Debates of 1 Dec 2009

MADAM SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:05 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:05 a.m.
Madam Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Hon Members, Correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
We are on Votes and Proceedings and the date is Monday, 30th November, 2009.
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 11:05 a.m.
Madam Speaker, this
is a minor correction. It starts from page 10, paragraph 4, ‘In Attendance'; when you count the number of participants who were present, it should be xxvii, but if you look at the last roman numeral, it is xxvi, all because iii was repeated on page 11.
The same mistake also occurred on page 9, sorry to take you back; it should have been “xxxv” participants in attendance but we have “xxxiii”.
If you look at the last numbering, it should be “xxxv”, all because on page 9, “iii” had been repeated and “iv” has also been repeated. So the Hansard Office should take note and correct these.
Madam Speaker 11:05 a.m.
Thank you for
Mr. J. Y. Chireh 11:05 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
I was in attendance here but my name has not been registered. The number he is talking about should have gone higher because I was there, in attendance.
Madam Speaker 11:05 a.m.
So the name should have come. I suppose if you mention it, it would be easier. Is that not it?
Mr. Chireh 11:05 a.m.
My name is “Joseph Yieleh Chireh” -- MP for Wa West. At that time, I was in attendance; indeed, I was not a member of the Committee.
Madam Speaker 11:05 a.m.
All right, thank
Mr. Samuel Johnfiah 11:05 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, I was trying to catch your eye but -- I refer you to page 10 where we had the correction made. I realise that paragraph 3 is missing. So instead of 1, 2, 3, we should have had paragraph 3 before continuing to 4, so the correction should be made.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Shall we move back to pages 12, 13 -- [Pause]
Votes and Proceedings of Monday, 30th November, 2009 as corrected is adopted as the true record of proceedings.

Any corrections in the Official Report

of Tuesday, 17th November, 2009?

Hon Members, in the absence of any corrections, the Official Report of Tuesday, 17th November, 2009 is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.

We have another Official Report dated Friday, 20th November, 2009, any corrections?

Hon Members, in the absence of any corrections, the Official Report of Friday, 20th November, 2009 is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.

Hon Members, we move on now to

item 3 -- Questions. Is the Hon Minister for Health here? The first Question will go to the Hon Minister for Health.
Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I must apologise for a mix-up there. Today
is World AIDS Day and I think that it eluded us. In consultation with the Hon Minister, we should have realised that and shifted his Questions to a different day because the Hon Minister, of necessity, would have to be part of that celebration at, I think, Koforidua. And so last night, he called to draw my attention to it because he left for his constituency to participate in some festival.
So I agreed with him that today I would apologise to the House and try as much as possible to plead that we should re-schedule those Questions for him to come and answer another day. The Business Committee would do that at our next meeting.
Madam Speaker, I would want to urge
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Well, I have not got
any Statements on the World AIDS Day today. It is very surprising.
Mr. Bagbin 11:15 a.m.
Then Madam Speaker,
we should go straight to the motion on the Budget and then give more room to Hon Members to debate.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Hon Member,
should we move to the motion then because the Hon Minister, I believe, is not here?
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think so, I think we could go to the motion.
The Hon Majority Leader has informed us that the Hon Minister, diligent and hardworking as he is, has to be at the World
AIDS Day. Madam Speaker, diligent as he is, when we have the World Anti-Smoking Day, we want him to be there.
Madam Speaker, that being the case and you having said that you have not had any Statement on AIDS, I believe we can move to the motion.
rose
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Except that Dr.
Prempeh was standing up. Is it a Statement on AIDS or something?
Dr. Prempeh 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the
Leaders have already decided, so I cannot make any Statement to it.
But Madam Speaker, I was going to bring your attention to a certain fact about the Ministry of Health and its dealings with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health. I would have to accept my Leader's explanation for today, but it encapsulates the dealings we have with the Ministry of Health this whole year, which has never been fruitful at all. So I would bring that up if I get the chance in my submission.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Hon Prempeh, I
think the Hon Leader did not hear what you said. Was your microphone on?
Dr. Prempeh 11:15 a.m.
My microphone was on. I said this year, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, in its dealing with the Ministry of Health and its agency has encountered a lot of problems and on their absence today, I would take my Leader's reason very simply and take it like that. But to me, it was going to be the icing on my cake on my presentation if I was given the chance today. Actually, they have not respected the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health at all this year.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Hon Members, so
we take the motion and continue with the debate. Hon Members, let us continue with the debate on the motion to approve the Financial Policy of Government of Ghana
MOTIONS 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Simon Edem Asimah 11:15 a.m.
Madam
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
I must apologise
Mr. Frederick Opare-Ansah 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, on a point of information. Madam Speaker, I recollect yesterday at the beginning of the continuation of the debate, you started from the right side, so we had our hopes very high that this morning you were going to start from this side.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
I just wanted to know where we ended yesterday; which side ended it? And since it is a continuation, I was going to call on the other side. So which side finished it
yesterday?
Some Majority Members: There.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
That was my
strategy and I think for purpose of transparency, I better explain it to you that, that was why I called this side.
Mr. Simon Edem Asimah (NDC -- South Dayi) 11:25 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I want to start my contribution by first thanking the humble, meek and gentle President of the Republic of Ghana -- [Hear! Hear!] -- who has fulfilled one of his constitutional mandates. And Madam Speaker, I want to quote article 179 (1), if you permit me. I would read:
“The President shall cause to be prepared and laid before Parliament at least one month before the end of the financial year, estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the Government of Ghana for the following financial year.”

Madam Speaker, I also want to say that the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning is the only Minister in Ghana today who was one-time the Governor of the Bank of Ghana. He has wealth of experience and you all know he is very diligent and very focused, and has presented on behalf of the President the Budget and Financial Policy for the year 2010. Madam Speaker, I want to urge all Hon Members of this House to massively support this Budget and Financial Policy for the year 2010.

Madam Speaker, why am I saying so?

I am saying this because this Budget is pro-poor and gender-compliant.

Madam Speaker, a careful analysis of the Budget reveals that we are moving towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is very clear and it is based on the social democratic agenda of the National Democratic Congress, and it is for this agenda that the people of Ghana voted us back in 2009 to rule this country.

Madam Speaker, if you look at the
Mr. D. B. A. Nitiwul 11:25 a.m.
On a point of order. Madam Speaker, the Hon Member is seriously misleading this House. He says that the Budget is gender-compliant, that the Government is gender-compliant. I want him to go back and look at this document, that is the NDC Manifesto, and he should go to page 75 -- the revised version -- [Laughter.] Madam Speaker, page 75, and with your permission I read:
“We shall introduce major policy and legislative reforms only for a minimum of 40 per cent represen- tation of women at conferences, on conferences of the Party and in government and public
service; the promotion of increased female access to education, health, employment and other social infrastructure and services.”
Mr. Asimah 11:25 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think
I will ignore my Hon Colleague.
Madam Speaker, if you look at the Budget again, you would see clearly on page 265 -- “Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness”, and it is talking about the creation of about 100,000 jobs in alternative livelihood programmes for disaster volunteer groups; and I think this, as it is spelt out in the Budget and the Financial Policy, would be fulfilled.

This morning, I had that experience and I called one of the Hon Members from the Minority side to find out what he was doing with the Minister for Roads and Highways and the person said

“I want to talk about how I can benefit from the Budget to get some roads to my constituency.”

Madam Speaker, this Budget, when it is approved, is not going to serve and benefit only NDC people and NDC constituents but it would benefit all of us. It is not going to benefit some people but all people would benefit including the Minority.
Mr. Asimah 11:25 a.m.


Why am I saying so? Before we took over the administration of this country, there were certain problems -- armed robbery, cocaine; but this Budget is saying that we are going to build 50 pre-fabricated houses at hot-crime spots across the country -- [Hear! Hear!] -- to be known as “Tent Cities” to house well-trained and well-equipped patrol police to reduce police response time and bring the police closer to the communities, and I think this must be applauded.

Madam Speaker, you look at the

Budget again and you see clearly the issue of removal of school children under trees. You all know -- [Interruption] -- Yes, most of us went through it, we learnt under the trees, 50, 30 years ago but our students and pupils are still learning under trees. But this Budget is saying that pupils under trees should be removed and they would be housed in classrooms with good environment for effective learning and teaching and I think we must all be proud of this Budget. [Hear! Hear!]

Madam Speaker, you also look at free
Mr. Kofi Frimpong 11:25 a.m.
On a point of
order. Madam Speaker, either the Hon Member has not been attending to our pro-ceedings or when he comes, he does
not listen. Madam Speaker, all these have been said by his Colleagues, so he is just repeating them -- [Interruptions] -- It means that he is not saying anything new, so he should not waste our time. If he had come all the time and listened to what has been going on, he would not be saying all that he is saying. He is just repeating them and these are dead news, so he is not being original.
Madam Speaker, he knows that children under trees, to get them out of that, was started by the NPP Adminis- tration -- [Uproar] -- and we have gone about 80 per cent and he knows. It was Papa Owusu-Ankomah, when he was the Minister for Education who started and this was pointed out to his Colleagues when they were contributing. Why is he, Madam Speaker, continuing repeat what has already been said? He either does not come or when he comes, he does not listen.
Mr. Asimah 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I think I would ignore my Hon Colleague's intervention.
Madam Speaker, if you look at --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Go on.
Mr. Asimah 11:35 a.m.
The programme under
the policies in the Budget is one of the laudable ones that we are bringing on board. And I think all disabled children will benefit from this programme. [Hear! Hear!] All constituencies have disabled children; in the Majority and in the Minority, and they are going to benefit from this programme. And I think it must be applauded. [Interruption.]
Mr. Nitiwul 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, he has finished. So I am not taking a point of order on his intervention. He has finished. [Laughter.]
Mr. Asimah 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, one
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Oh, I thought you
sat down.
Mr. Asimah 11:35 a.m.
One area which we must
Mr. Nitiwul 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, he is
always misleading this House. [Uproar.] Madam Speaker, he is saying that the Government is going to build 250 school blocks. I accept that it is actually 450. But Madam Speaker, he goes ahead to say that it is going to create 14,700 jobs. That is what is captured. In fact, the Hon Minister and the Hon Member are both misleading us that it will create 14,700 direct jobs for masons.
Madam Speaker, if you divide 14,700 by 450, you will get 35 masons working on one school block. Madam Speaker, where have you ever seen that? [Laughter.] -- Madam Speaker, if not Sakawa, where have you ever seen 38, virtually 39 masons working on one school block? [Laughter.]
Mr. Asimah 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I would not allow any such interventions to take me off my track. I would be very focused.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, wind up now.
Mr. Asimah 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
the establishment of Ghana Citizens Entrepreneural Development Agency is
one of the brilliant initiatives that this Government has brought to being. I believe, we all know that small-scale and medium enterprises are suffering in this country and if this Agency is established, we can all know that Ghana is gradually moving towards becoming an industrial nation. Madam Speaker, that will bring about job generation, incomes and food on the table of the majority of Ghanaians.
Madam Speaker, before I sit down, I
want to touch a bit on water because I am a water man. [Hear! Hear!] You know the NDC Government is the Government that brought about the five per cent community contribution in 1994. This was implemented over the years. And in our manifesto, we told the people of Ghana that we were going to remove this five per cent contribution and that has been done. Government has built into it today, has put in place measures to take care of this five per cent of community contributions that are being paid by rural communities and small towns.
Madam Speaker, if you want to look

I, therefore, call on all Hon Members to massively rally behind this Budget, approve it so that the “better Ghana” that we promised the people of Ghana will be
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Thank you, Hon
Member.
rose
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Mrs. Ohene-Konadu 11:35 a.m.
Madam
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
You are too late
now. He has concluded.
Mrs. Ohene-Konadu 11:35 a.m.
Can I continue?
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
You are late. So, even if you raised it and I rule on it, he has already finished.
Mrs. Ohene-Konadu 11:35 a.m.
If you allow me, I would raise it.
In his submission, he said the establishment of the Ghana Citizens Entrepreneural Development Agency was going to boaot SMEs and I think that is very wrong. It is rather going to worsen the plight of SMEs; there are already existing institutions and I think that those institutions should be strengthened instead of creating a completely new one.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Thank you, Hon Member.
The next speaker will be Hon W. O. Boafo.
Mr. W. O. Boafo (NPP -- Akropong) 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it would be recalled when
His Excellency, President Atta Mills came to this House this year to present the State of the Nation Address, he emphatically said that no serious provision will be made for the security agencies during the 2009 Budget. But he would spend 2009 visiting the various security agencies, holding durbars with them, collating information from them to inform the Budget for 2010.
rose
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Let me take a point of order.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:35 a.m.
On a point of order. Madam Speaker, the Hon Colleague opposite is an immediate past Hon Deputy Minister for Defence. And being a member of Government then, he should know that the President should not be personally present at all those fora he mentioned. His other Ministers and his Vice President had been going round.
So for him to be alluding to the President's personal presence at those places is neither here nor there. He should come out properly.
Mr. Boafo 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister should sit up and listen carefully to what I am saying. I said that the President made the undertaking that he will do it. He did not make the undertaking that either he will do it or he will send somebody to go and do it. [Uproar.]
Madam Speaker, the President has a substantive Minister for Defence but he chose to go to the Ministry of Defence to visit the Ghana Armed Forces.
Madam Speaker, the absence or the failure of this particular visit to these departments is the result of the inadequacies of the provision for the security agencies in the 2010 Budget; the President did not visit them to collect the necessary views to inform the Budget for
2010.
Madam Speaker, when we come to the Ghana Armed Forces, we have certain projects which are considered as self-sustaining. But Madam Speaker, the events of today have made it impossible for those projects to be self-sustaining. If we look at the peacekeeping operations, now we have shortfalls in the equipment for peacekeeping operations.
rose
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Is it a point of
order?
Mr. Hodogbey 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
exactly so. My Hon Member, as already said, was a Deputy Minister for Defence. He knows that normally when you go in
for peacekeeping operations, the country which is sending the peacekeepers provide the necessary equipment and the money is refunded by United Nations or whatever country they are going to. Reports have shown that those moneys refunded were mishandled by his Government when they were in power. [Hear! Hear!] And he comes here now to tell us things differently. I am very sorry. [Laughter.]
Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah 11:45 a.m.
Madam
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Hon Member, did you say that?
Mr. Hodogbey 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, what I said, which I would continue to repeat is, reports have shown -- [Interruptions] -- I have not mentioned a former Minister for Defence; I have not made mention of anybody's name.
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
He said a report says so. Has he got the report?
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:45 a.m.
But Madam Speaker, you know this is a very serious matter and we demand that if there are
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Well, if he says there is a report, he has to show us the report. But until then I do not think I have enough to report him to the Privileges Committee. Let him show us the report.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, what that means is that he wants to withdraw until he would be able to prove it. He did say, when he got up the second time that he insists that there are -- he is very, very sure, he is very categorical and if that is his position then we should refer him to the Privileges Committee. On the other hand, if he wants to withdraw, he should submit the document, we can examine it and then Madam Speaker can direct what should be done thereafter.
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Well, I think that unless he shows us the report to prove to us whether it is correct or not we cannot, judge it. If you state a fact and you said it is in a report, you must be able to show us the report. So Hon Member, do you know the report? Have you got the report which we can refer to?
Mr. Hodogbey 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I will try as much as possible to provide -- [Interruptions] -- Wait; I would try to provide that report at the appropriate time. [Interruptions.]
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Hon Member, until then, withdraw it because the report is not before us and I do not know what you mean by “appropriate time”. Until you find it, withdraw it then.
Mr. Hodogbey 11:45 a.m.
Because of your guidance, I withdraw the statement.
  • [Some Hon Members: Shame; shame!
    • Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Thank you, Hon Member. I think he was big enough to withdraw it and he rather should be commended. Hon Kan-Dapaah, he has withdrawn it. That is the way we get on here.
    Mr. Kan-Dapaah 11:45 a.m.
    Thank you, Madam Speaker.
    rose
    Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Have you got the floor?
    Mr. Avedzi 11:45 a.m.
    Madam Speaker, I need your guideline on one issue. After the Hon Member withdrew the statement that he made, I heard “Shame! Shame!” coming from the other side. I wanted to know if that language is allowed in this House.
    Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Well, I think on a number of occasions, in many books that I have read, “Shame” is parliamentary. [Hear! Hear!] Unless the Leaders -- [Some Hon Members: Shame! Shame!] [Interruptions] Hon Member, maybe, I did not get it right. It is better than banging on the desk, is it not?
    Mr. Bagbin 11:45 a.m.
    Madam Speaker, often the word “shame” is used by Hon Members on the floor, and we had an occasion where we sort the guidance of the then Speaker, the Rt. Hon Peter Ala Adjetey and he ruled that the word “shame” was unparliamentary. But you are not bound -- [Interruptions] -- He did.
    Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Let us hear the Hon Leader.
    Mr. Bagbin 11:45 a.m.
    I was just saying that, I mean you are not bound by whatever ruling that your predecessors must have made. It is true that going through the literature, various parliaments often use the word “shame”. The only thing I would
    say is that it discourages Hon Members from withdrawing when the Hon Member knows that after he has withdrawn people would shout “Shame! Shame!” [Inter- ruptions]-- So I think that we should rather try to create an environment that would let us honourably always withdraw without a feeling of too much guilt, because that is not advisable.
    Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
    Madam Speaker, I would tend to agree with what the Majority Leader has said, except to correct this impression. If my memory serves me right, I think it was rather the Rt. Hon Justice Annan who ruled that “Shame!” was unparliamentary. Rt. Hon Ala Adjetey rather said that it could be parliamentary; that is, if my memory serves me right, I am not too sure, I have the Hansard.

    Madam Speaker, thank you.
    Prof. A. M. Oquaye 11:55 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it happens that -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    I am Madam.
    Prof. Oquaye 11:55 a.m.
    Thank you very much,
    Madam Speaker, for the correction.
    Madam Speaker, the expression “shame” incidentally is quite common in British parliamentary usage; it is the mother of Parliaments. We learn; but we have to learn from the best practices. Saying that if one should be greeted with the expression of “shame” would make Members recalcitrant and not to withdraw when they have to honourably withdraw, that will be unfortunate.
    Rather the expression “shame” in the British usage is to show the House's disapproval of that which led to the withdrawal and apology. In other words, you are not supposed to be making statements that will lead to apologies and withdrawals. And this is the way a Parliament can take itself seriously. We cannot just use expressions in a way that will lead to withdrawal. If a Member has to withdraw, he or she must be made to withdraw.

    Some of us are not actually happy from both sides -- in fact, from both sides - some of the way that people turn to perceive this Honourable House and Members and their utterances, we must take ourselves seriously so that we make statements that will not often lead to our withdrawing and apologizing.

    Thank you Madam Speaker. [Hear!
    Madam Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority
    Leader, is the word “shame” in our rules at all?
    Mr. Bagbin 11:55 a.m.
    Madam Speaker, that
    is what I wanted to draw the attention of my Hon Colleague, the Second Deputy Speaker. Our rules are clear as to how the House can show disapproval and that is what Hon Kan-Dapaah did by raising a point of order and drawing the attention of the Member to the fact that he had breached the rules. Now, if we allow the use of other words like “shame”, “shame”
    -- 11:55 a.m.
    Madam Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Well, my attention
    has just been drawn to two Hon Members who have contributed giving different rulings on the word “shame”. So I think I am entitled to choose which one -- If it had been consistent then I will say convention would come in and I will have to -- unless I have strong reasons for changing it. But since both gave different -- I was going to call on Papa Owusu- Ankomah but I think before I rule, let him tell me what -- it affects both sides actually.
    Papa Owusu-Ankomah 11:55 a.m.
    Madam
    Speaker, all over the world, certain conducts which may not strictly be considered proper have taken place in some Parliaments. They hurl abuses at each other; sometimes they throw chairs at each other; and sometimes they even throw blows. In some Parliaments, it happens but that does not make it proper.
    In my view, this House should always be guided by its Standing Orders particularly with reference to conduct of Members' content of speeches. And at this stage, I will refer, if Madam Speaker may permit, to Order 93, clause 2 which says:
    “It shall be out of order to use offensive, abusive, insulting, blasphemous or unbecoming words or to impute improper motives to any other Member or to make personal allusions”.
    So at any time, I believe we should ask ourselves, is an expression we are using offensive, abusive, insulting, blas-phemous or unbecoming? And then we would be guided accordingly. But if at every time we start shouting “Shame!” “Shame!” it may lead to rancorous behaviour in this House. So even though one single “Shame!” may be acceptable, repetitive and shouts of “Shame!” “Shame!” “Shame!” “Shame!” “Shame!” “Shame!” may turn this House into a tumult.
    So it depends on the circumstances of the case and I will urge you, Madam Speaker, in giving whatever ruling, which of course is in your bosom, we will all be guided by general parliamentary practice and norms of decorum and order.
    I thank you, Madam Speaker.
    Dr. Kojo Appiah-Kubi 11:55 a.m.
    Madam
    Speaker, my Hon Colleague made allusions or reference to Standing Order
    93 (2):
    “It shall be out of order to use offensive, abusive, insulting, blasphemous or unbecoming words or to impute improper motives to any other Member or to make personal allusions.”
    In my opinion, this refers to an individual making blasphemous or using offensive words. What do we do if a number of people or if one side of the House chorused? What do we then do? I need your direction. Do we then ask the whole of the other side to apologise, to withdraw or what do we then do? Madam Speaker, we need your direction.
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Well, thank you for the help. But like I said, I think I am entitled also to make a ruling since there were two different rulings. Maybe, if I add my ruling to whichever side, it becomes two against one and it will have to be by convention, unless it is also changed by the next Speaker.
    The first question is the word “shame”, is it unparliamentary? That is how I will ask the question. Is it unparliamentary? “Shame?” Like the Second Deputy Speaker said, it is an English word which was not offensive and used in England
    -- shame or something. And if here, we think it is a word of abuse, then we have to be careful; but I honestly do not think so.
    I think parliamentarians should have a way of ventilating their feelings. [Hear! Hear!] And that affects all sides. This “shame” can come from left or right and it is a way, I think of showing their displeasure or dislike -- [Interruption] -- If we do not allow the word “shame”, how would we see the mood of the House?
    I am enjoined to take into consideration the mood of the House, and these are the things that help me to decide on these matters. My feeling is that a parliamen- tarian should have a thick skin. Like a Judge, he must have a very thick skin to be here, to be able to contribute, to be able to parry the small attacks and so forth.
    So, I think that, “shame”, properly applied is not unparliamentary. [Hear! Hear!] Except to add that it should not be abused, like everything, “shame”; everything, “shame”, just to cause annoyance. If it is to show the feeling and to ventilate the feeling, then it is, in my opinion all right. That is my ruling. [Hear! Hear!]
    rose
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    In which case, can we carry on with Hon Boafo? Hon Boafo, you were on your feet.
    Mr. Boafo 12:05 p.m.
    Thank you, Madam Speaker -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    They have taken a lot of your time, but please, do well to be concise.
    Mr. Boafo 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, the point I was making is -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Is it on the point of “shame”, which I have -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Ofosu 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I think you have given a Solomonic ruling on
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    He has withdrawn. That is the end of the matter; is that not it?
    Mr. Ofosu 12:05 p.m.
    Yes, Madam Speaker. We are looking at the balances -- [Interruption] --
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    He has withdrawn it. As soon as a Member withdraws, the matter ends.
    Mr. Ofosu 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I was only looking at the notoriety he is gaining -- [Uproar] -- In any case, once he has withdrawn -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, he is entitled without any reservation to make his contribution. But that is why when he goes wrong you are permitted to take the Speaker on and to get him to withdraw. The withdrawal is to correct the records; otherwise, the record will stay. So he has done it; I have accepted it; and let us move on.
    Mr. Ofosu 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I think that the danger is when they make interventions without reference to the Standing Order. If they are coming on a point of order, they should state the order under which they are coming. But when they can get up and make intervention that there is a report, but they cannot show the report, and they cannot even mention whether it is an audit report, SFO report or a report of one of the “committees of
    rose
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Thank you very much; but he has withdrawn. Yes, Hon Boafo, they have taken your time, but go on; ten minutes, please.
    Some Hon Members 12:05 p.m.
    Shame! Shame! Shame!
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Order! Order! Yes, Hon Boafo?
    Mr. Boafo 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, as I was saying, the point that I wanted to make is that, so far, as the Government's Financial Policy in relation to peacekeeping operations is concerned, I would like the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to consider that operation as not entirely self-sustaining so that they could make provisions to address the shortfalls in the equipment levels of the peace-keeping operations. And Madam Speaker, that takes me to Ivory Coast (la Cote d'Ivoire) where the Ghana Air Force has been awarded a contract of aviation unit -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Boafo 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, the equipment which is involved in this operations are helicopters, and our helicopter level is very low. So I would also like to urge the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to consider this aspect in the financial policy and make provision to. [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Is it a proper point of order?
    Mr. Asaga 12:05 p.m.
    Yes, Madam Speaker.
    Madam Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Before you invite the “shame” on yourself -- [Laughter.]
    Yes, Hon Member? [Interruption.] Yes, let us hear the Hon Member.
    Mr. Asaga 12:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, my point of order is in the fact that he is dealing with security matters. So when he starts telling us the number of helicopters, the inadequacy, I do not think that is the right forum. Maybe, the former Minister for Defence can explain to us on that. That is the only reason I got up.
    Mr. Boafo 12:15 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I have not given any number of helicopters at the disposal of the Ghana Air Force. I was just trying to carry out the fact that there is need to pay attention to the aviation unit of the peacekeeping operations in Ivory Coast (la Cote d'Ivoire) in the financial policies of the Government.
    Madam Speaker, the daily allowance for the peacekeeping operations was about US$32; when the NDC Government came to power, they decreased the daily allowance by US$2 to US$29, and we are left with only US$3. Madam Speaker, it is from this balance that the Ghana Armed Forces carry out the pre-operation exercises to prepare the soldiers for the peacekeeping operations.
    Since this amount has been reduced, I would like to urge the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to take this into account and find ways and means of making provision for the Ghana Armed Forces to enable them effectively carry out the pre-operation exercises and also money needed for the maintenance of the
    equipment at the peacekeeping opera-tion areas.
    M a d a m S p e a k e r , u n d e r t h e peacekeeping operations, the soldiers go to the various operation areas every six months in rotation. These are Liberia, Ivory Coast (la Cote d'Ivoire), Lebanon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad. And they are normally transported by aircrafts which are arranged by United Nations (UN); and those persons who bring their aircrafts are reimbursed.

    Madam Speaker, I would like the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning to consider the possibility of acquiring bigger commercial aircrafts for the Ghana Armed Forces so that they could be used to transport the soldiers to the various operation areas and then Ghana would be reimbursed for such services.

    Madam Speaker, on the 37 Military

    Hospital, this is also another establish- ment which is conceived to be self- sustaining but the point is that when you critically review the operations of the 37 Military Hospital, you will see that when the soldiers and their dependants are attended to by way of medical services, it is free for them. It is only the civilians who pay for the services. So it is not entirely beneficial so far as its operation is concerned.

    So Madam Speaker, I would like to urge the Ministry not to consider the 37 Military Hospital as self-sustaining and try to make provision to cater for its entire needs because at times, they find it very difficult to procure drugs for the inpatients. And also some of the patients who go to 37 Military Hospital are considered to be indigent and they are cared for free of charge. So I would like the Ministry of Health to take this into account and reimburse 37 Military

    Hospital for whatever amount they spend on these poor people who attend the hospital for medical services.

    Madam Speaker, there is also another

    service which is rendered by the Ghana Armed Forces, that is, when important personalities are travelling internally, they normally use the services of the Ghana Air Force. Madam Speaker, the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning should take this into account and make provision for these aircrafts which will normally transport Members from the South to the North and North to South for various functions. Also, the troops who are normally sent to the North for peacekeeping operations.

    Recently, the Upper East Regional Minister was lamenting over the lack of a helicopter to enable the soldiers to keep surveillance over the area. So this is something which we would like the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to take into account seriously.

    Madam Speaker, we have teaching

    institutions at the Ghana Armed Forces. These are the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPC) and then the Military Academy and Training School (MATS). Madam Speaker, some years back, the British Military Assistance was helping these institutions but they have withdrawn their sponsorship.

    So Madam Speaker, there is now a lacuna so far as financing is concerned. So we would like to urge the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning to take this into account and go to their assistance or help these teaching institutions so that they can meet their obligations to the general public. The fees they collect in running courses are insufficient to cover the cost of the courses.
    Madam Speaker 12:15 p.m.
    Try and wind up
    now.
    Mr. Boafo 12:25 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, we have on hand proliferation of small arms in this country. We see in our country where people can walk in the streets of this country brazenly demonstrating their weaponry skills in places where security people are around.
    Madam Speaker, we have had the opportunity to point these things out in the previous press conferences that were held by the Minority. So far, I have not seen anything in the Budget allocating resources as to how they are going to control the possession of small arms in this country.
    Madam Speaker, we have had an occasion to point out that we are aware of the training of civilians at certain camps but we have not had anything from the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning as to the allocation which has been made to ensure that these training camps are dismantled. Madam Speaker, I
    Madam Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member,
    wind up now.
    Mr. Boafo 12:25 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I will
    wind up. Madam Speaker, I would like to state that so far as this country is concerned, no matter the resources which are allocated for public safety and others, no matter how glorious the Budget the Government presents in connection with security matters, no matter how authoritative statements are made by persons in authority from whatever quarters, and no matter what is done, if we continue to tolerate the syndrome of impunity which is in our country, the security agencies will do their best to arrest any situation and to apprehend offenders. But because of political interference in this country all their efforts will be blocked and all the resources that we devote to these purposes do not yield anything for this country. It will be a waste pipe.
    Madam Speaker, we recently heard of the rape cases, the nudity parade in Bawku, the rape in Nalerigu and all other things. We need certain actions to be taken and we of the Minority will like to urge the Government to raise the curtain of impunity and get the people prosecuted to serve as a deterrent and any amount they will use for security purposes, for public safety and others in this country will not be a waste.
    Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
    Madam Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    The next Hon
    Member to contribute will be Hon Moses Asaga, Nabdam.
    Mr. Moses A. Asaga (NDC --
    Nabdam): Madam Speaker, a lot has been said about the Budget and I rise up to make my contribution mainly in the energy sector.
    Madam Speaker, I think this Budget addresses adequately the fact that it
    is Government's intention to raise power production to 5,000 megawatts in the medium-term. We know that the Government will be able to address this issue by encouraging independent power producers and also from the Volta River Authority (VRA) stock, we intend to add more megawatts of power to the national grid.
    Madam Speaker, we also think that the separation and materialization of GRIDCO to be a transmission company will also address the transmission of power and make electricity a reliable commodity within Ghana and then the sub region.
    Madam Speaker, most important is the discovery of oil and gas in Ghana by Tullow, Kosmos, Anadako EO Group and Sabre. Madam Speaker, initial tests in Mahogany 1, Mahogany 2 and the Hyewdea I and II including Chinebua has indicated that Ghana is blessed with reserves that are of international quantities.
    Madam Speaker, by a P50 calculation, we can boast of about 1.2 billion barrels of oil reserve in the Jubilee Field and provisionally, the production would be sixty thousand barrels per day and improve to 120,000 barrels per day and this could even increase to 240,000 barrels a day. This is good news for Ghanaians. I think that all Ghanaians should be on board and make sure that other oil reserves and their production and utilization should become a blessing for Ghanaians rather than the usual curse that we are talking about.
    Madam Speaker, alongside the oil, we have a lot of gas and the reserves measured so far is in the neighbourhood of one trillion cubic feet. Madam Speaker, the non-flaring gas policy which was initiated by both governments is going to create value for gas. As such, gas monitisation and commercialization will take an important stage in our oil and gas development plan. Madam Speaker, it
    is heart-warming to know that the NDC Government was able to negotiate free gas for the Ghana Government of 200 billion cubic feet which would be delivered to GNPC at almost no cost and this could create an initial value of US$800 million to the nation.
    Madam Speaker, the US$800 million from the gas commercialization could be an initial capital injection into the GNPC for the needed gas infrastructure. Madam Speaker, the Government is very serious with the creation of value for gas. As a result, the Government has taken a number of trips to countries that have the best practice in gas commercialization and its usage. One particular country has been Trinidad and Tobago where I was also part of the delegation to meet the national gas company, the Atlantic LNG Company, the National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and I think that we have come with a blueprint that would have country specific.
    Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu 12:25 p.m.
    Madam
    Speaker, I rise on a point of order. My Hon Colleague seems to be reading a complete thesis on the oil industry but the laws of the House do not allow such reading of thesis for his post-graduate -- I
    Mr. Asaga 12:25 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I choose
    Madam Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, you
    can refer but not read.
    Mr. Asaga 12:25 p.m.
    Madam Speaker,
    every-thing that I am saying is in my referral notes and I could see Hon Kan- Dapaah nodding to my exposition -- [Laughter.] Madam Speaker, on a more serious note, the Government should be in a position to probably even -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Madam Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Are you rising on a
    point of order?
    Mr. Adda 12:35 p.m.
    On a point of order.
    Madam Speaker, my Hon Colleague opposite referred to potential US$800 million that would be earned from the gas monetisation arrangement but he did add that that money would help us to build the gas infrastructure. Indeed, I think this is not clear and he may be misleading the House unless he clarifies it.
    The fact of the matter is that this
    negotiation for the construction of the gas infrastructure has already taken place. It is being financed by the consortium. The US$800 million that would be earned in the future is not immediately part of this. There is a potential risk that we may not be able to even sell that gas off to earn
    Mr. Adda 12:35 p.m.


    that money because of the duration of the infrastructural development.

    The consortium has agreed with the GNPC to do it in 18 months. As I mentioned here yesterday, unfortunately, my Hon Colleague was not there; we are about 12 months away and not a thing has been done about it, which means that potentially, we are earning less than US$800 million.

    Madam Speaker, I think the problem

    is that the quantum of the resources, whether or not would be used for this infrastructure, all those are issues that are not so clear to what he is saying. I think he is misleading the House unless he clarifies it and precisely, in terms of when we earn the money, whether it goes into infrastructural construction and so on and so forth.
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, he is actually repeating the conversation he had with me this morning. [Laughter.]
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    But did you clarify it?
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, yes. So I think that into the future, the revenue from the gas is going to also be used for the petro-chemical industry which GNPC would be a joint venture partner. But I must say that I have been very gracious to the former Hon Minister for Energy and I do not want him to draw me into very contentious areas because I think I did even suppress what they negotiated and what the NDC has negotiated and I would not want to go in that line.
    Madam Speaker, I think, as part of the plan, Ghana would want to set up a processing plant to be able to produce
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, this is a matter of clarification. The Hon Member for Nabdam said “I did even suppress what the NPP negotiated and what the NDC had negotiated . . .” I am afraid that English Language is not very clear. What did he suppress? What is it that he suppressed? He suppressed the agreement? What is it that he suppressed? I do not know what he suppressed, so we want to understand, that is why we are here to listen to the debate and understand. Can he clarify what he suppressed? [Interruption.]
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    What I was saying is -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 12:35 p.m.
    And whether he does suppress things -- [Interruption] -- Wait, I have not finished; I have the floor. Whether he is at liberty to suppress what governments do and how much power he has - I know “Asaganomics” is a very big issue here but I am not so sure that he can suppress anything that the NPP Government had done or the NDC Government has done. Can he please, explain?
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I was just talking of information suppression and I would keep to that because the information may not be in good taste to the NPP and that is why I said I am being very generous by being general. So I will continue with my submission. Dry gas -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Adda, has he not answered?
    Mr. Adda 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I think my Hon Colleague is continuing to mislead this House by referring to a negotiation process that seems to suggest
    that the NPP, perhaps, did something less admirable than what is showing up in this Budget.
    Madam Speaker, the fact of the matter is that, in the gas industry, technology is moving quite fast. And also, looking at the time when the NPP was working hard to get the exploration done for us to discover the oil and the gas, certain concessions had to be made but once the discovery has been made then we go back to renegotiate and improve the terms and conditions.
    It has also been reported in the Budget, paragraph 302, and it is suggesting here that we negotiated US$4 per 1,000 cubic feet whereas they are getting it free of charge. The free of charge thing depends on how you negotiate with the company that is coming to actually build the gas infrastructure but prior to that, you agree on certain terms and then you, perhaps, water it down as you go down to when you actually --
    Madam Speaker, this could be done to anybody at all and I hope he is not suggesting that the NPP Administration did anything less than what they have done. I think in this context, he is misleading this House.
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I stand on my position that the NPP Government was selling the gas at $4 per 1,000 cubic feet; that was their negotiation. It is in the agreement; it is in the document. And when the NDC Government came with our negotiating abilities, we were able to negotiate better terms and that better terms have saved Ghana US$800 million and this is the point that we are making.
    The fact that they could not negotiate to get this 200 billion cubic feet at almost free but at US$4, we have been able to negotiate to bring it from US$4 to nothing. This is what I said I did not want to go into because the previous Administration
    rose
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I think that we should not permit my other Hon Colleague to be misleading the House because at that time, (1) there was a new Hon Minister for Energy; (2) he was no longer in the driving seat, so he is not very current and I think that you should ban him from his points of order.
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, your point of order was to correct something.
    Mr. Adda 12:35 p.m.
    Thank you, Madam -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    We leave it there. I would not call upon you again. Let him finish. He has a few minutes left.
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, the NDC Government with its petrochemical industry plan -- [Interruption.]
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, try and wind up.
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Yes, Madam Speaker. The
    Mr. Kofi Frimpong 12:35 p.m.
    On a point of
    order. Madam Speaker, I want to put to my Hon Friend over there that the NDC does not have the capacity of negotiating. If they had, they would have negotiated for crude oil and for 10 months they could not bring in a drop of crude oil. How can he describe this as a good negotiating ability?
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Well, it is a matter of opinion, so you have stated yours.
    Can you go on and wind up now? We have a lot of work to do.
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, the Hon Kofi Frimpong created the problem because he did not pay for the letters of credit and that is why we could not open letters of credit for crude oil importation. But as for refined products, we were able to bring in refined products but because his government could not pay for the letters of credit and accumulated a lot of debt at the Tema Oil Refinery, that was why we faced the problem that we faced. [Hear! Hear!]
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Yes, wind up now.
    Mr. Asaga 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, I think the fertilizer production with agriculture -- and we want to make sure that farming in Ghana would be boosted through the oil and gas industry by producing fertiliser so that fertiliser would be very cheap for us to be able to produce rice, maize and all crops in Ghana, for Ghana to be self-sufficient and to stop importing maize and rice.
    Thank you, Madam Speaker.
    rose
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Well, he has resumed his seat, so I will call the Hon Member to speak, which will be Hon Kan- Dapaah. [Interruption.] No, I was looking your way but I was looking across you.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 12:35 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, the Hon Member for Nabdam made some s ta tements which in conventional -- [Uproar.]
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, we have finished with him.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 12:35 p.m.
    Yes, Madam
    Madam Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    We have finished
    with him; I do not want to go back.
    I do not want to go back. Our time is running now.
    Hon Kan-Dapaah, you have the floor.
    Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah (NPP -- Afigya-Sekyere West) 12:45 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, the Budget Statement and the Economic Policy of the Government for the 2010 financial year was read to this august House some two weeks ago.
    Madam Speaker, it has been extensively reviewed in the print and also the electronic media. Madam Speaker, civil society organisations have commented extensively on this particular Budget, academia, both lecturers and students have commented on this Budget. Madam Speaker, we have had experts -- economic experts have briefed various parliamentary groups on this particular Budget.
    Madam Speaker, for about a week now, we have listened to Hon Members from both sides of the House also debating this particular Budget Statement. Indeed, Madam Speaker, it is fair to conclude that most of the comments have not been very charitable and certainly, this Budget cannot be considered to be one of the most famous Budgets that have been presented to this House since 1993.
    As has already been commented, this is one long tale of unachieved targets and the Budget also, unfortunately, has no decisive corrective measures and there are no bold growth programmes. But in my opinion, Madam Speaker, it is important that all of us, from both sides of the House, learn from this Budget. The year 2009 had its fair share of opportunities for this country.
    If we have not been able to take advantage of these opportunities, Madam Speaker, I think it is important that we all reflect seriously and agree on the way forward.
    Madam Speaker, I want to draw attention to some six important lessons that we should learn as a nation from this rather unimpressive Budget. Madam Speaker, I think the first lesson is that we must resolve, as a nation, to adopt a non- partisan approach to the management of our economy. I say this, Madam Speaker, because the bold economic decisions that we need to take will continue to be politically unpalatable for any one party to initiate and it will help if we adopt a bi-partisan approach in finding solutions to some of these very difficult economic decisions. Madam Speaker, do not let us forget that we live in the middle of a serious global economic crisis. We need to think about it.
    Again, Madam Speaker, I do not want to be controversial, but I think it is clear that the internal bickering within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) does not give the Government the space or the focus that it needs to address the very difficult economic challenges that confront this country. And I think it is important that a solution is found to that.
    Madam Speaker, equally important, is this over-concentration of fault-finding and mudslinging among the political class because it does not engender that atmosphere that we need for us to build some consensus and drive this economy. I think we need to also take that one very, very seriously.
    Again, we need a period where globally there is a serious economic crisis, Ghana not be excluded.
    Madam Speaker, the third observation
    that I need to make, is that I do not think there is enough consultation when we are preparing our Budgets. I am not very sure whether there is sufficient consultation, for instance, between the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the National Development Planning Commission
    (NDPC).
    An annual Budgets must respond to a medium term budget. The medium-term plan is kept by the NDPC and when you ask them quietly to what extent have they been involved in the preparation of this Budget, diplomatically, they tell you, no, except that they do not want to say, no directly to you.
    Another thing that has always bothered me, Madam Speaker, is that we must make it possible for Parliamentarians to really influence what is in the Budget. This will require, Madam Speaker, that we are given the opportunity to discuss the Budget even before the document is presented to the House. Once a budget document is presented to the House, it becomes a political document and it is very, very difficult for Members, especially from the Government Party, to voice their decent even if they have very strong views.
    I think we should sit down and consider whether it will not be possible to get some involvement of Parliamentarians in the budget process before the documents is finalised.
    Madam Speaker, we need, as I have already indicated, to put our heads together to solve some of the very difficult challenges that we face. An example is what my very good Friend, Hon Moses Asaga talked about. There is this bold intention to increase power production to about 5,000 megawatts. Commendable but we will need the independent power producers to come and help us to achieve that.

    The Hon Member will agree that the independent power producers will not come unless we would have been able to solve the pricing problem. And yet electricity pricing is not one thing that any Government, any one party would want to tackle head-on. We need to sit down and have a bipartisan approach to this.

    Madam Speaker, Hon Asaga talked about the new oil discovery and the attempts that we are making to ensure that it becomes more of a blessing than a curse. But Madam Speaker, as we speak, there is an oil and gas policy which is being developed. We developed one, the Government wanted to revise it, that is fine. Except that, as at now, we have not been made to know what exactly is included in that policy. It will come to this House, it would be a political document and everybody will vote for it, that is, from the Government side, whether it is good or not.

    We need to have it out in time so that civil society can discuss it. So that we can have some consensus among ourselves even before the document comes here. Madam Speaker, let us put our heads together to solve once and for all, the very difficult economic problems that we have.

    Madam Speaker, I want to comment on some three issues also concerning this particular Budget. The first one, Madam Speaker, and if I may ask: why is the Government giving the impression that debts and fiscal deficits are abominable acts which should not be engaged in by any Government? Madam Speaker, I do not understand because clearly, there is nothing wrong with debts and there can be nothing wrong with fiscal deficits.

    Madam Speaker, let me give you an example. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government is accused of contracting debts -- loans. The NDC Government is
    MR. SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Hon
    Deputy Minister, are you rising on a point of order?
    Mr. Seth Terkpeh 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am
    standing on a point of clarification to the House, please.
    Mr. Kan-Dapaah 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, if it is a point of clarification then he should come after me. I am just about winding up.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, let the point be made so that we would see -- Hon Deputy Minister, please, go ahead.
    Mr. Terkpeh 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this
    point has been belaboured but I think it is best repeating that what we are doing is restoring duties and taxes that this Honourable House reduced at the time of specific crisis. And therefore, to restore them to the position -- the status quo would not necessarily result in the conclusion which the Hon Member on the floor is reaching. Otherwise, the measure would have been implemented prior to the global crisis that gave rise to the House putting the measure in place. We are, indeed, confident that the measure would restore the balance between domestic production and import.
    Mr. Speaker, there was a very interesting debate on the definition of GDP in this House regarding imports and exports. I think that it is very important to draw the attention of Hon Members of the House that imports and exports with respect to rice is very, very important in that equation.
    Mr. Kan-Dapaah 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, on
    a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I resisted the temptation to raise this point of order but because my Hon Colleague opposite kept on referring to the measure and creating the impression that the measure is for revenue. It is not for revenue generation, it is for protection of local industry. That is the focus, that is the objective, it is not to generate revenue, it is to protect local industries and to boost the production of rice and other commodities. It is not to generate revenue from the duty -- [Interruption] -- the Hon Member was talking about imposition of the duty.
    Mr. Kan-Dapaah 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    Mr. Moses Asaga 12:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, on
    a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Colleague on the floor is still misleading this House. The policy is not only for revenue generation, it was made explicitly clear here by the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, telling
    everybody here that it is also to save foreign exchange because we have been importing almost US$600 million worth of rice and to promote local production. And the Ministry of Food and Agriculture's policy has indicated that Ghanaians should now buy made-in-Ghana rice and if you go to the major supermarkets now, we have made-in-Ghana rice there. So I do not understand that my Hon Colleague is misleading the House. So Hon Kan- Dapaah is misleading the House, it is not just a revenue measure but also local production measure.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Kan-Dapaah, I will call you. I will want a few contributions to be made just for the sake of clarifying - Hon Dr. Osei, and then I will come.
    Dr. A. A. Osei 1:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I thought that we all have copies of the Budget Statement and that Hon Members would at least, refer to what my senior Colleague -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Dr. Osei 1:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, at least, in two places, what my senior Colleague said can be confirmed. Page 300, paragraph 864 -
    “Specific revenue enhancement measures to be implemented in 2010 include the following:
    reduction in import exemptions by at least 20 per cent from its 2009 level;
    restoration . . .”
    We are told specifically the reason why it is being -- and then we go on to paragraph
    873 -- [Interruption]-- 864, I think it is clear -- I read it; with your permission, I want to quote. The issue is whether or not it was for revenue and if you read paragraph 864, and I quote:
    “Specific revenue enhancement measures to be implemented in 2010 include the following:
    reduction in import exemptions by at least 20 per cent from its 2009 level;”
    My senior Colleague was referring to “restoration” --
    “restoration of import duty on food imports, especially on rice, wheat, maize and vegetable oil;
    This confirms what he was saying. If you go again to paragraph 873, with your permission, I want to read: “Even”, in fact, I think there is a typographical error here, it should be, “Even though”, but the word printed here is “Even thought --
    “Even though the removal of the import duty was well intended, it did not benefit consumers as expected. The revenues which should have accrued to Government . . .”
    The “revenues”, Mr. Speaker, what are we talking about?
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Minister, please, proceed.
    Mr. Terkpeh 1:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, if you go on -- If you proceed from 873 to 874, it also reads that --
    “Ghana could more than meet her rice needs and become a model in
    rice production in West Africa.”
    Paragraph 875 says that: “Government will put in measures to reduce importation of rice into the Country by 20% in 2010 and a further reduction of 35% by 2012.”
    And then it ends by saying:
    “Madam Speaker, as I speak now, the Aveyime Rice Project is on course, and as in June this year, it had produced 2,500 metric tonnes of rice. A total of 3,177 acres are expected to be irrigated and cultivated within three years.”
    So this is a multi-purpose instrument which is being put in place by the Government.
    Dr. Osei 1:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, Hon Kan- Dapaah was referring to the restoration of imports on food items, not the other measures he is talking about. He specifically referred to restoration and that prices would go up. If he wants to come back and say we would be willing to put in other measures to encourage production, I will not argue with him. But his point is that the issue initially was a revenue measure, that is all he is saying. He should just admit that, yes, it is but we would do other things and then we can go on.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Kan-Dapaah, please, proceed.
    Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the first time reference is made to this particular issue is on page 24 of the Budget and it reads:
    “The low performance of import duties is mainly as a result of the non-restoration of food tariffs on rice. . .”
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Kindly wind up at this stage.
    Mr. Kan-Dapaah 1:05 p.m.
    I am winding up, Mr. Speaker.
    There has been this talk about the free gas that has been given to this country and Hon Moses Asaga talked about the free gas. Mr. Speaker, that so-called free gas
    is for a limited period of time and where will that infrastructure be to utilize the gas during that time? Please, do not let us be kidding ourselves. Somebody gives you a free vehicle but there is no fuel, how are you going to use the vehicle?
    Finally -- [Interruptions] -- Mr. Speaker, I want to end with one admonition and I want to admonish government officials and especially the managers of our economy to be very very careful with comments that they make on the economy. I believe that the free fall of the cedi in the early part of this year was largely the result of comments that were being made by managers of the economy.
    Mr. Speaker, if investors are not coming today, it is partly because of the comments that the managers of our economy are making on the economy. If the managers of the economy are telling the whole world that our economy is so broke, why do you expect that investor, that risk-taker to come and invest? Well, if it is broke, say that to the IMF and the World Bank. You go to them and say a different thing, then you go on air and say something which communicates an entirely different opinion to the investing public. It does not help us.
    With these few comments, I want to emphasize on the need for us to find a bi- partisan approach so that we can confront the economic challenges which face us. In the year 2009, we have missed a whole lot of opportunities. Let us come together and we will be able to take care of these opportunities.
    Mr. C. S. Hodogbey (NDC -- North Tongu) 1:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, because of time, I would be very brief.
    I stand to support the motion moved by the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and seconded by the Hon Majority Leader (Mr. A. S. K. Bagbin). I would talk only briefly on one aspect, that is, the Gross National Product (GNP) which leads to growth rate and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). I know Hon Dr. A. Akoto Osei will be there to heckle me but I will say what I have to say.
    As a matter of fact, because of the nobleness of defining Gross National Product, I shall simply define it as the total purchases by business or capital accounts. For that matter, when we talk of economic growth, it is defined as an increase in an economy's output.
    Yesterday, an Hon Member stated that when the NDC was in power, there were fluctuations in our growth rate. It is true. Those fluctuations were just contractions. There is no economy in the world, which at any point in time, it could be quarterly or monthly, there were no contractions. Therefore, if there were fluctuations or contractions, the growth rate during NDC I or II period, that was normal.
    When the NPP was in power, their concentration was to stabilize the economy or to increase their growth rate. By so doing, Ghanaians have suffered in terms of employment because anytime you want to bring inflation down, auto-matically, you are making unemployment very high -- [Uproar] -- That is a fact. That is a fact which Hon A. Akoto Osei will agree with.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you have a point of order?
    Mrs. Frema A. Osei-Opare 1:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my Hon Colleague said something that needs further clarification. That is, “anytime you want to bring inflation down, you create unemploy-ment”.
    Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that when inflation is down you can actually have more businesses by having reliable source of capital that does not erode and therefore, opportunities may be created for more jobs, businesses can expand. So, this analogy, I believe that the economists here owe this House a duty to correct this very serious statement that my Hon Colleague and Friend has made. Because inflation that is under control actually stimulates business.
    People know that they have a reliable source of money that they can use to expand without this kind of up and down situation. Please, the economists in this room owe this House a duty to correct what has just been said.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon Members, I am looking round for the economists.
    Mr. Hodogbey 1:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I would not like to comment on my Hon Colleague's intervention.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon
    Dr. Osei 1:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in his opening remarks, he said that he thinks that I am going to heckle him. I am not here to heckle him. I only want to aid him in his exposition.
    Mr. Speaker, the Budget that we are debating, on page 16, targeted an inflation of 15.3 per cent average. And then it goes on that it wants to reduce it further to 10.5 per cent. Is the Hon Member saying that the NDC Budget wants to reduce inflation and thereby increase unemployment? Is that what he is saying that this Budget is doing for us?
    If he is saying that, he should speak for the NDC Budget. We did not do that. So, I think it is clear that he is reading from this Budget and if he wants to say that that is what the Hon Minister came to tell us, I am willing to accept that. But he cannot go back and say that the NPP Government did that. He should read the NPP Budget very carefully.
    His knowledge about demand-pull inflation and Philips curve and all that, I do not want to take him on here. Please, he should go strictly by what the Hon Minister said. It will help all of us.
    Mr. Hodogbey 1:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I will ignore Dr. A. Akoto Osei's suggestion and continue -- [Laughter.]
    On the issue of tax revenue, Mr.
    Speaker, it is suggested in some other documents that the tax revenue that we get is between 24 and 29 per cent of our GDP. What is lacking here is that we fail to actively chase those who are supposed to pay tax, for that matter, we have a deficit.
    I believe strongly that if we are able to collect, at least, 50 per cent of our tax revenue, this country will not be chasing dollars and the other things to boost our budgets. I, therefore, want to implore the
    Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning to do whatever they have to do to bring our tax revenue up.
    On the issue of the deficit, the popular deficit we are talking about, we cannot say because we do not want deficit and therefore, we will not put a spur into our economy to grow. We, as a Government, need to go and borrow money - whatever we have to do to get the income so that we can inject into our economy for growth.
    The large deficit was made because of the backdoor payments. By the backdoor payments, I am referring to unauthorised payments which were not publicly approved but they were paid for. So, that is what I am referring to as backdoor payments.
    On the issue of world economic downturn, it does not affect Ghana as the way we are seeing it -- [Uproar.] The only way it has affected Ghana is, not a single bank in Ghana or company in Ghana is closed -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon Member for Ahafo Ano South, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. Manu 1:25 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, much as I am enjoying the tales of economic theories, I want to say that when we have back-door economies, there is no doubt we shall have back-door deficits and payments.
    Thank you Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Hodogbey 1:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, what I stated as backdoor policy, it is what I was referring -- It is not in the economics books; it is a process where you do
    not follow the normal way of making payments. Procurement, even the Budget stated it; they failed to follow the necessary procurement laws, yes, that is what I was trying to refer to.
    Mr. Samuel A. Akyea 1:25 p.m.
    Madam Speaker, on a point of order. I am trying to understand what is going on in this room. But it seems to me there is a lot of intellectual pollution -- [Laughter] -- regarding how inflation will bring about unemployment and I do not know why he is inflicting such pain in this House. If he cannot get any better clarification as to how the economy of this country is being run by the NDC, we should not be polluted the way my Hon Colleague is doing. I must say he is completely out of order.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Please, go on, Hon Member.
    Mr. Hodogbey 1:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, let me continue by ignoring the Hon Member of Parliament. [Hear! Hear!] One most important thing for measuring economic growth -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, if you would begin to wind up.
    Mr. Hodogbey 1:25 p.m.
    All right.
    One most important thing for measuring
    economic growth includes transformation, transportation, trans-forming the economy through advanced monitoring systems which this particular Government's Budget has actually stated to do.
    What I would suggest strongly is, our housing in Ghana or construction -- most advanced economies determine the growth of their economy through how many housing construction or housing projects are going on. We are having so many houses being built, but the materials that we use in this construction industry are all imported.
    rose
    Mr. Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. F. B. Agyen 1:25 p.m.
    That is exactly so, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this House is made up of good people who even, if they are not versatile in various areas, must belong to various committees where expertise would be tapped and learned.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member, who just sat down must not be allowed to sound this notion of a fact which does not exist, that there are novices in this House and therefore, would contribute so badly to very important issues on the floor of Parliament.
    Mr. Hodogbey 1:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member who just made the statement, made a statement which has no value because it was very -- I do not know even how to describe it. [Interruptions.] What I want to talk about is this desalination plant at Teshie. Mr. Speaker, I am not an expert in water production, but desalination, to my own, at least, simple knowledge, takes so much money more than taking water from the Volta River where over 400 tonnes of water run into the sea every day.
    Now, desalination means we are taking water from the sea, boiling it at a very high temperature and distilling it before distribution. [Interruptions.] For that matter I think the Government should try to look to our water bodies and use them for water production.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Order! Order! Hon Member for Manyhia, you have the floor.
    Nana Abu-Bonsra 1:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think something has just taken place for which we have to set the records straight.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Hon Dr. Prempeh, you have the floor.
    Dr. Matthew O. Prempeh (NPP -- Manyhia) 1:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, water is never measured in tonnes -- [Laughter] -- and bringing down inflation is never bad for employment.
    That is why in the highlights of the 2009 Budget, your Government, our Government decided to set an inflation target that was low. He should not come and bore our ears with economics that does not exist; intellectual dishonesty is not good.
    Mr. Speaker, on the 7th of January, 2009, Presidential Candidate Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills swore to become the President of the country and in his inaugural speech, he made certain statements and Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I quote:
    “This is the dawn of a new era; a new era of change for a better Ghana. It is not for change sake; it is a change in a new direction to enable us move forward with unity of purpose. Ours would be a consensus-driven agenda and in building that consensus, we will recognise the contribution of our compatriots in other political parties.
    I have always said that I would be President for all Ghanaians, whether they voted for me or not and without consideration --” [Interruptions]--
    I am quoting.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Dr. Prempeh 1:25 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I continue to quote my President:
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    An Hon Member cannot be out of order by simply reading what His Excellency has said. When he starts making his comments thereon, he may be out of order.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:25 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My President swore an allegiance as the President of Ghana and I quote:
    “I . . .”
    I have not got there yet;
    “. . . faithfully and true to the Republic of Ghana that I will at all times preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. Abayateye 1:35 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I have heard my Friend on the other side of the House saying something which is not in the Budget before us, that we are debating. We are debating the Budget and he is talking of what the President said on the 7th of January, so I am at a loss whether we are discussing the statement of the President of 7th January or we are discussing the Budget presented to the House.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Hon Dr. Prempeh, please, proceed.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, on the back page of the Budget Statement, it is said among other things, “on the authority of His Excellency, John Evans Atta- Mills”, a notable legal luminary in giving a speech at the British Council Hall a few days ago on constitutionalism said:
    “It is a pity that in this age and time we have a President who is the national landlord, a chief problem solver, chief financial controller, chief lawmaker, chief patron who checks car loans for Members of Parliament, national chief mourner,
    chief awarder of national honours and the chief prayer warrior.”
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Order!
    Order.
    Mr. J. K. Gidisu 1:35 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Colleague is supposed to be quoting from a source which he has not disclosed and it will be proper for him to disclose that source.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, disclose your source and proceed.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, thank you. I started by saying Prof. Henry Prempeh gave a lecture on constitutionalism three days ago on behalf of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) at the British Council Hall -- three days ago. [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Order! Order.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am quot-ing Prof. Prempeh and I have told you where he gave the lecture. [Inter- ruptions.] I am quoting - British Council. He is a law lecturer.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    You mean Prof. Prempeh?
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, Prof. Prempeh -- Professor of Law.
    Mr. Gershon K. B. Gbediame 1:35 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, he was reading from a document, some may want to go and refer to the document. It will just be proper for him to disclose the source of the document so that those who are interested can go and find it.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Hon Dr. Prempeh, this is very, very much in the
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the IEA organized a lecture at the British Council Hall and invited Prof. Prempeh of Seton Hall at the University of New Jersey on 26th November at 10.00 a.m. [Inter- ruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Order, Hon Members. Order!
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, to the Hon Member who asked the question, I said Prof. Prempeh of Seton Hall at the University of New Jersey gave a lecture on behalf of the CDD at the British Council Hall on the 26th November. [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Order! Order! Hon Members, please, let there be order. Even if an Hon Member attends a lecture by a professional and he refers to it, at least, let him finish his statement, then we can proceed further.
    Hon Member, you may continue.
    Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I believe that I was at that lecture by Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) by Prof. Prempeh. And it is the tradition of this House that he does not have the manuscript in his hand, if you so determine and the issue lies in your bosom, he can produce the manuscript where he said -- because I remember vividly that that is what Prof. Prempeh said. And so he can bring the document and he can go on.
    I do not think we should spend too much time, that is the tradition of this House. Nobody can fault that, so he can bring the document later, tomorrow or the day after, he can produce the manuscript. I have a copy of the manuscript.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Hon Dr. Prempeh, you may proceed.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we are debating the policy of the 2010 Budget, Financial Policy of Prof. Atta-Mills, our President and I think it is the first time as I went through the library of this House, that I found out that the Budget Statement has been delivered without budget estimates. That, we as a House, there are no budget estimates attached to this document and as at now, we in the health sector are even at a loss as to what we are going to discuss during the estimates of the Appropriation Bill.
    That is a worry, the worry is that, in this year -- 2009 a lot of things were promised Ghanaians, from Wa to Axim as to infrastructure that is going to be delivered. My worry is that not even a single one of them has been delivered, that is my worry. My worry again is, when a budget comes to this House and it is stated that we will equip Esiam, Ajumako, Zabzugu, Galosota Health Centres and upgrade them into district hospitals -- in 2009 Budget and not a single thing has been done, it is a worry for us. When it is said the Food and Drugs Board's building, Nurses and Midwives Council will be completed and it is not done, they are a worry.
    Mr. Sampson Ahi 1:35 p.m.
    On a point of
    order. Mr. Speaker, my Hon Friend said that this is the first time a budget has been presented to this House without budget estimates. This is misleading. I want to refer him to page 352 of this year's Budget Statement and he will find out MDA expenditure allocation 2010 from discretionary sources. He should abreast himself with this page and then correct himelf by withdrawing that false statement that he made.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, thank you. I will let what he has said stand and I will continue.
    When it is said that Cape Coast Hospital will be upgraded to a teaching hospital and it is not done, it is a source of worry for the people of Cape Coast and its environment. When it is said phase 2 of Bolgatanga Hospital will be done and it is not done, it is a source of worry, whether we believe or not, in the budgets that we are going to present.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Order! Order. Hon Member, do you rise on a point of order? And please, if you want to rise on a point of order, let an Hon Member do so but let us not make noise.
    Mr. J. K. Gidisu 1:35 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, incidentally, I am in a Ministry which deals with infrastructure and would want to convey this to the Hon Colleague that infrastructural develop- ment of the type he is referring to cannot be put in a water-tight compart-ment, it overlaps time. So for him to be mentioning those areas as if by the termination of this year those projects will not be completed is neither here nor there. They are ongoing projects.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, when in paragraph 757 of 2009 Budget, it is said:
    “Madam Speaker, furthermore, two District Hospitals at Bekwai and Takwa and Blood Transfusion Centres at Accra, Kumasi and Tamale would be funded --”
    and we come back into 2010 Budget and it is said that Takwa Hospital will be done, Bekwai has been eliminated, Tamale has been eliminated, I am worried, and that is why I am saying that in this House, if we want to do a proper scrutiny and oversight of the Executive, we should take them by what they say in the Budget, not what they say outside.
    An Hon Member speaking on this floor of the House forgot to add that he was the same Hon Member who was on air this morning castigating his own Government for the lack of transparency in dealing with energy matters. He comes here and separately -- it is on record. We are in this House to scrutinize budget and to oversee that what we have disbursed or appropriated is put to good use.
    Mr. Speaker, it was said in the Budget that Wa and Kumasi would get two regional hospitals. Nothing, not even a sod, not even feasibility studies have been done on where they are going to be sited; that is my problem.
    rose
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Yesterday, I was just informed that yaws that had been eliminated in this country is back. -- [Some Hon Members: Where? Where?] -- In this country. That is why you and me
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon Minister, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. J. K. Gidisu 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, verily so. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Colleague is a medical doctor, for him to be talking about the outbreak of yaws without reference to a point of location is very misleading, and he could use his professional guidance to educate the House on the situation.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Thank you Hon Minister. Hon Member, please, proceed on that line. Be specific.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Of course, when it is said that Manhyia Hospital is going to be funded and it is not funded, the people in Manhyia become disinterested in the Government. [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Speaker, six district hospitals were supposed to have been funded last year. It comprises Adenta-Madina, that is my Hon Colleague's constituency -- Adenta- Madina, Konongo-Odumase, Wenchi- Tepa -- [Interruptions] -- Salaga. None of these places had any of these hospitals; where is the money?
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    When the Government
    comes and says I am going to put a teacher at the centre of education and reduces a
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, please, resume your seat for a moment.
    Hon Members, having regard to the state of business in the House, I direct that Sitting be held outside the prescribed period in accordance with order 40 (3) of our Standing Orders.
    Hon Minister, I saw you on your feet.
    Mr. Tettey-Enyo 1:45 p.m.
    Precisely so. Mr. Speaker, I would like the Hon Member of Parliament for Manhyia to tell the House the source of his information on the reduction of responsibility allowances and then reduction of capitation grant from 4.50 Ghana cedis to 4 Ghana cedis. The House wants to know the source of this information.
    Some Hon Members 1:45 p.m.
    NAGRAT!
    NAGRAT! NAGRAT President.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, when my President tells me that he is going to fund in the Budget, school shirts by September, for pupils in the deprived areas and it is not done, and we are in December, that is our worry. When the Government says it is going to fund -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon
    Member for Manhyia, you will have to respond to the Hon Minister's query. [Interruption] -- Order! Order!
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat. If the Government says Capitation Grant is GH¢4.50, and up till now teachers in Manhyia call me and tell me only GH¢4 has been delivered, that is my source -- [Interruptions] -- my source is my constituency teachers. And the
    Hon Minister for Education and the Hon Dr Annan who is his deputy know that I frequently communicate some of these sentiments from my school to them. Up till now only GH¢4 out of the GH¢4.50 has been paid, that is a worry.
    When rural teachers are promised that they are going to be given 15 per cent rural allowance and it is not done, that is a worry. Today, we are being told by Hon Members of the other side of the House that the Budget is an old document; their manifesto is an old story. A government manifesto is an old story; indeed, Hon Members should be more serious in this House.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. Tettey-Enyo 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, pre- cisely so. Mr. Speaker, the assertion that Capitation Grant of GH¢4.50 has been reduced to GH¢4 in Manhyia District is not true. [Interruption.]
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, let
    me clarify it for the Hon Minister for Education to go and check. I said: the teachers in Manhyia called me and told me, out of the GH¢4.50 that was supposed to come as Capitation Grant, as we speak, only 4 Ghana has been
    Mr. Albert Abongo 1:45 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I rise for your direction, whether the Hon Member can say that he got a phone call from somewhere -- [Interruption] -- and that becomes a point in the Chamber; it is unacceptable.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon Members, let us not misdirect ourselves. If I heard the Hon Member well, he said out of GH¢4.50, only GH¢4 has been paid. I heard from the Hon Minister, a statement to the effect that it has been reduced to so and so. The two may really be different because if it has been reduced, by whom?
    It may be official but the official position may still remain, yet for some reason that amount has not reached the beneficiary. So I will want to say that the Hon Member and the Hon Minister may want to sort those out as to what intended amount has actually reached the beneficiary for whatever reason that might be. So Hon Member, you may now go on with your argument.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, thank you. I would like the Hon Minister for Education to take pains and go down and check. As I speak, three Hon Members of this side of the House have got calls to confirm what I am speaking about. Not only that -- [Interruption] -- this year, the Ministry of Health's emphasis -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, you see, I am deliberately saying this so that we can make progress. Because whether what is intended has

    reached and all matters regarding that cannot be resolved as we sit here; so I would want you to curtail references to that and make progress with the rest of your argument and kindly prepare to wind up.
    Dr. Prempeh 1:55 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two major government policy statements that were made in the year were to deal with malaria eradication and by that, mass treatment of people in Greater Accra with treatment of medicines for malaria. I ask Hon Members sitting here, where in Accra did the Ministry of Health conduct this? It has not been done. Mr. Speaker, that is my worry.
    My worry is that things that are put in our Budget that are never going to be achieved still find their way and it has been repeated. That is my worry. My worry is that, the Ministry of Health has made 2009 2012 a period for reducing maternal morbidity statistics. Like I said before in this House, three regions constitute more than 70 per cent of the maternal mortality statistics in this country -- Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Greater- Accra Regions. This year's Budget, thank God is replete with interventions in Brong Ahafo, Mamobi, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Achimota Hospital, Ridge that the Government is starting moves to address maternal mortality problems by rehabilitating the theatres and building more facilities.
    What happens to the region that contributes over 30 per cent of the nation's statistics on maternal mortality? Nothing is heard. What happens to interventions in Brong Ahafo to bring down maternal mortality statistics? Nothing.
    Mr. Speaker, a few years back, Upper West Region was the worse region in infant mortality statistics. With good leadership, that statistics was brought down tremendously with the support of UNICEF within a year. That is why I say the Budget Statement and the Budget
    Policy should direct us to good things that should happen in this country. This Budget Statement should, as far as I am concerned, be described as dead on arrival. A Budget with no hope, a Budget retrogressing Ghanaians and a Budget with absolutely nothing we can believe in.
    Mr. Gabriel K. Essilfie (NDC -- Shama) 1:55 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the motion on the floor of this august House. Mr. Speaker, for the past several days, a lot has been said about the Financial Policy for our dear country for the year 2010. Some of the comments have been good but some too have been criticisms mostly from my Brothers and Sisters on the opposite side of the House.
    But Mr. Speaker, I have listened and listened but so far ,none of those criticisms seems to have any strength and I consider them to be empty and hollow.
    Mr. Speaker, there is an Akan adage that says 1:55 p.m.
    Kwatrekwa se obema wo ntoma a, bisa ne din. What that means , literally that is: When a person who is naked tells you he is going to give you a piece of cloth to cover your nakedness, ask of his name. For eight good years, Mr. Speaker, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Administration was charged with the responsibility of manning our economy. What did we see? We saw nothing. What we rather saw was an economy that was in total shambles. Mr. Speaker -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Prof. (Emeritus) Amoako, do you rise on a point of order?
    Prof. (Emeritus) Amoako 1:55 p.m.
    On a point
    of order. Mr. Speaker. I think the Hon Member is misleading the House. For him to claim that for the past eight years, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government did nothing is being dishonest to himself. He must refer to the Capitation Grant, the School Feeding Programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme. Would he describe all these as empty? He is being dishonest to himself and he must withdraw.
    Mr. Essilfie 1:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I would like to ignore -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you rise on a point of clarification or order because you just had one point of order.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 1:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am up on a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, unless the dictionary is being rewritten, an economy which grew at 7.3 per cent could not have been said to be in shambles. So the Hon Gentleman there -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Order! Order! Any other Member may have the right to give any point of information but please, let there be order in the House.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 1:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, if for the past two decades or so this is the highest growth rate confirmed by the Government Statistician, 7.3 per cent now reduced to 4.3 per cent, I do not see how the Hon Member should be allowed to say that the economy was in shambles. I beg to suggest that that statement is completely misleading, not only to this House but to the nation and that is the point of order I wanted to raise.
    I thank you.
    Mr. Essilfie 1:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I referred to the economy not having grown in any reasonable or any level that we can be so proud of because Mr. Speaker, as a professional accountant, when someone or anyone tells me that, when you manage his or her business or an economy and then you turn round by leaving whatever you managed with a deficit of 24.2 per cent of GDP, that in my opinion, is nothing to write home about.
    Dr. Osei 1:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I know that accountants are different from economists and I do not doubt that. I know he is a professional accountant and I respect him for that. Mr. Speaker, but when the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning comes before this House in March, in August and November and gives the information that the deficit is 14.5 per cent, this man who was not in the country, now, he is trying to dispute the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. Mr. Speaker, we respect the Hon Minister -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, he is an Hon Member of this House, he is not “this man”; if you would please, correct yourself and proceed.
    Dr. Osei 2:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I correct myself. I am saying that, maybe, he has had something too -- I do not know. This is the Budget Statement given to us by the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
    Hon Member for Shama, we will like to get our facts and figures correctly in this Honourable House.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it appears to me that rather the Hon Member from Old Tafo, with all due respect is suffering from disguised amnesia and the reason why I am saying that is, he was in this House when the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning brought us the mid- year Budget Review.
    When he presented to us that --
    Indeed, when we included the arrears
    that they did not disclose to the people of Ghana, I stood up here and challenged that full disclosure was very important in any financial presentation, be it a country, a business or mum and pap operation. So the 22.4 per cent is right in the mid-year budget review and maybe, he needs to go and read it.
    Mr. Speaker, I want to draw on the floor that there is also a saying that a house without a solid foundation shall crumble.
    Dr. Osei 2:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this is precisely at the heart of the point we were making earlier and that is why I am saying he has to be cautious. The Minister himself is not very sure about that number. At least, he is trying to tell us he is still discovering. He came in August, but in November much later, he has quoted here as saying 14.5 per cent. So which one am I supposed to believe? This is precisely the issue we have been making all the past five days.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
    Hon Member for Shama, respectfully, the moment we get into the arena of facts and figures, let this Honourable House be cautious. So, please, address this matter and let us make progress.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:05 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker, I will take it that the figures that he is referring to, the 14.5 per cent was without the arrears. When the arrears are put in, it is 24.2 per cent and I still stand by that.
    It is right in here and now, the Minister presented this Budget -- the very figure that he quoted in the mid-year review, 14.5 per cent is here and with your indulgence, I will please quote:
    “Madam Speaker, the NDC Government inherited a run-down economy characterized by severe imbalances that resulted in a huge public debt and ballooned overall budget deficit of 14.5 per cent of
    GDP.”
    (Now to go further, the Minister states:
    “The economy of Ghana at the end of December 2008 was not as robust and resilient as we were made to believe. The overall budget deficit including divestiture receipts would have been in the threshold of 24.2 per cent of GDP.”
    Dr. Osei 2:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the accountant's definition of a deficit is completely different. That is why I am saying that he has to be very careful. Mr. Speaker, the truth is that once the Minister puts in the book that the deficit is 14.5 per cent, he cannot change the definition again. Mr. Speaker, the Minister here will tell you that they had discussions with the IMF and they have agreed that it is 14.5 per cent so he cannot turn round and say it is 24.5 per cent. Mr. Speaker, you cannot have your cake and eat it.
    In economics, once it is defined, precisely, you cannot turn round and say politically, they say it would have been. The number is printed in this and this is what has been agreed in the programme with the IMF. As an accountant, you may choose to change it but in economics, a deficit that says 14.5 per cent stays.
    If he comes back later and changes this thing -- But this is November -- this is what he gave us on the 18th and that is the only number you can go by, whether you are an accountant or economist. In fact, this gets back to the point we have been making earlier, that these contradictions create trouble for all of us so he has to be careful when he starts using numbers that he is not sure of.
    It is in the document sent to the World Bank, and he cannot change it unless he goes to change the programme. We know why you cannot go and change the programme. It will have serious
    implications for even the Budget for 2010, so the Hon Member cannot have his cake and eat it.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
    Hon
    Minister, I recognize your presence in the House. Are you in a position to throw more light on this?
    Mr. Seth Terkpeh 2:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I wish to state first that the attempt to draw a distinction between methodologies between accountants and economists is something of the past. As we speak, the IMF, the International Federation of Accountants and the UN are working on a convergence criteria that would give similar interpretations to things like deficits. I also -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
    Order! Order! Please, let us hear the Hon Deputy Minister.
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I also wish to confirm to the House that in March, the Minister did indicate that the deficit excluding divestiture receipts was 14.3 per cent. Nonetheless, as the Hon Member had mentioned to the House, the Minister did come to the House to indicate that we have had further disclosures which had taken the deficit beyond 20 per cent.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
    Order! order!
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:05 p.m.
    I will like to draw the attention of the House that the Minister went on to explain that we were in the process of discovering further arrears
    Dr. Osei 2:15 p.m.
    14.5. No! On page 385, it is not 14.3 per cent - [Interruption.]
    Dr. Osei 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader is saying the Hon Minister said it is 14.3 per cent. I do not have my reading glasses on but on page 385, the amount is 14.5 per cent. It is not me saying it; it is them saying it is 14.5 per cent; maybe, he meant 14.5 per cent. But all I am saying, the argument is that we should accept the Hon Minister's statement that officially the deficit is for now 14.5 per cent. We can argue later about a change but for now, we cannot be messing with numbers, that they say is 14.5 per cent.
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member quotes from the IMF document, but the IMF document, the memorandum of understanding, in which the IMF also states clearly and shows a cautionary lead that the Government continues to work on commitments and contract values and it is likely that the arrears could be higher than what has been stated.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Order! Please, Hon Members, order!
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister, in paragraph 6 continues to stress the point that by way of a quick summary, the truth must be told that the Government inherited a distressed economy characterised by huge trade deficits and that the fiscal deficits alone stood at 2.6 billion, both in economics and in accounting and that is why we have contingencies. In contributing to
    Dr. Osei 2:15 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr.
    Speaker, I would be very happy if my Hon good Friend, the Deputy Minister can tell this House that the 2.6 billion he referred to is still 14.5 per cent of GDP. If he is confirming that, he should just simply say so. There is nothing wrong in having cautionary statements. But the 2.6 he is referring to is the same number which translates to 14.5 per cent of GDP. Why is he shying away from using that word? It is all right to be cautionary, but the 2.6 is still 14.5 per cent of GDP and that is the official number he is giving us.
    No matter what caution he chooses to use, it is the number he has given us. He should simply just say so and we can move on.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am getting very, very sad with what is happening in the House. [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this document was presented to this House by the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. It has become a public document. In the Economics Department of the University of Ghana, in all economic agencies and institutions in our country, this is the document that anybody who is making any assessment, analysis, anything on the economy of Ghana is using as we sit here. The figure contained in here is 14.5 per cent budget deficit.
    Why is the Hon Minister denying this fact? If we were to write an examination today and your teacher asked you, ‘What is the budget deficit of Ghana? Would you quote 25.4 per cent? What would be the
    source? Mr. Speaker, we do not have to be dishonest. Let us engage ourselves for a better Ghana.
    I believe strongly that we should tone down certain aspects of politics and concentrate on doing what we should do to move our country forward in the right direction and I quote the Hon Majority Leader.
    Mr. Speaker, I beg that the Hon Minister consents to the fact that what has been officially documented is the right figure and no other. We can go and do our politics on the platforms, in the villages and in our constituencies but not here in the House where we have an official documentation on 14.5 per cent as our budget deficit.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Hon Members, I think this is a very important matter.
    Dr. R. W. Anane 2:15 p.m.
    On a point of order! Mr. Speaker, I hesitate to come into this fray but I am a bit concerned, that is why I am coming in. [Interruptions.]
    Dr. Anane 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister should confirm to this House that the figure of 14.5 per cent which was presented to the IMF is a false figure and that it has been revised and that we on this side and all Ghanaians can together inform the IMF that wrong figures have been supplied to the IMF.
    Dr. J. S. Annan 2:15 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think this debate is going round in circles simply because our Hon Friends on the other side do not want to accept the fact that there were arrears and commitments estimated at over 1.7 billion. Now, the issue is this, we have an official
    figure that comes to 14.3 per cent or 14.5 per cent. The question is, we are living in a real world here, we are not going to be restricted just to a document.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Order!
    Order! Hon Minister, you have the floor.
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I wish to reiterate to the House that in fiscal management, particularly in dealing with matters of expenditure and deficits, you deal with your payments and you deal with arrears which are classified in three broad categories as liabilities, arrears and contingencies.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Order!
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, by mid- year, the Hon Minister came to the House to again indicate that there were commitments and my Hon Colleagues on the other side know, particularly from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, that commitments are contracts for which certificates have been issued.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Order! Hon Minister, please, continue.
    Mr. Terkpeh 2:25 a.m.
    In response to the Hon Member, I would like to caution any University of Ghana or University of Cape Coast students who will be quoting these figures to be mindful of the definition of arrears and to all, a cautionary note that the deficit is likely to increase as a result of contingencies which the Government is still discovering.
    Dr. Osei 2:25 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, with respect to my good Friend, the Deputy Minister, [Interruptions] -- we talk all the time and I know that he is trying hard to put on a political face which may not be befitting yet. At the appropriate time, when he wants to run, we will teach him what to do. But he is in a very sensitive position, I understand, I have been there before. I do not think that his winding around saves the matter.
    Whether he likes it or not, for today, he is working with the number of 14.5 per cent. Mr. Speaker, he knows that immediately he moves beyond that 14.5 per cent, all the numbers here become garbage, he knows. Because any number will have to be then changed. So for these numbers to be consistent, for now, he has to stay at 14.5 per cent. I do not bear him any grudge. All we are saying is that when the numbers change and they come to change the 2010 Budget, we will debate that.
    We have already asked the Hon Minister to come to this House with the list of the 1.7 billion for us to debate. But
    for the purposes of the 2010 Budget, he has used 14.5 per cent and projected forward. It is all right. All we are saying is that the explanations really matter because that is what he has given us. He should just let us go on and when it is time for them to want to change officially, let them come back and we can all live with it.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 a.m.
    Thank you very much. This has been very useful to put these issues to clear perspective. Hon Member for Shama, you may want to continue and conclude.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:25 a.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my reason for bringing up all these was only to make sure that for the better Ghana that my Hon Colleague, Hon Agyeman-Manu, just talked about, we accept the fact that we indeed, left this nation by January 7th when the NDC Administration took over with serious deficits, and once we accept that, then we can all by consensus move forward.
    But the problem is whenever you talk about the deficit situation, my Colleagues on the opposite side start shaking and they do not want to accept it [Interruptions.] But that is not the way it has to be, except that excessive spending causes deficit which can only be financed in two ways. Either by debt instrument or by surpluses in subsequent years. [Hear! Hear!] Therefore, since we inherited that kind of situation, it will definitely take the NDC Administration time for us to stabilise the economy and move the economy in the right direction. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr. M. K. Jumah 2:25 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member is misleading this House. I can understand. For the past 30 minutes, I have had education in economics from the Merton Friedman School of Economics. The accountant, I believe, probably, was also trained by the Merton Friedman School.
    But my understanding is, financing deficits could also be done by divestiture which their Government did. So it is not only by surpluses and by -- [Interruptions] what my Friend from -- [Interruptions.] I think we should be very serious about this.
    We have a history in this country where in the year 2000, we gave false figures to the IMF and we were penalised for doing that. So when he cautions us, I think we should take his caution very serious. You are misleading this House.
    Thank you Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:25 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the education of my Hon Friend. Divestiture in our system generates revenue, and how do you get surplus? Revenue minus expenditure creates either surplus or deficit, so what is he talking about? But then I am talking about surplus. So if he, indeed, knows that divestiture is also another way of financing deficit, and the accounting equation which is simply revenue minus expenditure equals surplus or deficit, and I am talking about surplus, then he has buttressed my point. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr. Speaker, the sensible and good management of the NDC Administration considering where we started from and applying the principle of management by objectives has brought on the situation where today our cedi is stabilised, and inflation as quoted by the Bank of Ghana is going to be between 15 and 16 per cent by the end of the year. All of us heard it.
    So Mr. Speaker, having said that and we having put ourselves in the situation for proper take-off of our economy in 2010, I want to tell my Hon Friend who spoke a few days ago that the golden age of business is now shored under the carpet; that rather it is going to be the diamond
    age of business.
    Mr. Speaker, I want, on the 2010 Budget just to concentrate on two key areas and give two points to conclude. I want to take the area of agriculture, you see the initiatives taken by Government, mechan isa t ion cen t res go ing to be expanded to all the 170 districts, development and rehabilitation dumps and dugouts for irrigation, the Youth in Modern Agriculture Programme, en-couragement of agro-processing by bringing it to the doorstep of the average Ghanaian because the Agricultural Ministry is going to make sure there is proper acquisition of agro-processing equipment which are reasonable and affordable, that the ordinary person can buy to process all the products that value can be added to so that it can bring employment to the people of Ghana.
    Dr. Kojo Appiah-Kubi 2:25 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, can I request the Hon Member to please lower his voice a bit? He is spoiling our ears, just destroying our ear drums, please. I would like to entreat him to lower the voice a bit for us.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:25 a.m.
    Hon Member, that was not a point of order.
    Dr. Appiah-Kubi 2:25 a.m.
    He is definitely not on a party platform.
    Mr. J. B. Aidoo 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this is an august House and he must be mindful of certain phrases that he uses on the floor of the House. Mr. Speaker, we have the
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member for Shama, please, continue.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my Hon Colleague that when you go from bronze, you go to silver, from silver you go to gold and from gold you go to diamond, so we are taking it even further.
    Mr. Speaker, I just want the august House to understand that so many initiatives are being taken in the area of agriculture which we should all hail and support the Government.
    Papa Owusu-Ankomah 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Normally, I would not want to interrupt Hon Members when they are contributing except that the Hon Member on the floor is -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Order! Order! Hon Members, please, keep the interruptions to the barest minimum so that we can hear the Hon Member.
    Papa Owusu-Ankomah 2:35 p.m.
    The Hon Member on the floor is misleading the House. I have heard abnosium initiatives or whatever to eradicate schools under trees. It was something that has been going on many years ago and it is a continuing process. It is a continuing process and I am saying this because I, at the time, was the Minister for Education, and I tasked the GETFund to go round the country and identify areas where they did not have classrooms and were attending school under trees and I set a five-year programme where we would put schools in all these areas.
    It is a continuous process but when people come to this House and give the impression that it is something extraordinary that they are starting, I do not think it is fair. Please, the Hon Member on the floor, I know, has not been around for a while, he just came to contest, I know it as a fact and he knows it, so in some of these statements, he should be careful. Let us set the record straight and please, we have moved ahead as a country and this sort of debates, I beg of us, let us be more constructive.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member for Shama, please, conclude.
    Mr. Bagbin 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my Hon Friend Papa Owusu-Ankomah is aware that even those who have been around for many years in 2001 made similar statements. It is something that Hon Members in the House are fond of saying.

    They should not work themselves up, it is just that we are trying to say that these days we are hearing more often -- [Interruption] please, yes, these things are similar, let us see how we can chart a common cause and move away from it, that I would support. But at least, from time to time when Hon Members are veering into it, it should not be chastised that because he was outside or he was around that is why, no.
    Papa Owusu-Ankomah 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it was just a joke but Mr. Speaker, it is precisely because of that that I get worried. This is because I sit in this House and it is like we are not making much progress, we are standing in one place and I get worried. This is because I may retire from this sort of parliamentary politics in a few years and I get worried - [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Speaker, I believe we want to make progress, that is why in Parliament we are still complaining about the problems that we faced in 1997, it is not good for us, that is not good for the country. So I am saying that let us rise above unnecessary partisanship. That is my appeal.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member for Shama, kindly wind up.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think basically whatever has been said is well taken but I want us to understand that I stressed the point of the initiative of building the schools -- having school buildings for our children to stop going to school under trees because, at least,
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, are you concluding?
    Mr. Essilfie 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, yes, I am
    concluding.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Yes, please, do.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:35 p.m.
    But I want to refer My Hon Colleagues to this magazine called Ieon; this Ieon magazine is actually a magazine that I think, or in my opinion, is a magazine that is more supporting the NPP as a party.
    Dr. M. O. Prempeh 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, before my Hon Colleague from Shama embarks on a fishing expedition, would the Hon Minister for Education, who is sitting in this Chamber, confirm what the Hon Member for Shama is saying that by December 2011 there would be no school in Ghana under a tree?
    Mr. Essilfie 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, please, let me conclude. [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, I think you may well want to conclude on a note that would not arouse further debate. So we may make progress.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am concluding and I just want to refer my Hon Colleagues on the other side to the Ieon magazine. In here is the vision of the NPP flagbearer -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, are you rising on a point of order?
    Dr. Appiah-Kubi 2:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order, please. Mr. Speaker, indeed, it is stated in the Budget that the Government is going to provide a permanent building for every school under a tree and this is going to happen within three years. According to the estimation of the Government, 5,227 schools are under trees; this Government intends to build 165 schools next year, 250 kindergartens; we have 5,227 schools to be built but next year, we are going to build only 165 schools.
    The point is that it would take us - if we build 165 schools a year, it would take us thirty-one years and not three years. [Interruptions.] They should calculate it, it would take us thirty-one years to complete and not three years. That is the point. They should go back to the drawing board and should not mislead this nation.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my Hon Member is just wasting the time of this Honourable House. Mr. Speaker, please let me conclude. I am referring Hon Members on the opposite side to this magazine -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you stand on a point of order?
    Mr. Awuah 2:45 p.m.
    Yes, please, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to let my Hon Colleague who is on the floor know that as a former Regional Minister, I do know that the programme of eradicating schools under trees started within the NPP era -- [Hear! Hear!] -- and that in my region alone, 10 districts benefited from a project from GETFund and that each district had 4 schools.
    Mr. Tettey-Enyo 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I just want to correct an impression being created by the Hon Member of Parliament sitting at the other side who just spoke. He was asserting that the policy of removing children from classes under trees was started during the NPP regime. That is not correct. Hon Papa Owusu-Ankomah will even support me in saying that this has been a continuous policy to remove the unfortunate children from learning under trees. My Colleague is not saying that -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Mr. Tettey-Enyo 2:45 p.m.
    He is not saying that we are going to bring in place a new policy. The purpose of the programme that we are launching is to remove the system of placing our children under trees to learn and attempts have been made in the past and the Hon Former Minister
    has also reminded us that he produced a programme to intensify the effort to remove classes under trees.
    We are going to continue that programme and with the support of all stakeholders, we hope to remove every single class under trees from the system, with your co-operation, the co-operation of all stakeholders.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Member for Shama, will you wind up -- conclude.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am referring -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, a conclusion would be a summary of what you have already said, in a sentence or two.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:45 p.m.
    That is exactly what I am doing, Mr. Speaker. That I am referring them to this magazine, they should read it -- [Interruption.]
    Dr. Prempeh 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in order to clarify issues, paragraph 906 of this year's Budget -
    “A number of initiatives in the social sector will be undertaken beginning in 2010 to improve the quality of life of the people. Key amongst the initiatives will be:
    a programme to remove schools under trees;”
    How do we reconcile the statement in this Budget with what the Minister for Education is saying and the Hon Member for Shama (Mr. Essilfie) alleged. If we are all agreed that schools under trees' removal started from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's time, he cannot by this Budget take credit.
    Mr. Hodogbey 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in the
    Mr. Essilfie 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I do not think this is Question time so I will ignore that. [Laughter.]
    Mr. O. B. Amoah 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member has spoken a lot and I know he is getting tired. Unfortunately, everything that is said here is captured in the Hansard. He started by saying that that magazine he is holding (Ieon) is supposed to be a pro-NPP magazine. It is not true; I do not know that and I do not want this to go into the records of Parliament here. It should not be in the Hansard. I thought by the interventions, he would stop this assertion.
    He is still continuing to say that the vision of the NPP, because it has been captured in Ieon, means that this magazine -- which is even strange to some of us who are dyed-in-the-wool NPP -- is supposed to be a pro-NPP magazine. It is not correct, he is misleading the House; he should withdraw it and he should not continue what he is saying.
    Mr. Essilfie 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I have already referred to the magazine. They can read it and they will see that the very vision they have which is already captured in this -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon
    Mr. Essilfie 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am not going to read that document anymore because I have already referred to it. They can get it and read it; his vision is exactly what is in here. So whatever they intend to do, we are already doing it, so they should join us in moving Ghana forward in the right direction.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Member.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Balado Manu, I got the impression that you have already contributed.
    Mr. Manu 2:45 p.m.
    No, I have not contributed.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    You may make your contribution.
    Mr. S. K. B. Manu (NPP - Ahafo Ano South) 2:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise to contribute to the motion moved -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    And may I add, the rest of the Members would have 10 minutes each as earlier indicated by Leadership. The clock is here and it will be enforced. Please, go ahead.
    Mr. Manu 2:55 p.m.
    I thank Mr. Speaker for being charitable with others to spend about
    30 minutes whereas during my time, I am being reminded of 10 minutes; I can only thank him.
    Mr. Speaker, if we go to the Budget at paragraph 426, we read that the Capitation Grant was increased from GH¢3 to GH¢4.50. Mr. Speaker, nominally, it is an increase. But when you go down to the ground and to evaluate what the money is used for and look at inflation and the cost of living at this time, you will come to realise that the GH¢4.50 cannot do what the GH¢3 could do.
    I am glad to have been the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Education and to say that under my chairmanship, the current Hon Minister for Education was taken round some parts of the country to evaluate the performance of the Capitation Grant. And one will attest to the fact that when we went round, the managers of the schools told us that they wanted GH¢6 for the Capitation Grant.
    They also said they wanted the deductions that were made at the district level for sports and culture to be decoupled from whatever amount was coming in from the Capitation Grant so that they could get GH¢6 for whatever it was meant for.
    So if, as the Hon Minister, they are going to give GH¢4.50 out of which some have been taken for culture and sports, I do not think they should be striking their chest and saying that they have done what Napoleon could not do.
    Mr. Speaker, if we go to page 427, there; we are told that an amount of GH¢17.2 million was set aside for the provision of, among others, school uniforms. Mr. Speaker, a year after the allocation of the amount for the provision of school uniforms among others, the question that
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. J. K. Avedzi 2:55 p.m.
    Exactly so.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member made reference to page 427. When I checked the Budget Statement, the last page is numbered 389. So I do not know which one he is referring to.
    Mr. Manu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the day is far spent. Some people have lost concentration -- [Laughter] -- and their capacity to listen has dwindled and therefore, when I am talking about paragraphs, people are talking about pages. I think we should be winding up the debate today because deficiency syndrome is setting in.
    Mr. Manu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I was talking about paragraph 427 where we were told that GH¢17.2 million was set aside for the provision of school uniforms. One year into the allocation of the fund, questions that parents and school children and the House are asking is, where are the uniforms? Sadly enough, if you go to the projections for 2010, no amount was earmarked for the provision of school uniforms as was done the previous year, which was not even complied with.
    So the issue is, even when an allocation was made, children and parents are yet to get the uniforms. Now that nothing was allocated for school uniforms, what will happen during the 2010? Or the provision of school uniforms is just a one-time programme or policy? Maybe, in winding
    up, the Hon Minister can throw more light on that.
    Mr. Speaker, if I go to page four hundred -- [Uproar] -- paragraph 428 - because he said “page” I am tempted to follow him -- If I go to paragraph 428, there we have been told something about second-cycle institutions and with your indulgence, I would quote:
    “Government reversed the duration of the Senior High School, from the initial four years to three. The change will take effect at the beginning of the next academic year.”
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Minister for Communications, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. H. Iddrisu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Hon S. K. Balado Manu has even proceeded to issuing threats that nobody, nobody -- [Some Hon Members: Order? Order?]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Please, proceed.
    Mr. H. Iddrisu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, what the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic
    Mr. Manu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, at this level I do not want to turn Parliament into an English Language class. Mr. Speaker, if I were, I would have referred to paragraph 428 and read the sentence. I am sorry the students who visited us today are no more here. The sentence reads:
    “Government reversed the duration of the Senior High School, from the initial four years to three.”
    “Government reversed . . .” I do not want to go into grammar.
    This is not a future tense and it appears under “Performance in 2009”. The Budget we are talking about now is for 2010. So if they said that the change will take place next academic year, my understanding of the “next academic year” would be 2009/2010. And mind you, Hon Minister for Communications, the academic year for 2009/2010 has taken off and the change has not happened.
    It therefore, goes to say that what the
    Mr. H. Iddrisu 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. My Hon Colleague conveniently decided to narrow his quotation to what would suit the subjectivity of his argument on this matter. Mr. Speaker, he should have continued with the quote. It proceeds further from where he ended his quotation:
    “The change would take effect at the beginning of the next academic year.”
    So it is not for him to end at only the indication of the reversal. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister for Education has so eloquently communicated this to the Ghanaian public that it is the decision of Government to reverse the process. The reason why it cannot take off is the very basis of his argument, that this House must necessarily consider a review and a possible amendment to the Education Act before it can be implemented.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Balado Manu, if you would continue and then --
    Mr. Manu 3:05 p.m.
    If they would allow me. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister for Communications is a lawyer and he knows that if you go into constitutional law it would tell you that the Marbury and Madison case -- [Uproar!] Marbury and Madison will tell him that a government cannot unilaterally change an Act of Parliament. That is what I alluded to at first. So if the Government, being headed by an associate professor of law, wants to change an Act of Parliament, they should come properly through the sovereign Parliament of the land that promulgated the Act for the Act to be amended. [Hear!
    Hear!] Mr. Speaker -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Balado Manu, for now you are a layman to the law and you may want to talk about the facts of a matter. I do not know whether you may be allowed to quote law and legal cases yet. So you may please proceed on very careful grounds.
    Please, go on.
    Mr. Manu 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I quoted that to indicate that there is separation of powers and it is for Parliament to promulgate laws and for the Executive to implement them. Where the Executive wants to amend an Act passed by Parliament, they know how to come and they should come properly. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, with the utmost of respect, not to challenge your ruling, I believe that the Hon Member has the right to quote whatever source he wants to quote; it does not necessarily mean that it is law. What he has quoted may be right and so I believe that if you now cocoon us, those of us who do not belong to the so-called learned profession into not quoting anything, then we would not be able to debate in the House.
    So I beg to say that, let us feel free to quote whoever we want to quote. If I want to quote Bagbin, let me quote Bagbin, if I want to quote Papa Owusu-Ankomah, let me quote and I think that that right, we reserve it, it is sacrosanct and it cannot be taken away by the Mr. Speaker.
    What he said was to buttress the point that he has a point to make and not only for lawyers. This Parliament is not only for lawyers; it is for everybody who has everything to say. I beg to say, Mr.
    Speaker.
    Mr. Joe Ghartey 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that my very dear Friend, the Hon Majority Leader, Hon Haruna Iddrisu, Hon Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Hon Owusu-Ansah and others are sitting down for our very dear Uncle to refer to the learned profession as “the so-called learned profession”. [Interruptions.] I am surprised. It is the learned profession; it is our profession and it is the learned profession; he cannot describe it as “so- called”; and the Speaker himself cannot debate otherwise, I am sure, he would rise in Chair with anger.
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker “learned” by the definition in the dictionary means something else. If you choose to accord yourself that title, then it is “so- called” because there are people who are scientists, who are rocket scientists, who are space scientists, who are doctors, and are they not learned? Are you the only people who are learned? You are so-called learned -- I repeat, so-called learned. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr. Ghartey 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, if we are not rocket scientists, we are not nuclear scientists, we are not engineers, all we are is lawyers and we are referred to as “learned”. If the engineers and the accountants and so on want to refer to themselves as “learned”, it is up to them. We are learned, whether Hon Hackman Owusu-Agyemang likes it or not. He seems to dislike lawyers; I wonder why. Mr. Speaker, I suspect that he always had a sneaky desire to be a lawyer but unfortunately, he did not succeed.
    Mr. Owusu-Ansah 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that my Brother, the Hon Hackman Owusu-Agyemang is referring to a learned profession as a “so- called” profession. Mr. Speaker, in every profession under the sun, law has a hand in it. Even an engineering certificate that would be awarded to a person, there is
    Mr. Owusu-Agyemang 3:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I come from a very simple premise; what is the meaning of “learned?” I am not aware of the whole world referring - If one is a doctor, he or she cuts up people, they call him or her doctor; if one is an engineer, they call him or her engineer and if one is a lawyer, they call him or her lawyer. But if one chooses to call himself or herself, to arrogate onto oneself a title which sometimes one does not deserve, then obviously -- I do not think they should make noise about being learned and not learned; it is neither here nor there. [Interruptions.] They are not learned.
    Mr. H. Iddrisu 3:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. The Hon Owusu- Agyemang, Member for New Juaben North is violently out of order. And he is not just out of order, his comments are an affront to the dignity of trained persons who belong to the category of persons rightly and justifiably referred to as learned people.

    Indeed, and therefore, he must withdraw

    the words “so-called”; it is rightly a referral that is religiously ascribed to persons who have had legal training. Indeed, if he was learned and respected the learned people, he would not describe them as “so-called learned” people.

    When the Hon Balado embarked on a journey with reference to Marbury and Madison, I am sure the learned people here were worried. Because as he proceeded, he deviated from the issue of judicial review, which is what that particular case espouses, and went on a journey because of that deficiency. I think that the Hon Owusu-Agyemang, who is my Uncle, must withdraw the word “so-called” and accord persons. It is not easy undergoing legal education; they go through troubled waters and it is important that he recognizes that it is not easy and that they are not “so-called”.

    Indeed, Mr. Second Deputy Speaker,
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I believe this path that we are treading is most unhelpful to the debate on this very important document that we have before us. I appeal to you to truncate the journey that people would like to ferry us on which is most unhelpful to the cause of this House. If I may, I may want to plead with you to redirect the person who was on his feet to continue with the debate.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:15 p.m.
    Nevertheless, Hon Owusu-Agyemang, words are not just their ordinary meaning, words also come to have usage and there is common universal usage accepted and attached to words. You cannot deny the fact that the learned profession has been so described and accepted by usage at least. I will therefore, wish that in future we do not make such references like “so-
    called” because they do not help business to progress in the House.
    Hon Balado, you may please conclude. If you listened to me carefully, I said I would advise; I did not make a ruling on Hon Hackman. And I will advise, as a law student, it is in the true interest of the profession that you do not go quoting cases in public. If you want me to go further, this is what I will tell you at this stage.
    Just go ahead and make your point, because like the Hon Member has said, if we were to go into that case in detail, it will be a different matter.
    Please, go ahead and conclude.
    Mr. Manu 3:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, all that I wanted to say was to tell the NDC Government that there is separation of powers and it is for Parliament to make laws for the Executive to implement and when the Executive wants to change anything that the Parliament has done, then there is a procedure for that and until that is done, the Hon Minister or nobody can stand somewhere and say the Act of Parliament has been reversed. That was all I wanted to say.
    Coming back to the debate, paragraph 429 talks about National Service Scheme and there, a key statement has been made that an endowment fund is going to be created for national service. You know, as I do, that national service persons are not interested in endowment funds. What they are interested in is their allowances. For two months now, these young men and women have been posted, some are working with us, they have not been paid.
    It is by the magnanimity of Members of Parliament, who work with these young people, who from time to time give them something to cushion them. Should a budget not be talking about how these young people are going to be paid rather
    than talking about an endowment fund? Is that what concerns these young ones? This is a misplaced priority and I want to advise the Ministry to re-channel their efforts towards what the national service persons will be interested in. No wonder they have started calling it “National Suffering Scheme”.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:15 p.m.
    Honourable, you will wind up, please.
    Mr. Manu 3:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, unfortunately, let me say that paragraph 448 -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Tettey-Enyo 3:15 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I had wanted to allow my Hon Friend, Balado Manu to use the ten minutes allotted to him to bring out the points that are worth raising about this Budget. He is talking about paragraph 429 and about an endowment fund being proposed for national service persons, I cannot see it in my copy of the Budget and therefore, I will advise that he withdraws the exhortation, admonition and whatever he is saying about misplaced priorities because this is offensive to me and the House.
    Mr. Manu 3:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I would only take what the Hon Minister is saying to be true when I am convinced that he has not read the entire document we call the Budget. If he has read the entire document, I think he would not have challenged me on what I have said.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:15 p.m.
    Honourable, since you referred to a particular place, if you cannot substantiate it, just withdraw that and then conclude. You cannot be allowed to just throw it in, please.
    Mr. Manu 3:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it is paragraph
    Mr. Manu 3:15 p.m.


    451 and with your indulgence, let me quote to settle the dust and confusion that are engulfing the Hon Minister --

    “Government will continue to post service personnel and volunteer service personnel to areas that they are needed most, especially the rural areas. Government will also facilitate income-generating activities and implementation of the endowment fund policy for the Scheme with the aim of making it a self-financing organization.”
    Mr. Tettey-Enyo 3:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I now understand the reason why the lawyers are so jealous about their learned position. My Hon Friend is a “simple teacher” like myself and he must be truthful to what we are saying. He referred to paragraph 429 where there was nothing being said about it. And that aspect of his proposal is different from what is here.
    The Scheme has already got their endowment fund and what is the problem about this if Government says we will continue to implement that? At least, he should know that we do not need his advice about prioritization of our development programmes.
    Mr. Manu 3:25 p.m.
    The Hon Minister cannot take from me an interest in National Service. I, Balado Manu, was one-time Co-ordinator of National Service. That aside, I am a Ghanaian and I am interested in what happens to the National Service
    Scheme because I have relatives, perhaps, my children are even on the Scheme. So for him to tell me that he does not need my advice, he must have better said he does not need the Opposition in Parliament.
    Mr. Speaker, arrogance in leadership leads to people crashing. Arrogance - I repeat -- in leadership leads to the doom of such leaders.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Balado, you have a minute to conclude.
    Mr. Manu 3:25 p.m.
    Yes, I thank you because I am even glad the lawyers took my time to debate.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Please, conclude.
    Mr. Manu 3:25 p.m.
    Finally, let me say that paragraph 444 talked about motivation and teacher retention. Mr. Speaker, if what the papers are writing and what leaders of teacher organizations are saying is true, then teacher motivation can best be assured where the paltry sum of GH¢1.00 that was the teacher's respon-sibility allowance, the GH¢40.00 that was the teacher's car allowance has been whittled down to 30Gp and GH¢7.00 respectively.
    That cannot convince any teacher to feel motivated. If we want to motivate teachers, we should motivate teachers the way we motivate our children. When children are going to school, how much do we give them daily?
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    So your concluding sentence is that?
    Mr. Manu 3:25 p.m.
    I will recap it. I will recap it.
    Mr. Bagbin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, Hon Balado Manu worked with the Education Committee for a long time. But in trying to refer to facts, he should really be factual. National Service personnel were engaged on the 5th of October this year;
    it is not yet up to two months but he says there are already in two months' arrears.
    The reality is that they have been paid the one month that they have served; I just called to cross-check on it. So he has to be factual. Many of these things, we have to cross-check before we state them and the intention should not be to excite and get people against any policy. I just called on this thing; they said they have been paid and it is not up to two months. So it cannot be two months' arrears; it cannot be.
    Mr. Manu 3:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we do not have to make calls to know whether National Service persons have been paid. At least, I have one working with me; he has not been paid.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Balado, after that the last sentence.
    Mr. Manu 3:25 p.m.
    After that, the last sentence is that this Government proffered Heavens to teachers to win their support and votes and now that they are in the saddle, comfortably seated, they have turned their backs to teachers and they are whipping them with canes -- GH¢40.00 that they had as car allowance is now GH¢7.00. And the GH¢1.00 they had as monthly responsibility allowance is now 30Gp. How much do we give to our children when they are going to school everyday? And that is the better Ghana we want for our teachers?
    I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
    Dr. Joseph Samuel Annan (NDC -- Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem) 3:25 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Budget Statement and the Government's Financial Policy. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of talk the last few days, but one thing that I want to assure the people of Ghana on is that this Budget. “The Growth and Stability Budget” is a budget that is based
    on what I will describe as a miraculous recovery from the abases of what we came to find.
    We have a lot of very useful discussions about what constitute a deficit, what constitutes arrears but we know that as of January 2009 -- and what they are laying before Parliament today -- there has been a miraculous recovery due to prudent micro economic policy that has led to stabilization and fiscal consolidation.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Order!
    Dr. Annan 3:35 p.m.
    The Budget seeks to
    bring about sustained growth not only in agriculture, not only through innovation in agriculture but addressing in-frastructural needs, the oil and gas, private sector and information, communication and technology (ICT). We are attempting to reduce poverty. So Mr. Speaker, I want to look at once again one or two points of the educational aspect; how this fits into this unity Budget that had adopted an integrated approach.
    Mr. Speaker, let us take it from the point of the quality that we want to bring into the education sector to improve in the long-term, the human resource requirements of this country.
    Mr. Speaker, our Friend, the Hon Member for Ahafo Ano South yesterday and today has repeated an assertion that motivation for teachers cannot be because there has been a reduction in their allowances, particularly the supervision allowances paid teachers.
    This assertion, Mr. Speaker, is patently false. There is no policy from the NDC Government that has reduced the amount
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. Manu 3:35 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister mentioned that I said something yesterday and today and they are false. What I said, I want to restate it, as I did, was that if, conditional terms, what we have been reading in the Papers and what teacher organization leaders have been saying are true, then the reductions are not the best we can do for teachers. It was a conditional tense I used, “if” -- if clause.
    Thank you.
    Dr. Annan 3:35 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
    I will continue. Mr. Speaker, from the education perspective, we have talked about trying to eliminate schools under trees, the provision of 165 school buildings, 250 new schools and furniture for kindergartens and so on. When we talk about an integrated budget, we are looking at localizing the opportunities. This is where we noted that 14,000 jobs will be created, not just for masons, but plumbers and other artisans.
    So the mathematics that was done
    earlier in this House showing that there were 35 masons alone per building was wrong. What we are talking about is localizing opportunities for job creation. Mr. Speaker, I want to also add that in the Budget, we talked about a technical institute for Suame and the focus on artisanal development is a must for Ghana. Eighty per cent of artisans in this country do not have any formal training.
    So the focus on technical and vocational education is a must for the economy of Ghana and this is where we are concentrating our efforts to make sure that ordinary people get access to qualifications that will enable them to get better placement, in the job market, particularly, given that we want to eventually industrialize, and increase the opportunities for young people in the areas that are related to the oil and gas markets.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, do you stand on a point of order?
    Mr. Manu 3:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, yesterday
    I do not remember taking the floor. The Hon Deputy Minister keeps referring to me as having said something, having said that. I have read the document, some of them have not read it thoroughly. I know that if you go to the section under Local Government, there is a paragraph stated in black and white on school feeding programme. Maybe, he wants me to say that they have taken the job from perceived NPP women and given it to NDC women.
    If he invites me to say that, yes. But to say I said it is not contained in the Budget is just to be economical with the truth.
    Dr. Annan 3:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in terms of
    Prof. (Emeritus) S. K. Amoako 3:35 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, I think the Deputy Minister is making some pronouncements and they need clarification. For example, he said they are planning to increase the school feeding to 250,000 pupils. What we want to hear is what has been provided for in the 2010 Budget, not what they are planning to do.
    Again, he quoted some impressive figures telling us about the supply of textbooks. I have it on record that no textbooks have been supplied since the beginning of this academic year. So he is misleading the House by making those assertions. The whole nation, no textbooks have been supplied. So why is he misleading the House by saying that they have supplied textbooks to schools? We are now in December and since September, no textbooks have been supplied to schools in the entire country. The Deputy Minister should come again to explain.
    Dr. Annan 3:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, continuing in talking about the school feeding programme, let me just read section 558 of the Budget statement.
    “Implementation of the programme will continue in 2010 placing emphasis on rural communities
    with an additional 250,000 pupils expected to be considered. Farmer Based Organizations will also be mobilized at rural community level to produce and sell to the programme to facilitate the retention of about 80 per cent of the projected feeding cost at the rural level to create wealth.”
    Mr. Speaker, I read this part to illustrate
    the point, the overall point I want to make, that this Budget is an integrated Budget which is aimed at bringing jobs, bringing hope, bringing inspiration to ordinary people in our rural areas, the dis-possessed, the youth in our cities. It is only through an approach like this that we would be able to bring what we promise for a better Ghana.
    Mr. Speaker, looking at some points,
    the achievements that have been made through the education sector are going to help bring new life to this economy. Without an integrated approach, without us looking at the human resources that we hope to bring forth in the next coming years, we would not be able to achieve the economic dreams.
    Mr. Speaker, it has been a long day for
    all of us; I do not want to take too much of our time. Let me end by reiterating the point that it is only through prudent management of this economy, that the necessary input can be provided and I wish to state that if you look at the Budget for the education sector, this year, 1.72 billion which is an increase over last year has been allocated the education sector.
    This, indeed, shows Government's commitment to investing in people and that without the requisite investment in people, we shall not be able to reach the heights of a middle-income country in the shortest possible time.
    Mr. Speaker, with these words, I just
    Mr. Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi (NPP -- Ejisu-Juaben) 3:45 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to contribute to the motion on the Budget Statement and the Financial Policy of the Government for the year 2010.
    Mr. Speaker, my submission would be on two broad areas -- roads and transport -- and I believe my time would be two times the time allotted to each Hon Member who spoke.
    I would start with the performance of the road agencies and the Ministry of Roads and Highways but first, I would limit my submission to maintenance of our roads.
    Mr. Speaker, maintenance, both routine
    and periodic, ensures sustenance of the level of service of our roads and also preserves the capital investment that the nation has put into building such infrastructure. That is the reason why prudent and timely maintenance is so important.
    For some statistics, and I am quoting
    from the statistical analytical report prepared by the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Ghana Statistical Service on the condition of our roads between the years 2000 and 2008, just briefly, Mr. Speaker.
    In the year 2000, the percentage of our roads that were in good condition was 29 per cent; fair condition was 26 per cent and poor condition was 45 per cent.
    In the year 2008, the percentage rose to 42 per cent; the percentage in fair condition remained at 26 per cent and
    the percentage that was in poor condition reduced to 32 per cent.
    In the year 2000, we had about 38 kilometres of road in our network but in 2008, this increased to over 66,000. Indeed, at the end of the year 2008, we had about 67,291 kilometres of road. In that era, the annual growth rate on our roads was about eight per cent which was very enormous.
    Never in the history of our nation had achievement of road maintenance, routine maintenance especially, been so poor than this year 2009 and Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would quote from paragraph 362, page 120. Bullet No. 1 says
    “Routine maintenance on a total of 4,047 km of roads,”
    has been achieved. This achievement, in my opinion, is skeptical and I would give you reasons why it is skeptical.
    I do not know which of the activities has been done because on trunk roads, contracts for pothole patching on our paved roads and for grading on our gravelled roads were awarded in the first week of November this year, 2009 and I wonder how we were able to achieve routine maintenance on 4,047 kilometres of our roads. I believe signing of agreements has been completed and contractors have not even moved to site to perform these works.
    Mr. Speaker, when you travel on our
    Mr. Albert Abongo 3:45 p.m.
    On a point of
    order. Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member is saying that there is a reporting of progress of work in the Budget but then the first contract to have been awarded
    by this Government was only awarded in November. When a government changes, the contracts are not terminated and that is why we are saddled with a huge debt and we are also saddled with the progress of work, so he should take it from there.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 3:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, just proceed.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 3:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    the problem is the same on feeder roads. When you go to paragraph 365, page 122, and Mr. Speaker, I would read. It says,
    “The Department of Feeder Roads (DFR) completed a total of 6,854 km of routine maintenance works on its network.”
    Feeder Roads advertised their projects in the middle of October this year and I wonder how on earth we can have such performance on our feeder roads.
    Mr. Speaker, in short, delayed
    maintenance is an unhealthy situation any government should put itself in. It should not be encouraged because it weakens the roads that we have taken pains and moneys to put up. It also erodes the capital investments that we have made.
    Even if these figures are correct which I do not, in fact, agree to, it means the performance on our trunk roads and on our feeder roads are less than 40 per cent. In the NPP Administration, they demanded 100 per cent routine maintenance on all our roads and made sure that the targets were met.
    Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Highway
    Authority, in view of the administration's order had a two-year period for routine maintenance which they award on
    contracts. January this year, 2009, works that were supposed to be done in 2009 and 2010, evaluation reports were ready and what happened to them? All these reports were cancelled and a fresh advertisement was made and that is the reason why this year, we could not start routine maintenance on our roads early.

    This, Mr. Speaker, is not a healthy situation. Mr. Speaker, is this the right direction that we want to move our nation to? But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Minister for Roads and Highways had some policy initiatives which I know are not new to the Ministry but it is good that are being continued. When you go to paragraph 373 of our Budget, page 125, the first bullet and with your permission, I would like to read:

    “Maintenance of road assets; the Ministry will shift its focus from upgrading and rehabilitation of roads to routine and periodic maintenance activities;”

    Mr. Speaker, it is good that we concentrate on routine and periodic maintenance activities, but over-reliance on routine and periodic maintenance activities, will not enable us upgrade the level of service that we want our roads to have. In doing so, we will not be able to have our roads to perform the function as the wheel of economic growth.

    Mr. Speaker, what could we have done as a nation if Achimota-Ofankor, Tetteh Quarshie-Madina, Tetteh Quarshie- Adenta, Nsawam-Apedwa roads -- we have done only routine maintenance on them. With the growing traffic, there is the need for us, Mr. Speaker, to also upgrade some of these roads in order to meet our needs.

    Routine maintenance should be
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, you may want to conclude.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 3:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, initially, I told you that I was going to talk on two sectors, so -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 3:55 p.m.
    You also said you would speak within the 10 minutes.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 4:05 p.m.
    All right, that is so, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NPP Administration provided a lot of weighbridges in order to control axle load and it is also worthy to note from the Budget, paragraph 373 -- on page 125, because you said time, I will not quote but the Government is going to intensify axle load control which is very healthy.
    Mr. Speaker, there are other stations that need to be functional; we have an axle load station at Boankra on the Accra-Kumasi Highway, Sefwi Bekwai on Bibiani Sefwi Bekwai road, we have Dadanse Asokwa on Anwiankwanta Yamoransa road and Maim in the Brong Ahafo.
    The axle load stations are all not functioning and it is important, Mr. Speaker, that the Government makes these facilities functional as early as possible because overloading is still high.
    Statistics show that 20 to 30 per cent of the tonnes that we weigh at our weigh- bridges are still overloading. Mr. Speaker, it is so important that we control our axle loads, otherwise, our roads would deteriorate very fast.
    Mr. Speaker, it is also gratifying to note that toll collection is being done by electronic means which is commendable. But Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of roads that we also need to collect tolls on; most
    of them were under construction during the previous Government but now most of them have even finished serving the defense liability period which will revert to the Government. When you travel from Kumasi to Apedwa-Nkwanta, there is no toll station there and I believe if the Government wants to increase revenue, then these are the areas that it has to look at.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, you may, please, give your final sentence.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    His Excellency the President, in his maiden Address, made a very important speech. He said:
    “we should learn to add to what is working and depart from the practice of undoing the valuable contribution of our predecessors.”
    That is why it is gratifying to note that in the 2010 Budget, Mr. Speaker, a number of ongoing projects have been maintained. But two important projects were missing, which I thought was not a mistake but maybe, they forgot to add it. Akatsi-Aflao is an ongoing project Mr. Speaker, but it is still missing and the dualisation of Fumesua-Ejisu-Duamponpon section of the Kumasi-Accra Highway is also missing from the list of the development projects.
    Mr. Speaker, I do not want to believe that they have been left out because they are of no political interest to the Government, I believe it is so important.
    Also when you move to the maintenance
    project, Mr. Speaker, it is very good to
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, your last sentence and then we proceed further with others. Please, we would have to keep to the time.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, a conclusion is a conclusion and it should be part of the art of debate. So just do the conclusion in a sentence, then we would know that you have your script well under command. So please, summarise it.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, I am afraid you would not have the time to do that.
    Mr. Owusu-Aduomi 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, in
    conclusion, I would say that this year has been a terrible year for our road sector; we have negative growth in the construction industry; it registered minus one per cent. The contractors are not being paid for work done; the contractors are suffering; the road construction industry has been seriously wounded; it is being paralysed and these are the companies that this Government would use in ensuring growth of 6.5 per cent that has been predicted in the 2010 Budget.
    Mr. Speaker, although I have not finished with my script, with these few words, I want to thank you sincerely for allowing me to comment on this motion.
    Mr. J. K. Avedzi (NDC -- Ketu
    North): Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the motion on the adoption of the Budget Statement and the Financial Policy for the year 2010.
    Mr. Speaker, we all listened to Hon Members contributing to the Budget Statement and most of the contributions, especially from the Minority side seem to condemn the Budget. Mr. Speaker, that is why I agree with Hon Papa Owusu- Ankomah; he said when it comes to issues of development, let us put politics aside, let us work as a Parliament and see what we can do to ensure that we develop this economy, we develop this country in the right direction.
    Mr. Speaker, the first day of the debate,

    Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei -- rose -- Mr. Francis Addai-Nimo -- rose --
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, I would be very glad if we all simply go to our own contributions because they avoid just what is going to happen now, then you would have flow. But Hon Member, I recognize your presence.
    Mr. Francis Addai-Nimo 4:05 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, my Hon Colleague from Ketu North (Mr. Klutse Avedzi) just said that the contributions from the Minority side seek to condemn the Budget Statement and the Financial Policy of Government. I am afraid that is not true because criticism cannot be synonymous with condemnation. We are criticizing you positively so that we can move forward in the right direction.
    Mr. Speaker, I call on the Hon Member to withdraw the word “condemn”.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, I would be glad if you would take the cue from me and simply make your submission.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:05 p.m.
    I am definitely going to
    Dr. A. A. Osei 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, on a
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, address the Hon Member properly and then we will proceed. Hon Member, please, address him as the Hon Ranking Member of the Finance Committee and we would make progress.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, exactly.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:05 p.m.
    Address him as the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee and then we will proceed, please.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I have
    already said that he is the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee.
    Mr. Speaker, I was making reference to him that on the first day of the debate,
    Dr. Osei 4:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my Chairman is using words like -- [Interruption] -- Yes, I will tell you why. The reason I said “my Chairman”, because he is talking as if he is not the Chairman of the Finance Committee and that is why I said “my Chairman”. If he were acting in his capacity as the Chairman of the Finance Committee, he would not be using words like “my level of perusal.”
    Mr. Speaker, if he was listening closely to me, I made reference to a specific page in the Budget Statement that historically that is the page that information from the end of 2008 is presented and I - if you would recall, the Majority Leader asked me to repeat the page. I started from page 338, that all Budget Statements typically provide you that information on those pages for obvious reasons so that you can do the comparison properly. That is what I was referring to.
    Mr. Speaker, if you try to go to the page he is referring to and you try to do the comparison, that is why some of us including himself are having difficulty knowing what is in the Budget. It is always placed on the page 338, 2008/2009

    and 2010. But here the data for 2008 is missing, that is where I was referring to. I was not referring to everywhere, I was referring to those specific pages and as Chairman of the Finance Committee, he should be paying attention when the Ranking Member is speaking so that he can respond appropriately.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I want to make a correction that I did not say “his level of perusal”, I said “the level of perusal.” So I did not say “his level of perusal”: he should take it from me -- [Interruption] -- Not he alone, the level of perusal of the entire Budget Statement -- not he alone. So I did not make reference to “he” as a person alone, so that correction must be taken care of.
    Dr. Osei 4:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, he was trying to address something specific to my contribution. My contribution -- he did not make reference to the contribution of everybody, he said, “my Ranking Member”. That is what he said -- my contribution, not to everybody else's contribution, so how can he now turn round and say the general level, it cannot be the general level.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, continue.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:15 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I continue my submission. Mr. Speaker, I want to refer you to page 337 of the Budget Statement where we have Appendix 2 that talks about status of primary convergence criteria of the West Africa Monitoring Zone (WAMZ).
    Mr. Speaker, Ghana is one of the five West African countries that has agreed to use a common currency and Heads of State of these countries met and agreed that there must be a common or primary convergence criteria that must be attained by all the member States before the commencement of this single currency.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you stand on a point of order?
    Mr. Awuah 4:15 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to draw my Colleague on the floor's attention to the very table he is referring to on page 337 of the Budget Statement. If I heard him right, he said, “The Gambia scored 4 over 4, that is 100 per cent. But if you look at the table, by June 2009, The Gambia had had 3 out of 4, so it is not correct that The Gambia scored 4 over 4 as he is alluding to -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think my Hon Friend is not listening or did not listen to what I said. I said I am dwelling on 2008. I said 2008, I did not say June 2009, I said 2008. When we come to June 2009 it is a different issue and I am going to talk on that as well.
    Mr. Speaker, as at June 2009, Ghana still scored zero per cent and this is something that we must be working towards. But the fortunate thing is that if you go to page 42, paragraphs 132 and 133 where Ghana has set up a medium-term macro-economic targets -- Mr. Speaker, let me read - paragraph 132, I quote:
    “Madam Speaker, for the medium- term (2010-2012), government's objective of ensuring macro- economic stability with sustained growth will continue to be pursued.”
    When you come to 133:
    “The growth objective is expected to move the economy to achieve 8 per cent real GDP growth rate as indicated in the manifesto of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The following targets and interventions will form the basis of policy formulation in the medium- term:
    “real GDP growth of 8.0 per cent;
    average inflation of less than 10 per cent”;
    Which means, we will attain a single digit:
    “gross international reserves of not less than 3 months of import cover for goods and services”;
    Again, we will attain that one as well:
    “overall budget deficit of about 3.0 per cent of GDP.”

    Mr. Speaker, if all these targets that are set here are attained by the end of 2012, it means Ghana would have been clocking 3 over 4, which is 75 per cent. Mr. Speaker, this is good news for us. And if Ghana, being the only country which even host the headquarters of the West African Monetary Institute should be attaining zero per cent, it is a cause of worry for all of us.

    Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu -- rose
    -- 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member, do you have a point of order?
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we are talking of a Budget for 2010, a very short-term document. My Hon Colleague is telling us about targets for 2012. I would want to know from him, he should bring his argument down to 2010.
    What will be the target for 2010 and what shall we score on the convergence criteria? That is more relevant and more important to us today than 2012, even now.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am surprised my Hon Friend who I know is an accountant is failing to understand the

    MTEF concept that we adopted in this country. The Budget is prepared, it is a rolling budget which is prepared even three years ahead. He should know. Mr. Speaker, I will ignore him.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I know very well about MTEF. I would want him to tell us whether revenues and expenditures we are discussing in this Budget relate to 2012 or 2010.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, your response.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think my Hon Friend is failing completely to understand the facts. I told him that this Budget Statement we are holding here has provisional figures for 2011 and 2012. He should know. The Hon Ranking Member for Committee on Finance can even bear with me that the Budget is based on the (MTEF) -- Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, if he does not know the full meaning of MTEF, that is it.
    Mr. Speaker, let me ignore him.
    Dr. A. A. Osei 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minister himself is laughing. He knows why he is laughing.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Finance say this Budget Statement has provisional figures for 2011 and 2012. How can this Budget have provisional figures? It can only have projections; not provisional, please.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Thank you for your correction. It is a projected figure. [Interruptions.] But that has confirmed that the figure for 2011 and 2012 is contained in the Budget Statement. Is that not it? Correct. So, teach him that this Budget Statement has projections --
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Order!
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I am asking him what will be Ghana's score on the convergence criteria by close of 2010? That is what he should tell us but not about 2012. Does he want to tell us that by 2010, we would be scoring zero; 2011 we are scoring zero and we can only score a figure in 2012? He should address that. That is what we want to know, not a medium-term convergence criteria that we will realise in 2012. He should tell us what will happen in 2010.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, come closer home and proceed.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, because the economy of this country has been run down to the level -- [Uproar] -- And it took the new NDC Government to repair the economy and bring it to a level of stability for the economy to take off; it will take at least two or three years for us to attain those criteria.
    Mr. D. B. A. Nitiwul 4:25 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I believe the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee should not pontificate to us. He knows that the Government is setting a medium- term objective of reaching real GDP growth of 8 per cent an average and inflation of less than 10 per cent.
    Mr. Speaker, when in 2008, they set the targets for 2009 at a real GDP growth of 5.9 per cent, what did they get? They got 4.7 per cent. An average inflation target of 15.3 per cent, what did they get? End period inflation target of 12.5 per cent, what did they get? They got 18 per cent.
    Mr. Speaker, for 2010, they have set a real GDP growth of 5.6 per cent. Mr.
    Speaker, are we going to jump and reach 8 per cent within two years or what magic is he going to do to give us the 12 per cent?
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Order!
    Yes, Hon Member for Manhyia?
    Dr. Prempeh 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, continuing from where my Hon Friend from Bimbilla just left that the Government should set targets, it can meet and talk about things it can achieve, on page 17, paragraph 45, listen to the Government telling its people that:
    “. . . these macroeconomic targets really were overambitious, . .”
    This is the Government that sets these targets and my Hon Friend from Bimbilla here said within a year, they are telling us it was overambitious. Coming events cast their shadows. Next year targets are really overambitious.
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minister?
    Mr. Terkpeh 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I wish to respond to the statement that the Government should set targets which it can meet.
    Mr. Speaker, the Government started with a deficit in the region of 15 per cent and adjusted for contingencies of over 20 per cent. This has since gone down to about 10 per cent. And we have set a target
    of 7.5 per cent. Mr. Speaker, this clearly indicates that what the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee is saying is that, there is indeed a path to attaining the convergence criteria which he is referring to in the debate.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, continue.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, as said earlier on, we are on the path of attaining the convergence criteria set by the West African Monitoring Zone -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Hon A. Akoto Osei, since we are still on con- vergence criteria -- [Interruption.]
    Dr. Osei 4:25 p.m.
    Yes, Mr. Speaker, I think my Hon Colleague's question has not been answered.
    I appreciate the Hon Deputy Minister talking about a path. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the 2010 Budget. And if you look at page 49, the answer that we are looking for is there. So, I do not know why the Hon Chairman does not want to talk about it:
    “overall fiscal deficit equivalent to 7.5 per cent of GDP;”
    It means that it will not be met --
    “average inflation rate of 10.5 per cent;”
    It is not single digit, it will not be met --
    “gross international reserves of not less than 2.5 months of import cover.”
    It will not be met. So, the answer is that for 2010, it will be zero.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, just address yourself to that issue and let us make progress.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:25 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the same page that the Hon Ranking Member for the Committee on Finance read, if he can read the bullet point five:
    “gross international reserves of not less than 2.5 months of import cover.”
    Not less than -- [Dr. A. A. Osei: It should be three or more.] -- Not less than, which means that it can be three, it can be four, it can be five -- [Interruptions.] How do you understand the English -- “not less than 2.5 months”. So, it could be 2.6; it could be 2.7; it could be three; it could be four. “Not less than” 2.5; it could be 2.5.
    So Mr. Speaker, Ghana is on the path to attaining the convergence criteria so that Ghana which hosts the West African Monetary Institute cannot be the country that is delaying the attainment of these criteria for the commencement of the single currency in 2015.

    Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu -- rose --
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:25 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that the Hon Member on the floor, Chairman of the Finance Committee is not up to date in the matter that he is even raising on the floor of the House -- [Interruptions] -- because -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the five-nation group is not waiting on each one of them to meet the convergence before the introduction of the currency. Now, the rules have changed; it is that the countries that converge, at least, two could then start. That is it. The heads -- [Interruptions] -- Mr. Speaker, the man does not even know; the Authority of Heads of State have taken this decision.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I disagree
    completely with the Minority Leader. [Interruptions.] Minority Leader, I disagree with him completely, because these five countries -- the two driving nations are Nigeria and Ghana. If Ghana and Nigeria do not attain the convergence criteria, Guinea, Sierra Leone which form a very small portion of the economies of these five countries cannot pull the big nations along.
    So that decision is not correct, it is not true; the decision is that if Ghana and Nigeria, if the two of them can attain the criteria, they can pull the remaining nations along. So I disagree with him. If
    it is Guinea and The Gambia, they cannot pull Nigeria and Ghana along. But the two big nations, that is Nigeria and Ghana, the two of them, if they attain the criteria, then they can start the single currency and then pull the rest along.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, we have got that point. Yes, Hon Minority Leader.
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Order!
    Order!
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:35 p.m.
    I think the documents that the Authority of Heads of State appended their signatures to did not mention any particular country. The documents say, “at least, any two”. Is the Chairman listening? [Laughter.] The documents say “at least two” among the five, once they attain the criteria, then the introduction of the currency would begin.
    Mr. Speaker, the Chairman could say he does not agree with the new direction, he may say that he does not agree with it. But that is the decision of the Authority of Heads of State. Mr. Speaker, he may wish to take that on board. He is clearly a yesterday man in this.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, you may want to proceed and move towards conclusion.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that the Deputy Ranking Member of the Finance Committee who attended a seminar on this particular topic is quiet and he is not saying anything. Probably, he would stand up and say something and tend to support his Leader; I know he cannot go against his Leader.
    Mr. I. B. Awuah 4:35 p.m.
    On a point of order.
    Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to react to what the Chairman of the Finance Committee has just said. Indeed, the two of us were at the West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ) meeting at Abuja.
    What I remember was agreed over there, in fact, it was part of our communiqué to the Heads of State of the monetary zone countries, and it was that if we were to wait for all the five countries to meet the convergence zone before we take off, then it would take so many years; because we were also waiting to start the West Africa Monetary Zone, operate it for some time and then also join with the Francophone, the CFA zone, also operating in West Africa.
    So it was agreed, in fact, part of the suggestions, was that if any two of the five countries which one should include Nigeria should meet the convergence criteria, because Nigeria's economy alone takes about 75 per cent of the total economy of Francophone West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ). So if Nigeria plus any other country could meet the convergence criteria then they can quick- start it while waiting for the other countries to meet the criteria, and then joining. There was no mention of Ghana , but then there was a specific mention of Nigeria plus any other country from the zone. So I stand to correct him.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, at least, I have been vindicated --
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Hon Member -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    The statement that the Hon Minority Leader made that any two nations is not correct.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Neither
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    My argument is that -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we have this for the record. Clearly, the Hon Chairman either does not understand what I am saying or he, perhaps, does not know the facts that I am putting out.
    Mr. Speaker, it is true that the Authority of Heads of State have taken a decision. Now, the institute is recommending that the two should include at least, Nigeria. That is the recommendation from the institute. But the decision by the Authority still holds and that is what I expect him to understand.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, you kindly conclude.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader is also not trying to understand my position. The position that I am making is that the economy of Nigeria alone forms about 70 per cent of the economy of the five nations and Ghana forms 10 per cent. So putting the two together form 80 per cent of the economy of these five nations. So if he says “any two nations”, if it is The Gambia which forms less than one per cent and Sierra Leone got the convergence criteria, they cannot pull Nigeria and Ghana along. This is my position and this is what I am saying. Mr. Speaker -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, your concluding words.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, having talked on the position of Ghana in -- Ghana -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, like I said to your Hon Colleague
    before you, your concluding words.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    I am going to make my concluding statement.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    But in two or three sentences.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, they have heckled me a lot; at least, you should have given me five more minutes to finish my - [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:35 p.m.
    You would please, finish your concluding sentence.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:35 p.m.
    My concluding statement is that, Mr. Speaker, if we analyse the Budget critically, if we look at the efforts that are being made in terms of rationalisation of our revenue collection, our tax administration and look at efforts that are being made under the Ghana Integrated Financial Management System in terms of expenditure monitoring and if you look at all other efforts that are being made in the Budget Statement in terms of our rice importation and efforts that are being made in terms of investing in the rice production, coupled with the support that is going to be given to the poultry and livestock farmers, Mr. Speaker, one cannot conclude that this Budget has nothing for us in Ghana.
    Indeed, the Budget has a provision that touched on all the sectors of this economy and if we are able to implement all the provisions that we have in this Budget and achieve all that we have targeted for, Ghana would be a very good place for all of us and all the people of this country.
    Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:45 p.m.
    The last contributor would be Hon Gifty Kusi. [Interruptions.]
    rose
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, ten minutes.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:45 p.m.
    Thank you, Leader, thank you, Hon Leader.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:45 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, continue. Go to your point, ten minutes. [Interruptions.] Order! Order!
    Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu (NPP
    Dormaa West): Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity and I want to make a few comments, maybe, less than the ten minutes.
    I rise to contribute to the debate and I want to continue to insist that this Budget is really, really a Sakawa part 2 Budget and I will tell you why I continue to say so. I want to draw attention to some sections of the Budget that have been quoted like Nkatea Burger.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:45 p.m.
    Hon Member for Ashaiman, do you rise on a point of order?
    Mr. A. K. Agbesi 4:45 p.m.
    On a point of
    Mrs. Gifty Kusi 4:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, as a
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, continue.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    with your indulgence, I will want to read from the Budget Statement. [Interruptions.] It is paragraph 885.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:45 p.m.
    Order! Order! Let us make progress. Order!
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    with your indulgence, I will read:
    “Pricing of Energy Products
    A severe drought in the 2006-2007 triggered an acute energy crisis that necessitated a shift from hydro to a more costly thermal-power generation at a time of rising crude oil prices. In the circumstance, the government was compelled to provide subsidies to lessen the hardship on consumers as they could not fully operate a cost-recovery pricing mechanism in the midst of acute power shortages.
    The effect of this is that currently petroleum prices in Ghana are the cheapest in the West African region, providing huge incentives for smuggling and causing shortages in the country. Studies are also underway to assess the impact of re-imposition of taxes on petroleum products on household activities and

    economic growth.”

    Mr. Speaker, if this is not an intention, why do you waste Government funds for such services to be undertaken.? And I do not know why the Government would not want to come straight to tell Ghanaians that we are going to reimpose taxes on petroleum.
    Mr. Seth Terkpeh 4:45 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify a position that it is a similar study of the impact of a tax on consumers that led to the lowering of the taxes on rice which we have been debating not too long ago.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:45 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    the previous Administration, to try to reduce attrition rates in the health sector introduced tax exemptions to enable highly qualified health workers to buy vehicles by not paying taxes. Let us go to paragraph 866 of the Budget Statement. Paragraph 866 -- special permits granted to the personnel of the health institutions services on vehicle imports were intended to be temporary. It is important to minimize revenue losses and also to ensure fairness and equity to all task payers in both the public and private sectors.
    These exemptions should be phased out and that is the way we were going to bring back hardship to the professionals in the health sector which may bring back the rate at which they were leaving our country to make us suffer as a country. Do not even let us end there. Even Members of Parliament, poor Members of Parliament, exemptions on our vehicles is going to be reduced. They have signalled that to be waived, taken away and I wonder how Hon Agbesi will continue to get his four wheel-drive that will enable him to go to the villages in Keta Constituency.
    I will continue. When you look
    at paragraphs 897 and 899, we are talking about enhancing the PPP process. Government will initiate the draft policy for Ghana, pursue the development of the PPP Law, develop detailed regulatory guidelines, manuals, establish the central PPP unit, undertake consistent training and capacity building.
    After all these, that is where the people of Brong Ahafo, my own region will get a university. A promise that has been made and reinforced by His Excellency, the President himself. When shall we wait for the PPP Law to be passed in this House before people in Brong Ahafo Region benefit from a national university that has been promised us?
    The Omanhene of my hometown, Nana Agyemang Badu Oseadeyo II has even given land for the development of a university in Brong Ahafo Region. Now the President is telling us that we are going to bring the PPP Law, we will build capacity in people to implement PPP before we get a university in Brong Ahafo. This is not fair to the people of Brong Ahafo and we demand that proper allocation of funds be made such that we can also have a university in 2010 in Brong Ahafo.
    National Health Insurance Scheme,
    in the NDC Manifesto, we were made to understand that we were going to do one- off premium and after that no Ghanaian will make a premium payment any longer. In the 2009 Budget Statement, they told us that they were preparing to commence the one-time premium thing by 2009. In 2010 Budget, I will read from paragraph 913 and I want everybody here to listen attentively:
    “The National Health Insurance Scheme will be restructured to address the issue of accessibility, among others. The preparation towards the one-time payment of insurance premium is targeted to
    be concluded by December 2010.”
    This is not even clear, whether we will even be able to commence it in December, 2010. So it is going to go into a medium- term, so where is the promise they gave us that Ghanaians will be made to do one-time premium payment for Health Insurance Scheme?
    Mr. Agyeman Manu 4:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, we were made to understand in paragraph 65 that we underperformed so far as revenues from petroleum were concerned. Underperformance was 32.3 per cent; in the course of 2009, this underperformance of tax revenue on petroleum gave an indication of fuel shortages in our country. In 2010, we are budgeting for reduction of 31.5 per cent of petroleum revenue. That gives an indication of budgeting to fuel shortages for 2010. How can we cope with this situation when already, what we went through 2009 was not anything palatable to any Ghanaian who uses fuel?
    Mr. Speaker, I am waiting for the day that the relatives of the First Lady will call on our Excellency President Atta Mills to go and renew his marriage dowry. [Hear! Hear!] Why would you want us to continue paying taxes on our cars every two years? Then let us introduce a policy that will make His Excellency the President go back to the relatives of the First Lady to pay dowry again because when he paid his dowry, he was not the President, and I think the relatives will be better, comfortable now so that he goes with a presidential dowry. [ Hear! Hear!] --
    Mr. Speaker, the taxes are becoming
    Mr. James Klutse Avedzi 4:55 p.m.
    Mr.
    Speaker, I am on a point of order. The Hon Member is referring to the re-registration of vehicles for every two years. In fact, this is even better than going every year to go and then renew your roadworthy certificate -- [Uproar] -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Mr. Avedzi 4:55 p.m.
    So Mr. Speaker, this is biannual, which is every two years you re- register the vehicle so that those vehicles that find their way into this country -- those vehicles that are smuggled into this country and evade taxes and duties would be caught so that we can get a lot of revenue to run this economy. This is a good idea, we should all applaud this idea and then follow it and make sure it works. [Interruptions.] It is better.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Order!
    Order! If you feel strongly about the issue, you will have a say. Let us have order.
    Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu 4:55 p.m.
    On a

    Mr. Speaker, probably, the Finance Committee Chairman would also want to look at the impact of the ad valorem tax that is being reintroduced on industry. Mr.

    Speaker, it is clear, a demonstration has been made, industry has reviewed and come to a conclusion that business is going to go down, their production is going to go down, they are going to lay off workers and the country is going to suffer the more -- [Interruptions.] Mr. Speaker, that is what we want them to address.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, if you want to respond. Order! Order!
    Mr. Avedzi 4:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, my Hon
    Friend was the Chief Executive for the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) until he entered Parliament. During his tenure of office, there were a lot of vehicles that were brought into this country without using the proper channel -- [Interruption] -- he did not provide the means by which those vehicles -- [Interruption.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, if you want to start casting aspersions against individuals in this way, it may not lead us to the right way. Please, avoid that line of argument and say what you want to say.
    Mr. Avedzi 4:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, what I want
    to say is that this measure is a good one that is being introduced to arrest those vehicles that find their way into this country which did not pass through the proper channel so that when you are re-registering every year -- [Interruption] --
    Papa Owusu-Ankomah 4:55 p.m.
    On a point
    of order. Mr. Speaker, please, this is a point of argument. It is not a point of order; it is a point of argument. And Mr. Speaker, I am appealing to you, we should not encourage it.
    Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Mustapha Ahmed (retd) -- rose --
    Papa Owusu-Ankomah 4:55 p.m.
    He is expressing a different view. He is seeking to explain; it is a point of argument, not a point of order. It is an abuse of our Standing Orders.
    I thank you Mr. Speaker.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, do you stand on a point of order?
    Maj. (Dr.) (Alhaji) Mustapha Ahmed

    It will only happen after an amendment to the law that had established the National Health Insurance Scheme has been made. And Mr. Speaker, with your permission, paragraph 499 indicates that there are plans in place to review the legislation to allow for the one-time payment -- [Interruption] --
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Thank
    you very much for the information.
    Hon Member for Dormaa West, please, continue.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 4:55 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker,
    thank you. My Hon Colleague knows that I was once acting as the Chief Executive for the Ghana Health Insurance Authority, and that gives me the knowledge and the capacity to be continuously telling them that no actuarial studies anywhere in this world will give them the green light to be able to do the one-time premium thing.
    Now, they are realizing that it is not doable, so they keep on pushing and pushing and pushing.
    Mr. Speaker, in this Budget Statement, they did not say because of legislation, they are saying that actuarial studies are still ongoing; two good years, actuarial studies -- [Uproar] -- when will they complete before they even come to legislation? Mr. Speaker, I will continue and go into another area.

    Mr. Speaker, if you go to paragraph 302, the last sentence on that paragraph, and they are talking about petroleum. Mr. Speaker, I want everybody to listen. This means that a value of US$800 million was realized for the nation. That was when they were talking of the gas, and because Hon Asaga said that they have very wonderful skills, they have managed to negotiate from US$4 to zero. And I will quote from the Budget that those skills they used meant that a value of US$800 million was realized for the nation.

    Mr. Speaker, US$800 million had been realized for the nation, where is it in the Budget? So we demand that they show us where they put that money -- [Interruption] -- oil money, the gas thing. NPP negotiated US$4; they have used wonderful negotiating skills and we have got it free of charge. Through that,
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 4:55 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, the Hon Member is saying Na sika no wo hen? You may want to say something.
    Mr. Terkpeh 5:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, the Hon Member is well aware that Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is a corporate entity and to date, therefore, the form in which GNPC makes any payments, if any, to the Government is either through dividends which it has declared or other forms of payment. Mr. Speaker, as we speak now, we do not have any mechanism for taxing gas that would accrue to the Budget. At the appropriate time, if we should have such a mechanism, we would dutifully report to the House.
    I wish to also clarify another point, maybe, with respect to why we did not have Estimates in the 2010 Budget. Mr. Speaker, by 2010, we had moved from the stage of studies to actually accessing companies; when they should earn corporate taxes or royalties. Mr. Speaker, as we speak, the mechanisms are not in place.
    His Excellency has said that there would be a Petroleum Revenue Research Management Bill which this House will duly pass and therefore, when we have these mechanisms, we can assure the House and Ghanaians that should any revenue accrue in 2010, we will come to the House with a supplementary budget.
    As we speak now, the companies have not been accessed yet by Internal Revenue Service because we are still at the study stage.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 5:05 p.m.
    Thank
    you very much, Hon Deputy Minister. Hon Member, please, continue without taking us any backwards, proceed.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 5:05 p.m.
    Mr. Speaker, this explains why I said that. I will continue to call this Budget a Sakawa Budget. If incomes accrue to any corporate entity in our country and we find it in a national budget to the extent that the Finance Minister is telling us that the nation has realized -- [Interruptions.]
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 5:05 p.m.
    Order!
    Order!
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 5:05 p.m.
    What will that

    Mr. Speaker, I said earlier on that the taxes in this Budget are too numerous and they are going to worsen the hardship Ghanaians are already going through. Mr. Speaker, I will also continue to say that this Budget has nothing, nothing there to alleviate hardships that had been afflicted on almost every Ghanaian citizen this time round. What is in this Budget, Mr. Speaker, for all these young press people sitting in the Press Gallery here? What is in this Budget for the journalists?

    What is in this Budget for the Hon Members of Parliament? What is in this Budget for the taxi drivers? What is in this Budget for our unemployed youth? What is in this Budget for teachers and the National Association of Graduate Teachers

    (NAGRAT)?

    What is in this Budget for health workers in our country? What is in this Budget for carpenters, masons, artisans and engineers? Who is going to benefit from this Budget in our country? What is there even for poultry farmers?

    Mr. Speaker, we are talking about agriculture, irrigation and all those things we have been talking years and years. What is the immediate benefit for farmers in our country? Cocoa prices are at levels that are attractive and cocoa is leaving our country to la Cote d'Ivoire.

    Mr. Speaker, what is even worse for this nation; revenues are worsening and what do we do? Because we are not raising revenues we are not -- I even forgot about the police and the military, all the security personnel.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 5:05 p.m.
    Con- clusion.
    Mr. Agyeman-Manu 5:05 p.m.
    What is in this Budget for them? What is here for them?
    Mr. Speaker, I will urge my Colleagues on this side as well as my Colleagues opposite me here to adopt the counter motion I have given notice to move such that we will reject this Budget and let them go and bring a new one that will take care of all problems.
    Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 5:05 p.m.
    Order! Order!
    Hon Members, time is far spent; there
    will not be any need for a motion to adjourn but just in case Leadership have any special announcement, they may do so at this stage. Anything special to Leader-
    ship apart from closure which we do not need at this stage?
    In the circumstances, Hon Members, the House stands adjourned till Wednesday, 2nd December, 2009 at 10 o'clock in the forenoon.
    Thank you very much for a lively debate.
    ADJOURNMENT 5:05 p.m.
    Madam Speaker 5:05 p.m.
    Thank you, Hon Member.
    Can we start? Hon Members, we would start from this side of the House (Minority) today. You have 30 minutes to make comments on this Statement.
    Madam Speaker, my commendation will not be complete if I do not extend it to the technical team, the management team, the Government and the entire nation for their moral and spiritual support.
    Madam Speaker, the people of Egypt deserve a special commendation as well.
    As a host nation that fell off along the line, one would have thought that their support would have waned but they were there in their numbers having seen that Ghana was the only African ranger. It symbolized that a victory for Ghana was a victory for Africa.
    Finally, Madam Speaker, the Black Stars have qualified and will be in South Africa in June next year, what next? Will this victory of the Satellites serve as a precursor to the Black Stars also wining the world cup? It is possible, we need to give them all the support they require and I am confident that they can make it.
    I also pray that the unity that this victory has brought to Ghanaians at large will be sustained throughout our lives as a nation so that we can forge ahead in a better direction.
    Madam Speaker, I want to request that the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports arrange for the trophy to be presented to Parliament for Hon Members to see it and have a feel of it.
    Thank you Madam Speaker, for this opportunity.
    Madam Speaker 5:05 p.m.
    Thank you, Hon Member.
    Can we start? Hon Members, we would start from this side of the House (Minority) today. You have 30 minutes to make comments on this Statement.