our farming practices, we had silted that river. Indeed, the report indicates that the effect of the flood was devastating because we had silted drains, which had been clogged with plastic waste. This should also let us appreciate the fact that we need to take better care of our environment.

    This year, there have been other disasters in the Upper East, Upper West and the Northern Regions and the Government has made the necessary interventions. However, with the little resources at the disposal of Government, we cannot meet the needs of all these people who are affected by disasters.

    I am also appealing to the District Assemblies, as has been stated by hon. Colleagues who contributed earlier, to enforce the bye-laws. In the case of Saltpond and Kromantse, for instance, it appears that people have been building on the high rises; they have created artificial slopes that destabilize the soil, so with the little rainfall, we had all the earth being moved downwards into the streets.

    The Government will continue to support and make interventions where

    that they hold a special place in the heart of this Government.

    Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.
    Mr. Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    The hon. Member for Ada, may you continue. This was a special dispensation granted to him, as you know. Thank you for your patience, and please, make your statement.
    Management and Administration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund
    Mr. Alexander N. Tettey-Enyo (NDc
    -- Ada): Mr. Speaker, I rise to make this brief but very important Statement on the management and administration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
    With the introduction of the Ghana
    Education Trust Fund, this country has found a major source of financial support for the Government in meeting the ever- increasing challenges of the education sector. The fund has, indeed become “the hen that lays the golden egg”. We cannot afford to kill it or treat it shabbily. Rather, it should be the concern of all Ghanaians, particularly Members of this august House to look after its welfare and ensure its proper administration and efficient management.
    What this House can do in this respect is to ensure that the enabling legislation guiding its operation is adhered to. Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Education Trust Fund Act, 2000 (Act 581) provides under section 22 as follows:
    “22 (1) The Board shall submit to the Minister as soon as practicable and in any event not more than six months after the end of each financial year a report dealing generally with the activities and operation of the Fund during the year to which the report relates and shall include:

    (a) the audited accounts of the Fund and the Auditor-General's report on the accounts of the Fund; and

    (b) such other information as the Board may consider necessary.

    22 (2) The Minister shall within two months after the receipt of the annual report submit the report to Parliament with such statement as he considers necessary.”

    Mr. Speaker, whether the Board is fulfilling this obligation is open to question.

    Whatever the reasons may be, it is sad to note that the GETFund Board has not submitted the statutory reports since 2001. The object of this statement is therefore to urge this august House to formally request the Board to place before Parliament not only the report for the period 1st January- 31st December, 2004 but also demand the outstanding reports since 2001.

    Mr. Speaker, the importance of the annual reports cannot be over-emphasized. It is through the discussion of these reports that hon. Members of this House may have the opportunity of contributing to the improvement of the management and administrative processes as well as the disbursement of the Fund's resources.

    Parliament has in the past years raised issues on the floor of this House, issues pertaining to supervision and monitoring of the projects, list of projects being funded, increase in the staff establishment for the Secretariat, improvement in the conditions of service of staff, release of outstanding revenue to the Fund, establishment of an effective public relations outfit to educate the public on the utilization of the Fund, issues which should receive the regular appraisal of
    Minority Leader (Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin) 12:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I stand to commend the hon. Member who made the Statement and to say that it has been so comprehensively done that we do not need to have many more hon. Members to contribute to it. But Mr. Speaker, it is important for us to emphasize the need for agents that receive moneys approved by this House to be accountable through the House to the people of Ghana.
    We have for so many years, as already indicated by the hon. Member who made the Statement insisted that the Board of the GETFund should submit to us these annual reports and also the list of projects so that we could monitor and evaluate the usage of the funds. All these requests have fallen on deaf ears. And we are just being treated as if we are here to always rubber- stamp the proposals of the Board for them to go and decide whether they would apply the funds according to the formula or do as they wish. Mr. Speaker, we would want to supervise that to make sure that they obey the instructions of the House.
    It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I want to respectfully urge you to refer this matter to the sub-committee on Education so that this committee could invite the Board and the GETFund Administrator to come before it and put at its disposal lists of projects and other activities that the funds have been utilized for, so that we can
    monitor the usage, even before we receive the annual reports from the Administrator.
    Mr. Speaker, I have personally been involved in trying as much as possible to get them to respond to our requests, but this has not happened.
    My colleague, the current Minister for Finance and Economic Planning is even aware, and at sometime he expressed surprise at the failure of the Board and the GETFund Administrator to submit documents in this matter. But as at now, we have not yet received them. Now, he is the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and we now have a different Minister for Education and Sports. But I think that the proper thing to do is to let our committee follow up on this matter and later on report to the House.
    Mr. Speaker, with this, I once again commend the hon. Member who made the Statement.
    Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu) 12:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I also appreciate the presentation of such a Statement. I think that is the hallmark of democracy and good governance, and I believe that the provisions of all laws would be implemented and the reporting system also followed up. It is very good that the Public Accounts Committee is making every effort to make sure we dispose of reports that come into the domain of the Public Accounts Committee.
    The formula, as indicated in Act 581, is very explicit. The tracking system must be very clear and I believe that even the Committee can follow up and visit some of the sites to see what is going on. So I would, obviously, do everything possible for us to get these reports as
    early as possible and then excite the debate that must go on, because we must do everything to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). That is the beauty of it.
    I hope that within the shortest possible time, the suggestion that the Committee should also act, we shall also act on that and get things started.
    Mr. Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    At the Commencement
    of Public Business. Item 6, Laying of Papers.
    Minister for Parliamentary Affairs/
    Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. owusu- Adjapong) 12:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, whilst I am in a position to lay item (6) as the Majority Leader, I am constrained in laying it as a Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. Therefore I would suggest that we shift this item to the closed meeting and maybe if we get consensus, we lay it tomorrow.
    Mr. Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Item (7), Motion --
    Chairman of the Committee.
    Alhaji M. A. Yakubu 12:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I get the understanding that there is the general agreement on both sides that this should also be stood down till tomorrow.
    Mr. Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Majority Leader, now, what are the indications?
    Mr. owusu-Adjapong 12:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it was originally the idea that we were going to start the closed meeting by 12.00; and now it is 12.37p.m. Having lost about 37 minutes I think it is just that we adjourn this Sitting so that we go to the closed meeting. I therefore move that we adjourn the Public Sitting till tomorrow 10.00 o'clock in the morning and go into closed meeting to discuss the other relevant matters.
    Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 12:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I second the motion.