Debates of 9 Oct 2008

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Cor- rection of Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 8th October, 2008 Pages 1,
2, 3, 4, 5 -
rose
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Yes, hon. Member for
Wa West?
Mr. J. Y. Chireh 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
page 5, item 3 -- “The following hon. Members were absent with permission”, I saw Mrs. Grace Coleman here and so she could not have been absent with permission.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Yes, you are right, she
was present.

Item 3 - Questions - Minister for Education, Science and Sports?

Majority Leader, is he in the House?
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the hon. Minister is not in; his Deputy is on his way to the Chamber.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
We will stand it down.
Mr. Aidooh 10 a.m.
Very well, sir.
PAPERS 10 a.m.
Mr. Aidooh 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I
propose that we suspend Sitting for at least 30 minutes to sort the features out?
Mr. Speaker 10:27 a.m.
Hon. Members, may
I suspend Sitting of the House for 30 minutes.
The Sitting was suspended at 10.05 a.m.

Sitting resumed.
Mr. Speaker 10:27 a.m.
Leadership, next item?
Mr. Aidooh 10:27 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, item 7.
Mr. Speaker 10:27 a.m.
Item 7 -- Motion - hon. Minister for Communications?
Mr. Aidooh 10:27 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have his permission to move the motion on his behalf.
BILLS - SECOND READING 10:27 a.m.
Minister for Communications) 10:27 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that the National Communications Authority Bill be now read a Second time.
Mr. Speaker, the regulation of the electronic communications market is an essential component of the policy to ensure effective competition to promote balanced development as set out in the Telecom Policy of Ghana.
The National Communicat ions Authority (NCA) Bill sets out to re- establish the NCA to make it more focus and transparent in its operation to promote competition amongst service providers in line with global best practices and standards.
The NCA Bill sets out to help achieve clear separation in institutional matters and in related matters. The focus is, therefore, on the Authority as an institution responsible for the transparent regulation functions in a non-discri-minatory manner, whilst the Electronic Communications Bill clearly outlines the operational mandate.
Mr. Speaker, the re-establishment of the NCA is further to insulate it from frequent amendments when rapid development in technological conver-gence requires any amendments to aspects of the Electronic Communications Bill.
Mr. Speaker, the Bill sets out clearly the powers of the Authority. It enjoins the Authority to set out effective strategic plan for the management of the electronic communications resource of the nation. The governing board to guide the NCA in its strategic functions delivery, is also set out indicating the tenure of office of members.
The right of the Authority to establish divisions to facilitate the efficient discharge of its functions are spelt out as well. The procedure for the appointment of its officers as public officers is also set out in the Bill.
Mr. Speaker, the Code of Conduct of the staff is well spelt out as well so as to avoid conflict of interest in the discharge of their official functions.
The sources of funds to the NCA are clearly indicated including accounting and auditing procedures.
Mr. Speaker, the Bill re-establishing the NCA with its focus on the institutional aspect of the Authority is, therefore, recommended for the approval of this House.
Question proposed.
Chairman of the Committee on Communications (Mr. Kojo Armah) 10:27 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion moved by the hon. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs on behalf of the hon. Minister for Communications.
In doing so, Mr. Speaker, I beg to present your Select Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and Standing Order 182 of the House, the National Communications Authority Bill was referred to the Select Committee on Communications on 4th July 2008 for consideration and report.
1.2 The Committee met on the 11th July 2008 to consider the Bill. The hon. Minister for Communications, Dr. Benjamin Aggrey Ntim led the team from the Ministry of Communications and technical consultants to assist the Committee in its deliberations. Officials from the Attorney-General's Department, National Communications Authority and other stakeholders from the Communications Industry were also present.
2.0 Reference Documents
i. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana
ii. The National Communications Authority Act, 1996 (Act 524)
iii. The National Telecommunication Policy, 2005
iv. The Standing Orders of the House.
3.0 Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of the Bill is to re- establish the National Communications Authority to achieve a clear separation of regulatory matters from institutional matters to promote accelerated growth in the communications industry.
4.0 Contents of the Bill
The Bill contains a total of 32 clauses.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu (NDC - Tamale South) 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to associate myself with the
motion on the floor.
Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I wish to make a number of observations.
The National Communicat ions Authority (NCA) is a regulatory body which is responsible for communications, whether by wire, cable, radio, television or satellite. There is an amendment to the existing legislation which is Act 524 of
1996.
In supporting the motion, my first major observation is about the National Communications Authority's inability to ensure quality of service, in particular of mobile service providers in Ghana. I think that it has become a normal occurrence in Ghana that if any person wants to access another person's mobile entity, one is told that it is “out of coverage area” or “the number you are dialling cannot be reached at the moment”.
Indeed, Mr. Speaker, even many hon. Members of Parliament, I have no doubt, have been questioned by their constituents because their attempt to access them is inhibited by the poor quality of the services rendered by these mobile services.
So, in supporting this motion, one would call on the National Commu- nications Authority to be more diligent and efficient in demanding quality of service from Ghana's mobile service providers.
Mr. Speaker, it is not an acceptable practice. Indeed, they have a duty and a mandate to protect the consumer; the consumer being subscribers of mobile telephony in Ghana. And I do not think that we can describe the quality of mobile services that are provided in Ghana as satisfactory. I think it is important that the NCA calls the service providers to order.
Mr. Speaker, very recently, the NCA
had an occasion to slap a penalty on one of the mobile service providers. But communication drives the world today. Any happenings in the world today can be relied on information and communication technology. I think that the NCA must be up and doing.

Mr. Speaker, the other technical concern is about number portability. With number portability, if I have a “020” number and decided to move to another network, like a “0244”, since I am identified with that number, it is accepted globally, Indeed, at the last international forum on third generation network. I think that it is also an indication that our country is not taking advantage of the advancement in the mobile technology industry. We have not moved to 3-G yet.

Mr. Speaker, with number portability, it should be possible that if you are moving from tiGO to MTN or from MTN to OneTouch, it should be possible for you to be allowed to move with your own number to which you are identified.

Indeed, if you travel abroad, Mr. Speaker, you would notice normally, in most civilized jurisdictions, when you are within an area where a particular network is operational, you would see their signal MTN and then if you move to another area where a particular entity was stronger, you would see their signal. I am saying this because even when we take Ghana geographically today, the MTN may have a larger share of the market; tiGO and OneTouch are also in areas where MTN are not. It should be possible even with your OneTouch that when you are within that area, on the basis of interconnect arrangements, you should be able to access mobile telephony.

I think that the NCA must demand that
Minister for Energy (Mr. F. K. Owusu-Adjapong) 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, just a short comment.
Mr. Speaker, for some time we have been doing very well on quantity when it comes to communication in this country. Like my Colleague the hon. Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu said, we need to do a bit more on quality and to do quality means we need to ensure that modern appliances that are used to enable such regulatory bodies to detect the level of quality have got to be provided.
For instance, we need to find out the distance they have when it comes to their installations. I am told if you install your equipment and you put more customers on it, at a certain point, you need to wait before you can be connected because there are some technicalities involved.
Again, if you are traveling along some of our major roads say from Kumasi to Accra, one expects that by now we should have had enough network systems that would enable you to have continuous access. But what we have now is that at
a certain point you see a signal, you lose a signal and move on.
The other problem is when you go to our border areas like say, Bawku, and Half Asini, and you make a call you would notice that at a point in time you are connected through an external telecommunication operator. I am not too sure whether they end up charging us as if you are making international calls even though you are in Ghana. This is prevalent and I saw, when I was seriously campaigning when I reached the northern and western parts of the country, that you would be seen as if you are speaking from la Cote d'Ivoire or from Burkina Faso. But these are all things we need to look at because we can mostly end up losing revenue as a country.
So what I would urge is that the NCA must be sufficiently empowered to go into the realms of quality this time, to make sure that the right thing is done so that we can enjoy the usage of these gadgets.
With these few comments, Mr. Speaker, I support the motion.
Mr. A. Ossei Aidooh 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the hon. Minister I thank hon. Members for their support of the motion.
But let me just say that the issue of the reports that my Colleagues raised would be relayed to the hon. Minister and I think that the law would be complied with.
As to the other important issue that he raised regarding the allocation of frequencies, what I know is that as at now that is the mandate of the NCA and until the law is changed so would that be. So if any hon. Member intends that there should be a change maybe, he may want to put an amendment for our consideration at the appropriate time. For now, that is the
preserve of the NCA.
With that Mr. Speaker, I want to thank hon. Members for their contributions.
Question put and motion agreed to.
The National Communicat ions Authority Bill was accordingly read a Second time.
Mr. Speaker 10:45 a.m.
The next item, Majority
Leader?
Mr. A. O. Aidooh 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
motion number 6.
Mr. Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Item 6 - Motions -
Minister for Communications?
Electronic Communications Bill
Mr. A.O. Aidooh ( on behalf of the
Minister for Communications) 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the hon. Minister, I beg to move that the Electronic Communications Bill be now read a Second time.
Mr. Speaker, the Government
acknowledges the need to integrate Ghana with the new emerging economic order wherein information and knowledge are fundamental to achieving competi- tiveness, investment, development of human capacity and improve governance leading to wealth creation through the appropriate use of information and Information Communication Technology
( ICT).
To achieve this vision, the development of the na t ional communica t ions infrastructure and the promotion of an open, competitive and innovative communications industry throughout Ghana is a vital priority.
Minister for Communications) 10:55 a.m.
xxxvii. Clause 80 - amendment pro-posed - subclause (1) (a), delete “an implement or” and insert “device”
xxxviii. Clause 82 - amendment proposed - line 1 after “ Authority” insert “or Fund”
xxxix. Clause 83 - amendment pro-posed - subclause (2), after “Authority” add “or for settlement by any alternative dispute resolution mechanism”
xl. Clause 83 - amendment proposed - subclause (3) delete whole clause and insert “where parties to a dispute that relates to electronic communi-cations agree that the dispute is to be settled by
a) the dispute resolution committee established under section 84 or
b) any alternative dispute mecha- nism, known of the parties shall not institute an action in court until the dispute resolution procedure has been exhausted”
xli. Clause 93 - amendment proposed - Head note - delete “the Country” insert “the Republic”
xlii. Clause 93 - amendment proposed - line 2, delete “by a non-resident” and insert “from outside the Republic”
xliii. Clause 94 - amendment pro- posed - subclause (1) line 1 - delete “ in conjunction with” insert “with approval of”
xliv. Clause 96 - amendment pro- posed - subclause (1), line 1 -- delete “The Authority may by legislative instrument” and insert “The Minister may on the advice of the Authority by Legislative Instrument”
xlv. Clause 100 - amendment pro-posed - after definition of “district assembly” insert “Electronic Communication” means “any communication through the use of wire, radio, optical or electromagnetic t ransmission emission or receiving system or any part of these”
xlvi. Clause 100 - amendment pro- posed - substitute the meaning of “significant market power” with “where a network operator or service provider , either individually or jointly with other operators or providers, has a position that allows it to behave in a way that is appreciably independent of its competitors and customers”
xlvii. Clause 100 - amendment pro- posed - definition of Tariff
7.0 Recommendations and
Conclusion
The Committee has carefully examined the provisions of the Bill in accordance with the Constitution and recommends to this Honourable House to adopt this report and pass the Electronic Communications Bill subject to the amendments proposed.
Mr. Speaker, with this I second the motion.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu (NDC - Tamale
South): Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to associate myself with the motion and to urge hon. Members to support the approval and the Second reading of the Electronic Communications Bill.
Mr. Speaker, the communications world
is a very fast and changing phenomenon and it is important that we adjust to it as a country that is why this particular piece of legislation is timely and important that we would be able to regulate the issues of electronic communications and matters relating to electronic transactions generally in /Ghana. In order that we can have an effective regulations for electronic communications and to promote investment opportunities for electronic communication and to ensure that unserved and underserved communities in the country take advantage of communication services and indeed it is encouraging to note that under clause 31 there is the establishment of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications replacing what is today known as Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) to which the mobile phone companies make a voluntary contribution to support the extension of communication services to most rural communities in Ghana. Except that Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of money sitting in the account of GIFTEL and I think that it is important that the Minister take particular interest. We are not interested in the accumulation of the money but for the use of the money to ensure that telephone services are extended to underserved areas of the country.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu (NDC - Tamale
Nana Abu-Bonsra (NPP - Fomena) 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion on the floor, and to urge hon. Members of this august House to bring their support along for the passage of this Bill.
Indeed, as previous contributors have
said, the world is going through a very fast changing world, and it appears today, the world is being controlled by technology and electronics for that matter, and that is where as a nation we cannot afford the luxury of just sitting aloof and pretending that all is well, when things are not well.
Mr. Speaker, this particular Bill, I think has come at the appropriate Time, in that, we hear complaints here and there, we see people using all sorts of electronic communication gadgets and technologies, and yet the country that provides the spectrum or the environment for such things does not benefit in any way from it. And that is where I want to urge my hon. Colleagues to support this Bill.
The Bill seeks to empower the Authority to be able to now charge appropriate fees for licences and frequency authorization. Previously, it was being contested by some internet service providers. Some internet service providers argue that some service providers have more room to operate than them and therefore it certainly means that there is some kind of imbalance or inefficiency in the system.
Again, I think this Bill seeks to give the Authority the opportunity to impose penalties on people who go against the provisions of this Bill. I believe the more important thing is even the tribunal that has been suggested under this Bill. If anybody transgresses as it were any of the clauses under the Bill, we have this special tribunal to deal with that person.
I believe that in doing all these, we will be creating the proper framework or the legal framework and the right atmosphere and environment for people who have the ideas and the means to as it were help the country join the information highway to do so. Therefore, it will not be said that in his modern time, though Ghana is striving for investors and we seek to make ourselves
the gateway to West Africa, we still lack certain things as far as technology is concerned.
Mr. Speaker, with these few words, I
would want to urge my hon. Colleagues to support the Bill.
Minister for Energy (Mr. F. K.
Owusu-Adjapong): Mr. Speaker, just a small comment.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at the report, on page 2, clauses 3-19, dealing with important matters of licence and frequency authorization.
Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, frequency is a national asset, and like all good national assets, you have always got to think about local content because it is out of the local content that you begin to grow your own nationals. I do not ordinarily expect Ghanaians at the moment, for instance, to be in a position to become a major player in the overall licence like when we were talking about Vodafone or any of those things. But there should be some sub licences which will encourage some of our daring entrepreneurs to begin to play a role, and this is possible.
And that is why I would wish that when we come to look at the Bill, we look at clause 29 which establishes an industrial forum, which will bring together stakeholders in the communications industry to deliberate on matters of interest for the progress of the industry to be expanded, to also consider the ability to create local content so that our people become beneficiaries in this good national asset.
Therefore, we should now be thinking, particularly with the Committee, to find out what sort of sub licences we may create which will be within the economic
management of our own people so that somewhere along the line we get local people partaking in this idea of modern day electronics.
Mr. Speaker, thank you.
Mr. Aidooh 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank hon. Members for their contributions.
Question put and motion agreed to.
The Electronic Communications Bill was accordingly read a Second time.
Mr. Speaker 10:55 a.m.
The next item hon. Majority Leader?
Mr. Aidooh 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, may I seek your indulgence to present next week's Business Statement today, in view of the fact that we may not Sit tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Go ahead, please.
Business of the House
Majority Leader/Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (Mr. Ossei Aidooh) 11:05 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, owing to the funeral of the late Speaker, the House may not Sit tomorrow. I therefore propose that my hon. Colleagues hear me today for next week's Business Statement.

Mr. Speaker, may I seek your indulgence

to present next week's Business Statement today. We may not sit tomorrow.

The Committee met this morning, that is Wednesday today and I beg to report as follow next week the Second Week beginning from Tuesday and ending Friday 17th October, 2008. Mr. Speaker, Questions - the Committee proposes that 27 Questions may be asked by Members
Majority Leader/Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (Mr. Ossei Aidooh) 11:05 a.m.


Haruna Iddrisu -- rose --
Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon. Member, do you
have any contribution to make at this stage?
Mr. Iddrisu 11:05 a.m.
I want at this stage
Mr. Speaker's appropriate guidance on whether or not the Majority Leader could just by - he will need your leave - because the Business Statement ……
Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
I have already granted
him leave [Laughter].
Mr. Aidooh 11:05 a.m.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Introduction:
Mr. Speaker, the Committee met on Wednesday, 8th October 2008 and determined Business of the House for the second week ending Friday, 17th October
2008.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee accor- dingly submits its report as follows 11:05 a.m.
Arrangement of Business
(a) Question(s)
Mr. Speaker, the Committee has

programmed twenty-seven (27) Questions to be answered by various Ministers during the week.

The details are as follows:

No. of Question(s)

i. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing 6

ii. Minister for Food and Agriculture

1

iii. Minister for Local Gov't, Rural Dev't & Environment 4

iv. Minister for Energy

8

v. Minister for Transportation

8

Total Number of Questions

27

(b) Urgent Questions

Mr. Speaker the Committee has also programmed two Urgent Questions to be answered during the week under reference. Mr. Speaker, the Urgent Questions stand in the name of the hon. Member for Mion, Dr. Alhassan Ahmed Yakubu.

Mr. Speaker may allow Statements and motions may also be debated.

Outstanding Business

Mr. Speaker, the Business committee wishes to remind all Committees with referrals to expedite action on them for consideration by the House. Mr. Speaker, the need to expedite action on outstanding referrals has become necessary in view of the short period of this Meeting. This Meeting is expected to adjourn sine die on the 7th of November 2008.

Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee therefore suggests that Committees should take advantage of weekends and Mondays to deliberate on their outstanding referrals.

Extended Sittings of the House

Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee,

having regard to the state of Business of the House for this Meeting, recommends extended sittings of the House from the third week and Sittings on Mondays as well.

Workshop

Mr. Speaker, the Minis t ry of Parliamentary Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has scheduled a workshop for Expanded Leadership of the House from 10th 12th October 2008 at the Crestal Atlantic Resort at Bortianor in Accra. The theme for the workshop is “Free Ghana from the Menace of HIV/ AIDS The Role of the Parliamentarian.”

Conclusion

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order No. 160(2) and subject to Standing Order No. 53, your Committee submits to this honourable House the order

in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the week.

Questions --

Minister for Water Resources, Works & Housing - 998, 1328, 1437, 1521, 1554 and 1565

Presentation and First Reading of Bills --

Parliamentary Service (Amendment) Bill

Consideration Stage of Bills --

National Pension Reform Bill -- Committee Sittings

Urgent Questions

(a) Dr. Alhassan Ahmed Yakubu (Mion): To ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture what programme has the Ministry put together to curb the growing reported cases of rabies among domestic pets in Accra and its environs.

(b) Dr. Alhassan Ahmed Yakubu

(Mion): To ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture what steps the Ministry is taking to curb the outbreak of anthrax disease among livestock in the Northern Region.

Questions --

Minister for Food & Agriculture -

1533.

Minister for Local Government, Rural

Dev't & Env't - 1389, 1409, 1511 and

1566.

Laying of Papers --

(a) Report of the Committee on

Mr. Speaker, in all, twenty-nine (29) Questions are expected to be answered in the week.

(c) Papers and Reports

Mr. Speaker, Papers and Reports may be laid and presented respectively for consideration by the House.

(d) Bills

Mr. Speaker, Bills may be presented to the House and those which have already been

presented would be taken through the various stages of passage.

(e) Statements and Motions
Mr. J. Yielieh Chireh 11:05 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, earlier on I stood on a point of order but I was not recognized. The point I want to raise is that I have no copy of this Business Statement that has been made. The Minister was reading so fast, I could not hear a lot of the things he had said.
If this is just information paper or a procedural matter, fine. But this is a matter for us to decide whether the Business should go as it is. I do not see the haste in not allowing the Paper to be distributed to us and then allowing for some time before he reads out the Statement.
The Minister has done this and I have some issues but I cannot raise them because I do not know what is written
there.
My Leader is giving the Business Statement to me now. I cannot read it and ask any question. I think that even though we are looking for as much time to do business as possible we should understand what we are doing in the House. It should not look like we want to do something just so as to follow procedure. There is a Business in the House and we should have looked at it. They should have distributed the Paper for us to look at it. I think that next time something better should be done before this.
Mr. Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon. Member for Wa
West, you have made your point. Alh. M.M. Mubarak: Mr. Speaker,
I have three issues with regard to the Business Statement.
Mr. Speaker, the first one has to do with an important exercise that is going to take place next week, which is the filing of nominations. Mr. Speaker, if you look at the Business of the House, it seems to have forgotten that hon. Members of Parliament, those who are contesting, will have to file their nominations on 16th and 17th of this month.
Mr. Speaker, it is not only the issue of just sending your paper to the Electoral Commission and turning back. It is an issue of going round to make sure that you get people to write their names and sign. I do not think this House can neglect such an important exercise by assuming that an hon. Member, say, hon. Yieleh Chireh from Wa West will go and do this exercise and get to this House on time to continue with the Business of this House.
I think it is proper that we schedule to make room for hon. Members to have time to go to their constituencies and file these papers rather than pretending, only to come next week and find an empty House. I think the Business Committee
Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
has to take this issue seriously other than that unfortunately, those days, I wonder how many hon. Members will be in the House to carry out the Business of the day.
The second issue Mr. Speaker, has to do with the motion on Hajj. Mr. Speaker, you remember during the last Sitting, there was a Motion on Hajj, a motion to deliberate on the organization of the Hajj to Mecca. That motion Mr. Speaker, is not coming up and as we stand today, there is a lot of confusion with regard to the organization of the Hajj. Moslems will want to embark on the Hajj this year but as we sit, there is confusion. People are struggling over its control and we do not have the opportunity to discuss this very important issue to set the records straight. We are not even talking about how they are going to vote as many of them will be traveling out of this country.
I think that motion is an important one that has to come so that we will be able to deliberate, at least, maybe set some directions from this House as to how the Hajj can be better organized this year.
So Mr. Speaker, I think that the Business Committee has to take this concern seriously.

The last thing Mr. Speaker is that on the Order Paper, there is this workshop for expanded leadership. Anytime the Leadership talks about the expanded leadership, they leave out the vice- chairperson and the deputy rankings. I want to find out whether this very important workshop on expanded leadership, makes room for the vice-chairpersons and the deputy rankings since by our rules here, they are supposed to the part of the expanded leadership.
Mr. Abraham Ossei Aidooh 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the first issue that he raised was about the filing. This was extensively discussed at the meeting. It was decided that we could not break off formally, that we were not Sitting because those of us who are not contesting - [Interruption.] Including me will be here. And we believe that even -- when I say those of us, everybody must understand it. We also believe that even some of those who are contesting can attend the House and therefore we will manage. But this is subject to change. If for any reason we cannot do any business it will be deferred; that is it.
On the issue of the Hajj motion, we agreed before we rose that all matters not taken be carried over. Since the House reconvened the hon. Members who initiated the motion have not given any indication of their preparedness or interest in the motion. I can assure them that anytime they indicate to us that they want the motion to be taken, we shall programme it.
On the issue of the workshop, the concept of expert leadership has acquired a technical meaning and those who are to attend have been written to. But at least if you talk of the leadership of the House, it covers the committee Chairpersons, the vice-chairmen and I think the ranking members. As I said, those who are being invited have been written to.
Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Item 8. Committee Sittings.
Mr. Abraham Ossei Aidooh 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that we adjourn proceedings till Tuesday next at 10.00 o'clock in the morning.
Mr. Speaker, one more thing 11:15 a.m.
I wish to inform hon. Members that the funeral arrangements of the late Speaker will
commence tomorrow morning at 6.00a.m, when the body will be brought to the Speaker's block. Hon. Members are invited to be present and punctual before we proceed to the main grounds.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that the Majority Leader is moving for the adjournment of the House. Per today's Order Paper, there were supposed to be Questions to be answered by Ministers. Mr. Speaker, you in fact adjourned proceedings for thirty minutes to allow this to happen. It is therefore inappropriate that he would be seeking for an adjournment when these Questions have not been answered, and particularly as by his own Business Statement, this House is suffering from limited time and hon. Members will not have the advantage of getting these Questions answered. And it may affect the future prospects of other Questions that are on line. I think that it is important that, that is addressed before we will second the motion for adjournment.
Mr. Ossei Aidooh 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, these Questions were supposed to have been answered on Tuesday. And on Tuesday, the Deputy Speaker was in the Chamber. When we could not take these Questions, we asked him to come back on Wednesday, that is yesterday.
He was here on Wednesday as well but unfortunately, the Clerk's Office deleted these Questions. This morning, we tried to get in touch with him and as at now, his office has not been able to reach him; that is why the Questions are being deferred. So seriously, he bear no blame for not being here. The Minister or his Deputy bear no blame for not being here.
Mr. Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Hon. Members, I defer Item 3.
Mr. Doe Adjaho 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion for adjournment.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 11:15 a.m.