Debates of 4 Mar 2008

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order!
Correction of Votes and Proceedings Friday, 29th February, 2008. Pages 1 . . .. 3.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was absent on Friday. I was part of a committee meeting at Swedru on the communication tax issue but my name is listed as being present.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
You are put down as present? Thank you very much for that correction. It will be done. Pages 4 . . . .5.
Mr. Sallas-Mensah 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was also at a committee meeting at Swedru and so I was conspicuously absent but have been marked as being present.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Thanks for that. Page 6 . . . 10. Hon. Members, we have the Official Report for 5th and 7th February, 2008.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out something about this idea of “present” and “absent”. If an hon. Member is out of the Chamber at a parliamentary committee meetings, will that not be considered as being present in the House?
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Yes, he is present.
Alhaji Abukari 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, so all those hon. Members who are saying that they were not there but were at a parliamentary committee meeting at Swedru Communications Committee and Finance Committee were meeting there at the time, they were performing parliamentary duties with committees of the Speaker.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Leadership will take this matter up.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is an observation or comments being made by hon. Colleagues. By the rules of this House, if you are not present in the House and you are attending a committee meeting outside the precincts of Parliament, but you have not signed the attendance register, you are absent with permission. That is the rule.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Members, these are matters we should take with the Leadership of the House. We will resolve it outside -- [Interruption.]
rose
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale North, are you raising the same matter? Kindly take this matter up with the Leadership.
Item 3, Questions.
Majority Leader (Mr. A. O. Aidooh) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may we move to Item 5?
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Members item 5, Laying of Papers.
PAPERS 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Item 3, Questions. Question No. 1264, going to Minister for Presidential Affairs.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10 a.m.
PRESIDENTIAL AFFAIRS 10 a.m.
Mr. Kodjo Mpiani 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there are twenty-six (26) Ministries with various Departments and Agencies under them as indicated in the attached compilation.
In addition, the Office of the President co-ordinates the activities of some Agencies as well as the ten (10) Offices of Regional Co-odinating Councils. The
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Mr. Kodjo Mpiani 10 a.m.
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Mr. Yieleh Chireh 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether there is any legal backing to these Ministries that he has mentioned, particularly in respect of the fact that under the Civil Service Law as amended by Act 600, the President is required to give legal backing - I want to find out if there is the legal backing?
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there must be a law backing it; there is.
Mr. Chireh 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, before the hon. Minister answered the Question he made a correction to the effect that there were 27 Ministries. Is he adding the Office of the President as a Ministry or he is talking about 27 separate Ministries, different from the Presidency?
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I was invited here as Minister responsible for Presidential Affairs. Therefore, there must be a Ministry and that is why we have a Minister.
Mr. Chireh 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in his Answer, I have seen that even cons- titutional bodies like the National Media Commission are now under Ministries but that is not the point. The point is that I have Executive Instrument (E.I.) 15 which lists 25 Ministries. Now, he is talking about 27.
Even if he add the Ministry of Presidential Affairs as a Ministry. I cannot find some of the Ministries. Can he explain why there is this anomaly?
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, un- fortunately, I do not have a copy of what he is referring to and therefore I would not be in a position to answer the question.
Ms. Akua Sena Dansua 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister why the Narcotics Control Board was not mentioned and why Ghana Institute of
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member, one question at a time. Which is your question?
Ms. Dansua 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister why the Narcotics Control Board was not mentioned at all and also why GIMPA and MASLOC should be under the Presidency?
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if the Narcotics Control Board is not in, I believe that is a mistake. I accept that it should be under the Ministry of the Interior. As for GIMPA being under me, this House passed a law which placed GIMPA under the Office of the President.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I refer you to page 28 of the hon. Minister's Answer and in particular to the National Media Commission being listed as part of the Departments and Agencies under the Ministry of Information and National Orientation. Mr. Speaker, article 172 of the Constitution -- Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I quote:
“Except as otherwise provided by this Constitution or by any other law not inconsistent with this Constitution, the National Media Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority in the performance of its functions.”
May I know whether the hon. Minister is not placing the National Media Commission (NMC) under Ministerial direction and control.
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he is right; it should not be part of the Ministry.
Mr. Edward Salia 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know where the National Youth

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Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Under which Ministry?
Mr. Salia 10:20 a.m.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is a programme under the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment; it is part of the Ministry.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that the hon. Minister for Presidential Affairs is saying that he does not know where the E.I., as quoted by the hon. Member for Wa West (Mr. Chireh), emanates from; that he does not know about it. First of all, is ignorance of the law an excuse? Secondly, where do E.I.s emanate from? How can he claim ignorance of that document? Is that an excuse to say he does not know the contents of it?
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member what is your question?
Alhaji Abukari 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know whether the E.I, as quoted by the hon. Member for Wa West does not emanate from the Office of the President or from the Executive and whether it is proper for him to say that he does not know about it.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale North, if you have another question, please ask.
Alhaji Abukari 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Executive Instrument 15 states -- and it is signed by His Excellency the President, President Agyekum Kufuor -- that there are 25 Ministries. Contrarily, the hon. Minister for Presidential Affairs has told this House this morning that there are 27 of them -- [Interruption] -- I want to know how come he got that 27 and whether he can claim ignorance of this E.I. signed by

the President himself.
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I never claimed ignorance of the E.I. I said I do not have a copy with me and therefore I cannot react to that. Mr. Speaker, I do not even know the date on this one. In any case, there must have been subsequent E.Is. So what I said was that if he wants me to answer the question, I will need a notice of such a question to bring it before the House.
Mr. C. S. Hodogbey 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister listed all the 27 Ministries, Departments and Agencies. I know most of these Ministries carry GV licence plates on their vehicles. My question is, is there any reason why some of the vehicles of these agencies or Ministries do not carry GV licence plates?
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
This is not a supple- mentary question.
Mr. D. T. Assumeng 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister why MASLOC is under the Presidency and not under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, His Excellency and the Presidency decided to put it under the Office of President.
Ghana International Airline (Share Composition)
Q. 1370. Mr. Haruna Iddrisu asked the Minister for Presidential Affairs the share composition of Ghana International Airlines and the financial commitment made by the shareholders of the airlines and the financial contribution so far made by the Government of Ghana.
Mr. Mpiani 10:20 a.m.
The Ministry of Aviation exercises sectoral responsibility over the Ghana International Airlines.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister whether the Presidency did not determine the share
composition of the airline.
Mpiani: Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier, it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Aviation to give the information the hon. Member is requesting.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the hon. Minister for Presidential Affairs when the Aviation Ministry assumed responsibility for the Ghana International Airlines.
Mr. Mpiani 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, when
the Ministry was created, it assumed responsibility for the Ghana International Airlines.
Mr. H. Iddrisu 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my final supplementary question - Mr. Speaker, in the matter of Samuel Crabbe and Ghana International Airlines, the hon. Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs was responsible. Today he is finding it convenient to place responsibility for Ghana International Airline under another Ministry. May I know why?
Mr. Mpiani 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, at that time, I was responsible for aviation. There was Ministry of Aviation but it was under the Office of the President and I was responsible for it. That was why at that time I assumed responsibility. But since then, a Minister has been appointed with a full Ministry and therefore Ghana International Airlines is under the Ministry.
Mr. I. A. B. Fuseini 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question to the hon. Minister is whether or not at the time Ghana International Airlines was incorporated, he was responsible for the Aviation sector.
Mr. Mpiani 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with the greatest respect, that is a completely
different question. I have said that I was responsible for Aviation at that time but now it is the Ministry of Aviation which is responsible for it.
Mr. Fuseini 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, at the time Ghana International Airlines was being incorporated, what was the shareholding arrangement?
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Tamale Central, there is a Minister who is responsible for this.
Mr. Fuseini 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister has just told this House that at the time Ghana International Airlines was incorporated, he was responsible for Aviation. So Mr. Speaker, my follow-up question is, at the time he was responsible, which was coterminous with the time the Airline was being incorporated, what was the shareholding arrangement?
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, this cannot be a supplementary question.
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want your guidance and for our benefit. If a Minister comes here on a question and he informs the House that he is not responsible for that sector, does that not mean that he is not able to answer questions on that sector? So what should be done is that the Question may be properly addressed to the Minister for Aviation and this question can be answered. But once the Minister says he is not in charge of that Ministry, that ends the matter and no further questions can be entertained.
Mr. A. W. G. Abayateye 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on the Chief of Staff and hon. Minister for Presidential Affairs' appearance at the Finance Committee to seek loans for the Ghana International Airlines, does he remember that in seeking the loan he was -- So what was the financial commitment made as he did it?
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, as I have told you, this is not a supplementary question.
Hon. Minister, thank you very much for appearing to answer the two Questions. You are discharged. Leader-ship, the next item?
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in view of the fact that we have a long list of amendments to the Chieftaincy Bill, we propose to adjourn proceedings formally at this point and do the winnowing instead of doing the Consideration Stage. I therefore move that we adjourn proceedings to
Ms. Akua Sena Dansua 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I second the motion for adjournment.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 10:30 a.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 10.30 a.m. till 5th March, 2008 at 10.00 a.m.