Debates of 9 Jun 2006

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.

CORRECTION OF VOTES 10 a.m.

AND PROCEEDINGS AND 10 a.m.

THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10 a.m.

Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings -- Pages 1 . . . 6?
Mr. Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Member for Asuogyaman was in the Chamber yesterday. Hon. Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, he was in the Chamber yesterday. He has rather sought permission to travel today and the Leave of Absence Form has been transmitted to your office this morning. Yesterday, I even had a chat with him in the Chamber.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Thank you for the correction. Pages 7…10?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if my memory serves me right -- and I believe it does serve me -- on Clause 2, an amendment was proposed -- [Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Which page are you referring to?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10 a.m.
Page 8, Mr. Speaker. An amendment was proposed by hon. Hajia Alima Mahama, to add “or gender considerations”. If my memory serves me right, when the Question was put, this amendment was not agreed to.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Members, I do remember that there were two amendments, as it were. The first one, she did withdraw; but the second one was voted upon and it was rejected. That is the case. Thank you for that.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, you are right. That is the true reflection of what happened. She tried to withdraw it and to relocate it; and so she withdrew and subsequently she put it in again and then it was disagreed to.
Mr. Charles S. Hodogbey 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to go back to page 5, “The following hon. Members were absent with permission -- The question I want to ask is -- I know we have visited this issue before, but in the case of Mr. Eric Amoateng, is the permission indefinite or it has a limitation?
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Member for North Tongu, I do not think you are seeking to correct the -- [Laughter.] You are not seeking to correct the Votes and Proceedings. We may wish to proceed -- [Interruption.]
Thank you very much indeed for that. Pages 9 . . . 12?
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, page 12, Committee on Government Assurances, the second but last name of Members who were present, it should be “Alhaji Amadu B. Sorogho” not “Adamu”. And then just beneath it, there is “Me” Adam Habib; I am sure it is Mr. or Ms they wanted to write. I am sure we will have to do some other correction there.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Thank you for that correction. Pages 13 . . . 16? We have the Official Report for Tuesday, 6th June 2006 -- [Pause.] [There were no corrections.]
Hon. Members, let us move to item 3.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 10 a.m.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs/ Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. Owusu- Adjapong) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee met on Thursday, 8th June 2006 and determined Business of the House for the Fifth Week ending Friday, 16th June 2006.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs/ Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. Owusu- Adjapong) 10:10 a.m.
Arrangement of Business
Question(s)
Mr. Speaker, the Committee has scheduled five (5) Ministers to respond to various Questions.
The details are as follows:
No. of Question(s)
i. Minister for Women and Children's Affairs -- 3
ii. Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines -- 3
iii. Minister for Education, Science and Sports -- 7
iv. Minister for Fisheries -- 4
v. Minister for Transportation -- 7
Total Number of Questions -- 24
Mr. Speaker, in all twenty-four (24) Questions have been scheduled to be answered. Statements
Mr. Speaker may allow Statements duly admitted to be made on the floor of the House.
Bills, Papers and Reports
Mr. Speaker, Bills, Papers and Reports may be presented to the House for consideration. Mr. Speaker, those which have already been presented to the House, may also be considered.
Motions and Resolutions
Mr. Speaker, motions may be debated and the appropriate resolutions taken as
required.
Conclusion
Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 160(2) and subject to Standing Order 53, the Committee submits to this honourable House the order in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the week.

Questions --

Minister for Women and Children's Affairs -- 432, 526 and 582

Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines -- 462, 463 and 464

Statements

Second Reading of Bills --

Laws of Ghana (Revised Edition) (Amendment) Bill.

Consideration Stage of Bills --

Internal Revenue (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2006

Committee Sittings

Questions --

Minister for Education, Science and Sports -- 149, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416 and 417

Statements

Laying of Papers --

Report of the Committee on C o n s t i t u t i o n a l , L e g a l a n d Parliamentary Affairs on the Whistleblower Bill.

Third Reading of Bills --

Internal Revenue (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2006.

Committee Sittings. Thursday, 15th June 2006

Questions --

Minister for Fisheries -- 465, 466, 563 and 570
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs/ Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. Owusu- Adjapong) 10:10 a.m.
Statements
Consideration Stage of Bills --
Laws of Ghana (Revised Edition) (Amendment) Bill.
Committee Sittings.

Questions --

Minister for Transportation -- 323, 324, 325, 332, 333, 334 and 335

Laying of Papers --

Report of the Committee on C o n s t i t u t i o n a l , L e g a l a n d Parliamentary Affairs on the Anti- Terrorism Bill

Second Reading of Bills --

Whistleblower Bill.

Third Reading of Bills --

Laws of Ghana (Revised Edition) (Amendment) Bill.

Committee Sittings.
Mr. John Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if you would indulge me, I wish to raise a matter. It has been raised persistently on the floor of this House but it does not look like we are getting any improvement or relief; and that is about Questions. Mr. Speaker, one of the critical authorities of this House in holding the Executive accountable is that we are able to summon Ministers here and ask them Questions about what is going on in their particular sectors. Mr. Speaker, it is not an authority to be trifled with.
Mr. Speaker, I have three Questions that have been pending for the last five months or so. The Ministers responsible have not provided the Answers and they have not come on the floor of this House to answer them. Mr. Speaker, our Parliament is as strong as we make it, and that is why the last time I was saying that it is for us, in a bipartisan manner, to exercise the authority of our House so that we can command the respect that we require.
So Mr. Speaker, if Questions have been pending for five months, I cannot understand how we cannot evoke the appropriate sanctions on the Ministers concerned. We have the Committee on Government Assurances, we have the Privileges Committee; Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether the Ministers are reluctant to answer the Questions or what the problem really is.
I wish to urge the Chairman of the Business Committee and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs to look into this particular matter and exert the authority of Parliament as much as possible. This is one area where we can hold the Executive accountable, and I do not think that it is fair for Questions to lie on the Table for as long as five months.
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for Bole/ Bamboi, have your Questions been advertised at all?
Mr. John Mahama 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, after I posed the Questions they were advertised in the Notice of Questions, and since then I have waited to get the Oral Answers on the floor of this House and they do not seem to be -- Mr. Speaker, there is even another point. I filed three Questions; I tagged one as urgent and the other two as routine.
Mr. Speaker, instead the two routine
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Hon. Member, let us have the numbers of those Questions so that we can see what we can do.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think I agree with hon. John Mahama indicating that Questions were asked and they have been pending for five months. If it is so, then of course, we should look at getting those Questions answered by the appropriate Ministers. I guess the hon. Member, if the Questions have not been answered, does know the normal route of addressing this matter.
Mr. Speaker, only yesterday outstanding Questions were advertised on the Order Paper; unfortunately, his own Questions are not here, the outstanding Questions, the questions that he is talking about are not advertised. So perhaps if he himself had adverted his mind to this he would have seen that perhaps there is something wrong, because they are not here. And as far as I am concerned and as a member of the Business Committee, I do not think that I would say that he has any outstanding Questions because they are not here. And yesterday, when he ought to have raised this matter he did not raise it.
Mr. Speaker 10:10 a.m.
I would have thought that these were matters we should deal with behind the scenes. Hon. Majority Leader, are you not in agreement? These are matters we should try and solve behind the scenes.
Mr. Owusu-Adjapong 10:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that from the statement my hon. Colleague Member of Parliament

Please -- That we should exert our authority, what does that mean? It means that somebody is putting pressure on Parliament and therefore we should move out of it. Mr. Speaker, the problem at hand is purely an internal administrative problem and therefore to prefix his statement that that is why he has been advising that Parliament should exert itself, I think, is uncalled for.

Mr. Speaker, he knows, as a very senior Member of this House, that when the Business Committee is meeting it is one of his duties to talk to his Chief Whip and to draw his attention to matters that he wants the Business Committee to take note of, and that is why my hon. Colleague mentioned the normal channel. Now, he comes to the floor, he has not discussed it with his Chief Whip -- and if he has discussed it at all he has not brought it to the Business Committee -- and he begins to assume that the Business Committee or somebody somewhere is deliberately trying to make it impossible for him to perform; I think it is not fair to the Committee.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Members, I do not
think we should generate any heat over these matters. I know I must give you -- [Interruption] -- Hon. Member for Bole/ Bamboi, exercise patience; I know I will give you only a minute to respond.
Mr. Mahama 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do
not know what is happening but the hon. Majority Leader since yesterday has persisted in misinterpreting everything I say on the floor of this House. [Laughter.] Mr. Speaker, I did not say the Executive was influencing Parliament. I said that Question Time is one of the critical instruments that Parliament has to hold the
Executive accountable, and I believe that we must utilize this instrument to assert the authority of the House. That is what I said. How that means that the Executive is influencing Parliament exists only in the mind of the hon. Majority Leader.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Members, as I
said, let us deal with these matters behind the scenes.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
only last week we discussed this problem about the name of the Ministry that is occupied by hon. Dr. Anane, and I thought that we had agreed that that “Transportation” thing should be dropped. When I saw it on the Order Paper today I thought it was a mistake but I can see that on the Business Statement it is still repeated as Minister for Transportation. Mr. Speaker, rail transport is transportation; air transport is transportation; water transport is transportation so to limit transportation to road, I think, is not appropriate.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
You have made your
point, let us go on.
Mr. John Gyetuah 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
mine dwells on what the hon. Member for Bole/Bamboi said. I actually filed a Question to the Minister for Health over a year now. It has been advertised several times and when we come I see that it has been deleted from it. The hon. Member for Sefwi-Wiawso is also part of it. So I want to crave your indulgence to ask the hon. Minister why this has kept so long.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member, let me
have the Question numbers and we will settle these matters.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:20 a.m.

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION 10:20 a.m.

Minister for Transportation (Dr. Richard W. Anane) 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Norliwotagbor-Netsime feeder road is an earth road which is partially engineered. It is about 1.5 km long and is located in the Keta district. The road links communities to the Abor-Tsiame-Atiavi feeder road which is tarred.
Currrent Programme
The road has been programmed for routine/recurrent maintenance this year under GOG funding. The road together with others were advertised for competitive bidding on 24th May this year. It is expected that the project will be awarded by the end of July this year.
Future Programme
The road will be programmed for spot improvement next year under GOG funding.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if a road which is targeted for work this year is held on until July before the contract is awarded, how can that road be effectively completed by way of the targeted work that is to be done this year?
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want
to believe that my hon. Colleague is very
conversant with the Procurement Law. We have to go through the procurement motion before we can finally award and get the contractor to site. These are some of the processes which may make it appear to him that things are being delayed; but they are all due processes.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I find it very difficult to reconcile the future programme for that road as noted by the hon. Minister when he said it is programmed for spot improvement next year. How does he reconcile it with the current bidding which is taking place such that the contract would have been awarded by the end of July this year? If a contract is going to be awarded by July this year, how then should there be a spot improvement alongside the contract which is being awarded this year?
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there
are differences between routine and recurrent maintenance work as well as spot improvements. Mr. Speaker, the routine and recurrent works are to ensure that the road is motorable. The spot improvements are based on what has been found on the road and which needs corrective measures, like the installation of culverts and drainage systems; so these are two separate issues. The first one, if awarded, would have to start in July this year; and that is for the routine maintenance, to keep the corridor motorable. Then next year, because some studies have been done, we intend to install some culverts and drains in order to at least make it more sustainable.
Keta Town Roads
Q. 321. Mr. J. K. Gidisu (on behalf of Mr. Dan Abodakpi) asked the Minister for Transportation what steps the Ministry was taking to rehabilitate or reconstruct
Dr. Anane 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Keta town roads are not yet under the Department of Urban Roads since Keta has not as yet attained municipal status. We hope very soon it may. The Ghana Highway Authority currently has jurisdiction over the Keta town roads.
The 12.5 km Keta town roads were partly bituminous and partly gravel surface in fair to poor condition. The Anyanui-Keta-Denu Regional route (R11) which is in good condition passes through the Keta town.
Programme
The tarring of the town roads was to be undertaken in phases. In 1998 about 3.5 km of this road was rehabilitated by GHA Mobile Maintenance Unit 2.
The rehabilitation programme was put on hold until the Keta Sea Defence Project was completed because of fear of the destruction by heavy trucks used by the contractor for Keta Sea Defence.
After the completion of the Keta Defence Wall, 8.3 km of tarred road was constructed from Keta through the new settlement to Havedzi. Other access roads totalling 3.8 km were also tarred which forms part of the Keta township.
Current Programme
Routine maintenance works are being carried out on the roads. Meanwhile, pothole patching contract has been awarded to Messrs Hodal to patch all potholes in the town.
The tarring of selected roads in the township would be considered in 2007 programmes under GOG funding.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
to find out from the hon. Minister for Transportation, in terms of the reference to the supposed destruction by the heavy trucks used by the contractors during the Keta Sea Defence Project, was this identified and built into whatever were the responsibilities of the contractors, in terms of the use of that stretch of road which, invariably, as he noted, their heavy machinery might have affected during the time of the constructional work?
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
management and maintenance of road corridors are in the purview of the sector under which the road development is supposed to be. As I said earlier, in 1998, because of the heavy trucks that were being used, there was a need to stop or suspend the construction of the roads until the Sea Defence Project was finished. The project has come to an end, and as part of the project, I am sure, if my hon. Colleague had gone to Keta, he would have found out that the corridors which were being used and even the new areas which were worn out had gotten some roads constructed. So Mr. Speaker, yes, they were part of the project but at the same time they are part of the township, and once they have been done it is in the purview of the Ministry that these are kept and sustained.
Mr. R. A. Tawiah 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister what comprehensive plans his Ministry has for roads in the district capitals. I ask this question because, most often, development of roads in these capitals have been on ad hoc basis. I want to know what comprehensive plans his Ministry has for rehabilitation of roads in the district capitals.
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, this is not
a supplementary question.
Mr. J. K. Avedzi 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
to find out from the hon. Minister -- he said the contract had been awarded for pothole -- [Pause] -- and patching. I just want to know if that contract is going to be executed this year, and if so, when it is going to start and when it is going to be completed.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the contract
has been awarded and normally we give the contract over a period spanning two years. The reason is to ensure that the contractor continuously ensures that these corridors are kept motorable. This is going to be done this year, but I would want to believe that because of the rains the contractor may have waited a little just to make sure that when he starts there would be no interruptions; but it is for this year.
Tsiame-Doveme-Sassieme-Afife Link Roads (Rehabilitation)
Q. 322. Mr. J. K. Gidisu (on behalf of
Mr. Daniel Abodakpi) asked the Minister for Transportation what plans his Ministry had to rehabilitate the Tsiame-Doveme- Sassieme-Afife link feeder road to help enhance economic activity in the northern sectors of the Keta constituency.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Tsiame- Doveme-Sassieme-Afife feeder road is an earth road which is partially engineered. It is 6.2 km long and is located in the Keta District.
Current Programme
The Tsiame-Doveme-Sassieme- Afife feeder road has been programmed for routine/recurrent maintenance this year under GOG funding. The road together with others were advertised for
competitive bidding on 24th May this year. It is expected that the project will be awarded by the end of July this year.
Future Programme
The road will be programmed for spot improvement next year under GOG funding.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether his Ministry seriously tracks these references to road contracts. For example, these roads that I have mentioned above, which are in the same district, are being programmed for routine and recurrent maintenance, but by next year the same road will come up again for the same routine and recurrent maintenance which he has talked about this year. How seriously does his Ministry monitor these constructional works he comes to talk about on the floor of the House?
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ho
Central, would you be kind enough to repeat your supplementary question?
Mr. Joe Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is in reference to the three questions. The hon. Minister has given various plans that his Ministry has for those roads in that same district. I just want to find out what the situation is with his Ministry in tracking the actual work that he comes to talk about, in terms of these recurrent or routine maintenance of the roads in the districts, with particular reference to the one under reference.
Dr. Anane 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not very
certain whether my hon. Colleague is asking about execution or monitoring. But I want to assure my hon. Colleague that the project for this year is about routine and recurrent maintenance of a road corridor; and we have to routinely maintain the roads so that my hon. Colleague can go
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, public mass transportation is acknowledged worldwide as the most efficient means of transporting persons. In 2001, His Excellency the President directed the introduction of public mass transport in the metropolitan and municipal areas to ensure safe, efficient and reliable movement of workers and also to improve productivity.
Mr. Speaker, the operational policy of
Metro Mass Transit include the provision of:
Intra-city/intra-urban services for the regional capitals
Shuttle services to link major towns to these capitals
School bussing services
Contract services and
Rural-urban services.
Since the introduction of Metro Mass Transit (MMT) in 2002 in Accra and Tema Metropolitan Areas, the services have been extended to Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Koforidua, Sunyani, Cape Coast, Agona Swedru, Ho, Wa and Bolgatanga.
In July 2005, MMT carried out a route survey and pilot runs from Swedru through Gomoa Afransi-Agona Abodom-Gomoa Kokofu-Gomoa Eshiem-Gomoa Tarkwa- Gomoa Mankesem-Goma Ogua-Gomoa Enyieme-Gomoa Dawurampong-Apam to Mumford covering a total distance of 117 km per return trip. Even though the commuters were highly enthusiastic about the trial run, patronage was encouraging only on market days at Dawurampong and its environs.
Current Situation
The Central Region presently has MMT operating in Cape Coast and its environs.
Mr. Speaker, the Central Region currently runs the operations of the Metro Mass Transit in Cape Coast and
Mr. Hackman 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister's response indicated that major market centres of the Gomoa people were ignored in the survey -- especially Mankesim, Kasoa -- and even trips to Winneba were ignored in the survey.
Mr. Speaker, will the hon. Minister advise the MMT to continue this during market days since market days prove to be very much patronized?
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have taken note of my hon. Colleague's submission and we will convey it to the MMT.
Apesika-Nana Yaakrom and Suamire- Issahaku Akuraa
Feeder Roads
Q. 329. Mr. Yaw Effah-Baafi asked the Minister for Transportation what measures the Ministry put in place for the construction of the Apesika- Nana Yaakrom and Suamire-Issahaku Akuraa feeder roads in Kintampo South
constituency.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Apesika- Nana Yaakrom route is a track. It does not form part of the Department of Feeder Roads' classified network. The district may prioritize it in future for the necessary intervention to be carried out. And Mr. Speaker, here, I would want to appeal to my hon. Colleague who happens to be a member of the District Assembly to ensure that this is captured for consideration by the District Assembly so that they can also advise us on what we have to do for the district.
Mr. Speaker, with respect to Suamire- Issahaku Akuraa, Suamire is an area in the Kintampo South District; Issahaku Akuraa lies within this area. Issahaku Akuraa is connected by two tracks. The two links are Issahaku Akuraa-Bronikrom and the Issahaku Akuraa Junction-Issahaku Akuraa. The two links are farm tracks and do not also form part of the Department of Feeder Roads' classified network.
Again, I wish that my hon. Colleague helps to get them prioritized so that we will be advised to intervene on this route.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister what the criteria for the privatization of the road projects are for intervention at the district level.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in general we expect that there should be service to places where people live and there should also be places of socio-economic significance like farms, hospitals, schools and others. But Mr. Speaker, all these aside, we do not determine or decide for districts what ought to be done. So the most important of them all is for a district to decide that this road is what we want to be done for us, then we take it up and do it.
The Anyima-Ampoma Feeder Road
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Anyima- Ampoma road is a continuation of the Jema-Ampoma feeder road which links the Kintampo-Techiman trunk road. Anyima-Ampoma road is 9 km long and is engineered.
The road was awarded for rehabilitation to Messrs J. O Awua and Sons in September 2003 for completion in December 2005 at a contract sum of ¢2.364 billion cedis under the International Development Agency (IDA) of the World Bank's funding.
Major works to be carried out under the contract are gravelling of 9 km stretch, construction of thirteen culverts and the construction of one kilometre of concrete U-drains.
The project is 95 per cent completed and payment to date is ¢1.692 billion. The outstanding works on the project is the construction of 100 m concrete U-drains in Ampoma township.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of June this year.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister what the total contract sum of the project is.
Dr. Anane 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in paragraph 1 of the Answer it was stated -- contract sum of ¢2.364 billion under IDA funding.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the present stage of the project was reached more than a year ago. I want to find out from the hon. Minister what has occasioned the delay in the completion
of the project.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the contractor was slow in execution. So he is being asked to make sure that he completes the work by the end of this month.
Bridge over River Tanfi on Jema-Nkoranza Road
Q. 331. Mr. Yaw Effah-Baafi asked the Minister for Transportation what steps the Ministry was taking to properly rehabilitate the bridge over River Tanfi on the Jema-Nkoranza road using bolts and nuts instead of nails.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the 3-span bridge is on Jema-Nkoranza Regional Route (R44) in the Brong Ahafo Region.
It has a road width of 5 m with a total length of 21.5 kms.
The bridge has a concrete substructure and the superstructure is made up of timber chassis, runners and side railing.
Mr. Speaker, distressed timber members were replaced in February, 2006 and it is scheduled for routine maintenance in July, 2006. Mr. Speaker, we have found the need for a reconstruction of this narrow bridge into a two-lane bridge.
The cost estimate for the replacement of the Tanfi bridge and two other bridges at Tainso and Adamo in the Brong Ahafo Region into a two-lane bridge will be completed by mid-June, this year.
It is anticipated that the reconstruction of the deck by the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highway Authority will start by October, 2006.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to find out from the hon. Minister
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we have
been reviewing and inventorying some of our assets and the bridges constitute part of them and we find the need, based on the type of corridor that that bridge is serving, for it to be reconstructed into a two-lane carriageway. So Mr. Speaker, even though it would have been good to do as he said, we think that this bridge ought to be changed and the corridor must take two vehicles at a time. So that is why such interventions were made.
Akatsi-Tadzenu-Dzodze-Akanu Road
Q. 597. Mr. Edward K. D. Adjaho asked the Minister for Transportation when construction work would commence on the Akatsi-Tadzewu-Dzodze-Akanu road, since the loan for the project has already been approved by Parliament.
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Akatsi-
Tadzewu-Dzodze-Akanu road is the last 30 km stretch of Ghana's portion of the Trans ECOWAS Coastal Highway.
The loan agreement was signed with the African Development Bank for its upgrading to asphaltic concrete standard up to Noepe in the Republic of Togo on 18th July 2003.
The project was declared effective by the African Development Bank on 23rd July 2004.
The disbursement of the loan was tied to conditions that had to be met. The conditions included:
1. A policy letter indicating future increases of the fuel levy in order to attain the road fund
target amount of USD 130 million per annum. Mr. Speaker, this has been done.
2. A x l e L o a d P o l i c y a n d implementation plan. Mr. Speaker, this has also been done.
3. The payment of the road contract arrears of approximately USD 33 million as at July, 2001 to eligible contractors.
The final payment of the arrears which were not in dispute was made in August, 2005. A lot of the arrears were in dispute and we are still sorting them out. The ADB finally gave its “No Objection” to enable negotiations to be entered into with the selected consultants for the design review and supervision of the project on the 23rd December, 2005.
The ADB gave its final approval for the draft contract agreement on 26th April, 2006. The contract was subsequently signed on 16th May, 2006. Design, review and tendering will commence on 15th June, 2006. Mr. Speaker, that is next week and this will take six months to complete. Actual construction works is expected to commence in December 2006 and to be completed by December 2008.
Mr. Adjaho 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to ask the hon. Minister whether he is giving an assurance to this House that in December 2006, this project will take off? This is because if you look at page 188 of the 2006 Budget Statement, the hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Planning declared that this project would start this year. Now, he is saying that it will take off in December 2006; is he giving an assurance to this honourable House?
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the
hon. Minister's Answer, he indicated on page 19, paragraph 3, that the road contract arrears was paid to eligible contractors. Who are some of the eligible contractors?
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, they are many
but if he wants some, I can say Taysec was one of them. Mr. Speaker, Interberton was one of them and there are several of such companies. But there are some whose payments have been kept on hold because there are a lot of question marks on them.
Mr. James Avedzi 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
before the construction of the road in December 2006, the condition of the road was very terrible. With the recent rains, vehicles cannot use the road from Tadzewu to Dzodze; the road has been cut off completely. In the interim, what can the Ministry do to make the road motorable before the construction begins in December 2006?
Dr. Anane 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want
to assure my hon. Colleague that work is already being done on it. Work is already being done on that.
Akatsi-Wute-Ziope Road
Q. 598. Mr. Edward K. D. Adjaho asked the Minister for Transportation why work on the Akatsi-Wute-Ziope road had been stopped for the past five years.
Dr. Anane 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Akatsi- Wute-Ziope road is the Regional Road (R14) which is 41.9 km linking Akatsi to the Ho-Denu road at Ziope.
Mr. Speaker, the first 9 km from Akatsi was tarred in 1996 and it is in fair condition. Km 9 - 19 was regravelled by Messrs Environmental Development Ltd. in 2002. The section from km 19 to 29, was awarded for regravelling and spot improvement to Messrs Gallant Gh. Ltd in October, 2003 for completion in July, 2004.
The contract was finally terminated on 9th November, 2004 by the Regional Tender Review Board (RTRB) on account of poor performance.
At the time of termination, only 10 per cent of the works had been completed.
The remaining works were re-packaged and advertised in April, 2006 to be reawarded.
Current Situation
While waiting for bids to be submitted by prospective bidders, a letter was received on 5th May, 2006 from the RTRB revoking the termination of this contract.
This was after the contractor had appealed against the termination in a letter dated 17th December, 2005 with the reason that he had had series of problems with landowners in the project area in the acquisition of suitable burrow pits to win gravel for the works, coupled with frequent breakdown of his equipment on site and heavy rainfalls.
Meanwhile, the contractor moved to site in April 2006, and resumed work and executed the following works:
Mr. Adjaho 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my Question is about stoppage of work for over five years and the only work that has been stopped for over five years is the tarring of the road. Fortunately, the Minister, in his Answer, talked about tarring of up to 9 km of the road. Mr. Speaker, what are they doing about the tarring of that road? It is the tarring that has stopped. What is the Ministry doing to start the re-tarring and to continue the tarring of the road beyond 9 km, as he has mentioned in his main Answer?
Dr. Anane 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague just wants his road to be tarred, but in his Question he asked about works. He asked why work on the corridor has been stopped; and I had to answer him according to the Question that he asked. But since my hon. Colleague wants his corridor to be tarred, and since tarring had already been started, what we are doing is a prelude to the eventual tarring.
Mr. Adjaho 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the Minister whether he is aware that a contract had been awarded to a company called Sodonor Ltd. In 1996 for the tarring of this road in bits over a certain period. Indeed, that is the major work and a whole lot of culverts were built on that road. It is that work which has been stopped for over five years.
So once I am talking about five years, I am not talking about regravelling; I am not talking about any other thing. The only work that has been stopped for the past five years or more is the tarring. So talking about 2004 is not over five years; talking about 2002/2003 is not over five years. So my question is, what is the policy of the Ministry in terms of tarring that road? The policy in the previous administration was to tar that road to Ziope.
Dr. Anane 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the first place, since he gave the indication that a
Mr. Adjaho 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear on the position of the Ministry on this road, whether they will be doing tarring or they will not do tarring of this road. For me, that is the only simple Answer I want from the hon. Minister.
Dr. Anane 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. Colleague should be assured that the road will be tarred but the works that he asked for ought to be done first; and that is what we are taking up.
Sogakope-Akatsi-Aflao Road (Commencement)
Q. 599. Mr. Edward K. D. Adjaho asked the Minister for Transportation when work on the Sogakope-Akatsi-Aflao road would commence since loans for this project have been approved by this House a long time ago.
Dr. Anane 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Sogakope- Akatsi-Aflao road is a 78-kilometre stretch of road which forms part of the Trans ECOWAS Coastal Highway.
This stretch of road was split into two sub-sections for donor funding. The Sogakope-Akatsi section has a total length of 22 km while the Akatsi-Aflao section is 56 km.
Mr. Speaker, donor funding has been secured for both sections for upgrading to asphaltic concrete standards.
Sogakope-Akatsi Section
Mr. Speaker, the Sogakope-Akatsi section is to be funded by KfW at an amount of Euros 12.78 million. The loan and project agreement were signed on 15th July 2003. However, the disbursement of the fund required that the Government should provide the following which were also the same conditions which we had to meet with respect to the African Development Bank programme:
1. A policy letter to the Fund describing the measures that the Government shall implement to manage and operate the Axle Load Control System to be established throughout the country.
2. A policy letter to the Fund indicating how the Government intends to achieve the Road Fund target amount of about USD 130 million from increases in fuel levy.
3. Provide evidence of reducing road cont rac t a r rears of approximately USD 33 million as at July, 2001 to USD 11 million.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, these have all been done. The Bank therefore gave its “No Objection” after they were satisfied that concrete plans have been made to put in place an Axle Load Policy and Action Plan and the payment of arrears to contractors in August 2005. On 23rd August 2005 a draft contract agreement was sent to KfW for “No Objection”. The “No Objection” was given on 16th September, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, the tender opening for the civil works is slated for Monday, 12th June, 2006. The selection process for the contractor for the works will take about three months. Construction work is expected to start by October, 2006 and scheduled for completion within 18 months.

Akatsi-Aflao Section

Mr. Speaker, the Akatsi-Aflao section is being funded by African Development Bank and ECOWAS Fund at an amount of 14.7 million Unit of Account. A loan agreement was signed with the ADB on 31st July 2002. The disbursement of the loan was tied to conditions that had to be met including Axle Load Policy and implementation plan and the payment of the road contract arrears of approximately USD 33 million as at July, 2001 to eligible contractors.

Mr. Speaker, the final payment of arrears which were not in dispute was made in August, 2005. The ADB finally gave its “No Objection” to enable negotiations to be entered into with the selected consultants for the design review and supervision of the project on 16th December, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, the ADB finally approved the draft contract agreement on 3rd May 2006. The contract was subsequently signed on 16th May, 2006. Design, review and tendering will take six months to complete. Actual construction works are expected to commence in December 2006 and completed by December 2008.
Mr. Adjaho 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, October and December 2006 are not too far away, so I will rest my case for now.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I find it
quite intriguing for the Minister for Road
Transport to continue to quote similar conditions which his Ministry has to meet from one road to the other. The conditions he outlined, I very much suspect were the very conditions that they gave for the construction of the Tema Roundabout to Sogakope road. Why would those similar conditions which they provided not serve as basis for speeding up the process of satisfying those conditions for the Sogakope-Aflao stretch of the road, since they are not different?
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon. Member for Central Tongu, is this a supplementary question? The Question was on “when work would commence”, and he has answered it.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker,
but if you look at the time that the loan was contracted and the time that the road construction itself is going to take off, it is subjected to conditions which he applied at the opening paragraph, like the policy letter to support various conditions. These are similar conditions that he had given to the construction of the Tema Roundabout- Sogakope stretch of the road. Why would they be delaying the award of the second contract based on similar conditions which is not different from the previous one?
Dr. Anane 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not very sure whether my hon. Colleague was in charge of road development at the time to know that these were the conditions that were given for the Tema-Sogakope corridor. Mr. Speaker, that is not true. These are conditionalities which our development partners found necessary to elicit from the Government and this ought to have been done a long time ago. Therefore, we found it fit to get them completed; and we have done them. So that is how come we are now going to get all this. The three that we have just talked
Mr. Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Minister for Trans-
portation, thank you very much for appearing to answer these Questions. You are discharged, at least for the time being.
Hon. Members, we are taking two
Statements without any contributions. The first Statement is from the Member of Parliament for Obuasi.
STATEMENTS 11:10 a.m.

Mr. E. M. Ennin (NPP -- Obuasi) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for this opportunity to make this Statement on developments in the mining communities.
Mr. Speaker, the mining companies are doing well in terms of the provision of jobs and physical development in the rural sectors, especially where they operate.
Gold Fields, AngloGold Ashanti, Golden Star and Newmont, to mention only a few, are doing considerably well to meet their social responsibilities to the communities they are operating within.
The President visited my constituency, specifically Obuasi Municipality last April and commended AngloGold Ashanti for investing $3 million towards the eradication of malaria in Obuasi. Beyond the regular payment of dividends to the Ghana Government, the company has been investing socially to improve lives in the area.
AngloGold Ashanti, apart from being the number one employer in the mining sector in the country, has built schools, constructed some roads, built residential accommodation particularly for their workers, created access to modern medical care and, in fact, is the only corporate body in the country with a modern sports stadium, where both local and international football matches are played.
This is certainly an exemplary achievement that must be sustained and expanded for the benefit of Ghanaians, especially those in the communities where the mining operations are being undertaken.
In recent times, however, Mr. Speaker, certain developments emerging at some of the mining areas do not appear to be good news. There is the talk of recolonisation of the mines by the mining concerns. Instead of employing the services of qualified Ghanaians, some of these mining companies have been recruiting expatriates to replace the Ghanaians.
They are dumping them here in droves under the guise of ‘experts' but the reality
Mr. E. M. Ennin (NPP -- Obuasi) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, galamsey operation has become one of the main sources of conflict in the rural mining areas. Superficially, it does seem that illegal miners are a nuisance to the society, mining companies, the foreign investors and also to people in the communities. However, we must appreciate the fact that the incidence of these illegal miners is not all that simple. Most of them are school dropouts who have no skills and as such cannot be offered jobs by the big mining companies.
The plight of these school dropouts has been worsened by mechanization of both old and new mines, whether they are surface or underground mining. Faced with all kinds of frustrations and temptations, these young and able bodied but unskilled youth see the only option left to them to survive as joining the bandwagon of illegal mining. These young miners know the dangers and hazards in the profession but their mantra is “man must survive”. Certainly, it is a veritable problem but it cannot be wished away.

Mr. Speaker, I have visited some of these illegal miners and their operations in my constituency and even beyond. Hundreds of them have also contacted me individually and as groups. They complain about lack of job opportunities particularly in the very areas they come from.

The underlying factor, which propels them to engage in such hazardous enterprise, is the determination to conquer poverty. It is not difficult to observe the

marks of poverty in their homes, their immediate environment, on their families, on their children and even on their faces. They strongly believe that the very cement in the wall dividing their communities into the few “haves” and the majority “have- nots” are the mining companies, owned and directed by foreign investors.

In recent times, the cry from these people has been that the Government and the mining companies should assist them to become “legitimate miners”. They want the Government and the companies to allot them a piece of their concessions for their operations.

The number of i l legal miners dangerously wasting their talents in the country cannot be estimated exactly but in the Obuasi Municipality alone, we can roughly talk about 10,000 illegal miners operating in the area. I am sure we can ensure social justice if the Government and mining companies compromise and set out a well-defined area for their operation.

Mr. Speaker, legi t imizing the operations of these miners, will enable the Municipal/District authorities and the Revenue agencies to tax their incomes, and secondly, this will enable their activities to be properly monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Mines Department. Thirdly, once identified, these miners could be trained to enhance the productive abilities. Fourthly, they could also be allowed to sell their gold winnings to the big mining companies, which I believe will help increase their volume of production.

Mr. Speaker, to translate these proposals into reality, the people will need basic training in health and safety, environmental management, as well as production and processing techniques. I
Mr. Alex N. Tettey-Enyo (NDC -- Ada) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is my humble opinion that this august House view with grave concern the press statement made by the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers on May 31, 2006 indicating that the majority of newly-trained teachers had not been placed on their correct salary levels.
This is due to the fact that out of one hundred and thirty-eight (138) districts, only sixty (60) had provided inputs required for mechanization of the salaries, thereby creating frustration among the teachers concerned and conditions for industrial unrest.
We should also be concerned about the impasse over the negotiations between the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) and the Ghana Education Service which has had serious effect on activities in our basic and second cycle institutions. Mr. Speaker, quite often, we tend to
underrate the impact of the withdrawal of services by the non-teaching personnel on the overall teaching and learning output. The TEWU members are not teachers. They are the accountants, matrons, drivers, et cetera. who support to a large extent the teaching and learning process. Therefore, it should concern all of us when they withdraw their services.
As a result of the industrial action embarked upon by members of TEWU, administrative work at some of the District Directorates of Education and educational institutions is almost grinding to a halt. The effect of the strike is not much observed in Accra. However, it is reported that in some cases, the boarding departments in schools around Ho are unable to operate and students are compelled to prepare their own meals, thereby disrupting academic work and creating an atmosphere of indiscipline. The challenge is how to arrest the situation and avoid the escalation of the problem throughout the country.
Though the industrial action has as yet not affected the universities, indications are that both TEWU and the Federation of the University Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG) are likely to embark on a strike if an amicable solution is not found to their grievances by 16th of June, 2006 as indicated by the General Secretary of TEWU in his recent press statement on 5th June, 2006.
I hereby urge the Ghana Education Service (GES) to take immediate steps to ensure that all the affected teachers are mechanized and paid their correct salaries without further delay.
These two events are the latest of a series of strikes and threats of industrial action, including those of Polytechnic
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
At the Commencement of Public Business -- Item 6 -- Presentation and First Reading of Bills -- Minister for the Interior.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Minister responsible for the Interior is not around. So you may permit the hon. Minister for Education, Science and Sports to do that on his behalf.
BILLS -- FIRST READING 11:30 a.m.

BILLS -- CONSIDERATION 11:30 a.m.

STAGE 11:30 a.m.

  • [Resumption of Consideration from 08-06-06]
  • Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
    Clause 4 -Chairman of the Committee, have you been able to put your heads together? [Interruption.]
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr. Paul Okoh) 11:30 a.m.
    That is so, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the hon. Member said that we should add “unreasonable” to clause 4 (2) My contention about that was that the terms “unreasonable”, and “reasonable” are relative and therefore we do not know who is going to determine what is reasonable or not. But now, we have agreed that we should add:
    “Except the disability of the person makes him or her incapable of performing the duties that the employment imposes on him or her.”
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move.
    Mr. Mahama Ayariga 11:30 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    I think that formulation would capture the arguments that I proposed yesterday.
    Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
    Hon. Chairman, can we
    have it properly written down so that I can put the Question?
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 4 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 9 -- Establ ishment of employment centres for persons with disability.
    Mr. Okoh 11:30 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move,
    clause 9, Head Notes, delete and insert “Public Employment Centres”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr. Okoh 11:30 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move,
    clause 9, line 1, between “centre”, and “secure” insert “assist to”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 9 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 10, Promotion of employment of persons with disability.
    Mr. Okoh 11:30 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move,
    clause 10, add a new subclause as follows:
    “The Government shall grant special incentives to persons with disability engaged in business and also to business organizations that employ persons with disability.”
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:30 a.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, I have nothing against the amendment. I am only talking about the location of it. I think it should rather precede what is in the Bill because that one is a general provision. What is stated in the Bill makes a specific provision so if that one can precede what is here.
    Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
    Let us leave that to the draftsmen.
    Clause 11 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 12 -- Posting, transfer and redeployment of person with disability.
    Mr. Okoh 11:30 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 12, subclause (1), line 2, at end delete “with disability”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr. Okoh 11:40 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 12, subclause (2), line 2, between “shall” and “retrain” insert “counsel”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Hajia Alima Mahama: Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 12, add a new subclause as follows:
    “(3) Where a person engaged as an employee, suffers a disability whether or not as a direct result of the employment, the employer shall retrain and redeploy the person to another section more suited to the person with disability.”

    Mr. Speaker, I am proposing this amendment on the grounds that -- Let me give an example. You are working with an institution, let us say, Ghana Cotton Company or Ghana Cocoa Board and you suffer retina detachment, you become blind and go to the hospital and they say you have suffered retina detachment beyond repairs and you are clinically blind. What is your fate? Is your organization supposed to lay you off?

    There are many instances of that. Somebody is going for the father's funeral,

    though it may not be directly related to his work, and he is involved in an accident; maybe he loses a leg or something else for that matter; is he going to be laid off because it cannot be interpreted directly as a result of his work? We need to consider that.

    A lot of people suffer disabilities whilst

    they are employed, and the proposal I am making is that whilst you are still in the employment you may suffer disability which is not directly as a result of the employment, but you should not be laid off on the Workmen Compensation Act. you should be supported. Very often your disability may not be such that you should be laid off. The organization should retain you and employ you and I have personal experience on that.

    I know somebody who worked for an institution for about fifteen years and the person went blind and was laid off whereas the person could have been retrained and reassigned to other responsibilities.

    So I am proposing this amendment and I am hoping that my hon. Colleagues would support me because we never know when we would suffer from a disability and we would be thrown out of Parliament. So please, this is very serious, they should support me on this matter.
    Mr. Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    I first of all want to find out from the hon. Chairman, what do you say to the amendment?
    Mr. Okoh 11:40 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, as much as I appreciate the position of the hon. Member, I think this amendment should be rejected in the sense that, in much the same way as she is talking about somebody who suffers a disability, there
    could be a position where somebody also, because of this amendment that she seeks to introduce, will after work be going on a drinking spree and fall into a gutter and get injured and other things and because he is still in the employment of an organization, he may say, “After work I misconducted myself somewhere and became injured, therefore that responsibility falls on my employer.” I do not think that is acceptable.
    Mr. Mahama Ayariga 11:40 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I can understand the context in which the hon. Minister is making this proposal. The first clause of that article imposes an obligation on the organization that this person works for, to retrain and reassign that person. This is where the disability arises as a result of something related to the employment. Now, she is raising a context in which even though he is in that company's employment, the disability is not arising as a result of anything that has to do with the employment.
    Clearly, there is some area there that we need to discuss and think of dealing with. But the question is, whether or not the obligation should be that of the company in which that person is working. I think it would be unfair to that company to impose the obligation on it to retrain and reassign the person when the injury and the disability arising thereof have nothing to do with the employment. If we think that anybody who gets injured and therefore disabled needs to be retrained and reassigned, then perhaps we should look to the State as the establishment with the primary responsibility for retraining and reassigning that person, but not to make it the responsibility of the employer.

    [HAJIA MAHAMA] So whereas I support the spirit, which is that we should find some arrangement that is convenient for taking care of people who become disabled as a result of injuries, I do not agree with the specifics, which is that the obligation should be that of the company or the organization with which that person works. So if she amends her proposal I may be willing to support it, but as I stand, I am against the obligation being imposed on the company that he or she works with.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:40 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, both the hon. Chairman and hon. Ayariga have said it all. The provision in the Bill obliges the employer to not only retrain and redeploy but assume the obligation of even counselling any person who suffers disability as a result of the employment. That is what we have in the provision, clause 12 (2).
    Mr. Speaker, what is captured here could really address some aspects of the concerns raised by the hon. Member for Nalerigu/Gambaga (Hajia Mahama). This is so because the result is not even defined, so we could even be talking about the remoteness of whatever happens. It does not have to be directly -- The disability does not have to be a direct result. It could be any remote, maybe, accident.
    For instance, if a person sets out from his house to go to work and is involved in an accident, he was going to work. That, I guess, is taken care of by the provision in clause 12 (2). But to say that a person who over the weekend, as the hon. Chairman was saying, decides on his own volition to go on a drinking spree and drives his vehicle, knowing very well that he is drunk, and is involved in an accident, both legs are amputated and we want the onus of training and redeploying the person to lie on the employer?
    Mrs. Frema Osei-Opare 11:40 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the situation that the hon. Minister seeks to address. But clause 4, as amended, actually imposes some obligation on the employer, not to just get rid of somebody because he has a disability. It says that an employer shall not discriminate against a prospective employee or an employee at the workplace on the grounds of disability. So if you become disabled whilst in employment, whether it is outside the work situation or not, it does not mean that you have to be dismissed; except that your situation is such that you cannot do the particular work.
    I also appreciate the fact that it would be very difficult for us to insist that employers are obliged to train somebody whose disability is not as a result of the work that has been assigned. So I believe that there is some protection under clause 4 that would partially address the situation and I think that should be sufficient for the time being.
    Mr. Doe Adjaho 11:50 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in addition to what the hon. Deputy Minister just said, we know the area of the law on vicarious liability; and when somebody is on a frolic of his own there are time- tested principles in those areas; and this amendment is very sweeping -- a major
    amendment that will change the whole law and principles governing the law of vicarious liability. If we allow this amendment to go through, even though I agree that it is well-intentioned, we would be creating a very dangerous precedent in the law and we would create problems for everybody.
    Nobody can carry this burden; no employer can carry this burden. We may want to think of other possibilities, but I agree that if you look at the whole spirit behind this Bill, it is to make sure that people do not discriminate against the disabled, and I think that that in itself takes care of their situation; otherwise the whole law of vicarious liability and all those things would be thrown overboard and we would be rewriting the whole law on that subject.
    I think that the amendment, if she still wants to push it, then we might have to step it down and at the appropriate time put our heads together and do something. But in this current form it cannot go through and I therefore urge hon. Colleagues to reject it.
    Capt. Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (retd): Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that I have to disagree with the hon. Minister for Women and Children's Affairs in her attempt to stretch the law to almost undesirable limits.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Member for Bawku Central, do you have a point of order to raise?
    Mr. Ayariga 11:50 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my hon.
    Colleague creates the impression that if his secretary goes on an escapade her husband can beat her up till she cannot type; I think it is a wrong impression. Mr. Speaker, he should withdraw that statement; it is unacceptable in this House for him to be making such statements.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Member for Bawku Central, you have no point of order; let him continue.
    Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor 11:50 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think we need to take a broader look at the amendment that has been proposed because we know that good corporate practice around the world these days has to do with social responsibility clauses. In fact, corporate entities are enjoined to even get involved in activities for the particular social context in which they are operating, unrelated to the nature of the business.
    Now, should a person that is in corporate employment get injured, the person becomes a social problem and that social problem ought to be borne by the society. To be a good corporate citizen, he should not just discard this person because ostensibly, as my hon. Friend, Capt. Effah- Dartey (retd) has said, you happen to find yourself on escapades of your own. I think that good labour practice always requires that in all corporate entities you must try to create or take social responsibility for the environment within which you practise.
    I know a number of mining companies

    today where people insist that as long as they are mining in a particular area, they should be seen to be providing social services such as clinics and schools. Tell me what a school has to do with mining. So it is important that we can stretch this social responsibility of a corporate entity to the point that we cannot just throw away a person because the person's good value is no more relevant to market conditions. I am of the view that it should not be possible for us to stretch the market idea to such a point that we do not even have a social conscience.

    The possible categories of people who are anticipated here are likely to fall within what I call the penumbra area, as to whether they were on escapades of their own, they were on a frolic of their own, or they were doing activities that were ancillary to the performance of their duties.

    So when you lump all of them together and assume that if you have to move from point A to point B, and to get to point B you have decided to make a detour because you eventually want to have a more convenient way of getting to point B, and you find yourself in a situation, you can simply just throw this type of employee away and not try to commit any resources to re-tool the employee; and I think we need to look at this situation more closely.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Member for Lawra-Nandom, the amendment as it stands, do you support it or you oppose it?
    Dr. Kunbuor 11:50 a.m.
    I suppor t the amendment.
    Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 11:50 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am rising to support the amendment, but with your indulgence, with an amendment to the original proposal.
    Mr. Speaker, the opposition to this amendment is largely informed by the fact that the hon. Minister for Women and Children's Affairs seems to create
    an obligation for employers. I am sure that if we shift that obligation to the State we can have an appreciation of what she anticipates. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I re-phrase it -- while supporting her, I re- phrase it. If she supports it then I canvass for support for that particular amendment.
    Mr. Speaker, it will read as follows 11:50 a.m.
    “Where a person engaged as an employee suffers a disability, whether or not as a direct result of the employment, the Government shall retrain and redeploy the person to another job.”
    It ends there. In that sense, Mr. Speaker, we are taking care of the future. We anticipate that some other Ghanaians, whether on escapades or whatever, may suffer some disability which will require some responsibility by the State to take care of those disabled people.
    With that I would want to support this particular amendment, revised as I stated, so that the obligation shifts from the employer to the State; and in that sense the legal principle of vicarious liability which is being articulated here would be set aside.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    May I call on the Chairman again.
    Mr. Okoh 11:50 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I share the concern that has been expressed by hon. Haruna Iddrisu. But if he should address himself to rehabilitation centres, clause 14 (1) in the Bill, it says that -- I am being told that clause 10 (11) also caters for that --
    “The Ministry shall establish rehabilitation centres in the regions and districts for persons with disability. A rehabilitation centre shall offer guidance, counselling and appropriate training for persons with disability who are unable to enter into…”
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, may I politely ask you whether or not, you are persisting with this amendment so that I put the Question.
    Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, I am persisting with the amendment but I would want at this stage to step it down so that after discussions we can see how it can be amended; But it would be brought back as we amend it. I am not withdrawing, I will come back.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Minister, you are not withdrawing at this stage?
    Hajia Mahama: No, Mr. Speaker, I want to step it down. Mr. Speaker, I am suggesting that we step it down.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Minister, I have to decide; you do not have to decide.
    Hajia Mahama: Mr. Speaker, I am very passionate about this thing.
    Mr. Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Hon. Minister, I want to hear from you.

    Question put and amendment negatived.

    Clause 12 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.

    Clause 13 -- Appropriate training for the unemployed person with disability.
    Mr. Okoh noon
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move,
    clause 13, subclause (1), line 2, delete “one” and insert “two”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 13 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 14 -- Rehabilitation Centres
    Mr. Okoh noon
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move,
    clause 14, subclause (1), line 1, delete “Government” and insert “Ministry”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr. Mahama Ayariga (on behalf of
    Mr. Haruna Iddrisu) noon
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 14, subclause (1), lines 1 and 2, delete “and as far as possible”
    Mr. Speaker, if we read that clause it creates a permissive situation where the Ministry is given the discretion to decide on whether or not the rehabilitation centres should be set up in the districts. Mr. Speaker, we propose that the obligation should be stated in very categorical terms that the Ministry should set up the rehabilitation centres in all the districts and not “as far as possible”.
    Mr. Speaker, “as far as possible” in our opinion is too permissive and it creates a situation where the Ministry might not feel obliged to set up rehabilitation centres in the various districts. It is in that respect that I propose that we delete “as far as possible” and put very categorical obligation on the Ministry.
    Mr. Okoh noon
    Mr. Speaker, I am afraid we cannot accept that amendment in the sense that we have so many districts. If you read the clause 14 very well -- “The Ministry shall establish rehabilitation centres in the regions and as far as possible in districts, for persons with disability.”

    If we do not accept that phrase “as far as possible”, it means that we are going to put a lot of obligation on the Government and it is going to be very difficult for the Government to be able to go to all the districts.

    But we are saying that “as far as possible” so that establishing the centres in the regions becomes mandatory, but in the districts, it will be a gradual process. That is why we have included “as far as possible”. If we remove that, it means that as soon as this Bill becomes an Act, people can take the Government to court and say that “You have said in your law that there should be rehabilitation centres in all the districts” -- Taking into consideration the number of districts that we have, that will become too much for the Government, and that is why we are insisting that “as far as possible” should be there.
    Mr. Adjaho noon
    Mr. Speaker, I am
    surprised at the way the hon. Chairman of the Committee is speaking. He is the hon. Chairman of a committee of this House and not of Government. And I am surprised; I thought I should be hearing the hon. Deputy Minister saying that the Government cannot do it. But Mr. Speaker, I believe that we know that at the end of the day, it is this same House that will make appropriation in the Budget over the period. So it is better -- I support the amendment, but that does not necessarily mean that anybody can go to court and say that because it is there, he is going to court.
    We know that we have to support it over time by appropriation. Let us, as a nation, decide that it is good to have these centres in the districts and then we have them over a certain period of time. The phrase “as far as possible” can even make Government decide that it is not possible and therefore they will not even do it at all in the districts.
    If we really want to help people with disability, then as much as possible we should try moving these rehabilitation centres to their doorsteps. And I think that is what this amendment is trying to say. At the end of the day, it is appropriation by this same House that will get the job done; if Parliament does not appropriate for the release of the money, it will not be done. And that will be based on the resources available to the State at a particular time. So I do not know if it is the Bill that will automatically do it, and if you do not do it, people will then go to court, and all those things.
    I think that we should be very clear that we are going to support people with disability; we want to support them to be useful citizens and as much as possible to be employable, to get guidance and to get counselling. Let us for once say that we are going to do it and when we get the resources we will do it over a period of time. But saying “as far as possible”, they will just say, “It is not possible and therefore we are not going to do it”. And I do not think that that is in the interest of the spirit behind this Bill.
    Ms. Josephine Hilda Addoh noon
    Mr. Speaker, I am coming from a different perspective. I am thinking about the Government's ability to establish them at the district level. The Bill has taken care of the establishment at the regional level and I am looking at it from this angle that, as a developing country, we are trying to cut down on disability; we are trying to encourage people to immunize their children against polio and others, and we are trying to fight accidents.
    So I am seeing a situation where the number of disabled people will not rather increase. If we set up these centres at the district level, they may be underutilized.
    Mr. Haruna Iddrisu noon
    Mr. Speaker, I want an opportunity to explain the rationale behind this amendment -- to delete “as far as possible”. Mr. Speaker, this Bill is titled “Persons With Disability Bill” and I believe that our intention is to create opportunities and to protect persons with disability.
    Mr. Speaker, if we say “establish rehabilitation centres in the regions” -- Let us take, for instance, the Volta Region, you live in Nkwanta, there is only a rehabilitation centre in Ho; you would have difficulty even if you were disabled by way of physical disability in travelling that far. If you were in Sefwi and you were to travel to Takoradi in the Western Region, it will be problematic. If you were somewhere in Zebilla in the Upper East Region, going to the regional rehabilitation centre, which obviously would be created in the regional capital, it means that we are not creating adequate opportunities for disabled persons who may live outside the regional capitals.
    Mr. Speaker, it does not create an unbearable obligation for the State. We are saying that we should state it; it is on the basis of Government capacity that Government does everything. We have 138 districts. We may even create obligations for our District Assemblies because we want opportunities for disabled persons living everywhere in Ghana, not disabled persons in regional capitals only. I do not think that we would be fair to persons with disability.
    So I urge hon. Members to reconsider their position. It does not mean that tomorrow we will expect the Government to establish rehabilitation centres in every district of Ghana. We are saying, do so in the regions but make sure that it goes down. Mr. Speaker, then what is our commitment to the decentralization policy? So I urge hon. Members to reconsider and support this particular amendment and delete “as far as possible”; or Mr. Speaker, I may even negotiate and substitute “and progressively to the districts”.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think the principle behind the argument that has been canvassed is acceptable; the language is what I think we are all concerned about. If one should look at other provisions, like 39, they talk about access to sporting events, festivals. And then the use of the words “as far as possible”, “as far as practicable” -- If you come to 17 -- “facilities and equipment in educational institutions” -- they are talking about these institutions at the regional level; for whatever reason, they are only limiting it to the regional level. Yet, as you have said, we want to really go down to the ground to let the people there access the facilities that we are providing.
    So let us in that situation consider how to appropriately capture the sense without unnecessarily burdening Government from the word go. So if the expression, as had been given by our hon. Colleague, is acceptable then perhaps we can go by that. If “as far as possible” is not acceptable then we can go with the rendition; because that even captures the sense in the Constitution.
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    I intend to stand it
    down for the next few minutes. Let us
    Mr. Okoh 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think we
    have come to a very good point and we do not need to stand this down; I am in agreement with the “progressively”.
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    So what word are we
    to use?
    Mr. Okoh 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we are
    introducing “progressively” instead of “as far as possible”.
    Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    with your indulgence it will now read --
    “The Government shall establish rehabilitation centres in regions and progressively in districts for persons with disability”.
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Hon. Majority Chief Whip, is there any disagreement?
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, if you listen to the construction that has been given by my hon. Colleague it would appear as if we are progressively establishing the institutions in districts that have people with disability; I do not think that is the sense of it. So let us look at the grammar of it; perhaps we can step it down and look for the appropriate construction.
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    There is a further
    amendment. Chairman, (xi), clause 14; you may move it. Chairman of the Committee, subclause (3), there is an amendment; will you move the amendment?
    Mr. Okoh 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, clause 14, subclause (3), line 1, after “staff” delete “that is” and insert “and other facilities that are”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Can we go back to (x)?
    Have you reached any agreement or we should proceed?
    Clause 15 -- Community-based
    rehabilitation.
    Mr. Okoh 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg to
    move, clause 15, lines 1 and 2, delete “in the rehabilitation of persons with disability, they are fully integrated in their communities” and insert “as far as practicable, persons with disability shall be rehabilitated in their own communities to foster their integration”.
    Question put and amendment agreed
    to.
    Clause 15 as amended ordered to stand
    part of the Bill.
    Clause 16 -- Education of a child with
    disability.
    Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    beg to move, clause 16, subclause (2), at end, add “or a term of imprisonment not exceeding fourteen days”.
    Mr. Speaker, if you look at clause 2,
    even though we are creating an obligation to encourage parents to send children with disability to school, it creates some sanction, which is limited only to the payment of a certain sum of money; and there is no option for imprisonment.
    Mr. Speaker , if you look at clause 15 of the Children's Act, I think it is important that we have an option either for a fine by the court or an option for an imprisonment; and we are saying that this imprisonment should not exceed 14 days
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Chairman of the
    Committee, what do you say to that?
    Mr. Okoh 12:10 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, that
    amendment is acceptable to us.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, my own opinion is that the penalties that have been prescribed appear to be too much on the lower side because section 15 of the Children's Act, in much about the same provision, talks about a fine of ¢5 million and an imprisonment of one year which translates into 50 penalty units. So I really cannot understand why here, even though we are talking about avoiding discrimination in respect of persons with disability, we are bringing it down to only ten penalty units when in the Children's Act it is fifty penalty units.
    Mr. Speaker, so I believe this is too
    much on the low side.
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Hon. Majority Chief
    Whip, you have not proposed any amendment, have you?
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, my amendment is that it should be fifty penalty units.
    Mr. Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Hon. Majority Chief
    Whip, we are dealing with this, so do not confuse us. So how many days?
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:10 p.m.
    One year,
    Mr. Speaker. The Children's Act talks about one year, and my worry is why we are bringing it down to as low as 14 days; and the penalty units in that is fifty but here it is ten penalty units. All that we are seeking to do is to avoid discrimination as far as people or persons with disability are concerned. So why is it that in the Children's Act, section 15, we are talking
    about one year and fifty penalty units, and here we are talking of 14 days and 10 penalty units?
    Mr. Okoh 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Chief Whip should address himself to the fact that we are dealing with a very special situation. There must be a lot of reasons why a parent will refuse to send the child to school. One of them may be poverty, but if somebody is poor and because of that the person has not been able to send the child to school and you say you are going to imprison that person for so long, one year, what happens to the child? The import of this Bill, Mr. Speaker, is to see to the welfare of children with disability. So if you are going to imprison the parent, then you are putting more problems on that child; the punishment is not on the parent but rather on the child that you seek to protect.
    In much the same way, Mr. Speaker, what we are trying to do is that if we leave it without any penalty units or some sort of punishment, it will give a leeway to parents for not even catering for their children if even they are not poor. And this is why we are putting that limit -- two weeks -- to serve as deterrent to those who may in a way try to do away with that. So I think the two weeks is all right.
    Alhaji Sumani Abukari 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in fact, I am opposed to both amendments and even the clause as a whole. Mr. Speaker, it is likely that a parent or guardian because of poverty or incapacity has not been able to send his child to school; the court will have to go into this and examine it and see why the child has not been sent to school. Maybe, the man even cannot afford one meal a day in his house; then you say because of that he should pay ten penalty units or go to prison for fourteen days?

    Mr. Speaker, I will suggest that on summary conviction, the parent or guardian should be made to sign a bond to send the child to school by a certain time, failing which a penalty can be applied. But if you send the parent or guardian to prison for fourteen days or you ask him to pay ten penalty units, you are further incapacitating him from sending this child to school at all. So in the end, it is the child that will suffer, not the guardian or the parent.

    Mr. Speaker, we have to be careful about -- maybe many hon. Members do not even know about the poverty levels in the rural areas. This one should be amended.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon. Member for Tamale North, are you opposed to the amendment then?
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    You are opposed to the amendment. We have heard you.
    Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker. The parent or guardian on summary conviction should be made to sign a bond to send this child to school by a certain time, failing which the ten penalty units will apply.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    You are formulating another amendment?
    Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    All right. Hon. Member for North Tongu.
    Mr. Charles S. Hodogbey 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, when we travelled during the period, we met a parent who had three disabled children -- one was blind, the
    other one was deaf and dumb, and the last one had polio. A lady travelled from Western Region to come and pick the one who was blind, and can you imagine the difficulty where these two schools, institutions, are not in one place.
    The deaf and dumb school is at a different location; for the lady knowing very well that at the end of the day, or at the end of the school period, she will not be able to go and pick the other person or the other two disabled children -- Now, for such a parent going through changes, are you prescribing to put him into jail for fifty, fifteen days, whatever? I feel the amendment should not be accepted.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    You oppose the amendment. Alright.
    Hajia Alima Mahama: Mr. Speaker, I will propose that we stand this down and look at it again. Section 15 of the Children's Act provides a harsher sanction, and so if we are reducing that for children with disability, then what are we saying? We are starting the discrimination here in this House even before it becomes law. And it means that we are already discriminating against children with disability, so we should look at it. If the Children's Act is providing a stiffer sanction, we should not be providing a lower sanction when it comes to people with disability. We need to take a second look at it.
    Mr Mahama Ayariga 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, frankly speaking, I am not abreast with the specific provisions of the Children's Act. But Mr. Speaker, let us look at the entire Bill and not just clause 16, because if you look at clause 18, it imposes an obligation on Government to provide free education for disabled persons. My understanding of the crime that is created by clause 16,
    Ms. Josephine Hilda Addoh 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee but I am afraid we have to change our stand. If we want to give the parents of a disabled child a sentence of fourteen days, and the parents of an able-bodied child one year, then there is something wrong. Now, education is free. It is free for the disabled child from nursery up to maybe -- we are proposing up to the tertiary level. So I do not see why a parent must not be given some stiffer punishment, if that parent cannot take just a simple step of taking a child to school. I think it should go to one year instead of maybe the fourteen days. That is my view, Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon. Members, I am putting the Question. Mr. Chairman, yes?
    Mr. Okoh 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am afraid, people are referring to the Children's Act, and I have got a copy here. What they are talking about is different from what we are discussing here. If you look at the Children's Act, it stipulates protection from exploitative labour, protection from torture and degrading treatment; right to refuse betrothal and marriage.
    Section 15 talks about penalty for contravention; and all those that we are talking about are simple things that the parents can really do. And for torture, they are insisting that you do not torture your child. So that penalty, if even it is twenty years, I agree with it. But here, we are talking about a situation where we say that compulsorily, you have to enrol your child.
    My hon. Friend was saying that the enrolment is different from paying school fees. You do not just take your child to a place and enrol your child; it goes with the uniform and other facilities. Even though we have the capitation, it does not mean that as soon as you take your child there, then you shirk your responsibility and say that because the Government says there should be capitation, you are not going to do anything. That is not the case.
    So here we are looking at a situation where a parent may not be capable of sending a child to school because of poverty. But to serve as a deterrent so that those who may even be capable, may even have the wherewithal and say that we are not sending our children, we are saying that we are imposing some penalty. And this fine, the imprisonment for fourteen days, I think, is enough to serve as deterrent to people who would want to go against the law.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 16 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon. Members, have you agreed on (x) -- clause 14? Not yet. Then we go back to clause 4. The amendment proposed is as follows:
    Clause 4, add a new subclause as follows:

    “An employer shall not dis-criminate against a prospective employee or an employee at the workplace on grounds of disability except that the disability of the person makes him incapable of performing the duties that the employment imposes on him.”

    Question put and amendment agreed to.

    Clause 4 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Mr. Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Leadership, at this stage, what do you say?
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think we have done some work and today being Friday, and people wanting to travel to their constituencies, may we at this time propose an adjournment. Mr. Speaker, I beg to move that this House do now adjourn until Tuesday, next week at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. I so move.
    Alhaji Abukari 12:20 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I second the motion.
    Question put and motion agreed to.
    ADJOURNMENT 12:20 p.m.

  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 12.30 p.m. till 13th June, 2006 at 10.00 a.m.