Debates of 29 Jan 2010

MADAM SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:20 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:20 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon Members, Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 28th January, 2010.
Pages 1-8 --
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:20 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I am drawing your attention to page 8, numeral 8 -- “That this House do now adjourn”, moved by the Majority Chief Whip, Hon E. T. Mensah and seconded by Mr. Joe Ghartey. I believe -- [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker 10:20 a.m.
It should be Hon ‘‘Joe Ghartey”.
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:20 a.m.
Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Yes, should it be “Honourable Mister” or Honourable?
Mr. J. B. Aidoo 10:20 a.m.
Madam Speaker, if you look at “Hon E. T. Mensah,” the title is perfectly so -- “Hon”; so “Joe Ghartey” should also come with the title “Hon”.
Madam Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Pages 9-13.
Hon Members , the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 28th January 2010 as corrected is adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Madam Speaker 10:20 a.m.


Statement for the week. Item 3.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Andrews Adjei-Yeboah (Tano South) 10:30 a.m.
To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what plans the Ministry is putting in place to check the importation of Toyota Camry cars from the United States of America since Toyota USA is recalling about four million of such cars because of operation problems.
Questions --
*341. Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie (Ablekuma Central): To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what measures the Ministry has put in place to ensure that the Procurement Law is modified to allow local businesses to compete favourably with foreign businesses for Ghanaian contracts.
*342. Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie (Ablekuma Central): To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry
Mr. Andrews Adjei-Yeboah (Tano South) 10:30 a.m.


Nkoranza North District with a District Hospital. *264. Mr. John Duoghr Baloroo (Lambussie): To ask the Minister for Health when a District Hospital will be provided for the people of new Lambussie-Karni District.

*347. Mr. Joseph Kwaku Nayan (Nkwanta North): To ask the Minister for Health when the Nkwanta North District will be provided with a District Hospital and District Health Directorate to take care of the health needs of my constituents.

*348. Dr. Kojo Appiah-Kubi (Atwima-Kwanwoma): To ask the Minister for Health when the Atwima Kwanwoma District would be provided with a District Hospital.

Statements

Presentation and First Reading of Bills --

Right to Information Bill.

Laying of Papers --

Report of the Joint Committee on Local Government and Rural Development and Roads and Transport on the Centre for Urban Transportation Bill, 2009.

Motions

Committee Sittings.

Madam Speaker, this is the business arranged for the week ending 5th February, 2010. I duly submit.
Madam Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon Members,
the Business Statement as presented is therefore adopted. Next, is Question time.
Mr. J. T. Akologu 10:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, we have been in touch with the Hon Minister but he was doing some official assignment in Tema and he is on his way now from there. I would beg you to step the Questions down for now and then take Statements by which time, when we would have finished, he would have been here and then we would take the Questions.
Madam Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon Members, we move to item 5, and I have admitted a Statement from Hon Alfred K. Agbesi, Member of Parliament for Ashaiman.
STATEMENTS 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Al fred Agbes i (NDC -- Ashaiman) 10:30 a.m.
Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement on Fire outbreaks in Ghana with emphases on the current fire outbreak at the Tema Oil Refinery Gantry.
Recently, Madam Speaker several fire outbreaks have occurred in many places such as markets, industrial establish- ments, homes, offices, et cetera. In some of these cases the results are fatal and loss of properties running into millions/ billions of cedis.
Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, 19th January, 2010 at about 10.00 a.m. there was a fire outbreak at the loading gantry of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). The fire raged for about 40 minutes before it was brought under total control.
Madam Speaker, during the course of the fire outbreak, workers and even visitors to the premises of Tema Oil Refinery ran helter-skelter and there was
pandemonium within the vicinity of TOR.
Madam Speaker, fire fighter partners were called in to assist. These fire fighter partners came from, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service.
Tema Oil Refinery is indeed grateful to these partners and other security agencies who assisted in bringing the fire under control.
Madam Speaker, Mr. Thomas Ebo Friar, a worker of TOR was burnt to death beyond recognition and another worker, Mr. Humphrey Ahiakpor also sustained several burns. He was rushed to Tema General Hospital but later transferred to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he died. Other workers sustained several degrees of injuries. Madam Speaker, state property running into millions of cedis were destroyed.
Madam Speaker, yet another fire outbreak of much concern was the one that occurred at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 21st October, 2009. That fire outbreak caused extensive havoc to property and the Ministry building, as the personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service watched helplessly because of lack of equipment to fight fire in high buildings.
Madam Speaker, the rate of fire outbreaks throughout the country calls into sharp focus the urgent need to adequately equip the Ghana National Fire Service to be ready and prepared to fight any fire outbreak at whatever height or level.
Madam Speaker, the preparedness of the Ghana National Fire Service was demonstrated during the fire outbreak at TOR, a situation that saved this all- important and vital national asset -- TOR.
[Consequential Resolution] (b) Credit Facility Agreement
between Agence Francaise de Development and the Government of the Republic of Ghana for an amount of thirty mill ion euros (€30 million) (AFD) for financing the Awoshie -- Pokuase road and Community Development Project.

(c) Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau (KFW) of Germany amounting to ten million euros (€10,000,000) in support of the Outgrower and Value Chain Fund (OVCF).

Consideration Stage of Bills --

M i n e r a l s a n d M i n i n g (Amendment) Bill, 2009

Committee Sittings.

Questions --

*262. Mr. John Gyetuah (Amenfi West): To ask the Minister for Health when a District Hospital will be provided for Wassa Amenfi West District.

*263. Major Derek Yaw Oduro (retd) (Nkoranza North): To ask the Minister for Health what plans the Ministry has to provide

The importance of GNFS cannot be over- emphasized. The Service needs adequate fire fighting equipment urgently to save lives at home and industrial places.

Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to extend my condolence to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives during the fire outbreak at TOR. In the same vein I console those who lost relatives and properties during fire outbreaks throughout the country -- in homes, markets, offices and motor accidents. Indeed, Madam Speaker there is a truism in the saying that fire is a good servant but a bad master.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
MR. SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr. W. O. Boafo (NPP -- Akropong) 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Hon Member for Ashaiman.
Mr. Speaker, the fire outbreaks in the country are becoming difficult and worrying. When we talk about fire outbreaks, we at times only confine ourselves to what happens in offices, markets and industrial establishments, forgetting that fire outbreaks could also occur on our farms, homes and other places.
Mr. Speaker, normally when these fire outbreaks do occur, committees are appointed to enquire into the causes of these outbreaks. Most of the time, the findings of these committees are not publicized enough to enable the public get to know the causes of these fire
Mr. E. K. Bandua (NDC -- Biakoye) 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to associate myself with the Statement made by the Hon Member for Ashaiman (Mr. Alfred Agbesi).
Indeed, fire outbreaks are a menace that need to be looked at seriously. Like the Hon Member who spoke earlier said, there is the need for us to adequately equip the Ghana National Fire Service so that in the event of fire outbreaks they can easily do their work properly. Our information is that, when the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration was gutted by fire, they were not able to deal with it effectively because GNFS did not have equipment to deal with fires that are at very high levels. When high buildings are under fire, it is difficult for them to do a good job in order to quench the fire.
In addition to this, I also suggest that institutions like Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) which deals with products which are highly inflammable should be strengthened as far as fire fighting is concerned so that they are able to, at least, do effective work on the fire before others are roped in to assist them; otherwise before other fire service stations arrive to assist them, a lot of damage would have been done.
In fact, there is the need for us to also look at our fire prevention strategies. Indeed many a time, buildings are put up haphazardly, we do not follow building plans and I think most of these result because people do not have building permits before they start building. In most instances when people go to acquire these building permits they are frustrated, because they go through processes which cause a lot of delays.
I will urge the planning authorities to ensure that, at least, they fast-track the process of granting permits to developers so that as soon as they go for permits they are granted at very short notice, so that they put up their buildings according
to plan.
I also appeal to the planning authorities to ensure that these estate developers -- most of them do not provide the basic facilities before they start putting up their projects. Indeed, there is the need to provide, maybe, roads and drains so that in the event of fire there will be easy access. But these things are not done, so I think the planning authorities should ensure that they adequately monitor all those people who are putting up structures in various places in the cities, towns and villages.
In addition to that, we have a problem of not properly maintaining our buildings and rehabilitating them. So most of the time we realize that electrical wirings that need to be changed over the time are not changed. The wires of some of these electrical installations are also overloaded and these invariably result in electrical fires.
I want to appeal to the whole nation that, whenever you put up a building, you must ensure that you regularly maintain that building so that you do not fall victim to fire outbreaks.
Indeed when fire outbreaks occur, many victims are affected particularly human beings. But we realize that we do not have medical facilities that are properly equipped to deal with burns. I urge the Government to ensure that we equip either Korle-Bu Hospital or put up other medical facilities that will ensure that burns are effectively treated whenever people are gutted by fire.
Mr. Speaker, I think that, this is a good Statement and we should all ensure that in our various homes and offices we educate those who live and work with us so that at the close of the day, electrical lights are not left without being put off. We must ensure that all electrical gadgets are switched off so that in the event of electrical trips, fires
Mr. E. K. Bandua (NDC -- Biakoye) 10:40 a.m.


will not occur.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this Statement.
Mr. I. K. Asiamah (NPP -- Atwima Mponua) 10:50 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, fire can be very destructive and at the same time very positive. In this case our concern is about the very destructive nature of fire outbreaks.
My concern is about safety measures
in public places, our churches, schools, restaurants and night clubs. Mr. Speaker, it will shock you that some of these public places obviously attract large numbers of people, but the danger we face is about exit points in some of these public places. Sometimes you go out there and there is only one small door for a group of about 200 people. One door! So in case of any fire outbreak, where do they go? They will all be stampeded in rushing to get out. So it is important we check those exit points.
Mr. Speaker, I am doing a research on fire safety in our night clubs. It is a research I am doing on fire safety on our various night clubs in Accra especially - [Laughter.] Therefore, when you see me there, do not complain, it is because of my special interest in our night clubs.
Mr. Speaker, something happened in Philippines in the United States of America years back and as many as 200 people were killed just after one fire outbreak in a night club.

Mr. Speaker, if you go to some of our night clubs, maybe some other Hon

Colleagues can help me mention names -- [Interruptions.] Hon Deputy Majority Leader, if you can help me mention some names -- We have Yegola Night Club and Aphrodisiac Night Club as examples. Hon Members should help me -- [Interruptions.]

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few of them but if you visit many of them or almost all of them, you will see just one or two exit points. Sometimes they have just one exit point, and for me, this is dangerous. Sometimes you see people crowded and having fun there, yes, fun- making obviously releases tension but let us be sure of our safety. So it is important that we conduct real safety checks on these night clubs in our cities so that in case of any fire outbreak or disaster, we save lives.

Mr. Speaker, my other Hon Colleagues

who spoke earlier on did mention electrical installations. Mr. Speaker, whether we like it or not, experts tell us that these installations have their lifespan, they have durations, therefore, we are expected to change our installations as matter of course.

It is important that when we are installing these electrical gadgets or wires, people we contract, they should give us the date or the duration so that if the lifespan is about (20) twenty years, at least within that time frame or after twenty years, we change these electrical wires. This is because when the lifespan obviously ends, they become weaker and anything could happen. So we need to check the lifespan of these electrical wires and installations that we have.

Mr. Speaker, the other issue which is

also very important to consider in this case is about the frequent power outages and that is also a recipe for any fire outbreak. Mr. Speaker, the other time I said that this
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon
Member, do you stand on a point of order?
Prof. (Emeritus) S. K. Amoako 10:50 a.m.
Yes,
Mr. Speaker, I am standing on a point of order.
The Hon Member who last spoke on the floor is grossly misleading the House. He said among other things that, the two reports on fire outbreak at TOR and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration are not out yet. He is misleading the House. The report on the fire outbreak at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration is out.
If he does not know, he has to be properly informed; he should not mislead the House. The reason for the fire was attributed to an electrical fault. So please, he should not mislead the House.
Mr. Hodogbey 10:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
thank the Hon Member very well for reminding me. I do not know if it is for public consumption, if it is for public consumption, I will be very glad to get a copy of that report and read it. I thank him very much. I will like to continue.
Mr. Speaker, our street layouts as was ably stated by some of the Hon Members who spoke earlier -- Mr. Speaker, we have all travelled outside and seen how streets were laid out in advanced countries.
time round, it is not the ones we used to know as dum so, dum so, as I said earlier. This time round, it is like the disco light at the night clubs. The lights are going on and off at any point in time, and it is like you are breathing in and before you breath out the light is gone. So that is another danger that has the potential of wrecking our homes.
So it is important that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Department consider this potential danger so that we would save our electrical gadgets and also our homes which we have toiled over the years to build.
Mr. Speaker, with these few words,
I thank the Hon Member who made the Statement.
Mr. Charles S. Hodogbey (NDC --
North Tongu): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this Statement.
Fire outbreaks sometimes are caused by arson, which is wilful and malicious setting of one's property on fire. The recent outbreak of fire at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), even though investigations have not come out yet, one should be able to look at them closely, whether they were arson or caused by electrical installation.
The unfortunate thing is that, most of our houses are not wired by licensed electrical contractors. In most other jurisdictions, you cannot just get up and wire a house without having a licence from the State.
One thing also is, Mr. Speaker, we normally build before we send infrastructure to our houses. In other jurisdictions, infrastructures such as
Mr. Hodogbey 10:50 a.m.


precautionary steps to avoid some of these needless accidents of fire outbreaks.

Mr. Speaker, I sincerely think that here in Ghana, most of these fire outbreaks are purely man-made and I will explain. I believe that it is man- made because of our own lawlessness, recklessness and indiscipline. Earlier on, my Hon Colleagues who contributed made reference to loose electrical installations, outmoded ones. Even sometimes the way we build and leave fire unquenched.

Today, we are here bemoaning those who have lost their dear ones breadwinners, from the fire outbreaks that, we have experienced in recent times. But Mr. Speaker, the truth is that after that, what else? People get away with their misdeeds and because of that these things continue to be with us.

However, I am told on authority that, certain countries, and in fact, including even our neighbouring country Burkina Faso, have been able, by law and by practice, to put an end to the annual bush fires which they suffer in their countries.

This is simply because, if fire or bush fire is detected in any community or in any area and it destroys government property, that community or the communities involved are made to suffer for it and for the destruction; in that, the moneys that the community or that area should have received for their development is diverted to re-afforestation and not until that programme is ended, that community will not receive any government-sponsored development.

I believe it is time we also began similar moves here in Ghana so that people will not just take naked fire into the bush during the dry seasons of this country for rat hunting and for all manner of things. Mr. Speaker, it is about time we got serious

Mr. Speaker, we can cite cases. Last year's Kumasi fire outbreak is a case in point whereby the Ghana National Fire Service, with their limited equipment and low morale or whatever it is, got to the main road in front of the central market, desirous of entering the market to get to the source of the fire, but there was no access. There was no access for them pass and their fire tenders.

Meanwhile, let anybody challenge me and let us all go to the planning scheme for Kumasi market and see if the planners who designed Kumasi market did not leave access roads. Where are they? They have been taken up by market men and women in the name of survival. To the extent that one of the most horrible things that came from the Kumasi fire outbreak was the fact that, even when the Fire Service men wanted to access their fire hydrants to assist them in extinguishing the fire, it was realised that somebody, some way or somehow, had built a store on the fire hydrant; therefore there was no access to the fire hydrant.

It was when the store was pulled down that they realised that it was sitting on a fire hydrant. Is that the fault of the planners or the architects? Certainly it is not. Mr. Speaker, much as we would not want to lay blames, what I am saying is that, we all as a people need to get serious. We really need to get serious otherwise, it may not be year after year but, as I said earlier on, if God is not on our side, day after day, Ghana will suffer fire outbreaks.
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10:50 a.m.
Hon Member, do you stand on a point of order?
Mr. Hodogbey 10:50 a.m.
Exactly so, Mr. Speaker.
Nana Abu-Bonsra (NPP -- Fomena) 11 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement on the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot agree more with my Hon Colleague who made the Statement on the seriousness of fire outbreaks in this country.
For a start, Mr. Speaker, I have always maintained that as a nation we should have been organising yearly thanksgiving to God for sparing us a lot of fire outbreaks in this country because of the kind of things that we see around. Indeed, we would say that fire outbreaks are accidents or are as a result of accidents; but Mr. Speaker, the truth is that there are some accidents that are easily avoidable. Not all accidents are nature-motivated. Nature has done its work; it is left to us as human beings and as responsible people to take the necessary

the night. If they were to take place in the course of the day, we would lose more people as a result of the stampede and the confusion that would be created and the lack of access or exits, as the Hon Member for Atwima-Mponua, Mr. Isaac Asiamah was referring to than the fire itself. This is because we think that, as a people, we should be allowed to do anything and everything.

We talk about decongestion, but sometimes, for political reasons we think we must resist it and these are the products of these.

So Mr. Speaker, I think it is about time that in order to minimize these fire outbreaks and their consequences on society, especially the loss of lives and property, we all agreed to be law-abiding as far as our development is concerned.

I would like to end on the note of extending my sympathies to the bereaved families, people who have lost their bread- winners, their loved ones, their fathers and all the like and those who have also lost properties as a result of all these fire outbreaks.

On a more positive note, we also congratulate the Black Stars for bringing us some joy yester night.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
Thank you very much for your contribution, Hon. Member. One more on each side and then we shall end Statement time.
Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -- Tain) 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity granted.
Mr. Speaker, the negative effects of fire outbreaks in the country is too much, and as such we must start looking for the way forward. I would therefore join my Hon Colleague, Hon Asiamah, for his research on the causes of some of these fire outbreaks.
Mr. Speaker, in the contribution of the Hon Member who just spoke, he said that people should not blame planners for their actions in case of fire. But in a latter statement he said a fire hydrant was covered by a kiosk. So when the fire tenders got there they were not able to locate where the fire hydrant was.
My question is, if the planners had indicated correctly where that fire hydrant was, would we have put the blame on them?
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Member, that is not a point of order.
Hon Member for Fomena, please continue.
Nana Abu-Bonsra 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, permit me to educate my Hon Colleague.
Mr. Speaker, I said that, no matter how beautiful or how well thought-out a planning scheme may be, the end product remains the decision of those who are put in charge of that scheme. If you care to know, the only regret I have being an architect, is the fact that, after sleepless nights of serious thinking, imagination and day-dreaming to get a scheme out, at the end of the day, it takes somebody else to decide whether to allow it or not.
That is why I disagree with the Hon Member on the other side of the House that it is not the planners who allow people to put stores on the hydrants. It is the city administrators, whoever they may be. Having realised these mistakes or these shortfalls, I am challenging and I am calling for the fact that, together as a people we should have the political and the social will to challenge some of these decisions. Because at the end of the day --
We are only lucky that these fire outbreaks do take place in the course of
Mr. Speaker, four years ago there was a serious fire outbreak at Tema Oil Refinery (TOR); fifteen (15) lives were lost. Ghanaians, could not solve the problem. Just recently, one or two lives are lost, meaning, within five (5) years we have lost a total of seventeen (17) lives in TOR and I believe we have to take serious measures about the way forward.
On the way forward, Mr. Speaker, in the olden days when we were in the secondary school, we used to have certain things like illegal connections and when we are talking of fire outbreaks, I would urge the Ghana National Fire Service and their personnel to pay frequent or periodic visits to our second cycle institutions, especially the boarding houses.
Not only that, Mr. Speaker; there might be some illegal connections in our market places and other public places. Therefore it would not be bad if these fire authorities can be paying frequent visits to our public offices to check on certain illegal connections and so on, so that when there is fire outbreak we may not attribute all the faults to frequent power outages and other things. That might be part of it, but that might not be the only cause.
Mr. Speaker, apart from these, when
we are talking of fire outbreak we should not forget about the kind of electrical appliances that are imported into the country. This is the era where certain people are importing most electrical appliances which are not qualified or which are not made according to the standard specifications that should be used for electrification of most of our public offices.
The question is, do we have the capacity to check the quality and the lifespan of those electrical appliances that are imported into our country? Even if we have, can we also embark upon the kind of checks that should be done on some of those things that are smuggled into the
country? If not, then we cannot solve the problem of fire outbreaks.
Mr. Speaker, the kind of contribution that I would make is that the Ghana National Fire Service authorities should collaborate with the Ghana Standards Board to conduct periodic checks on the kind of materials that are used to electrify most of our public offices.
Beside that, Mr. Speaker, when you are embarking upon a journey to anywhere, there are policemen who check for fire extinguishers and other things in our tro tro vehicles.
I would also advise that, the Ghana National Fire Service authorities should train certain personnel who would be able to stand in public places, pay surprise visits to all tro tro drivers and other places to check whether they have fire extinguishers and other things that our policemen have also been checking.
This is because the policeman may not have the capacity to check all those things. Most of the times what they do is, they would ask the driver, “Where are your papers?” And after checking the papers they allow the drivers to go. They may not know the importance or essence of checking for the fire extinguishers. So just as we have joint military and police patrol, we can have joint police and the Fire Service patrols to pay frequent visits to our tro tro drivers, our public vehicles to check their fire extinguishers and other things.
Mr. Speaker, with these few words, I
thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:10 a.m.
The last two contributions. Yes, Hon Member.
Mr. J. B. Aidoo (NPP -- Amenfi East) 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to join Hon Colleagues to sympathise with the bereaved families of the workers who lost their lives in the TOR fire outbreak.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:10 a.m.
The last contribution.
Mr. D. T. Assumeng (NDC -- Shai- Osudoku) 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Hon Agbesi for coming out with this very important Statement.
I am of the view that in view of the frequent outbreak of fire there is the need for us to invite the Hon Minister for the Interior to come to this House and tell us the preparedness of the various agencies to fight fire in this country because I believe that it is very important for us to know the plans that are in place for this.
Mr. Speaker, bush fire, as has been
said, is also on the rampage and there is the need for us to equip the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to train a lot more anti-bush fire volunteers to fight fire. Today, I read in the Daily Graphic that one gentleman who champions bush fire campaigns in one of the regions has just been shot and I wonder why somebody who devotes his time to preventing fire could be shot. It is sad. It shows that there are people who also have interest in setting fires. We need to find a way of addressing this situation. And just as I said, the Ministry should make sure that the Ghana National Fire Service is adequately equipped to fight these fires.
Mr. Speaker, as we are here, I do not know the preparedness that we have for this area in terms of any unfortunate fire outbreak. It is said that when your friend's beard is burning you must put water by yours. So what preparedness are we also doing to make sure that in case of any outbreak we here can also withstand it? God forbid! I know it will not occur but then we must be in readiness to prevent some of these occurrences.
I also wish to extend a speedy recovery to the injured who are now in the hospital.
Mr. Speaker, the phenomena of fire
outbreaks is not new in Ghana, but of late when we look at the magnitude and the epic proportions of such fire outbreaks certainly they call for some kind of concern. If you take the TOR fire outbreak, if you take what happened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Kumasi Central Market and other places where lives have been lost and properties worth millions of cedis have also been lost, certainly it should awaken everybody in Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, this Statement is timely; timely in the sense that it coincides with the entry of the dry Harmattan wind. This is the period when the country experiences most of its fire outbreaks, particularly bush fires.
Of course, we are saying that most of the fire outbreaks that have occurred in this country had been caused by human error. But when we study some fire outbreaks, some of the events that have occurred in this country, without becoming superstitious, I dare also say that they have defied human understanding.
Mr. Speaker, let me take you down to the memory lane. In 1983, there was a nationwide bush fire outbreak and specifically on the 3rd of March, 1983, which has come to be known as 3-3-3, fire from nowhere, as if there was some civil strife in the heavens, torched almost every part of Ghana.
Mr. Speaker, I am not trying to predict that 1983 is coming back to Ghana, but I am only sounding some caution in support of this Statement, that we must all awaken to what is happening in the country, particularly, looking at the many fire outbreaks and their magnitude.
Mr. Speaker, with the harmattan
coming, this Statement should become a wake-up call to all Ghanaians that whatever we do we should become cautious and ensure that we do not spark
Mr. Speaker, there is the need for us
to regulate the importation of electrical equipment. Those who are importing these equipment into this country should not import inferior materials. Let us make sure that electrical materials that are imported into this country are of standard so as to ensure that some of these occurrences are avoided.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to add my voice to express our sincere condolences to the bereaved families and I believe that this will no longer occur. Let us find an adequate solution to make sure that fire outbreak is a thing of the past.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Thank
you Hon Members. This ends Statement time and I thank the Hon Member who made the Statement and Hon Members for the worthy contributions made.
I think it would be proper if this matter could be further taken up by our Committee on Defence and Interior as to the rules and regulations concerning fire, their extinguishers and so on in this country. And I believe we would be able to make very useful recommendations pursuant to this worthy Statement, to the appropriate authority and also that the Clerk should make our recommendations so ably made this morning known to all appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Thank you very much. Leadership?
Mr. Akologu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, by the decision we took we should have gone back to item No. 4 -- Questions. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Hon Minister who should have been here to answer the Questions has not yet arrived. However even if he were here we would have demanded an adjournment due to some commitments that the Leadership of the House and the Clerk's Office have to undertake.
Under the circumstances, Mr. Speaker,
we want to evoke Standing Order 55 which says that any business item not completed at the end of a Sitting will be carried to the next Sitting day and state that we will put this on the Order Paper and take care of it next week. Mr. Speaker, under the circumstances item Nos. 6, 7 and 8 will not come off.
I therefore wish to take the opportunity to move, that this House do now adjourn till Tuesday, 2nd February, 2010 at 10 o'clock before noon. I beg to move.
Mr. Ambrose Dery 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
beg to second the motion but I wish, with your permission, to refer to Order 55 and to say that the application should be that the Business Committee will determine or reschedule the items that are on the Order Paper today. This is because if we are going to say automatically that it goes to the next Sitting day, there will be so much trouble because we have already presented a Business Statement today. So the only caveat is that the Business Committee will reschedule what other items are on that.
With that intervention, I second the motion.
Mr. Akologu 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think that his suggestion is welcome but in accordance with the Standing Order, it is that any business that stands out not completed shall be placed on the Order paper for the next sitting day but in such a manner as the Business Committee may determine at the next Sitting day. At least, it is an arrangement that we can accommodate. Because we have already read the Business Statement here, we will find a place for it and not necessarily the next Sitting day.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon
Deputy Majority Leader, I tend to agree with you that from what we have here the unfinished business shall be placed on the Order Paper. But as to the order in which it may be placed, that is a different matter depending on the circumstances. But nevertheless it will appear as if item 7 continues to appear and I will request that you take steps to ensure that appropriate

work is done so that the House will occupy itself more meaningfully when we next meet.
Mr. Akologu 11:20 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is duly noted.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon Members, the adjournment motion has been moved and seconded.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon Members, the motion has been moved and seconded and it is for the consideration of the House.
Question proposed.
Mr. Joe Kwashie Gidisu (NDC -
Central Tongu): Mr. Speaker, I also rise to associate myself with the motion on the waiver of taxes on those bridges. Mr. Speaker, as the sector Minister, it is quite relieving that we have through the Acrow Bridges of the United States of America those hundred bridges which are only coming to make a dent on the total bridge requirements that we have for the country.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the first consignment of those bridges are already at Tema awaiting this waiver which will enable us clear them and start the process of locating them at those vantage points.
It is therefore, as noted by other Honourable Members, prudent for this House to, as a matter of urgency, pass this waiver so that we will be able to reduce the frustrations among our rural dwellers who are faced with river crossings at their various points in terms of their everyday life. I hope that when other facilities with regard to similar bridges come before this House, we will treat it with the dispatch we are giving to this motion.
On this core, I humbly ask my Hon Colleagues to support the motion.
Nana Akomea (NPP - Okaikoi South) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion. But Mr. Speaker, I notice that we are being asked to approve the waiver of taxes in connection with the design and installation of steel bridges.
Mr. Speaker, you would recall that, the last time that steel bridges were being built in this country, it occasioned a severe compromise for public officials, the very famous “Mabey and Johnson” scandal - [Interruptions] It is just a note of caution that the Ministry should ensure that we are getting value for money, that we do not want to hear another “Mabey and Johnson” as far as the construction of steel bridges are concerned - [Interruptions] -- Why are you heckling me? I am giving
support this motion and in doing so, first of all, assure my Hon Friend Nana Akomea that there will be no “Mabey and Johnson” business. Due diligence has been done and we will get value for money.
Secondly, when you look at page
four of the Report, paragraph two, it is saying that the technical team informed the Committee that the Department of Feeder Roads has identified 5000 water- crossing points, et cetera. Quite often when we do these things -- when we talk about rural areas, we look outside Accra. Greater Accra rural is so important; we have similar problems and difficulties. So I am looking forward to when the list will be brought, as stated by Evalue Gwira Member of Parliament (MP), so that Greater Accra rural is taken care of.
All of us have come from elsewhere to put pressure on Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Greater Accra rural always suffers because when you look at the statistical report, it is as if Greater Accra is not poor. But you can find the poorest of the poor in many of the rural areas in Greater Accra.
So Mr. Speaker, I hope the Hon Minister will take note and his technical men out there will take note. If they have not already identified areas in Greater Accra rural, my Hon Colleagues are here, Damgbe West, Shai Osudoku are here, all of us are here, we will give them a ride to the villages for them to know that we need to be taken care of.
I thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Chairman of the Committee, you may want to wind up.
Mr. Klutse Avedzi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I wish to thank Hon Members for the support they have given to this particular waiver. We hope that the Ministry will do its work and provide the road network for
you good advice and you are heckling me - [Laughter] - So once the Minister can assure me that this due diligence will be ensured, I support the motion.
Thank you very much.
Mrs. Catherine A. Afeku (NPP - Evalue Gwira) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion on the floor to waive tax liability amounting to over seven million dollars to ensure that permanent steel bridges are brought into the country. In so doing, I will also lend my voice to equitable and fair distribution of these bridges when they do arrive.
The reason why I am saying this is, especially, in the Western Region and in particular, Evalue Gwira, due to the recent floods we have had villages that are cut off because of lack of steel bridges and people are being ferried and being extorted for monies just to cross bridges and to bring back and forth their food stuffs to the market place.
Mr. Speaker, it is also imperative that we realize, that the amount is quite huge. So it will be prudent for the Finance Committee to bring us a breakdown of the actual content of this tax liability as to how it is being apportioned, per bridge, per cost to design, supply and install so that we will have a better sense of what we are waiving. I do lend my voice to the entire House in supporting this waiver as people of my constituency will hopefully get one or two of these bridges - and our situation will be resolved.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon
Majority Chief Whip.
12. 10 p.m.
Mr. E. T. Mensah (NDC -- Ningo/ Prampram) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise to
our people.
Thank you very much.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Majority Leader, shall we proceed to item 11 -- Resolution?
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10 a.m.
In fact we were
going to take the Resolution.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Item 11
--Resolution, Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
the Hon Minister himself is unavoidably absent, so I crave the indulgence of my Colleagues for you to permit one of his deputies, Hon Seth Terkpeh in his stead.
I thank you.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Apparently there is no objection. Hon Deputy Minister, if you may please move the Resolution.
RESOLUTION 10 a.m.
Mr. Seth Terkper (on behalf of Minister for Finance and Economic Planning) 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that,
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 174 (2) of the Constitution, Parliament is empowered to confer power on any person or authority to waive or vary a tax imposed by an Act of Parliament;
THE ExERCISE of any power conferred on any person or authority
to waive or vary a tax in favour of any person or authority is by the said provisions made subject to the prior approval of Parliament by resolution;
BY THE COMBINED operation of the provisions of section 26 (2) of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (Management) Law, 1993 (PNDCL 330), the Export and Import Act, 1995 (Act 503), the Export Development and Investment Fund Act, 2000 (Act 582), the Value Added Tax Act, 1998 (Act 546), the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act, 2000 (Act 579) and other existing Laws and Regulations applicable to the collection of customs duties and other taxes on the importation of goods into Ghana, the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning may exempt any s ta tu tory corporation, institution or individual from the payment of duties and taxes otherwise payable under the said Laws and Regulations or waive or vary the requirement of such statutory corporation, institution or individual to pay such duties and taxes;
IN ACCORDANCE with the provisions of the Constitution and at the request of the Government of Ghana acting through the Minister responsible for Finance and Economic Planning, there has been laid before Parliament a request by the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning for the prior approval of Parliament the exercise by him of his power under the Laws and Regulations relating to the
waiver and exemption of tax liability amounting to US$7,195,694.00 on equipment/materials to be imported or purchased locally in respect of the design, supply, and installation of Acrow Permanent Steel Bridges in Ghana.
N O W T H E R E F O R E , t h i s Honourable House hereby approves the exercise by the Minister responsible for Finance and Economic Planning of the power granted to him by Parliament by Statute to waive such taxes and duties or to exempt the payment of such taxes and duties amounting to US$7,195,694.00 on equipment/ materials to be imported or purchased locally in respect of the design, supply and installation of Acrow Permanent Steel Bridges in Ghana.
Mr. Avedzi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon
Majority Leader?
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we
want to take item number (8).
Thank you.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
Item
(8), Chairman of the Committee.
MOTIONS 10 a.m.
Mr. Avedzi 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Request for waiver of tax liability amounting to €1,887,664.00 on equipment/ materials to be imported or purchased locally in respect of the supply of steel bridge components for the construction of bridges on Wa-Walewale network of roads.
Mr. Speaker, in doing so I present your Committee's Report and wish that the Hansard Department captures the entire Report.
1.0 Introduction
The above request for waiver of tax liability was laid in the House on 3rd December 2009 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with Article 174(2) of the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
In considering the Request, the Committee met with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Seth Terkper and a technical team from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Roads and Highways and reports as follows: 2.0 Background
A number of road structures such as pavements and old wooden bridges are damaged in a number of rural areas making many roads impassable during the rainy season. This has by and large constrained rural development.
To improve and enhance the socio- economic development in these areas, Governments have been implementing a number of road infrastructural projects to improve upon this situation and to connect Districts to Municipalities and to Metropolitan areas.
The Department of Feeder Roads has a sub-component under the Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, to rehabilitate and upgrade weak or broken-down log bridges with short and medium- span steel, composite bridges and the construction of major box culverts and bridges over water crossings without existing structures to reduce bottlenecks plaguing the feeder road network.
In line with this, honourable Members would recall that on Thursday, 16th July 2009, the House approved by Resolution a Loan Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Unicredit Bank of Austria AG for an amount of €7 million for the supply of steel bridge components for the construction of bridges on the Wa- Walewale Network of Roads.
Under this project, the following
bridges would be constructed:-
i. Bridges on River Kulpawn
ii. Bridges on River Gongonwu (Moori)
iii. Bridges on River Gongonwu
iv. Bridge on River Kudage
v. Bridge on River Gyanwalli
As part of the conditions of the loan, the materials/equipment to be imported or purchased locally for the implementation of the project are required to be waived of taxes and duties applicable in the country.
3.0 Total Tax Liability
The total amount of taxes and duties required to be waived is €1,877,664. The breakdown is as follows:
Attached as Appendices are an
assessment of taxes and duties on specified goods for which the request for tax waiver is made.
4.0 Observations
The Committee observed that the project when completed would remove bottlenecks at bridge sites and river- crossings that hamper smooth access of rural dwellers to key towns and social services resulting in low educational standard, poor health and deepening poverty in the rural areas.
The Committee further observed that with the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), the basis of the country's development agenda strongly highlighted the correlation between rural development, economic growth and poverty reduction. The contribution of road accessibility to economic growth and consequent poverty reduction could therefore not be overemphasized.
It was further observed that the lack of basic water-crossing structures sometimes make investment decisions in the rehabilitation of rural roads not feasible. It makes access to and from communities beyond the rivers virtually impossible during the rainy season.
The Committee was informed that transport services in these areas would be improved. Furthermore, long detours will be reduced thereby resulting in reduced
transport cost and travel time.
The Committee noted that the construction of the bridges would help improve access to market centres thereby improving the income levels of communities in these areas.
The Committee observed that the project would be completed within a period of 24 months.
5.0 Conclusion
The Committee, after satisfying itself with the benefits to be derived from the project, respectfully recommends to the House to approve by Resolution, the request for waiver of tax liability totalling €1,887,664 on equipment/materials to be imported or purchased locally in respect of the supply of steel bridge components for the construction of bridges on Wa- Walewale network of roads in accordance with article 174(2) of the Constitution.
Respectfully submitted. Mr. Alfred K. Agbesi (NDC --
Ashiaman): Mr. Speaker, I rise to second the motion and in doing so, I wish to make some few comments. Mr. Speaker, even though this motion is in respect of waiver of taxes on supply of material for bridges on Wa-Walewale network of roads, I want to say specifically, Mr. Speaker, that such bridges that need to be constructed are scattered all over this country.
Mr. Speaker, we are told by this Report
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