Debates of 10 Jun 2010

MADAM SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:15 a.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Hon Members, I have received communication from the President, if I may read:
“8th June, 2010
THE RT HON SPEAKER 11:15 a.m.
OFFICE OF PARLIAMENT 11:15 a.m.
PARLIAMENT HOUSE 11:15 a.m.
ACCRA 11:15 a.m.
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC 11:15 a.m.
OF GHANA 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Shall we now move to the correction of the Votes and Proceedings?
Hon Asiamah, we are on Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 9th June, 2010. You are welcome too.
Page 1 …6. --
Dr Anthony A. Osei 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, yesterday, it was brought to the attention of the House that Hon Gyan-Baffour had permission to be absent but it has been repeated that he does not have permission and I want that corrected.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
Any other correction on page 6?
Page 7 …12 --
Ms Beatrice B. Boateng 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, mine is a general concern about attendance in the House. You realize that after Hon Members present, we have two categories -- Hon Members absent with permission and then others, nothing at all. I do not understand it. It looks like those with permission means they have official permission to go out. What about the numerous people who just go without anything?
We have said that we want a lot of people to be present here for work to go on. If we do not have a check on this and it continues, what is going to become of our discussions here? I am worried about those who go without permission. Should it be left like that, Madam Speaker?
Thank you very much.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
I will ask the Majority Leader to answer this question. As you said, there should be three categories of people. Those with permission, those present but there is no mention of the third category. Maybe, the Majority Leader will help us.
Majority Leader, she says there are two categories always listed. What about the third category who never come at all or without permission?
Mr Edward D. Adjaho 11:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, we have three categories,
those who are present, those who seek permission from you (they are absent with permission) and those who do not take permission from you (they are absent) and all of them are captured here. So, I do not really get the point the Hon Member is making.
Madam Speaker 11:15 a.m.
All right.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:25 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is appropriate for the Colleague Member for Koforidua to want to see a display of diligence in the House. However, our Standing Orders is very clear on this. Order 16 (1) provides, and Madam Speaker, with your indulgence, I may read:
“A Member shall not absent himself during a meeting for more than 15 sittings without the permission in writing of the Speaker. Any Member infringing this Order shall have his conduct referred to the Privileges Committee.”
Madam Speaker, the instance that she is referring to is only in respect of one Sitting and we have not even heard from Colleagues what occasioned their non-participation in the transaction of business in this House. So I believe that even though her intent may be good, with respect to her, it will not have space in our Standing Orders.
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
Have you looked at Order 16 (2)? What does Order 6 (2) mean?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:25 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, I have --
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
Does it not pre- suppose that without the permission, you have to be here? What do you make of Order 16 (2)?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:25 a.m.
Madam

Speaker, the combined effect of the two is that, you never know. An Hon Member could be on his or her way to Parliament, anything could happen to impede the Hon Member from coming to Parliament, you never may know because leave of absence is supposed to be transmitted to your office before the Hon Member decides to absent himself or herself; it is at the expressed permission of the Speakership before a person could absent himself or herself.

But circumstances may arise such that an Hon Member, determined to come to Parliament, may not surface in Parliament, which circumstances, may be known later and will not impute improper motives to the conduct of the person if the person has not been heard through, which is why I am saying that even though the Hon Member, I believe, means well, her concern has no space in our Standing Orders.
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
Yes, Hon Majority
Leader, what do you make of Order 16
(2)?
Mr Avoka 11:25 a.m.
Madam Speaker, sub
section 2 states and Madam Speaker, with your permission, I quote:
“A Member shall be excused from service on the House or on any Committee, so long as he has leave of absence.”
That means that if you are serving on any committee or any other official work outside the House or even on your own business outside the House and you have leave of absence from Madam Speaker, then the person is absent with leave or with permission, that is what it says.
The issue of the 15 days is when you are continuously absent for 15 days without permission from Madam Speaker. That is where you run into the problem of having sanctions against you. So the combined effect of Order 16 (2) is what the First Deputy Speaker said, that you are either present or you are absent without
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
So are you thereby
saying that a person can always take a day less than the 15 days -- every time you come back again and then take 15 days without permission? Once it is not the 15 days, which will attract your being sent to the Privileges Committee, then you can do that?
Mr Avoka 11:25 a.m.
Well, Madam Speaker, these are some of the lapses of our current Standing Orders that we are trying to re- visit. Technically, that is what it means. You can be absent for 10 days and you may not qualify to be sanctioned under the provision of the current Standing Orders; and some can take undue advantage of this. But that can be an abuse of the process of this House. So we should take note of it and then when we are amending the Standing Orders, we take note of some of these provisions so that nobody will take the Standing Orders or our regulations for granted.
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
But I thought Hon Leader that an Hon Member shall be excused from service on the House or on any committee so long as he has leave of absence, means that, it is only when you breach the 15 days without permission that you get into serious trouble. I think this means that you have to come every day. Yes.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:25 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it falls on an Hon Member of Parliament to attend to the business of this House, and ordinarily, everybody should strive to be here but as I have indicated, we are operating in a human environment and anything could happen. If a person submits an excuse form and you sign, the person is deemed to have been excused.
But Madam Speaker, the list that we have before us of those who were absent without permission, the number is 36 of
that list -- we have 10 who are Ministers and Deputy Ministers. That leaves 26, which is about 10 per cent of the entire membership of this House. So Madam Speaker, clearly, in my view, I believe Hon Members have shown diligence.
The Members who were in attendance were 182, out of 230 and so I believe, yes, if the Hon Member expresses concern that we should strive to have a full House, that is the ultimate. But it is impossible, it is nearly impossible to have 230 of us Sitting in plenary at any given time. Madam Speaker, that is the reality of the times.
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
Well, all I can say
is that I will accept what you are saying except if you continue getting yourself absent for 15 days, you risk being sent to the Privileges Committee, and I do not know whether we strictly follow that. Because a point has been raised, I think we will start looking at it. Fifteen days, you do not come, straight to the Privileges Committee.
Prof. A. M. Oquaye 11:25 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
we have a very important national exercise ahead of us -- that is the registration. If any group of people have a vital national responsibility to ensure its successs, peace and tranquility, it is the Hon Members of this House. Madam Speaker, it is a matter that should well be taken into account when we are considering the matter now on issue. Madam Speaker, from tomorrow and the whole of next week, it must be glaringly affecting the presence of Hon Members and the business of the House.
Madam Speaker 11:25 a.m.
Hon Members,
except as you say, even if it affects, since 15 days have not expired after first leaving the House, people seem to be getting away with it because of the definition and the meaning of what has been said. So unless we want to make it compulsory on everybody to come, which will be rather difficult like the Minority Leader is saying,
if you are sick one day and you do not come -- But of course, if you are sick for 14 days and you do not come, whether you were sick or not, you still breach the rules and you have to go and report it to the Privileges Committee.
But if this is to urge you to come as frequently as you can, I think, my reading of this is that you have to come, everyday, but if you cannot come, you must get permission. If you cannot come for 14 days, you get into trouble. So, however much they want to organize their life, if you are caught within the 14 days we shall surely send you to the Privileges Committee and there you have to explain yourself.
So when we come to amending the rules, I am really wondering whether we can make it compulsory to come everyday. But still, if even you do not come, what prevents a person from saying to the Speaker that I did not come for two days or three days?
rose
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
And then your fifteen days are reduced -- yes Hon- ourable --
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I just need your guidance. This is a matter that is also in the Constitution and I am wondering if you were going to -- [Interruption] -- Article 97 (1c) (1) (c) --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
What is the constitutional provision?
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it relates to this Standing Order. So if we are thinking about re-vising the Standing Orders, then we should be conscious that we need to revise the Constitution. This “fifteen Sittings of a Meeting” is spelt out
in article 97 (1c) (1) (c). So, I just want to bring it to the attention of those thinking about re-vising the Standing Orders that it is also a constitutional matter.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
I must say, I did not quite hear all that.
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I said it appears the Standing Order is coming out of the Constitution, article 97 (1) (c). So any attempt to amend the Standing Order -- With your permission, let me read --
“A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament --
(c) if he is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker and he is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges from fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet; or . . .”
So the presumption is that the Order is coming from there --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes,
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
And I hope that we will take that into consideration, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
That is so. It makes it even stronger. Even if you amend your rules or Orders, you cannot amend that part of the Constitution.
rose
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, Hon Hackman
-- 11:35 a.m.
Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I would like to
underscore the fact that we must not be seen to be creating the wrong impression to the public, that indeed, we have been absenting ourselves. If you look at the list critically, you may find out that quite a few of them are out on official business, one way or the other.
For example, only yesterday, we got a note, those of us from the Eastern Region, that the President was going to open the water in Koforidua and so we all had to go. We got the note the night before; so if we went, there could have been no time even to seek permission. But the President is the President of the Republic, so we must give him all the respect and so the Members of Parliament would have gone.
I believe that we should not give the impression that we are irresponsible, so we do not come. I think there must be good reasons we are --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
I must at this time come in. What impression has been given that we are irresponsible?
Mr Owusu-Agyemang 11:35 a.m.
This is an issue --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
There are certain things we do not say in this House. No impression that we are irresponsible has been so far created. We were just looking at the interpretation of the rules.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I was making --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
What about if you say that and you find in the newspapers that Members of Parliament discuss the irresponsibility of not coming here? That is not the impression at all --
Mr Owusu-Agyemang 11:35 a.m.
Precisely for that reason, Madam Speaker, I made this intervention, that the impression should not be created that we are irresponsible.

Because these are the sort of things that the press could pick up against Hon Members of Parliament.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
I do not think that the impression has been created that we are irresponsible --
Mr Owusu-Agyemang 11:35 a.m.
That is why I am making the point.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
I do not think so. If you found that --
Mr Owusu-Agyemang 11:35 a.m.
All right. So long as it is understood --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
I do not think the majority of Hon Members found that. Look at the people here today; it is almost the full House. There are things we must be careful how we say them. We could get them magnified “The House talked about irresponsibility”. Nobody has suggested irresponsibility; it was just to make sure about the interpretation of getting permission.
I thank you for your contribution; shall we go on, please?
Mr Alfred W. G. Abayateye -- rose
-- 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
We have not finished with this one, have we? We got to page 12, no corrections? The Votes and Proceedings of 9th June, 2010 as corrected, is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Correction of the Official Report of 4th June 2010.
Mr Abayateye 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, on page 11, “Public Accounts Committee” --
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
I have finished with that. Why were you waiting all this while?
Mr Abayateye 11:35 a.m.
I was up but I did
not catch your eyes. Please -- Roman numeral (xvi), “Mr Kwajo Tawiah Lipalimor”, the spelling of ‘Lipalimor' is wrong, so they should correct it, please. “k” is omitted.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Is that all? Any other matter you want corrected?
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Now that we have finished with the Votes and Proceedings, I wanted your indulgence to go back to your announcement to us on the notice that you received from the President. And I just need your guidance -
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, you want to go back again?
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it escaped my mind and -
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Three steps away; yes, what is it?
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
I am sorry, Madam Speaker, about that. If I heard you correctly, you said that the President had left. I believe that is what you said. And I thought from article 59, the intent is that there has to be knowledge by this House before the departure.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Well, well. You are right to bring it up. This was dated 8th June, 2010. When it comes when we are Sitting, we do not bring it here.
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
That was why I was seeking your guidance, because we Sat yesterday.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
All right.
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker we Sat yesterday, and I was wondering whether it was received yesterday.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Well, I saw it today.
Dr A. A. Osei 11:35 a.m.
Today? Oh, all right.
Madam Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Thank you very much.

Correction of the Official Report of Friday, 4th June, 2010.

Hon Members, in the absence of any corrections, the Official Report of Friday, 4th June, 2010 is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.

Can we move on to Questions? Hon Minister for Information, you are welcome.

The first Question stands in the name of Hon Esther Obeng Dappah.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 11:35 a.m.
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION 11:35 a.m.
Minister for Information (Mr John T. Akologu) 11:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, upon reports of poor reception at New Abirem, a technical team from the Ghana Broad- casting Corporation (GBC) visited the town to conduct a survey.
Madam Speaker, the team first called on the District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon Napoleon Amoako Asiamah, who confirmed that GTV reception was unsatisfactory in the area. The team inspected the DCE's receiving antenna and realized that it was not pointing to the GTV transmitting site at Mpraeso. The antenna was re-pointed towards Mpraeso and the GTV reception became very good.
Madam Speaker, the DCE then assigned the head of Information Services and the Budget Officer for the Assembly to join the GBC team to visit some homes and see if they also had antenna orientation problems.
Ms Dappah 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I
want to thank the Hon Minister for taking prompt action to visit New Abirem after I had tabled my Question. I wonder how many villages and towns have been in the same predicament, but because Questions have not been tabled, no visits have been made.
On top of all that, though some antennae have been corrected, we are still getting poor reception, and people in the area are also getting poor reception. What I want to find out from the Hon Minister is whether there is a substation at New Abirem and if not, can one be set up in New Abirem District.
Mr Akologu 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
steps are being taken to address the TV reception situation in all parts of the country. Indeed, I must indicate, maybe, too early because somewhere along the line, it will come again, that the difficult migration programme that is on at GTV, will ensure that this problem of poor TV reception becomes a thing of the past.
In fact, very soon we will see it. Already, in parts of Accra and Kumasi and their environs, the situation is changing. If Hon Members are through with the situation, TV reception in parts of Accra and Kumasi and its environs are changing because we are sort of trying the new system that we have put in place. So, this thing will be a thing of the past.
Madam Speaker, in the meantime, there
is a transmitter that has been serviced with even high capacity that if the situation persists, is going to be moved to Abirem to contain it before we move finally to the digital situation.
Ms Dappah 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, as the
Hon Minister stated, the digital terrestrial transmission is covering Ashanti Region and Greater Accra Region. The Hon Minister also said that, very soon this thing will be extended to Eastern Region and maybe, New Abirem. How soon is very soon?
Mr Akologu 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the
programme is to cover the entire country. But between now and July, steps are being taken for us to inaugurate the first part to cover Ashanti, Greater Accra and the northern sector. The entire programme is that, the whole world must be on digital transmission by 2015. Ghana is on course and we hope by 2013, we shall be in that regime. So very soon everything will be corrected.
Thank you very much.
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Have you finished
with your questions?
Ms Dappah 11:45 a.m.
Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Shall I go to my
right side of the House first
Mr George K. Arthur 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, TV transmitters have been set up in many places, like Kissi, Jamasi, Wiawso, Tarkwa and Accra and nobody had to direct the pole towards the transmitter; you just erect and when the power is great, you get the transmission. May I ask the Hon Minister whether he would consider boosting up the power of the transmitter instead of going out to direct antennae?
Mr Akologu 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, my technical advisor says that it is an activity you must perform whether the power is strong or not. Even when you check your system at the background, apart from the transmission power, there is something at the back supporting the reception. It is an activity that we must perform because the transmitter is located in a way to bring the pictures that are beamed out.
So, if you do not direct the antenna to face the transmitter to receive the reception, you will not receive it clearly. Madam Speaker, it is not a matter of boosting the power, but it is a matter of tuning yourself technically to the system.
Mr David Oppon-Kusi 11:45 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, the Minister for Information, emphasis mine, giving us information, further emphasis, tells us in his Answer in paragraphs 4 and 5 that a whole township like Abirem cannot get their antennae direction right, considering that in my village, we turn our antennae 360 degrees several times to get the best reception. If there is a problem, could he tell us instead of telling us that the whole township cannot get the antenna right and they have to be educated on how to direct their antennae? Can he come again?
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Is that a question? Ask your question?
Mr Oppon-Kusi 11:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, my question is that, that Answer is unsatisfactory, there is a problem there. [Interruptions] Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister is giving us information and he is telling us that in the whole Abirem town, nobody could get his antenna right and that they had to be educated.
I am asking the Hon Minister that he should tell us what exactly must be done so that we can get clear pictures and not to tell us what we have been doing everyday. We do that every day; we turn our antennae 360 degrees everyday before we watch a programme. He should tell us what the problem is and how he is going to solve it.
Madam Speaker 11:45 a.m.
So finally your
question is? I did not get the question, what is your question?
Mr Oppon-Kusi 11:45 a.m.
My question is,
what really needs to be done so that we get clear pictures in Abirem, Ofoase and surrounding areas?
Mr Akologu 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I have not told the august House that it was the whole of Abirem township that complained. I said that we got a report that some people were not having good reception; the technical team went there and they found out that in most of the houses, this was the problem. I did not say they found all the houses had the same problem, and it was not everybody who complained.
I have already said that, there is no argument that television reception has been good everywhere in the country we have admitted that it has not been so. We are working towards rectifying the situation, I said the answer now lies in all of us supporting the digital migration programme that has been embarked upon.
Mr Benito Owusu-Bio 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer to the Question, he made mention of the fact that there is going to be a move from analogue to digital, which is currently underway. I wanted to find out from him whether he has a policy of helping Ghanaians to go along with him on the shift from analogue to digital. Is he going to help Ghanaians to also obtain digital television sets?
Mr Akologu 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it is
the system and not the digital set as such. There is a box that we will provide for members of the public to procure to be able to utilize it. It is not the television set itself, but there is going to be an assistance. We will be providing those boxes for purchase by members of the public.
Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu 11:55 a.m.
Madam

Madam Speaker, I want to ask the Hon Minister, what specific steps are being taken and what are the constraints such that we cannot get these things done at an earlier time than 2013.
Mr Akologu 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker,
I believe that in the Answer that was given, it was indicated that it was not only Abirem town that faced this problem but it was Abirem town and its environs. I even expanded it in a candid manner that it transcends the Eastern Region, it covers the entire country, and that is a problem that is being addressed. I have said that the solution is what we are working on gradually -- to migrate and the
programme is projected by our estimation that we will complete everything by 2013, even before the 2015 target by the world.
I also indicated in the Answer that in some of those areas that have these acute problems, we are servicing some transmitters that we have and replacing them with the old ones to correct the situation.
Mr Dominic B. A. Nitiwul 11:55 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, the Hon Minister, in the last paragraph of the Answer, says that the head of Information Services was requested by the District Chief Executive (DCE) to educate the township about orientation so that they could receive good signals. His technical team believes that it is the orientation that caused the poor reception of the whole township.
What did they tell him back after the education? Is the reception at Abirem good or not as we Sit today? After educating them on the pointing, is it good now or it is not good?
Mr Akologu 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, if you
refer to paragraph two of the Answer, it is stated that after the team arrived there and contacted the DCE and he also confirmed the problem with his television set, they tried and tested it and re-oriented the antenna to face the transmitter at Mpraeso and the reception became very good and upon that they went out into town to look at a few areas. So, the answer has been given already that, yes, it was the orientation, but as for reception, it is very good. So if you can learn the orientation situation, that is fine.
Ms Dappah 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, that
is not the information I have got. My
constituents complained to me and they are still complaining. My house is not far from the DCE's, my antenna is properly adjusted but I am still getting poor reception. So, what I want to know is, what is the Hon Minister going to do about that?
Mr Akologu 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, if the
explanation that the orientation is another way of solving the problem and she said she had done it properly, I do not know -- If you do it properly, you must receive clearly; if you do not do it properly, you cannot receive it.
So, Madam Speaker, I will dispatch the team again to the Hon Member's house to help her to orientate the antenna properly.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11:55 a.m.
Madam
Speaker, the Hon Minister has informed this House that the deadline for migration from analogue to digital is 2013 for Ghana. But as a member of the Committee on Communications with oversight responsibility over that Ministry, we know that the deadline for registration for Ghana is 2012. I want to know from him whether there has been an additional one year.
Mr Akologu 11:55 a.m.
Madam Speaker, there
is a National Digital Migration Committee that is working on the programme and the projection that they have given is 2013. I do not know where this 2012 thing is coming from. But I am officially informed by the Committee that Ghana is looking at 2013 and the whole world is looking at 2015. That is the position that is official.
Mrs Elizabeth K. T. Sackey 12:05 p.m.
Madam
Speaker, if I clearly understood what the Minister did say, I would want to know from him, if he is saying that the antenna will always have to be re-directed before the people there would have clear and good reception. Then may I know from

him -- when it rains, when there are winds, when there are storms, does it mean that there is the need for us to employ somebody there who will always be directing the antenna for the people to have the good reception?
Mr Akologu 12:05 p.m.
Madam Speaker, I think
this is a very good suggestion from my Colleague. Let us use our discretion. But you know that once the storm is on, it re- directs everything, so that is the problem. But if she wants to employ somebody to help us to hold the thing, we welcome her.
Poor GBC Television Reception at Asamankese and its Environs
*533. Ms Gifty Klenam asked the Minister for Information why Ghana Broadcasting Corporation's Television reception in Asamankese and its environs was so poor and what was being done to remedy the situation.
Mr John T. Akologu 12:05 p.m.
Madam Speaker, it is here that Hon Members would understand the orientation properly -- [Laughter.]
Madam Speaker, it is true that we got reports also about poor television reception in Asamankese area which is about the same thing. 12.08 p.m. -- [MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER

Mr. Speaker, Asamankese is being covered by a transposer to improve GTV reception. However, a survey at Asamankese indicated that the antennaes of most homes are orientated towards the transmission of Metro TV and TV3.

Mr Speaker, as part of the GBC digital migration, it has been planned that Asamankese would be a main transmission site and would be covered with high power signals reaching all homes.
Ms Klenam 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I live in Asamankese and most homes do not get good reception from any of the TV stations. It is so bad that each home would have to mount a bamboo stick of about 10 metres on their roofing before they are able to get just even the type of signals we have now. So I want the Hon Minister to tell me who conducted the survey and where is the report that indicated that most homes are orientated towards the transmission of Metro TV and TV3?
Mr Akologu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I do not
think I stated that directing the antennae to Metro TV and TV3 indicated that their signals were clear. I only said that this was what the team discovered. I did not say that they were clear. There could be those other problems, I do not know.
Where the report is, you know, this is an official assignment, it is an administrative thing. The report is with the technical team and they have given me the advice that this is what they found. So Mr Speaker, if there is the need for us to come and lay the report here, we would -- [Interruptions] -- We should be given time to bring the report.
Ms Klenam 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, is the Hon Minister telling me that he is now clear with the fact that none of the TV stations is clear in the constituency? Besides that, I want to find out from him, how soon is he going to be able to remedy the situation.
Mr Akologu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I indicated
that while steps are being taken to move the whole nation to the digital system, efforts are being made to resolve some of the very problematic areas. And I am aware that a high capacity transmitter also for the same area -- in fact, it will cover -- I am even given assurance from my technical committee that within one week, we would move the new transmitter to the area to improve reception.
Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, first of all, I am disappointed with the -- [Interruptions] -- Mr Speaker, I would like to know what scientific approach the Hon Minister is adopting to solve the problem of reception of GBC because -- [Interruptions.] Mr Speaker, this is ad hocery at best, one solution in Abirem, another solution in Asamankese.
It is either a transposer or orientation of the antennae. Mr Speaker, this is most unsatisfactory -- [Interruptions.] You are going to have -- [Interruptions] - Mr Speaker, can the -- [Interruptions.]
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Hon
Members, let us listen to the Hon Member and I think the background noise is becoming too much.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker,
the loud noise is coming from a cousin of mine and I hope he would take your advice.
Mr Speaker, I am only requesting the
Hon Minister to outline a more scientific approach at solving this problem of reception before 2013. That is what we want to know. For Asamankese, it was a transposer plus orientation of the antennae. For Abirem, it is orientation. And worse for Asamankese, Metro TV and TV3 are now getting the right orientation.
Now, if an antenna -- [Interruption] - I am helping him to outline a more scientific approach. If an antenna cannot be positioned to work within a certain range to receive a number of stations, then I am sorry his technical advisors are not giving him the right advice. So please, the question is a more scientific approach to solving this problem of transmission.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Did you
get the question?
Mr Akologu 12:15 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Very well.
Mr Akologu 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes, I think
there were two main things. Why are we adopting orientation and transposers and so on, why not dealing with the scientific approach?
Mr Speaker, on a more serious note, there are always two approaches to problem solving. We have the short-term and we have the long-term solutions -- [Interruptions] -- The medium- term is there. So do not worry, there are three ways. But to deal with a situation more seriously, you have these two approaches to confront immediately. So, the orientation and the provision of transposers and so on, are to deal with the situation in the interim -- the short- term.
The scientific approach, I do not know which approach is better again than the digital terrestrial migration programme that we are doing. Government has committed itself to this. Already it has spent, for the first phase, €2.3 million, which would be inaugurated soon. So, the other phases would be tackled almost immediately after the inaugurated. So, that is the scientific approach I can think of.
If the Hon Member, with due respect,
has any suggestions on that, we would welcome them. The nation is for all of us. We are all to contribute to solving the situation; it is not one person solving it. So bring the other scientific methods that he has to the Ministry. The technical team will look at it and then we will carry it along.
Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah 12:15 p.m.
Mr
Speaker, I believe these Questions asked

by my Hon Colleagues are very pertinent at this time because tomorrow, the World Cup is starting.

I want to ask the Hon Minister if he, his Ministry or his agencies would accept the blame from these constituencies, if they are not able to watch the football matches well and watch their President who is there to watch the matches.
Mr Akologu 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the President
is not in South Africa alone to watch the matches. In fact, some Ghanaians are there and some will be going today and tomorrow to join them. So, it is not true that the President is in South Africa alone to watch the matches.
Mr Speaker, about the constituents
watching the matches on television with poor reception and so on, the problems have been with us, not only yesterday, not today, they have been with us for a very long time. But we have indicated the steps we are taking to resolve these issues. I entreat Hon Members to bear with Government and the Ministry in this trying moments so that we will get across it when we all contribute.
But let me take the opportunity to urge Hon Members to support GTV when we come with a Bill to revise the television fees.
Mr Peter W. Pepera 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I
think our Hon Colleague, the Hon Minister is on the ropes to smuggle in increases in television fees when the main problem is reception. [Interruptions.] I would ask the question. That was my foundation.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is trying
to imply that if you want to watch all the channels in Ghana, if you want to watch GTV, Metro and TV3, either you need
Mr Akologu 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, while we
stand by the position that orientating the antennae is a matter of policy or technical problem, we want to indicate that if, for instance, Metro TV, TV3 and GTV transmitters are located at a certain point from where they transmit their pictures to the homes, once you turn your antenna to those directions and then you now use your remote control to switch onto the various stations, you will receive the signal like that. It is not that when you turn it, you just only receive GTV transmission. If they are located -- you know, sometimes they mount these things even on a mast at one place and the area they cover is about the same area. So, if they are not located in the same area that is where the difference comes in. That is where the problem comes. If they are not located and they are not transmitting from the same area and direction, then you will have that problem of trying to locate where GTV is transmitting from and where TV3 or Metro TV is transmitting from.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Hon
Members, I intend taking two questions
more because we have a Statement. Madam Speaker has admitted a Statement and we have other public business to do today. So, I would take the last two questions.
Hon Member for Nsuta/Kwamang/ Beposo.
Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh 12:15 p.m.
Mr
Speaker, from the answers given by the Hon Minister, the import is that the people in those areas are ignorant about the siting of antennae and so it will be for most Ghanaians. What steps would he take to educate Ghanaians about how antennae are properly sited?
Mr Akologu 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, GTV has
commissioned a documentary to be made on TV reception and once it is completed, it will go along with the education. So, we would soon come out with that documentary to indicate how these antennae orientation is done and how TV reception is made.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Hon Minority Leader, I thought you wanted to - very well - because I thought you were making an attempt to ask a question --
Mr Joseph B. Aidoo 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the
Hon Minister has this morning confused some of us, and I would want him to do a practical demonstration of how an antenna should be set.
Mr Speaker, in Asamankese where - [Interruptions] - I wish the Hon Minister would listen - Mr Speaker, where GTV transposer is pointing in the north-east and we have, let us say, TV3 pointing south- west and Metro TV pointing to the north, how should a resident at Asamankese set his antenna? How should the person re- orientate his antenna to be able to access all these three transmitters? It should be
very practical to us.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
I disallow that question. Hon Member, we do not have any antenna in this House to do the demonstration. So I disallow it. [Laughter.]
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the first Question in respect of New Abirem, we have a GTV transmission site. In the second Question, Asamankese, there is a GTV transmission site. The Hon Minister, in his Answer to Question 339 emphasised the correct orientation of antenna and insisted that once you have it right, you have a clear view.
Mr Speaker, in Question number 533, he introduces another element; one of a transposer to improve GTV reception. Does he recognise that after the installation of a transmitting site, one requires more than orientating ones antenna correctly? You require more than that; does he recognise that? Because he insisted in Question number 339 that you necessarily have to depend on correctly orientating the antenna. He introduced another element in number 533, and I am asking, since he insisted in number a correct orientation of the antenna, does he now concede that having a clear view does not depend only on correctly orientating your antenna?
Mr Akologu 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my very good Friend,. the Minority Leader, I guess, perhaps, got me wrong. I do not have to concede anywhere -- I indicated that orientating your antenna is one of the things you should do and the problem we discovered at Abirem was orientating the antenna.
At Asamankese, the problem that was discovered was the transposer which was

weak and I have indicated that in a week's time, we are going to send a transposer there. [Interruption..] Yes, I have even put it here. The Hon Member for Old Tafo, (Dr Anthony A. Osei) said I should lay the Paper here. I have put it down here; when somebody asked, how soon are we sending it there [Interruption.] at Asamankese, yes.

So the situation is this - even though I trained as a Journalist, I did not train as a technical person on televisions and so on. So unless the technical people are wrong, and which we would find out later, my information is that, for instance, if GTV transmitter is located, say, in the northern part of Asamankese and Metro TV and TV3 transmitters are located in the southern part of Asamankese, if you orient your antenna to the north, you are going to receive more of GTV than Metro TV and TV3; at least, that is the technical explanation that was given.

I asked this question because, when I read the Answer they provided, I thought that it was useful to ask that question and this was the explanation I was given. That is why we talked about the locations. One transmitter is in the north, the others have theirs in the south and they think that is how they can cover. So if you do not orientate your antenna to the north where GTV is having its transmitter, you would not get it very clearly. That is the issue.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
Very last one, Hon Minority Leader.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the problem at Asamankese, by implication, the Answer provided by the Hon Minister suggests that they have clearer reception for Metro TV and TV3; that is the Answer that he provided as per the first paragraph. Mr Speaker, is the Hon Minister telling us that TV3 and Metro TV are transmitting from the same site?
Mr Akologu 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if he says that that is the indication, I go with him that that is -- The most likely thing is that they are located in the same geographical location in the south. So that is why when you turn your antenna to that area, you either receive TV3 or Metro TV clearly. That is what the indication would be.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of Question time.
I would want to thank the Hon Minister for Information for attending upon the House to answer Questions.
Thank you very much, Hon Minister for Information.
Hon Members, as I have indicated earlier, Madam Speaker has admitted one Statement. I would therefore call on the Hon Member for Afram Plains South to make the Statement.
STATEMENTS 12:25 p.m.
Mr Raphael K. Ahaligah (NDC - Afram Plains South) 12:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to make a Statement on the floor of Parliament. Let us give support to the Black Stars; a Statement made on the floor of the House by the Member of Parliament for Afram Plains South and Vice Chairman on Select Committee on Youth and Sports.
Mr Speaker, the World Cup euphoria is being felt in all nooks and crannies. It has taken over from the usual antagonistic debates that have characterised our airwaves. In just about two days' time the biggest football fiesta would be staged on African soil to determine who would rule the world so far as football is concerned. Fortunately and very unprecedentedly, our

Mr Speaker, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Select Committee on Youth and Sports, lovers of the game, soccer, I would like to congratulate the players, Ghana Football Association, technical handlers, the President of Ghana and finally, the fans for their meritorious contributions to the growth of the game in Ghana.

Mr Speaker, in the olden days, the might of a country was determined by its ability to win wars. But in modern times, such yardsticks are not only primitive but also colloquial. The potency of a country is determined to a large extent, by its ability to use the mind to solve problems. Interestingly, football is an embodiment of both the physique and the mind. A lot of thinking would be needed from the players and the technical handlers to ensure victory. Success is very necessary to affirm the axiom: “What a whiteman can do, a blackman can equally do”. In that manner, the confidence of the people in the Continent in solving their own problems would gain a major boost.

Mr Speaker, a twenty-three man squad was selected to represent Ghana at the expense of other equally competent and dedicated players and as the biblical injunction goes, “to him much is given, much is required”. The selected players must feel honoured for the trust Ghanaians have reposed in them and must reciprocate with a hard work that would bring smiles on the faces of the fans.

Each selected player must not think of only monetary gains but must be willing to die for the country. The team is a blend

of both the old and young. Questions have been raised by some skeptics about the experience of some of the players but Mr Speaker, history has got countless cases where perceived experienced people had gone for such tournaments and had refused to shine. It is very imperative for the young players to use the occasion as a platform to better their career.

The players are going to be bombarded with big football legends, the likes of Messi, Kaka, Drogba and the rest. This, Mr Speaker, has the tendency to cause fear in some of the young players. But I wish to encourage them to go all out because names do not play football.

On the field of play, Mr Speaker, I would like to urge the players to play to the rules. Many people would be watching the game with keen interest and therefore, any act or acts of indiscipline would not only mar the beauty of the game but also the image of the country.

Ghana has won many international accolades and has raised eminent sons and daughters who are recognized internationally. This makes it crucial for those who are representing Ghana to be unique in conduct.

Mr Speaker, the World Cup is also an opportune time to showcase and market the culture and the beauty of this country. The rippling effects of foreign direct investment and tourism could help boost our fragile economy. Somebody may hear the name Ghana for the very first time. We must endeavour to use Ghana paraphernalia, portray Ghana as an oasis of peace. This would not only serve as an economic booster for our local industries but also as distinct.

Mr Speaker, it is important for our supporters to take some precaution since the security situation in South African can be volatile. The fans must be at the

right place, at the right time and do the right thing. Above all, our fans must be wary of the HIV/AIDS pandemic which is the number one killer in South Africa. We need everybody back home alive and strong for the greater national duty of building Ghana.

Mr Speaker, the Parliament of Ghana wishes the Black Stars a successful campaign in this World Cup. We know that the Stars are determined and willing to go the extra mile to try to bring the Cup home. We are hopeful that all Ghanaians will rally behind them to achieve this very important feat.

Long live the Black Stars, Long live Ghana.
Minority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 12:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think what we have witnessed in this House this morning is unprecedented. Mr Speaker, it is unprecedented and if it were not in this House, the then Colleague who just read this Statement would be cited for plagiarism.
Mr Speaker, I had urged the Ranking Member, the Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports to bring to this House a Statement on the tournament ahead of us, which commences tomorrow. Unfortunately, the Chairman could not attend to it; he had to leave for South Africa. I told the Deputy Majority Leader that it is as an important event, let us acknowledge it and come with a Statement to boost the morale of the Black Stars.
The Deputy Majority Leader indicated to me that he had fashioned a Statement and wanted somebody to read it in the House. The Ranking Member presented a Statement when nothing was coming out to Madam Speaker. And just this morning, when we went to meet Madam Speaker, we were told the Vice Chairman had submitted a Statement to be read in this House.
Minority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 12:35 p.m.


Then I came to the Ranking Member to inform him of the development and to urge that upon counsel by Madam Speaker, he should stand by after the Statement has been read, to contribute. It turned out that the Vice Chairman gets up and reads the Statement of the Ranking Member and purports that it is his Statement.

Mr Speaker, this is too serious. It is

too serious. Mr Speaker, that is why I said, this indeed, is unprecedented. How can the Colleague do that? Mr Speaker, how can the Colleague do this? Can he explain himself?

Mr Speaker, I urged my Colleague,

the Member for Sekondi (Papa Owusu- Ankomah) not to rise up because I thought at the end of it all, at the end of the presentation, he would acknowledge that “this is not my Statement, it is a Statement written by the Ranking Member. However, I deem it appropriate to read it on behalf of the Committee”. Mr Speaker, that would have been acceptable. But the way he has conducted himself, plagiarizing the entire document of a Colleague in this House and attempting to appropriate it to himself. Mr Speaker, outside this Chamber, it will be a criminal offence.

I believe the Hon Colleague owes an apology to this House. He must do the honourable thing otherwise, perhaps, one would be on the right trajectory to refer his conduct to the Privileges Committee but I do not want to go there. Let him do the proper thing.

Mr Speaker, this is very dishonou- rable.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
Hon
Members, yes, I will get to you. Hon Members, I want to plead with you that this controversy should not be allowed to drown the essence of the Statement. I see where the Hon Minority Leader is coming from.
But I also did hear him, I stand to be corrected. If I did hear him carefully, he did indicate that he was making the Statement on behalf -- [Interruptions] -- Please, please, please! If I did hear him well, I did hear him make that reference at the beginning when he referred to Vice Chairman of the Committee and all those things. But be it as it may, let me hear the Deputy Majority Leader.
Mr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I feel very sad that things have turned out this way.
First of all, the last statement that you just made that he said he was doing it on behalf of the Committee of Youth and Sports and lovers of the game, that has been stated in the second paragraph. I do not know whether that statement is in his Statement, that is number one.
Mr Speaker, let us go to the last two paragraphs of the Statement. Mr Speaker, the last paragraph of the Statement was written by me. Mr Speaker, I am saying that the last paragraph of the Statement was written by me. If that statement is in his Statement, then he rather plagiarized the Statement. But Mr Speaker, I will still give you the details.
The detail is this: I asked a journalist to do a Statement upon the prompting of the Minority Leader. That journalist did a draft for me; I looked at the Statement and I thought that it was not up to the scratch, so I added a last paragraph to that Statement and gave it to him to look at and add something to it. He did exactly that. So if that same journalist had given a Statement to him, he has actually plagiarized what was originally given to him and it is not he who plagiarized him.
Mr Speaker, it is very serious and I would demand that the Minority Leader apologises to him -- [Interruption] --

because under normal circumstances, if you have a suspicion of this nature, the best thing to do is to enquire to know why and if an explanation is given and it is not significant or convincing and appropriate, you go ahead to make a statement as he did against him, which has hurt his reputation so much.

Mr Speaker, I believe very strongly that

if this Statement is the exact Statement that the Ranking Member has, he has plagiarized it because I know that there are sentences I wrote here, which are originally mine and transferred to him and read here and I believe they are not in there. So it cannot be a photocopy of what happened and if the same journalist gave the same Statement to him, I believe that he will confess it. He is a very Hon Colleague. The Ranking Member is a very Hon Colleague.

But Mr Speaker, I accept it when you ruled that we should not let this thing mar the beauty of our determination to say something about the Black Stars and I would urge you to go along that line so that we can go on with the import of this Statement.

Several Members -- rose --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
Hon
Members, I do not intend taking statements from any other person apart from the Leaders of this House on this matter because issues that have been raised on the floor of the House are very, very serious and can only be handled by the Leaders. But as I said early on, we are trying to encourage our younger brothers in South Africa and on this occasion, with the greatest respect to all of you, let us just do that.
If we are not careful, this is going to be the news but not the congratulation. If the Hon Majority and Minority Leaders
have anything to say, I will let them say it -- [Interruption.] As for the Ranking Member, he will speak as a Ranking Member to contribute to the Statement.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, one could only be amazed that -- [Interruption --] I will go there. When you allowed your Deputy to tell me that I should apologise, you are saying I should not go there.
Mr Speaker, one could only be astounded if a Deputy Majority Leader will stand in this House and tell us that Statements that are read in this House are prepared by journalists. Mr. Speaker, it is very, very sad and it is a sad commentary on the Deputy Majority Leader and the side that he represents.
It is a sad commentary on the per- formance on the side that he represents and I thought that this was not an area, even if it was true, that he was going to traverse. It is sad. Mr Speaker, when was the Statement transmitted to Madam Speaker? It was done three days ago. Then it came to me --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
Hon Minority Leader, kindly take your seat. I want, in view of the Statement being made on the floor -- and they are coming from our Leaders -- I think that I want to get direction but I will give you what I intend to do.
What I intend to do is to stop the whole thing because it is casting a slur on this august House and the signal I sent, is to the effect that we leave it to the Leaders. But clearly, I think that both sides have been provoked. Both sides have been provoked this morning and I think that no further statement is going to be allowed on this matter. Today, it is a sad commentary on this Honourable House. It is very regrettable and unfortunate.
Of all my years in this House, I have never witnessed this type of incident which I have witnessed today. Almost
PAPERS 12:45 p.m.
Prof. Michael A. Oquaye 12:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I really have a great regard for the manner in which you ruled or accommodated this problem. In fact, I am very heavy at heart. Mr Speaker, nevertheless, I believe it would be very useful to have this matter referred to our Privileges Committee because we cannot also truncate this into a limbo and then at that level, the matter can be dealt with to its final conclusion. But definitely there should be another step forward and the Privileges Committee would be the best to handle this at this particular stage.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
What I intend doing -- I think to a very large extent, I share your sentiments. But again, this is an issue that I want the Leadership of the House to meet among themselves and then try to sort out. This is a matter that concerns us and I think that the Leaders should be in a good position to try to sort it out.
Failing that, then we move to the second level. I am very slow in referring matters to the Privileges Committee when I am in the Chair for very good reasons. If I had known that this development would crop up, I would have given the Chair
to you. But referring the matter to the Committee that I chair, I have a difficulty here and that is why I want the Leaders to handle this matter.
Prof. Oquaye 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, and report
back?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Yes.
When the report is ready, then we will sit down as a House and know what to do with it.
Prof. Oquaye 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, very well.
So, the Leaders will report back.
Thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
But Hon
Members - Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Cletus A. Avoka 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I
think that I share the sentiment raised by the Second Deputy Speaker. I admit that you are the Chairman of the Privileges Committee but I know you have a Vice Chairman who is not also a First Deputy Speaker. The Leadership of the House will be so busy, -- We are quite busy to be able to investigate this matter and report appropriately.
As you rightly observed, some of us have been here not just a few years -- 1993, 1997, 2001, et cetera. This is the first time that this unfortunate incident is taking place in this august House. So it is appropriate that we actually investigate it to set the records straight and to advise ourselves so that we do not wash our dirty linen in public.
I believe that it is important that the Privileges Committee handles this matter, other than the Leadership. This is because if you say so, it is the Hon Minority Leader who also raised the issue and if you disqualify yourself and the Privileges Committee, what about the position that he has taken and he is -- more also when my Deputy said that he should apologize.

So he is also in one of the groups and the rest of them. So, I would want to urge that the matter can still go before the Privileges Committee that can handle it more dispassionately.

Thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon
Members, I have made a ruling that the Leaders should handle this matter. The allegation came from the Leaders of this House and if a debate from the Privileges Committee ensues in this House, I can tell you the outcome of that type of debate.
We have gone very far as a House and this is not the time for us to be dividing our front as a House, because I can tell you the outcome of the Committee. If the Privileges Committee comes out and rules on the side of one of the Leaders, you know the possible response from the other side of the House. If it rules -- So clearly, this is a matter for the Leaders to go and sort out for once and then let us find a way of resolving it.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 12:55 p.m.
Thank you
very much, Mr Speaker, for your ruling. You have ruled; I am not challenging your ruling. But really, there are certain occurrences which this House should not drag too far. A matter was raised on the floor of the House, it may be unprecedented but it is a matter that can be resolved in a manner that will promote the work of this House. So, I am supporting what you have said and urging Hon Members to take note of this fact.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon
Members, now the --
Mr Avoka 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your kind indulgence, we will now go to item 6.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Item 6,
Chairman of the Committee and Ranking Member? Have you resolved the issue?
MOTIONS 12:55 p.m.
Mr James K. Avedzi 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker,
the Ranking Member and I looked at the terms and conditions of the Agreement. We identified that this is a standard IDA Loan which does not attract interest and that we should not amend the term sheet by introducing “interest” and put “zero” there. But what we can do in the Report is to put a sentence that will read:
“The Committee observed that the facility is in line with the standard IDA terms which do not attract interest.
With that amendment to the Report, we should proceed and approve it.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Have you
done the amendment?
Mr Avedzi 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am
proposing this amendment so that the Hansard Department takes care of it.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
So
properly amend it.
Mr Avedzi 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to
move, under item 4.0 -- observations of the Report of the Finance Committee, amend as follows:
“The Committee observed that the facility is in line with the standard IDA terms which do not attract interest.”
Dr A. A. Osei 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I support the amendment by the Chair, only to add that the impression should not be given that because there is no interest, there is no cost on the loan. I think that is the part that was not well noted. There is a commitment fee and there is a service charge.
The commitment fee is on the unwithdrawn balance, so that for example, if the loan is effective today, we would

have to pay a certain percentage and anytime we withdraw, we have to pay a certain amount -- so that people do not think that there is no cost at all, there is a commitment fee and a service charge.

With those few remarks, I support the amendment by the Chair.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
So you are
saying that there is no interest but there is cost of the loan?
Dr A. A. Osei 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Yes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Very well.
In view of that, that brings us to the end --
Mr S. K. B. Manu 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I want
to observe in the light of what happened yesterday regarding the interest of the loan, that next time when we have such a loan from IDA, though it has been a practice or it has been a norm with the IDA that their loans are interest-free, we must state that in black and white so that it removes all doubts in the minds of Hon Members of Parliament who are endorsing the loan on behalf of the people of this country.
I think it is for these reasons that we have the term “due diligence”. If today, we do not do it and tomorrow it comes out that this loan from IDA is of a different character, but we took it for granted that IDA loans are interest-free, we would have made -- excuse me to say -- a fool out of the House.
I would want to caution that next time, whoever will be handling such loans, that we must state in black and white to remove all doubts about such important issues so that the House will be working in dignity.
I have just given a friendly and brotherly advice; if he wants to throw in fire, we can go in and fire -- [Inter-ruptions.] We are ready for it. Yes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
Hon
Balado, you have made a good statement but the last part -- you should withdraw the last part. You have made a very good statement but the last --
Mr Manu 12:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you
very much. Upon your advice, I would want to observe that what I said be withdrawn.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
That
brings us to the end of the debate.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Item 7
--Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Avoka 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with your
kind permission, I want to apply that we permit the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, who is available in the House to move the Resolution number 7. For unavoidable reason, the Hon Minister himself is not available and the Hon Deputy Minister -- In fact, the other day he was seen treating this particular matter. So it is only fair that he continues.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:05 p.m.
Mr
Speaker, I do not have anything against it except that I thought the application was not meant for you alone but for the indulgence of the House as well. He applied to you but the same application should go to this House.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Hon
Minority Leader, that is why I called you.
Mr Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu 1:05 p.m.
Mr
Speaker, I have no problem.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Yes,
Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning?
RESOLUTIONS 1:05 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 1:05 p.m.
H E R E B Y R E S O LV E S A S 1:05 p.m.
Mr James K. Avedzi 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Avoka 1:05 p.m.
. Mr Speaker, we will take
motion number 8.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
Very well.
Chairman of the Committee?
MOTIONS 1:05 p.m.
SSNIT 1:05 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr J.ames K. Avedzi) 1:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the Addendum to the Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for an amount of GH¢109,000,000.00 for the payment of contractors under the Ghana Road Fund.
Mr Speaker, in doing so, I present your Committee's Report.
1.0 Introduction
The Credit Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for an amount of one hundred and nine million Ghana cedis (GH¢109,000,000.00) for the payment of contractors under the Ghana Road Fund was laid in the House on Thursday, June 03, 2010 in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution and referred to the

Finance Committee for consideration and report pursuant to Order 171(1) of the Standing Orders of the House.

The Committee consequently met and considered the Agreement with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon Seth Terkpeh and technical teams from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Road Fund and presents its Report.

2.0 Background

Hon Members of Parliament would recall that the Government of Ghana, acting through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning entered into an Agreement in March 2008 with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for the Ghana cedi equivalent of US$85 million for the payment of contractors by the Ghana Road Fund.

There is currently a backlog/arrears of payments to contractors for works executed which are also accumulating interest.

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has agreed to provide an amount of GH¢109 million, under terms similar to the 2008 loan to enable the Ghana Road Fund make payment to contractors for works executed.

3.0 Purpose of the Loan

The purpose of the Agreement is to obtain funds for the payment of contractors under the Ghana Road Fund.

Terms and Conditions

The terms of the Agreement are as follows:

Loan Amount -- GH¢109 million

Grace Period -- 1 year

Repayment Period -- 6 years

Maturity Period -- 7 years

Interest Rate -- BoG Prime Rate + 200 bp

Penalty -- 3 per cent p.a. on unpaid

amount

Processing Fee -- 0.5 per cent flat

Commitment Fee -- 0.1per cent flat

Security -- GoG Guarantee. 4.0 Observations

The Committee observed that this loan is completely fresh and different from the US$85 million facility approved by the House in March, 2008 and was agreed that the loan is an addition to the earlier one approved in 2008 and not the addendum.

The Committee requested that the above corrections should be made before the loan Agreement is finally signed by the Minister.

How much the Road Fund owed contractors, the Committee was informed that as at the 16th of January, 2010, the total indebtedness of the Fund to contractors stood at about GH¢108.9 million and hence the decision to borrow the amount of GH¢109 million.

The Committee was informed that the loan will be disbursed in six instalments.

The Committee agreed that the Minister for Roads and Highways be later invited to brief the House on the specifics of individual contractors to whom the moneys are owed.

Officials of the Ghana Road Fund assured the Committee that the flow of revenue into the Fund would be able to

repay the loan and therefore, other things being equal, there will not be recourse to government to pay the loan.

5.0 Conclusion

The Committee recommends to the House to adopt this Report and approve by Resolution, the Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for an amount of one hundred and nine million Ghana cedis (GH¢109,000,000.00) for the payment of contractors under the Ghana Road Fund in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution, sections 3 and 7 of the Loans Act, 1970 (Act 335) and the Standing Orders of the House.

Respectfully submitted.
Dr Anthony A. Osei (NPP -- Old Tafo) 1:05 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion but to say a few things about it which were raised in Committee.
Mr. Speaker, it is always a good thing when there is an attempt to try and pay road contractors because the non- payment of road contractors is a very strong indicator of economic activity in this country. So any effort by the Ministry of Roads and Highways to liquidate these arrears is very good. In fact, if you read the Bank of Ghana report on, I think, the first quarter, we are told that non-performing loans have increased from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. That is a very significant number.
What that means is that the banks will not be interested in giving more loans to these business people and it causes trouble. Some business people deal with this by going to non-bank financial institutions to borrow at even higher interest rates but the commercial banks begin to use non-price methods not to give credit. Business people, some of them go to the extreme point of laying off workers
temporarily until payments are made.
So any attempt to liquidate the arrears is a good thing and therefore, we should all support it. However, if you read paragraph 3 on “Observations”, there is some issue that we want the Minister to take note. In fact, if you read the Memorandum, you will see that it says, “Committee on the addendum”. We brought this out and this is where you see the observation that correction should be made before the loan agreement is finally signed by the Minister. Mr Speaker, when the letter came to the Committee -- And I am told that Members do not have copies of the Memorandum but I thought it was distributed.
The impression is being given that we are creating an addendum to a loan that we have already approved. That is a very bad impression. What that means is that, some people in one of the divisions of the Ministry are not doing their work and they should respect Parliament. Parlia-ment is a very important institution that we should not be given documents that may force us to ask you to take it back.
If you look at the Memorandum, somebody being lazy just typed in the loan that was approved in 2008 as if it is the loan that we are approving. So this is a very serious matter and this is why -- Because it is important not to let the contractors suffer, that is why some of us are saying that we should not take it back but we just want to take note that it is important that in future the documentation that comes to Parliament be as robust as possible so that we can find our way to effect this.
If it were not for the contractors, I think we would have had to ask the team to go back. Clause 5.2 is the same thing. If you read it, it is as if two loan agreements are being brought to Parliament. So I want to plead with the Hon Deputy Minister
Dr Anthony A. Osei (NPP -- Old Tafo) 1:05 p.m.


very strongly that, in the future, he should deal with the staff members specifically in charge of this. They should not treat Parliament as if we do not know what we are doing.

My other Hon Colleagues have other things that they may want to say on it but except for this observation, I want to urge Hon Members that because the issue of payment of contractors is such an important matter and we all know that contractors are harassing Members of Parliament about non-payment, we as Members of Parliament should see it fit to accelerate the payment to them so that they will leave us alone because they will be lobbying us to see the appropriate persons.

Question proposed.
Mr Haruna H. Bayirga (PNC -- Sissala West) 1:15 p.m.
I rise to support this loan of GH¢109,000,000.00 for payment to contractors. This loan, if it is approved by Hon Members, will go a long way to reduce tension and stress on contractors. Contractors are insulted, they are harassed by their employees and the banks. Local contractors that are paid do not have interest for the long delays of these projects and that affects their investments very seriously.
Mr Speaker, the long delays in payment of contractors has adverse effects on the contracts that are executed. It results in very shoddy works being done, delays of projects - Mr Speaker, take a project that has been delayed for six months or one year - delays in payment. Now, this project is paid after six months or one year. It goes to make the retention period very ineffective.
The retention period is when the contractor is called back to rectify the defects in the job he has executed and it is normally six months or one year afterwards. So if we pay the contractor after one year, we cannot ask him to come back and remedy the defects and as such, the Government loses very greatly when it comes to delays in payment.
I will want to urge the Hon Minister to try and streamline things so that they will correct this issue of delays in payment so that local contractors can be paid promptly. I would want to say that we should be very careful so that we do not “over award” contracts to satisfy people whom we cannot pay.
With this, I pledge my support and ask all Hon Members to approve the loan.
Mr Kofi Frimpong (NPP - Kwabre East) 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion. This is a very good loan and I do not think any Hon Member of Parliament will object to it or speak against it.
But Mr Speaker, much as we all want this loan to come and pay contractors so that works would be executed on time, I think, as we demanded during the Committee meeting, a schedule of beneficiary contractors should be brought to the House for the sake of transparency, accountability, supervision and probity. This is because Mr Speaker, if - and I am not talking of probing or the Hon Minister being accountable to Parliament but those who are going to make the payment, that is, the technocrats.
Mr Speaker, we must know the contractors that they are paying. They told us that as of now, Government owes as much as 109.9 million Ghana cedis; that is what we were told. But how do we ensure that this amount of money is really owed to these contractors? And how do we know? Mr Speaker, according
to paragraph 4 - [Interruption.] - Do not mind him.
Now, paragraph 4 says that the

Alhaj i Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka - rose -
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.
I would know the contractor in my constituency - [Interruption.]
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member, point of order?
Alhaji Muntaka 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague knows very well that we vetted Ministers to be answerable to us. When they have doubts about some of the technicalities, he knows that that can be done at the committee level. But for him to stand on the floor of the House and be talking about contractors coming to the floor of the House, he knows that that is an impossible thing.
So I will urge him that they should go through the committee levels, where they have doubts, to call the contractors and try to verify but not to ask that they come to the floor of the House. That is completely out of order.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for ignoring him. He could not make anything out of what he said. Which of the Standing Orders have I contravened to call for a point of order? Tell me; this is no point of order.
Mr. Speaker, thank you.
Mr Speaker, all I am saying is, we are not asking the contractors to come here but for transparency sake -- for the sake that I as a Member of Parliament will know the contractor - [Interruption] - the contractor working on the Antoa- Kenyase road has been paid so that I will make sure he goes to the site and work. I must know.
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.
Pardon me?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
Is Antoa Nyamaa in your constituency?
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.
Yes. If you want to go there, I will take you there -
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
No, you mentioned a particular road and you mentioned Antoa and I just want to know for the sake of the records; so it is yes or no; it is not whether I want to go there or not.
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.
It is yes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
I believe we have enough in the Volta Region - [Laughter.]
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, you see, this road is a very important one in my constituency and a lot of big men ply the road - [Interruptions] - They ply the road. But Mr Speaker, if I know the contractor has been paid, I would make sure he goes to site and work. As it is now, I am a Member of Parliament, I am approving this loan for the construction of roads, yet I do not know whether a contractor in my constituency has been paid or not.
That is why I am demanding - and I said it at the committee level, that a list of contractors who are going to be paid - there is nothing wrong with that - They must be made known to us so
Mr Frimpong 1:15 p.m.


With these few words, Mr Speaker, I support the loan.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari (NDC - Tamale North) 1:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion on the floor. Mr Speaker, like all the other contributors have said, this is a very important loan. It is important because it is going to the sector of our economy which, I think, gives more jobs to the citizenry than many other departments or Ministries.
Mr Speaker, when a contractor is out of funds, all his workers suffer; their families suffer. He himself, his family and extended family and relations suffer. So it is not just the contractor who is not paid but all those under this category of persons I have mentioned suffer because of the lack of payment.
Mr Speaker, the Road Fund administrators confirmed that they will be able to pay off the loan without the necessary intervention of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning because of the funds they collect along the roads and the bridges -- road tolls -- Mr Speaker, I am happy that we were also assured that all contractors who are owed money up to the 6th of January would be paid - they would all be covered.
In fact, I was very interested in who will be covered and I was told that all contractors from 2007 to the 6th of January, 2010 will be paid. Because the list dates back from 2007, it is not for contractors for this year only. And let us say that this will not completely eliminate the number of contractors who are owed money because the list of debt will roll on throughout the year. As we end the payments up to 6th January, I am sure that by now, from 6th January, there will be those that have completed their works and who have not been paid and that list will start very soon. So very soon, another loan will have to be sought to take care of these people if we want to pay the contractors as expeditiously as we all intend to do.
Mr Speaker, I think all of us will sympathise with our contractors. I know that most of them go to banks and raise the loans and have to pay heavy interests on these loans and many of them have even run out of money, some of them have had their properties confiscated by the banks and it does not auger well for that sector of our economy.
Mr Speaker, the important thing to note, in my view, is that there will soon be another build up of a list of people who must be paid and we should all keep that in mind.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Friend wanted to know the list; I think that as a member of the Committee, he could have found out from the Ministry or from the Road Fund administrators who were here, what number of people are going to be paid; which contractors will be paid. Because we said they were ready to give out that list to anybody who wanted to see it. It is not for this House to go probing the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Road Fund for the number of people who will be paid.
In any case, when they are paid, this can always be verified from the Ministry as to
who have been paid. So it is not going to be politically biased or any form of bias in the payments. We said from 2007 to 6th January, 2010, all contractors owed will be covered. And this is the amount they need to pay all of them off so that many of them can make a fresh start.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I want to support the Motion and urge all my Hon Colleagues to do same so that we can give some relief to our contractors.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
Hon
Member for Nhyiaeso? Is that right? You started with Bantama and then came to Nhyiaeso.
Dr Richard W. Anane (NPP--
Nhyiaeso): Yes, Mr Speaker, Bantama was so big that it was divided into three consistuncies. So we have the new Bantama, then Kwadaso and Nhyiaeso consistuting the old Bantama. So I am here this time representing Nhyiaeso, the capital of Kumasi.
Mr Speaker, thank you so much for giving me the permission to associate with this Motion.
Mr Speaker, first, I would want to congratulate the Hon Minister for appreciating that there is the need for finding bridge financing when there is a crunch in order to ensure that there is a relief for our construction industry.
Mr Speaker, we believe that the construction industry is one of the major areas of the economy which will make the economy tick or not tick and therefore, when they are not paid, it has a reverberating effect on the entire economy. So if today we have found it necessary to ensure that we have some
funding to pay off the indebtedness, Mr Speaker, I think it is quite some good news and we will encourage the Minister and the Government for so doing.
At least, it also shows that there is continuity in action, Mr Speaker, as we do remember, there was a time in this House the Hon Minister did not understand why the past Government had to go to solicit for funding from SSNIT to bridge finance for some of the projects in order for the programme to go on. So if by so doing today, we have come to that realization --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
That day I made him withdraw that statement, so --
Dr Anane 1:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was only making a reference for us to appreciate that it is always necessary for us to learn and then to improve upon what others came in there to do. Because at the end of the day it is about our country, it is not about individuals or about past governments.
Mr Speaker, it is necessary for us to appreciate also that it is not all road contractors who are going to be paid from this fund. We have about three categories of contractors or projects that are going on currently in the country. We have Road Fund-supported projects, we have Consolidated Fund-supported projects and then we have Development Partner- supported projects.
The Consolidated Fund-supported projects and the Development Partner- supported projects are not paid from the Road Fund and therefore, when we go in to solicit for such funding and the impression is created that it is all contractors who are going to be paid, we may be making a mistake. We have to be clear that it is only going to contractors who are working on Road Fund-supported projects.
I am happy also to learn that the amount that is being solicited is over and above the indebtedness as at January 6, this year, which means that all contractors owed up
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
Hon Members, I will take two more. There are no serious disputes with regard to the facility.
Hon Member for Dorma West?
Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu (NPP-- Dorma West) 1:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I also want to rise and support the Motion but I think that this Report from the Finance Committee should be fine-tuned before we actually adopt the Motion.
Mr Speaker, there are a few things. If
you look at the term sheet of the Report, the interest rate -- BoG prime rate plus 200 bp. Mr Speaker, I am afraid that not all of us will easily understand this technical expression of interest rate. Mr Speaker, what is the meaning of “200 bp”? Basis points? Now, does it translate into percentage? Something very friendly that everybody can understand when you are communicating -- Mr Speaker, I think we should look at that --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
Chairman
of the Committee, it is a very legitimate point being raised.
Mr Agyeman-Manu 1:25 p.m.
Thank you
Dr A. A. Osei 1:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on a point of order. Mr Speaker, I do not have any argument with my Hon Colleague but he cannot be talking to the Chairman. It is a Committee, so if he has any blame, he should blame the Committee. But he said he does not understand why the Chairman -- the Chairman is not there as his person, he is representing the Committee. So he should refer to the Committee, not just the Chairman.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
Hon
Member, take note of that.
Mr Agyeman-Manu 1:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker,
I have taken note of that. I am sorry, Chairman, and I even withdraw that. Now, I will address the Committee.
Mr Speaker, I think the Committee
would have done better if they had given us a schedule of the disbursement so that we will know when they start payments and when the payments will actually finish.
Mr Speaker, again, on that same page, the last paragraph, it says 1:35 p.m.
“Officials of the Road Fund assured the Committee that the flow of revenue into the Fund will be able to repay the loan and therefore other things being equal, there will be recourse to Government to pay the loan.”
Mr Speaker, this is a literal assurance for some of us who understand finance. Again, I was expecting that we will see a schedule of repayment. That is also not included in the Report, we do not have any agreement and we want to see that if you project into seven (7) years maturity period, when and when are we making these payments?
Mr Speaker, what percentage even of the Road Fund are we going to use to service this particular loan and what will be the implication of future road works in terms of maintenance and development for the purposes for which Road Fund was set up? The GH¢109,000,000.00 we are going to take, spread over seven (7) years with this interest, we would consume hundred (100) per cent of whatever revenue will flow into the Road Fund. How would we do maintenance in seven years and how would we do other development in seven years? That is why I am calling on the
Committee to actually submit a repayment schedule such that we would be assured with figures not just literal expression that the loan can be paid, without any serious implications on future road works.
Mr Speaker, again, something is
missing in the Report, and I was expecting the Committee to do us some good. As representatives of the people in this House, for all Ghanaians and especially workers to contribute to SSNIT, we want to know the impact of this loan disbursement from SSNIT on the operations of SSNIT. How will it affect their profitability, how will it continue to protect people's funds into retirement and how will they get money to pay retirement and things like that? Again, that is not also mentioned in the report --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
Hon
Member, you know that this House and the Committee has a constitutional mandate to discharge and that is with regard to the terms and conditions, that is their duty. All the other things, if they are in the Report, that is fine. But basically, they have a constitutional mandate to discharge. If you look at the Loans Act and you look at the Constitution, that is the basic duty they have to perform.
Mr Agyeman-Manu 1:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker,
we also have a mandate as Parliament to approve of these loans. Mr Speaker, Ghanaians also have an interest in the work we do. We would want to demonstrate to the Ghanaian populace that as representatives of the people, we are also representing their interest. And that is why I am suggesting that this little thing should have been included in the Report.
Mr Speaker, again, I was expecting what will happen to GoG allocations into the road sector. Will this mean that GoG will scale down its investment into the road sector or it will continue upgrading its investment in the road sector, such that, despite this massive borrowing and payment to contractors, GoG will
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
Hon
Members, you have to be very very brief because there are some Members who want to contribute, so that everybody can make his or her contribution. So be very, very brief.
Mr Abayateye 1:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker, in the course of our meeting, we took a strong view of the heading of the addendum, because it is not an addendum. It is a new loan we are raising to help in paying the contractors. It is a fact that because we are not paying them, interest is accumulating and as we raise this money, we would be able to pay off and clear the backlog of interest.
Again, the issue of pay back came up but we have been assured that with the increase in the road tolls we are paying, there is going to be enough revenue to flow into the Fund which will enable us to offset the debt without Government going in for anything to pay back.
Mr Speaker, as my Hon Brother hinted,
we were assured that at the appropriate
time, we would call the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways to come with the full list of contractors who are beneficiaries and we believe the fears of many would be allayed because things are being done in appropriate and right way.
With these few words, I want to urge
all to put their weight behind this Motion and to give massive approval so that we can get this money to offset our debts with the contractors.
Mr John Gyetuah (NDC -- Amenfi
West): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion on the floor, which has to do with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) loan for the payment of contractors under the Ghana Road Fund.
Mr Speaker, it is more appropriate that at this very juncture, we have had such fund for the payment. Indeed, the contractors who contracted loans from the banks will have their loans repaid. Some of them, their properties have been sold as a result of the delay in payment because when you look at the contracts which were awarded to them and then there is no payment, it cuts a slur on their integrity.
So I would plead and hope that we would find a way of soliciting another fund to pay the contractors, especially in the geographical locations like the Western Region where the terrain is different from other regions. When you get there, most of the contractors who have not been paid have abandoned their projects and this is having a toll on the people of the area.
So I hope that now, as somebody actually indicated, contracts that would be awarded, we would have money to pay so that we do not bite more that we can chew.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for
Kusi, what sort of harassment is it?
Mrs Kusi 1:35 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he knows it.
Dr A. A. Osei 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think my Leader has made this statement before and I tried to correct it. How can I harass my Leader? It is impossible. She may have some other things in mind but it is not for her to talk about them in the House -- [Laughter.] We have agreed that private conversations between Members should not be disclosed on the floor. So I plead with her that she should leave that part alone.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon
Member, kindly continue.
Mrs Kusi 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was saying
that in the Memorandum, it said that the US$85 million was to be paid in three instalments. And then this one is six, so we do not know -- if you read the Memorandum, you do not know whether that one has started or they are going to pay that in addition or the three and the six is going to be concurrent --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon
Member, the Ranking Member, in his submission earlier in seconding the Motion, addressed this issue. He said that for the fact that contractors play a key role in the economy, if you refuse to pay money to them, it affects the economy. We would have asked them not to but because of the effects or the impact that failure to pay would have, they decided that they would go and correct those things so that we can approve it.
Mrs Kusi 1:45 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I understand you better.
The Committee specified here, as Hon Members have already said, that later the Hon Minister should come to this House
the opportunity.
Mrs Gifty E. Kusi (NPP -- Tarkwa
Nsueam): Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity. Mr Speaker, upon reading the Memorandum to Parliament on this Loan Agreement, I realised that in the first place, it is a draft Memorandum; it was all written in draft. I am not sure whether it is right for us to receive a draft copy as Parliament. I am not sure; I stand to be educated on that.
Secondly, when you look at the
Dr A. A. Osei 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on a point
of order. Mr Speaker, I do not usually like correcting my Leaders but in this case, both issues that she has raised are in the Report. The Committee, for example, was informed that the loan would be disbursed in six (6) instalments. So it is in the Report.
Secondly, on the corrections -- it says:
“The Committee requested that the above corrections should be made before the Loan Agreement is finally signed by the Minister.”
So I plead with my Leadership that at least, if they are criticising the Committee, they should read the Report properly.
Mrs Kusi 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he did not hear
what I said, and as I have said already, he has been harassing me on the floor of this House, he should be very careful --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon Gifty
Mr Seth Terkpeh 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would quickly like to clarify this point even though I could have -- we are taking a loan to pay the contractors. It is the repayment of the loan, not the payment of the contractors that would be stretched over six instalments.
Mr Owusu-Aduomi 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I read from the Report, fourth paragraph. It says Mr Speaker, and with your permission, I read:
“The Committee was informed that the loan would be disbursed in six instalments.”
Mr A. A. Osei 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on a
point of information. What the Hon Member who just spoke is saying is correct. It will be disbursed in six instalments, not repaid in six instalments -- [Interruptions.] -- No, the -- this is what the -- [Interruption.] I am saying:
“The Committee was informed that the loan would be disbursed in six instalments.”
Please, he is not a member of the Committee. We are debating a Committee's Report. We are of the --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon
Members, we are debating the Committee's Report.
Dr A. A. Osei 1:45 p.m.
Thank you. And the
Committee has been given information that the loan would be disbursed in six instalments, whether it is monthly, bi- annually, we do not know, but it is six instalments. It is not the repayment, the repayment is clear. “Repayment will be over six years”, so it is payment -- [Interruptions] -- Please, please, “disbursement in six instalments”. The disbursement is six instalments, that is what the Committee is saying. So he is
right, it is six instalment disbursement.
Mr Avedzi 1:45 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think the
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Then the
Hon Member on the floor is right.
Mr Owusu-Aduomi 1:45 p.m.
I am right, Mr
Speaker. So we may have to know from the Ministry if the instalments would be a month's interval or less. If it is less, I have no problem at all because the contractors have suffered too long a time. If it is two month's instalments, then it means the next 12 months.
But Mr Speaker, one thing that I want to
add and then thank you and then Sit down is -- This year and the last year, routine maintenance -- pot hole patching, grass cutting, grading of roads have suffered a lot. I have indicated on the floor of this House before the Ministry of Roads and Highways' attention should be much on routine maintenance so that we preserve the roads we have built. When you move on our roads, there are a lot of pot-holes. Even grass cutting, cutting -- grass along road sides are not being done because payments are not coming.
So we plead with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Ministry of Roads and Highways that the first instalment of payments should go to payment of routine maintenance, so that we can patch pot-holes on our roads, we can cut grass along road sides to improve safety before we come to the period maintenance.
I urge Members also to support the Motion.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Last two, Hon Sorogho and Hon Kan-Dapaah, but you have to use two minutes each.
Alhaji Amadu B. Sorogho (NDC --
Abokobi/Madina): Mr Speaker, I rise to urge Members to support the loan. At least, Mr Speaker, I am happy that at long last a lasting solution has been found to this canker.
Mr. Speaker, as you go round the entire country, you would see a lot of uncompleted road works. In my own constituency, Abokobi/Madina, Mr Speaker, roads which were started as far back as 2007, some of them 2008, are still half complete. You ask the contractors and the problem is that they have not been paid. Mr Speaker, I think this loan has come at the right time and I urge all Members to support it.
While I do that, Mr Speaker, I want to
also advise the present Administration, the present Government, not to repeat the mistakes that were bequeathed to us by the previous government, whereby at the last minute, there was a rush to award contracts everywhere when in fact, arrangements had not been put in place to get money to pay them. We are in this dilemma today because of this mistake and I think the present government should learn from that.
In 2008, a lot of contracts were awarded without taking --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
Hon
Member, wind up.
Alhaji Sorogho 1:45 p.m.
I think that we on
this side of the House should also learn from those mistakes and not rush into awarding contracts when we are not sure of where we can get money to pay them.
rose
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Colleague who just sat down has indeed waxed very lyrical, and he has made a categorical statement that the previous Administration made some mistakes in awarding contracts when they knew they had no money. Mr Speaker, would he provide evidence to this statement?
Alhaji Sorogho 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thought that my senior Brother would have allowed this to lie so that he does not stir the waters.
Mr Speaker, go to the Ministry, take the list of contractors -- [Interruptions] -- Hon Gifty, can you keep quiet and listen? Just keep quiet and listen -- Go to the Ministries, pick the list of contractors -- when the contracts were awarded, the amounts involved --2007 and 2008, even in November when the elections were just about to -- they were awarding contracts. And this one, it is not a secret, everybody knows it.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Members, I do not want us to --all NDC and NPP are awarding contracts, all of them are guilty over this matter. When the NPP came, there were arrears, they paid them. When NPP Government came -- it is a fact that there were arrears and they paid. When NDC too came, there were arrears and they are now looking for money to pay. This matter should not turn into a political debate. I rest the case there.
Dr Anane 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, permission, please. Just to clarify a few points.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Members, we are about to adjourn the House. This is a loan both sides have supported.
Dr Anane 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, just a clarification. I do not want to be doing partisan politics with development --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Members, I have got some indications from the Hon Majority Leader that we should adjourn at two o'clock and that is why I have not extended the time beyond the prescribed period. There would be serious problem if you continue further. But I would allow you (Dr Richard Anane) briefly. But you are taking Hon Kan- Dapaah's intervention.
Dr Anane 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to assure you, as you have always seen, that I do not politicise developmental issues.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Order!
Dr Anane 1:55 p.m.
I do appreciate that he does not understand and that is why he is making those comments.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Members, having regard to the state of Business, I direct -- I have been advised that even if it is one minute after two o'clock, I have to extend Sitting. And I have to take the advice; it is a good piece of advice. I direct that we Sit outside the
prescribed period.
Dr Anane 1:55 p.m.
So, Mr Speaker, I only wanted to clarify for him, what he does not seem to appreciate and understand that the past Government did not just do things for nothing. The past Government thought there was a need for every part of this country to enjoy tarred road facility. The past Government did appreciate that there was the need for this country to be opened up. The past Government was not unaware of the fact that --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Member, it is not a point of order. You are virtually arguing.
Dr Anane 1:55 p.m.
So, Mr Speaker, just for his information so that he does not make such comments again.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Kan- Dapaah, you have one minute.
Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah (NPP -- Afigya-Sekyere West) 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you, very much for this opportunity.
Mr Speaker, let me also congratulate the Hon Minister for this bold initiative in trying to clear the arrears due to Ghana Road Fund contractors. As has already been said, Mr Speaker, this irregular payment to the contractors has been very, very bad. It has created a whole lot of problems for these contractors and in fact, most of them are working for the banks. By the time they would have been paid, the interest on the loans that they had taken to undertake the projects would in itself be more than the moneys due to them.
Mr Speaker, there is a contractor in my constituency who is doing the Boaman- Offinso road. Mr Speaker, this contractor
has not been paid any money for about two years. And you can imagine the problem that it has created for him. I am therefore, encouraged by this develop-ment, which will ensure that he is paid.
But Mr Speaker, it would have been better for us in this House to know exactly who is going to be paid. What contractor is going to be paid. This has not been done. We are told that the Roads and Highways Committee will do it at a later time.
But Mr Speaker, I want to emphasise one thing. A powerful statement has been made in the Committee's Report to the effect that, as at 16th January, 2010, the total indebtedness of the Fund to road contractors stood at about GH¢108.9 million and we are therefore going for a loan of GH¢109 million. What is being said here is that by the time this amount would have been disbursed, any contractor who was owed from the Ghana Road Fund as at 16th January, 2010 would have been paid.
I think it is important for the Hon Minister to be cognisance of this at all times. He would have misled the House if after all disbursements, somebody comes to say, I was being owed and I have not been paid.
Again, Mr Speaker, it has been stressed and it is in our interest that we emphasise this, that in making the payment, they should not be selective. They should be fair. They should be -- [Interruptions] -- If only you can have some respect for the Chair, it would be good.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Kan- Dapaah, wind up.
Mr Kan-Dapaah 1:55 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is important that they do not end up paying certain contractors.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
Hon Members, that brings us to --
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Hon
Deputy Minister, do you want to say something, otherwise, I want to put the Question?

Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr Seth Terkpeh): Mr Speaker, I just wish to thank Hon Members for the contributions, but to crave your indulgence to make a couple of points.

Mr. Speaker, some contributions on the floor of the House have been quite profound. Profound in the sense that when we refer to the importance of paying banks and the importance of paying contractors, it goes to the heart of Government's policy.

Last year, it placed emphasis on

stability and in this House, we did indicate that a policy of stability is not necessarily anti-growth. I think we debated this point at length. The debate we are engaging in now validates the points that we needed to pause in the two Budgets we presented to take care of the arrears which the Government had inherited. I think this is a very important point.

I also wish to clarify the point that, this is not the first time the Ministry would be making arrangements to pay contractors. Last year, my Minister informed the country that a special arrangement was being made to pay some contractors who were paid out of the Consolidated Fund.

Mr Speaker, I just wish to assure the
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, just on a point of order. The Hon Deputy Minister has just indicated that it has been articulated in this House, that a policy on stability is anti-growth. Mr Speaker, that position has not emanated from this House. What was debated was that stability is not pro-growth. It does not necessarily mean that it is anti-growth; nobody said so in this House. It is true that he wanted to indicate that stability is pro-growth; that was the position that the Ministry adopted. And from this side of the House, it was well articulated that stability is not pro-growth; nobody said that it is anti-growth.
Mr Speaker, that is by way of correction.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Hon Minority Leader, if it is not pro-growth, what is it?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, you are not under any way indicating that something that is not good is necessarily bad.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
I agree; so what is it?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is what it is. [Laughter.]
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minister, wind up; I want to put the Question.
Mr Terkpeh 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as I was saying, last year when we arranged this facility, most of the arrears were arrears carried forward and I am just making this point to buttress the point of impartiality; that the Ministry would strive not to be partial in making the payments because we have not been selective in the previous payments that were made.
Finally, Mr Speaker, for point of clarification, if you take today's prime rate to be 15 per cent as it is, then 15 per cent plus 2 basis points is 17 per cent. The reason we have not come out with a precise schedule is also because the prime rate can change and therefore, the schedule of repayment would change.
On this note, Mr Speaker, I wish to thank Hon Members.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Members.
Question put and motion agreed to.
RESOLUTIONS 2:05 p.m.
THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE 2:05 p.m.
H E R E B Y R E S O LV E S A S 2:05 p.m.
Mr James K. Avedzi 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Hon Members, it is past 2.00 o'clock and at this stage, I would like to -- Hon Majority Leader, or you want to say something before I adjourn the House?
Mr Avoka 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I just want to indicate that motion No. 10 on the Order Paper is deferred and then item No. 11, that is the Mutual Legal Assistance Bill, 2009 will be taken on Tuesday. Some Hon Members have expressed interest in looking at it and filing some amendments. We want to make a very well informed law. The Consideration Stage of the Mutual Assistance Bill, 2009 will be taken on Tuesday next week and the addendum that we filed this morning will also be taken tomorrow; it is deferred.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, is it possible -- looking at the number of amendments? Is it possible to do something about it?
Mr Avoka 2:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yes, the amendments are basically from the Committee and no other fellow has filed an amendment. So I have asked the Committee leadership to meet me and the Minority Leader so that we can look at some of them and see whether we can do some amendments. We will do so today and tomorrow.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:05 p.m.
Very well.
Hon Members, the House stands adjourned till tomorrow morning.
ADJOURNMENT 2:05 p.m.
  • The House was adjourned at 2.07 p.m. till Friday, 11th May, 2010 at 10.00 a.m.