Debates of 17 May 2011

MADAM SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:15 a.m.
WELCOME ADDRESS 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Hon Members, the House reconvenes today for the Second Meeting of the Third Session. I welcome you to the House and thank God for bringing you safely back here. For it was through His mercy that we all enjoyed good health during the recess and continue to do so hereafter. He kept us safe and delivered us from our respective destinations to the House this morning.
Let us with one accord, thank the good Lord for His mercies and continued favour.
Hon Members, I am very much aware that most of you had to sacrifice the recreations of the Easter recess and the
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Shall we move to item 2 on the Agenda, that is, Correction of Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 31st March,
2011 --
rose
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member --
Mr Ofosu 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, that was a good welcome address, except that it was short of mentioning of the primaries that some of us on the Minority Side went through -- [Interruption] -- We expected Madam Speaker to congratulate us.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
I thought of that and then thought of the repercussions that probably you would raise and say that I am not permitted to talk on these matters.
Mr Ofosu 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, we expect that. So congratulate us --[Laughter.]
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Well, now that I have the green light, I do congratulate you for a good fight -- [Hear! Hear!] -- I congratulate everybody -- those who lost, those who won; it was a patriotic duty. So whether you lost or won, you performed your patriotic duty. Those of you who won, get your money ready for campaigning again. And those who did not, save it for other patriotic reasons.
I thank you.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Shall we now move on to the Correction of Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 31st March,
2011?
Page 1 … 17 --
Mr Osei. B. Amoah 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I am sorry I did not catch your eye.
On Page 14, the first line, where it is numbered 20, the first three words, we have “The Hon Majority recalled”. I do not know what that really means. I suppose there should be an insertion “Leader” to read “The Hon Majority Leader recalled . . .”
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Yes, I think it is “Leader” then.
Mr Cletus A. Avoka 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, it should be Majority Leader. He is right.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Page 18 … 22. [Pause.]
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 31st March, 2011 as corrected are hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Shall we move to the correction of the Official Report? We have a number of them, so let us start with the Thursday, 24th March, 2011.

Hon Members, in the absence of any corrections, the Official Report of Thursday, 24th March, 2011, is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.

We move on to the Official Report of Friday, 25th March, 2011.
Mr O. B. Amoah 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, we do not seem to have all the Reports. The only one we have is on Thursday, 31st March, 2011; the rest are missing. I thought I was the only person but I have asked almost everybody and nobody has them.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
So everybody had the Report of Thursday, the 24th March? If you had, that one, we have corrected it. But you are saying you do not have any others?
Mr O. B. Amoah 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, yes, we have only one.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Then we leave the rest till you are served with copies.
Mr O. B. Amoah 10:15 a.m.
Very well.
Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
We do not have any Statement for the day. Let us move on to the Commencement of Public Business, that is, item 4 -- Presentation of Papers.
PAPERS 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
4 (b)(i) -- Minister for Roads and Highways.
Mr Avoka 10:15 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways is unavoidably absent in the Chamber today and with your kind permission, I want the Hon Minister for Information to lay the Papers on his behalf.
Madam Speaker 10:15 a.m.
If there is no objection, Hon Minister --
By the Minister for Information (Mr John T. Akologu) (on behalf of the Minister for Roads and Highways) --
i. Annual Report and Accounts of the Ghana Road Fund, 2008.
Referred to the Committee on Roads and Transport.
ii. Annual Report and Accounts of the Ghana Road Fund, 2009.
Referred to the Committee on Roads and Transport.
Madam Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Item 4 (c) (i).
Mr Avoka 10:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning is unable to be in the House this morning. With your kind permission, I would like the Hon Minister for Transport to lay the Papers on his behalf.
Madam Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Yes, so let us deal with it.
By the Minister for Transport (Mr Mike Allen Hammah) (on behalf of the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning) --
i. Loan Agreement between the Government of Ghana and Agence Francaise de Development (AfD) for an amount of €40.00 million to support the Ghana Urban Mana- gement Pilot Project (GUMPP).
ii. Mixed Credit Facility Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the KBC Bank of Brussels, Belgium, for an amount of twenty- one million, eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand, five hundred and twenty euros, thirty- one cents (€21,887,520.31) for the construction of the Essakyir Water Supply System in the Central Region.
iii. Request for tax and duty exemptions amounting to GH¢226,016.00 (US$220,052.60) on goods and services to be procured with respect to the Loan Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the African Development Fund for the Gender Responsive Skills and Community Development Fund.
Referred to the Finance Committee for Consideration and report.
Madam Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Item 4 (d).
By the Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah) --
i. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana (Public Boards, Corporations and Other Statutory Institutions) for the period ended 31st December, 2004.
ii. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana (Public Boards, Corporations and Other Statutory Institutions) for the period ended 31st December, 2005.
iii. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Mana- gement and Utilisation of Statutory and other earmarked funds for District Assemblies covering the period 1st January, 2001 to 31st December, 2004.
iv. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor-General on the Accounts of District Assemblies for the four financial years ended 31st December,
2004.
v. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Performance Audit Report of the Auditor-General on administration of the Ghana National Service Scheme.
vi. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Performance Audit Report of the Auditor-General on prison accommodation in Ghana.
vii. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Performance Audit Report of the Auditor-General on the preparedness of NADMO to manage disaster in Ghana.
BILLS -- FIRST READING 10:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Item 5 (d), Minister for Energy [Interruption.] Order! Order.
Mr Avoka 10:35 a.m.
Madam Speaker, the Hon Minister for Energy is not in the Chamber now and with your kind permission, I want the Minister for Transport to lay the other report on his behalf.
Madam Speaker 10:35 a.m.
Yes.
Renewable Energy Bill, 2011
An Act to provide for the utilization, sustainability and adequate water of renewable energy for electricity and heat generation and for related matters.
By the Minister for Transport (on behalf of the Minister for Energy). Read the First time; referred to the Committee on Roads and Transport.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 10:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Hon Members, I have just been informed that present in the Gallery is a group from Spellman College in Atlanta, USA. They are here to visit and also meet diaspora Members of Parliament (MPs) in Ghana's Parliament. So they are sitting in the Gallery. [Hear! Hear!]
Hon Members, it seems that is the business for the day and I will therefore, ask the Hon Majority Leader to move for an adjournment. Hon Majority Leader, we have finished with the work for today. Can you move for an adjournment?
Mr Cletus A. Avoka 10:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of Leadership, I want to join you in welcoming Hon Members back to the Chamber.
Madam Speaker, as you will recall, the Hon Member for Kade (Mr Ofosu Asamoah) had mentioned the fact that some of them except a few Hon Colleagues of ours had primaries and they went through.
We want to congratulate all those who went through the primaries and to appeal to those who did not make, it that this is not the end of their political career, that with commitment and dedication, they can come back to the House one day. They may wish to emulate the example of some of us --[Laughter] -- “I shall return”.
Madam Speaker, today is the beginning of our Sitting and I am very satisfied with the attendance this morning. The numbers are very encouraging. I want to appeal to Hon Members to continue to show commitment to this Sitting because there are a lot of things to be done. We have already scheduled some committees to meet this morning, to deliberate, so that they can bring reports. We also had a very good Sitting by coming in at exactly 10.15 a.m. I want to impress upon Hon Members that from now onwards, we will start at 10 o'clock and no more 10.30 a.m. or 11 o'clock; so we should try to be punctual to the Chamber.
On that note, Madam Speaker, I beg to move, that we now bring the proceedings of today to a close and adjourn until tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the forenoon.
Thank you very much.
Madam Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Yes, Hon Manority Leader, second the Motion for adjournment.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, before seconding the Motion moved by the Hon Majority Leader, I just want to pray that the Table Office amends what has been done, that is “Presentation of Papers” by the Hon Majority Leader. I think we have, Madam Speaker, often spoken about this fact that when the Hon Majority Leader presents these reports to the House, he does so as the Hon Leader of the House and not the Majority Leader.
I believe this whole business is a relic of the period of rather unsound commissions when our Colleagues decided not to recognize the Majority Leader then, as the Leader of the House. We have decided to conform with established practices in established democracies, which is why right from the very first day, January 7, we decided that, that should be the position.
So Madam Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader, whenever he lays these documents, should do so in his capacity as the Leader of the House and not as the Majority Leader. Since he is the same person, I believe the Table Office would not find any difficulty amending it.
Having said so, Madam Speaker, I will join you and the Hon Majority Leader --
Madam Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Let us finish with this point before you move on.
What about when it is the Minority Leader who is laying something, then they should not say the “Minority Leader”? I see it as a differentiation of the two of you -- But you are all Leaders, so to just say “Leader” -- sometimes, you are called Leader too -- the “Minority Leader”. So if we should remove the “Majority” there and put simply “Leader”, if you are also laying something, we should just put “Leader”? Is it not confusing?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:45 a.m.
Madam Speaker, I said that he does so as the Leader of the House, not merely stating “the Leader”. I say so because when these documents come to the House, they are presented to the House and how the Papers get laid in the House, is by courtesy of one person and that person is the Majority Leader who doubles up as the Leader of the House.
So, he does so as the Leader of the House and not as the Majority Leader; that is the point that I was making. [Interruption.] And indeed, if the Hon Majority Leader is not available and I am called upon to do that, I will be doing so on behalf of the Leader of the House and not as the Minority Leader.
Madam Speaker 10:45 a.m.
Well, the point is taken and since the Hon Majority Leader is Avoka, the Leader is Avoka, I suppose there would be no problem; and if you agree, then the Clerk's Office should just put “Leader” then, if that is accepted.
Now, can you second the Motion?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:45 a.m.
Yes, please, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker, I also said that I wanted to join you and the Hon Majority Leader in congratulating my Colleagues who have gone through the mill and scaled the hurdle and having got themselves elected as parliamentary candidates for elections 2012.
Unfortunately, a few of our Colleagues could not scale the hurdle. I believe that that should not deter them and prevent them from contributing their quota between now and December, 2012 to help all of us complete the agenda of the House from now on until December, 2012.
I wish those of them who have scaled the hurdle very well and for those of them who did not scale the hurdle, I can only say better luck next time.
Madam Speaker, may I also, while we are on this, plead for God's mercies on my Colleagues on the other side --[Laughter.] There are a few rumbles; one hopes that they do not degenerate into a “Tsunami” or a “Volcano”. [Interruptions.] Madam Speaker, we need all of them to be in the House and it is my hope that as many as possible would join us in the House to continue the business of this House.
Madam Speaker, on that note, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 10:45 a.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 10.55 a.m. till Wednesday, 18th May, 2011 at 10.00 a.m.