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Madam Speaker

Let us go to the Commencement of Public Business-- Presentation of Papers-
Hon Majority Leader, item 4 (a) (i).
Minister for Finance and Economic Planning?

Madam Speaker, I want to crave your indulgence and humbly request that the Hon Minister for Defence lays item 4(a)(i) on behalf of the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. The Hon Deputy Minister is on his way here but has not arrived. With your kind permission, the Hon Minister for Defence can lay item 4(a) (i)- We will defer item 4(a)(ii) because it has to be explained and we hope that the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning will come and explain that one.

I think the figure was US$250,000,000.00 but now it is US$267,000,000.00- He will have to come and explain to the House before we lay that one. So, we defer item 4(a)(ii),.then the report for item 4(b); yes, I will lay that one. But item 4(c) is not yet ready. That is the Finance Committee on the Supplementary Estimates- They will still meet today and tomorrow. Hopefully, they will lay the report. Item 4(d) is also ready for laying.

Thank you.

Mr Ambrose PA Dery

Madam Speaker, as a matter of principle, I am not against the Hon Minister for Defence laying the Paper but I fail to see the need for the distinction. If the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning is on the way here, then he might as well come and lay both. If he is not coming, then we can allow the Hon Minister forDefence to lay it. But if the idea is that he is on the way coming, then why do we not go to the others, lay those papers and he comes to lay both?

Mr Avoka

Madam Speaker, I have no objection, so we can defer item 4(a)(i) and J 4(a)(ii) and then do item 4 (b) and item 4 (d). As I said, item 4(0) is not yet ready. The Finance Committee meeting on the Supplementary Estimates and the Chairman of the Committee says that the report, hopefully, will be ready tomorrow. So, we will take 4(1)) and item 4(d).

Madam Speaker

What about item 4(c)?
Leader, you said item 4 (c ) is not ready to be laid? No? What about item 4 (d) then?

Mr Avoka

Yes, Madam Speaker, item 4 (d) is not yet ready as I indicated . Sony, item 4(c) is not yet ready, (d) is ready.
By the Chairman of the Committee
Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the Ghana Maritime Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011.

Madam Speaker

Item 4 (d) (ii), Chairman of the Committee?
By the Chairman of the Committee
Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the Ghana Maritime Security (Amendment) Bill, 2011.
By the Chairman of the Committee-
Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the Ghana Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2011.

Madam Speaker

Yes, Leader, we move to item 5 now.

Mr Avoka

That is so. The Hon Minister for Defence is here to move Motion numbered 5?

Minister for Defence (Lt Gen. J. H. Smith (retd.)

Madam Speaker, I beg to move, that the Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill, 2010 be now read a Second time.
Madam Speaker, the purpose of this Bill is to revise and amen the law relating to military veterans and create a governing body vested with the authority to seek and protect their welfare.
Madam Speaker, in 1960, the Ghana Legion Act was enacted to acknowledge the immense contribution of military veterans to the country's political emancipation and to world peace through the United Nations.
The Ghana Legion Act was repealed by the Ghana Legion Decree 1974 (N RCD 285). The objects of this Decree were among others to provide for the welfare of military veterans in Ghana, foster among them the spirit of comradeship and to provide them with free legal aid when required.
Madam Speaker, over the years, new issues of developments affecting the welfare of military veterans have arisen, which require urgent attention and redress. Madam Speaker, the need to make the law more relevant to military veterans and in particular to provide for a more efficient and effective governance, operational' administrative and financial framework to expeditiously manage all matters affecting their well-being necessitated the introduction of this Bill.
Madam Speaker, it is my fervent hope that this august House would ensure the smooth passage of this Bill for the provision of a better legal frame-work for the management of the affairs of our military veterans.
Madam Speaker, I thank you. A Question proposed.

Chairman of the Committee (Alhaji SumaniAbukari)

Madam Speaker, I will crave your indulgence to support the Motion as moved by the Minister for Defence. In doing so, I will present the Report of the Committee on Defence and Interior.
l .0 Introduction
Pursuant to articles 103 (3) and 106 (4) of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Orders 125 and 158, the Veterans Administration, Ghana (VAG) Bill, 2010 was presented and read the First time on 29th November, 2010 and subsequently referred to the Committee on Defence and Interior for consideration and report.
1.1 The Committee, in considering the Bill, met with the Hon Minister forDefence as well as officials of the Veterans Association of Ghana, the Attorney- General's Department and various stakeholders, and thoroughly deliberated on the provisions of the Bill.
1.2 The Committee is grateful to the Hon Minister and all the officials who attended upon it for their clarifications, valuable inputs and essential contri- butions made while examining the Bill.
2.0 References
The Committee referred to the following documents during its deliberations:
i. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana;
ii. The Standing Orders of the House;

iii. The Ghana Legion Decree, 1974

(NRCD285);

iv. Memorandum from the Veterans Association of Ghana; and

v. Background notes received from the Ministry of Defence.

3.0 Background information

On attainment of independence from Great Britain, the Ghana Legion Act, 1960 was enacted_ The object of the Act was not only to acknowledge the immense contribution of military service personnel to the country's political emancipation but also to world peace through service with the United Nations.

More importantly, Government had recognised the state of frustration, despair and helplessness of veterans of World Wars I and 11, who had returned home only to realise there was no scheme in place for their resettlement and rehabilitation.

In 1974, the Ghana Legion Act, 1960 was repealed and replaced with the Ghana Legion Decree, 1974 (NCRD 285). The objects of the Decree among others were to cater for the welfare of all ex-servicemen in Ghana, foster the spirit of comradeship among them and provide them with free legal aid.

Though NCRD 285 seemed to have achieved its objectives, with time, new concerns arose regarding the welfare of veterans, necessitating a review of the Decree to make it more relevant to meet the needs of veterans in today's society.

This Bill is being proposed to replace the Ghana Legion Decree, 1974 (NRCD 285) and to establish an entity to be called "The Veterans Administration, Ghana

(VAG)".

Chairman of the Committee (Alhaji SumaniAbukari)

The Bill will consolidate and amend the existing laws in relation to veterans or ex- service-men and to create a governing body vested with authority to seek and protect the welfare of all eX-service personnel of the Gold Coast and Ghana.
4.0 Object of the Bill "
The Bill seeks to revise and amend the law related to veterans and create a u governing body vested with authority to seek and protect the welfare of veterans of the Gold Coast and Ghana. This has become necessary as critical issues regarding the welfare of military veterans or ex-service personnel keep emerging. This necessitated the revision of NRCD 285 in order to make the law more relevant to veterans. ‘The numerous intended amendments to the existing law makes it expedient to re-enact the legislation, hence the-introduction of this Bill.
5.0 Sections of the Bill
The Bill is divided into four main sections, namely:
Veterans Administration;
Regional, District and Local Councils;
Financial and Administrative Provisions; and
Miscellaneous Provisions.
6.0 Highlights of the clauses of the Bill
The Bill consists of 28 clauses.
Clause 1 establishes the Veterans Administration; as a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal with the power to acquire movable and immovable property.

Clause 2 provides for the objects of the Administration which include constituting a fraternity of persons who served in the Armed Forces of the Gold Coast and Ghana.

Clause 3 spells out the functions of the Administration while clause 4 provides for the governing body of the Administration. Clause 5 deals with the tenure of Board members while clauses 6 and 7 also deal with meetings and disclosure of interests for members.

Clause 8 deals with the establishment of committees.

Clause 9 to 11 provide for standard provisions on allowances, regional and district offices.

Clause 12 provides for the establishment of Regional Councils of the Adminis- tration in each regional capital and also spells out their membership and functions.

Clause 13 establishes a Council of Regional Chairpersons while clause 14 establishes District and Local Manage- ment Councils which will perform functions assigned by the Regional Council.

Clause 15 provides for the appointment of Executive Director of the Administration who may delegate functions of the office as spelt out in clause 16, but is not absolved from final responsibility.

Clause 17 provides for appointment of other staff.

Clause 18 to 20 look at the standard provisions on funds, accounts and audit, annual and other reports.

Chairman of the Committee (Alhaji SumaniAbukari)

Clause 21 makes provision for the establishment of a Veterans Fund which will be used to cater for the welfare of veterans as well as for research and development projects.
Clause 22 provides for the Administra- tion affilliating with the World Veterans Association or similar international organizations.
Clause 23 empowers the Administration to hold lotteries or similar games for the furtherance of its objects while clause 24 exempts it from the payment of taxes in respect to its properties or activities. Clause 25 to 28 deal with regulations, interpretation, transitional provisions, repeal-land savings.
7.0 Observations
7.1 The Committee observed that the Bill seeks to rename the organisation and was unanimous that the term "Legion" was no longer appropriate because it is colonial and is an ancient Roman army term that refers to an organised active body. The modern term "Veterans" more aptly refers to ex-service-men. The word "Administration" better suits the objects of the organisation.
7.2 The Committee further noted that since the year 2000, an unsuccessful attempt to amend NRCD 285 was made, and then the organisation has unofficially been called the "Ghana Veterans Association" or "VAG". The word "Association" however, connotes a voluntary organisation, which does not promote the goals of the founders whose aim was to have all eX-service-men become automatic members of the organisation. The new name being proposed also fits the acronym "VAG".

7.3 The Committee observed that the Bill makes VAG the organisation responsible for the welfare and well being of all veterans, Without exception, from retirement to the grave. This conforms to the laudable intentions of the founders and therefore, makes registration of veterans unnecessary, making all ex- service-men automatic members.

7.4 The Committee was also of the view that the objects of NRCD have not met all the needs of ex-service-men having regard to current realities of life. The absence of a Board of Governors which made management of the organisation problematic has been catered for in section 4 of this Bill.

8.0 Proposed Amendments

The Committee has carefully examined the provisions in the Bill clause by clause and proposes the following amendments:

i. Clause 2 - Amendment proposed - paragraph (a), line 2, at end, add the following:

"and honourably released". 1 ii. Clause 2 - Amendment proposed -- paragraph (e), sub-paragraph (i), delete "in their honour".

iii. Clause 3 ---Amendment proposed - delete and insert the following: "3 . To achieve its objects, the Administration shall

(a) ensure that proper attention is paid to the welfare of military veterans honourably released from the military and see to the maintenance and comfort of those who require special treatment, particularly

Chairman of the Committee (Alhaji SumaniAbukari)

the disabled, the sick, the aged, the infirm, the needy and the destitute;
(b) secure pensions, allowances, grants and war gratuities for military veterans, their de- pendants and widows and dependants of deceased military veterans;
(c) establish, organise and regulate, regional, district and local councils or branches at convenient centres through- out the country;
(d) raise and mobilise funds to assist the aged, sick, needy, disabled, infirm and destitute military veterans; and
(e) perform any other functions conferred on it by this Act or that are ancillary to the objects of the Adminis- tration."
iv. Clause 4 -Amendment proposed -subclause (1), paragraph (a), delete "nominated by the Minister". v. Clause 4 - Amendment proposed -subclause (1), paragraph (b), at end, add "Ministry of Defence".
vi. Clause 4 -Amendment proposed --subclause (1), paragraph (c), delete "head of Legal" and insert "Director of Legal Services". vii. Clause 4 -Amendment proposed -subclause (1), paragraph (d), at end, add "not below the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel or its equivalent".
viii Clause 4 --Amendment proposed -subclause (1), paragraph (e), line 1, delete "four" and insert "five";

ix. Clause 4 -Amendment proposed --subclause (1), add the following new paragraph:

"two other persons nominated by the Minister one of Whom is a woman".

x. Clause 5 - Amendment proposed -subclause (2), lines 1 and 2, delete "Executive Director of the Administration" and insert "members referred to in section 4(1)(b),(c)and(g)".

xi. Clause 6 -Amendment proposed -subc1ause (3), line 1, delete "six" and insert "seven".

Clause 10 -Amendment proposed --subc1ause (2), line 2, delete "public officers" and insert "staff'.

Clause 12 --Amendment proposed -- delete and insert the following:

"Establishment of regional councils of the Administration

12.(1) The Board shall establish regional councils in each regional capital.

(2) A regional council shall comprise

(a) a chairperson elected by members of the council from among themselves,

(b) a secretary,

(c) a treasurer, and

(d) one representative from each of the district councils in the region elected by members of the dis- trict council.

Chairman of the Committee (Alhaji SumaniAbukari)

(3) The quorum at a meeting of a regional council is two-thirds of the members of the regional council.
(4) A regional council shall perform functions assigned to it by the Board and co-ordinate the activities of the district councils.
(5) A member of a regional council shall hold office for a period of not more than four years and is eligible for reappointment but a member shall not be appointed for more than two terms."
Xiv. Clause 13 -Amendment proposed - delete.
xv. Clause 14 --Amendment proposed - delete and insert the following: "Establishment of district and local councils of the Administration
13.(1) The Board shall establish district and local councils in each administrative district or locality determined by the Board.
(2) A district or local council shall comprise
(a) a chairperson,
(b) a secretary,
(c) a treasurer, and
(d) at least, five but not more than eight representatives, from each of the district or local councils.

(3) Members of the Administration in the district or locality shall elect members of the district and local councils other than the secretary and the treasurer.

(4) The regional executives shall supervise the election of the members of the district and local councils.

(5) A district or local council shall perform the functions assigned to it by the Board.

(6) A member of the district or local council shall hold office for a period of not more than four years and is eligible for reappoint- ment but a member shall not be appointed for more than two terms."

xvi. Clause 15 -Amendment proposed -subclause (3), delete.

xvii. Clause 17 -Amendment proposed -- Headnote, after "of" insert secretary and". .

xviii. Clause 17 -Amendment proposed - subclause (1), delete and insert the following:

"(l)The President shall in accor- dance with article 195 of the Constitution appoint

. (a) A secretary to the Board, and

(b) Other staff of the Administration that are necessary for the proper and effective performance of its functions.

xix. Clause 18 -Amendment proposed --paragraph (a), delete "provided" and insert "approved".

Chairman of the Committee (Alhaji SumaniAbukari)

xx. Clause 19 --Amendment proposed -subclause (4), line 1, delete "shall be".and insert "is".
xxi. Clause 21 -Amendment proposed -subclause (1), line 2, delete "fixed" and further delete "under taken" and insert "undertaken".
X'X1l. Clause 21 -Amendment proposed -- subclause (2), line 1, delete "fund" and insert "Fund". Clause 21-Amendment proposed -- subclause (4), line 1, delete "Board" and insert "Administration" and in line 2, at end, add "with approval of the Controller and Accountant-General".
xxiv. Clause 22 -Amendment proposed -subclause (1), line 2, delete "Association" and insert "Federa- tion".
' XXV. Clause 25 -Amendment proposed -subclause (2), line 3, at end, add "or to a term of imprisonment of not more than two years or to both".
xxvi. Clause 27 -Amendment proposed - subclause (1), line 3, delete "Decree" and insert "Act".
xxvii. Clause 27 -Amendment proposed - subclause (2), line 2, delete"Decree" and insert "Act".
9.0 Conclusion and recommendations The Ghana Legion Decree, 1974 (NRCD2 85) has become irrelevant and out of tune with the aims and objectives of the founders of the organi_sation.. It is therefore, imperative that we seek the Welfare of our senior citizens and review existing laws to legitimise the organisation with the view to promoting the welfare of Veterans.

These gallant men and women have indeed, sacrificed for this nation and the world beyond and deserve our uncon- ditional attention in their days of desperation and want. This is because as the saying goes, "a country that does not recognise its heroes is not worth dying for."

Subject to the amendments proposed, the Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill, 2010 is hereby recommended for passage by this august House, as it will provide for a more efficient and effective governance, operational and administration framework for addressing the many challenges affecting the welfare of veterans in Ghana.

Respectfully submitted.

Madam Speaker, we will later on propose to the House that we will bring a similar Bill to modernize and address the issues --- I still call all of them Veterans because many of them fought in the First and Second World Wars, but for retired ex-servicemen through the Gold Coast and Ghana, ex-service-men who served in the Police Service.

Madam Speaker, the Act that governs their retirement is out of tune. I intend bringing another suggestion or a draft for the consideration of the House for ex- policemen who have served our Police Service from the Gold Coast through Ghana. I think they deserve also better treatment than we have now.

Thank you Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker

Hon Members, pursuant to Standing Order 127, a full debate shall arise on the principles of the Bill, on the basis of the explanatory Memorandum and the Report of the Committee.
Hon Members could make their contributions at this stage.

Mr William O.Boafo (NPP-Akropong)

Madam Speaker, the introduction of the Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill, 2010 is very laudable and most appropriate. Madam Speaker, it is our expectation that under this pa1ficularB_ill, if it becomes law, we would see more impetus being given to our veterans, more impetus being pushed into the existing Veterans Association of Ghana, in the sense that the Administration which is being proposed to set up would try to harness the resources of the veterans.
Madam Speaker, the veterans, some of them retired at a very early age and were still very active and we need to make use of their experience and expertise. Madam Speaker, it is interesting to note that under the Bill, We have room for research and development to be undertaken by the Administration- It is our expectation that the new Administration would use this opportunity to promote research work among the veterans, having regard to the experience that they have acquired during the period of their active service.
In most jurisdictions, research work which promotes good governance and equally technological development have found their resource from the Armed Forces of the various countries. It is our hope that in this case, this Administration would equally take the opportunity to encourage research Work by the veterans after they have left the service, so that they do not become a waste to the nation.
Madam Speaker, it is also gratifying to note that under this particular Bill, the financial capacity of the Administration is being enhanced. Apart from the funds that would be approved by Parliament, donations and gifts and the dues which would be paid by the veterans, we also

have a proposal for the setting up of a Veterans' Fund. Madam Speaker, we would like the various non-government organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to take note of the p_TOp0S6d establishment of the Veterans' Fund, so that they can make contributions to this Fund to enrich the financial capacity of theAdministration.

One of the objects of this Fund is to be A "applied for research and development work. So it is our hope' that various stakeholders would take note of the establishment of this Fund, so that they can have more money to undertake research work after they have honourably been released from the Ghana Armed Forces.

Madam Speaker, it is also gratifying to note that under this -particular Bill, we have the governing" board 'which, membership has been broadened to include some non- veterans like representatives Ministry of ‘Employment -and social Welfare. and also from private persons.It is our hope that the inclusion of these ' bodies would also enrich the work of the governing board.

We also take note of the fact that under this particular Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill 2010 , it is laudable to there is an attempt to decentralize the Administration by the creation of regional, district and local councils, so that they can take good care of -the.list of these veterans at the grass-roots level.

Madam Speaker, in all, we find this Bill, very appropriate and it is coming at a time when we are all yearning for improvement in the welfare of the veterans of this country, those who have served this country very well during the Gold Coast period as well as when we emerged- independent under the name Ghana.

Mr Alfred K. Agbesi (NDC - Ashaiman)

Madam Speaker, this Bill is a welcome one to the veterans of this country.
Madam Speaker, "since the First and Second World Wars ended, these veterans who are part of us have been going through systems and conditions which I can describe as unfavourable. Madam Speaker, if you get to our communities, particularly the villages, most of them have retired and are living in their home-towns or villages in very deplorable situation.
It is my case that if this Bill is in to see to the welfare of these veterans, then all of-A us whom these veterans have served in their various areas must support this Bill..And I want to urge Hon Members to support this Bill with all the force that we have because most of them who are our brothers, our senior brothers have contributed to this country; they have helped the system to stabilize and today, we have a very free system and their conditions must be made better by the passage of such Bills which go to their welfare.
Madam Speaker, nothing can be good than this Bill and I want to urge all Hon Members to support this Bill.

With these few words, Madam Speaker, I support the Bill.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah (NPP - Afigya-Sekyere West)

Madam Speaker, I am very, very proud to support this Motion.
I believe all who have served in our Armed Forces deserve recognition. In Australia and in New Zealand, all retiring soldiers are awarded national medals by the Queen. I do not even believe it should just be medals, we should go beyond medals. We must take good care of our ex-servicemen from retirement to the grave.
The present situation where the large majority of our ex-servicemen retire into homelessness, into abject poverty and squalor must cease. And as the Report puts it, to day, the life of the ex-serviceman. is that of frustration, that of despair and that of helplessness.
I think we should try to emulate the Americans. The United States Department of Veteran Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with a Cabinet status and they have a lot of benefits - disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, survivors' benefits.
Indeed, they have even burial benefits. In this country, earlier legislations have sought to acknowledge the immense contributions of our ex-servi_ce-men and that was appropriate. They have contributed immensely, even to the country's political emancipation and we should be grateful to them for the democracy that we have today.
Madam Speaker, our ex-service-men have made us proud; they have made us very, very proud in the two world wars. They have made us very, very proud in the peacekeeping missions and they

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah (NPP - Afigya-Sekyere West)

continue to do so, and our country today is seen as about the most secure, the most peaceful country in Africa. This, to a very large extent, is due to the soldiers and we have to be very grateful to them.
Let me also say that these soldiers are Well trained, so well trained, in fact, not only as soldiers but in many other disciplines and I think it is about time we recognised that they constitute an invaluable pool of skilled personnel once they leave the Service.
Madam Speaker, in the United States of America again, many retired officers end up as lecturers in the university and this is because of the training that they get while serving as officers. And I think as a nation, we must recognise that ex-service- men, indeed, do constitute a very valuable pool of skilled manpower.
Let me also take this opportunity to deplore the tendency for incoming governments to antagonise and retire rather shamefully, very hard working and experienced officers only because they are perceived to be associated with the outgoing government. This has persisted for far too long in this country and I do not believe it is help-full at all. I think serving officers must stand up to protect their colleagues when they are being antagonised for political reasons.
This is not the best that we could have expected from a Bill of this nature but it is a very significant move and all of us must support it. A governing body which would be vested with authority to seek and protect the welfare of ex-service personnel in this country is what the Bill seeks to achieve and I think that it is very laudable. It will constitute, as the Report says, a fraternity of persons who served in the Armed Forces.

Let me also, Madam Speaker, refer to the provision for the establishment of a Veterans Fund which would be used to cater for the welfare of the veterans. This is very important; this is very essential. But can we all resolve that this Fund should be well resourced, so that it will have the necessary funding to do the work that it is supposed to do?

The Bill will make the Veterans Administration Ghana (VAG), the organisation responsible for the welfare and well being of all veterans. The significant thing here is that it is without exception. Today, you need to apply to join the Veterans Association of Ghana (VAG). This Bill will make all retiring soldiers come under the umbrella of VAG, so that essential benefits will be provided to them.

As I said, it would not be the best, or as it stands, we are not giving them what, say, the ex-service-men in America get but this is a very, very good step and I would want to urge all my Hon Colleagues in the House to support this Bill and not just support it, to feel very, very proud in supporting this Bill because we have an Armed Forces that all of us should be very proud of.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Alhaji Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo (NDC - Wa Central)

Madam Speaker, I also rise to support the Bill and to encourage Hon Members to accept and to support it as well because of the fundamental principle it is addressing in our society today.
Madam Speaker, it is long overdue. Today, we have the Legions Decree and the Decree connotes the earlier Legions Act which also had something to do with the colonial past. So right now, we are breaking away from any attachment of the

Alhaji Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo (NDC - Wa Central)

colonial administration to attempting to solve the problem of veterans to our own attempt to institute the administrative aspect of it and to ensure that it is covered by law; So I think that it is very important; it is crucial.
It is also important because the young man or woman who agrees to go to the front-line, who agrees to join the Armed Forces, should have hope that there is something that they can fall on when they retire from the Armed Forces and that they should look at themselves as people who are also taken care of by the State and who we should be grateful to-
So it is no longer the question of having served after a period of time and being given medals to show that you have served, without any other consideration, which would then have addressed the fundamental problem of your own life. So this is a very, very important Bill and I think that we "have to ensure very, very quickly, that we work on it and pass it.
Madam Speaker, when people agree to sacrifice their lives to ensure that the integrity and the sovereignty of our State are upheld, these people must also be held in very high esteem. So the Bill will address, not an association which has been the description all along - the Veterans Association of Ghana - but it will address the very thorny issues about financial and administrative technicalities, which are the frameworks that are going to govern the operations of the veterans.
It will now be streamlined in the law and it will enable a more formal way of addressing the administrative issues and the finances for running the Adminis- tration.

I believe that this law is important and we need to all give it our support because in the end, it will give confidence to Your young people who are in the Armed Forces today and our many, many young people who would also hope to join the Armed Forces that the nation, the State of Ghana cares about them and has made this law to ensure that they are taken care of even when they retire from the Armed Forces.

So I call on Hon Members to support it and I give it my support as well, so that we can pass this law as quickly as we can.

Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi (NPP - Tarkwa Nsuaem)

Madam Speaker, I am also happy that this Bill is in this Parliament-- and I want to talk about the wives and children of these veterans. They suffer loneliness when their husbands and their fathers go to war and when they come back in poor state, some of them are even nick named and some of them become disabled. They also suffer to take care of them and Madam Speaker, if there is nothing in terms of resources to hold onto, it becomes a very sad situation for the veterans.
Madam Speaker, I think that the beneficiaries are now going to heave a sigh of relief When this Bill comes to stay.
Madam Speaker, I know that welfare is good, they need to be catered for when they come back; but I am also happy that part of the object of this Bill is to honour them and I know that the Administration will do a lot of work by naming streets, parks, stadia, statues and many things after these veterans, so that their names would be in the memories of Ghanaians,

Dr Francis B. Dakura (NDC - Jirapa)

Madam Speaker, I want to call on all Hon Members to support the Motion on the floor, especially in relation to the role veterans the world over and Africa in particular played in bringing down colonialism.

Madam Speaker, we all know that was it not for the African who went to the war in defence of human rights during the Second World War, perhaps, by now, we would not have attained our indepen- dence. And we know the role our brothers who returned from the War played in securing us our independence.

Madam Speaker, it was the Second World War and the immediate impact of that War and what the African brothers saw during the War that culminated in the speed for the collapse of colonialism in Africa and round the Third World.

Madam Speaker, it will be an under- statement to actually say that we should provide for our veterans. They deserve - to be seen as heroes for the African and the African Continent. Their role in breaking the myth of the white man, led to all the freedoms and the development that we all enjoy today. Perhaps, without their involvement and bravery during the War and the fact that they fought alongside the white man and realized that there was no reason for them to return to Africa and allow the white man they saw who died from the same bullet to rule them.

Madam Speaker, I will call on all Hon Colleagues in this House, to provide not only the support for the Motion, but also to be seen to be interested in the welfare of our veterans, not only in Ghana but actually all overAfrica and over.

Madam Speaker, the fact that this Bill provides for the'Veterans Administration to relate to other veteran bodies internationally, will provide the opportu- nity to the veterans in Ghana to demand the same rights. Especially, those who fought alongside their western compatriots in the Second World War to demand for the same rights as their colleagues are enjoying in the western world.

MrHackman Owusu-Agyemang (NPP- New JuabenNorth)

Interestingly, I always address you "Rt Hon Speaker" but the Official Records always say "Mr Speaker" or "Madam Speaker". I do not know why they do not quote that. I love to refer to you as"‘Rt Hon Speaker" because that is the proper title.

Madam Speaker

Well-

Mr Owusu-Agyemang

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Report of the Committee, being a member of the Committee myself, and I would like to support my Chairman when he says that we should also look at the policemen. But then, one would also ask about the Ghana National Fire Service where they have all the problems. I think this is the first tip in our country in recognizing selfless dedication to duty to which many lives are lost.
But locally, in situation the country, we lose more policemen and firemen than we lose military people. But maybe, on the outside, when they go on peacekeeping, we lose more people there.

Indeed, the lots of the ex-servicemen were very bad. My own uncle, my mother's younger brother, served in Burma and in EastAfi'ica but at the end of the day, he died a pauper, a little cocoa farmer in Effiduase and nothing to really show for the sacrifice that he made. He was an illiterate, but he still fought and he always remembered Burma and East Africa, what they did there.

Madam Speaker, one thing in the Bill that I really do not understand, which the Committee did not take is the Fund. I think We should be very clear enough, it should come like all other Funds; like the budget or the Ministry responsible must make provision for it. There must be a budget line for the Fund that the Administration would use in organizing itself and making sure that their welfare is taken care of.

Most importantly, I think their pensions are not related to the Fund. The pensions are got separately and many a time they have difficulty accessing these pensions or like all pensions in the Third World and in Ghana in particular, they are very low. So the Welfare Fund will also go to supplement the pension.

We need to take a look at the pension of these ex-service-men, firemen, policemen and women and all those who are in the security services. So it is very important that they have brought this B ill. Why they call it in the Report, the Veterans Bill of 2010, I do not know because this is 2011. I think it has to be changed. It just must be called the Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill. I do not think 2010 or 20 11 is necessary.

Madam Speaker, they are asked to contribute to the Fund. If you look at clause 18 (c), dues paid by the veterans - the people have no money, they are always being short changed and that is why we think that we should have a Fund

Mr Owusu-Agyemang

for them funded by the State and other generous donors. Now, you ask them to pay dues; what dues do they have to pay? The people who do not have it, we are asking them to pay dues. We did not capture this in our Report but I believe that it is out of place to ask them to pay dues. So if you look at clause 18 (c), I think that should be taken out. Maybe, we have to do it at the Consideration Stage.
But having said that, this is one Bill that all sides of the House support and that we hope it would be given a sounding support by our Members and the necessary funds made available to the Fund for it to operate.
I am concerned that in the Budget, whether it is the Ministry of Defence or Interior, whatever it is, specific budget lines are given to the Veterans Administration, Ghana Fund, so that the Hon Minister, is not stuck with finding money for it because it would have been approved in the Budget and hopefully, made available to them to administer by way of legislation or whatever you want to do
So, I think that Madam Speaker, it has come a bit late but better late than never; let us also take a look at the other security services -Fire, Police, Immigration and so forth --I am not so sure but we could even add them because I think we are talking about people who put their lives on the line.
Immigration - those in the border control areas, they do - and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) but not those who are just checking whether you brought in three pieces of shirt or four pieces of shirt, that one is not- otherwise, everybody, every organization would be asking for a Fund; that is why we must make sure that we

have a cut-off point for veterans as it is done in most countries. Madam Speaker, with these, I commend the Committee, I commend the Hon Minister for bringing this to us and let us move ahead quickly and turn it into law, so that the Hon Minister will have the pleasure of administering this thing before he leaves because we do not want to delay it.

So that would be the remit of the Hon Minister.

God bless you.

Madam Speaker

Thank you, Hon Member.

Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -Tain)

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Motion just. on two or three principles. And the first reason for which I support the Motion is looking at the role of the veterans in our nation building process.
Madam Speaker, I Want to t_ake you back to the role that the ex-service-men played in our struggle for, independence and I want to start from what they did in the year 1948. And one should not lose sight of the fact that it was due to the negligence of the colonial masters or the neglect of our ex-service-men that brought about what we call the 28th February, 1948 riot.
Madam Speaker, it was due to this incidence that brought about the formation of Watson Commission to look into the grievances of our ex-service-men that was staged by the colonial government and that brought about the formation of the Coussey Commission which drew our Constitution that brought about the 1951 general elections.
So today, if out of these, Ghana is an independent nation, when issues concerning our veterans are being

Mr Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC -Tain)

discussed, one cannot just sit down except to support the Motion.
Madam Speaker, if you look at the Bill clearly, clause 21 makes provision for the establishment of a Veterans Fund which would be used to cater for the welfare of veterans as well as research and development projects. I think we do not want to go back into what happened in 1948. Rather we want to have a clear information of what is happening to our veterans and that is why we are bringing this Bill.
Therefore, I would like to suggest that we should move beyond that to look into what happens to even the children of our veterans. This is a profession where one enters at, maybe, age 23, then maybe, 15 years, 25 years, one becomes an ex- service-man. It is not like other institutions whereby one can work up to the age of 60 or the age of 55 before one retires. Therefore, if a soldier retires or becomes an ex-service-man, 14 years or 15 years after being' employed, I do not think such a person can take proper care of his children till the time that they complete universities before they retire.
Madam Speaker, while I rise to support the Motion, I Want to' suggest that we should move beyond changing the name from Legion to Veterans; we should move beyond implementation or formation of the Veterans Fund and have a proper look at what happens to the children of our ex- service-men in the barracks.
Sometimes, it becomes a challenge when one wants to join the eX-service-men. Where is he going to sleep? He has been imprisoned in the barracks for about 15 or 20 years. Now, he is going to leave the barracks to join the ex-service group? Which part of the country is he going to reside? These are critical issues and sometimes, if you go to the barracks and look at what happens to their children -

most of them are not able to further their education to the highest peak. Most of them end up at senior high school. Most of them are not able to enter the tertiary, simply because the parents have a short span of employment. So when we are doing this, I will suggest that we look and think deep by going beyond the formation of the Fund and establishment something like a scholarship package for the children of ex-service-men.

Madam Speaker, we can look at the proceeds that come from the peace- keeping process. When military men go on peacekeeping, the proceeds that the nation enjoys, part of it can be used in the form. of a scholarship package for the children of ex-service-men. And when this is done, then the biggest burden of the ex-service-men would be relieved and they can give a sigh of relief and indeed, it can become some kind of very productive venture for the nation.

So with these few words, Madam Speaker, I support the Motion and urge all Colleagues to do same.

Mr Joseph B.Aidoo (NPP-Arnenfi East)

Madam Speaker, lam also on my feet to lend support to the Motion before the House.
Madam Speaker, my beef on this matter is that the Bill, that is, after it has gone through all the stages, should not -come out as a facility that will only give handouts to our veterans. Madam Speaker, why am I saying this? In clause 21, an indication is given that a Veteran's Fund would be created. And Madam Speaker, the most important thing is that, some of our veterans, that is, they leave

Mrs Catherine A. Afeku (NPP - Evalue Gwira)

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill, 2010 and in so doing, commend wholeheartedly the Ministry of

Defence for bringing out issues of relevance to our veterans. I am particularly happy because the gallant men and women who have served this nation, this Bill, once it is passed into an Act, will address some of the practical challenges they have faced over the years and I must commend the Hon Minister.

Something that I saw that gladdens my heart is the decentralization proposal that he has put in this Bill that, at the end of the day, they will not have to travel to Accra but they will have branches and a replica of the centralized organization of the Veterans Association of Ghana (VAG) in the district capitals, so that men and women who have served our nation would have places in their localities to congregate and reminisce and share the good things they have done for mother Ghana.

I am particularly interested in the Veterans' Fund. Madam Speaker, why I am interested in the Fund is that, you see a lot of our fathers, our mothers who have served gallantly and they have problems procuring their pensions. Even those who are - sometimes we can say it, really hurt through the process of serving Ghana where they are amputated, or they have medical challenges. If we have district level congregation where they can meet and share their challenges, I think they would be able to collect their meagre support at the local level.

When you sometimes see the pensioners or ex-service-men travelling all the way to Accra to follow up on the small monies due them, it is quite sad. I have to use the word "sad" sparingly; it is because they are very old, they have served their nation and it should actually get to the point where the nation Ghana should be able to present these cheques

Mrs Catherine A. Afeku (NPP - Evalue Gwira)

to them, if possible, at their homes. And if we have centres at the district level, if it is possible, their monies should be delivered to them at their local environs.
I think it would also augur well to emulate the discipline they have acquired over the years in training through our military for young men and women to show respect that they have. endured all these years serving sacrificially. That kind of ethics can easily be imbibed as a result of seeing our ex-service-men and women being taken care of by your esteemed Ministry, by the Government, so that other generations coming would see that it is the path to follow, it is indeed, worth dying for your nation.
I am so happy that this Bill has come during our time and we would be part of this history that during our time, we were able to make life a little better for the heroes and heroines who served mother Ghana, when some of us were not born. We still have people living, who served in Burma, who served in East Africa, who are still around and if it is indeed, possible, we must introduce a clause for them to volunteer at schools to share the glories, the good things that they endured.
The key word is "discipline". It is really becoming a challenge in our schools where discipline is now becoming a word that is interchangeable with insults and heroes and heroines who have endured the era of Gold Coast, the era of independence and modern day Ghana, can be tapped to help us. This is because the military is synonymous with discipline, sacrifice and these moral nuggets can indeed, be taken care of by this laudable VAG Bill.

I am sure they would have the motivation to support the endeavour and the challenges of the modern 21st Century and leadership crisis that they can easily help young men and Women to learn from their experience. We should not underrate the level of knowledge that our ex-service men have and if we create the enabling environment for them, 1 am sure we can tap into that knowledge and it would be of benefit to mother Ghana.

I use this occasion also to congratulate the women who served alongside their men. I think inevitably, when we are taking care of veterans, it tends to say "ex- service-men". Madam Speaker, if there is a way to expand that to say "eX-service- men and women", even within this Bill, it would make women who silently have served also to feel appreciated by this laudable Bill.

With these few words, I thank you for giving us the opportunity to make history.

Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Mumba- rose...

Madam Speaker

Yes, Hon Member, last contribution.
11.5 a.m.

Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (NDC -Asawase)

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Motion before us, that has to do with the Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill, 2010.
Madam Speaker, in doing so, I would want to refer you to the Memorandum that introduced this Bill to this House, and paragraph (1), with your indulgence, I beg to read:
"The purpose of this Bill is to revise and amend the law related to the veterans and create a governing body vested with authority to seek and protect the welfare of veterans of the Gold Coast and Ghana."

Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (NDC -Asawase)

Madam Speaker, one very important word there is the "veterans". Madam Speaker, many of us, when the word "veteran" is mentioned, our minds go to the very old that served in the Gold Coast, or went to war who are very weak. But in actual sense, if you look at the military and the way they define the "veteran", it is anybody who has served, whether in the Gold Coast or Ghana, and served the Whole term and he is honourably released. So we have people who are 40 years plus who also qualify to be veterans.
Madam Speaker, this Bill is a very important one and I think it would be very interesting when we get to the Consideration Stage. We need to really be able to empower the military to take good care of our service-men, especially the veterans - men and women.
Madam Speaker, the phenomenon we are seeing today in our country, is that some of our veterans are as young as 45 years old. Some are even younger than 45 years old, meaning that they are released honourably at an age that they are still very active. Yes, the intention of the military is to release people at an age that they are still strong, so that they can do other things.
But with the challenge of unemployment in our country it goes to further worsens the plight of this innocent young person because he has served honourably, he has served his whole 25 years, he is being released at a time that he could not easily find employment. That is why I take this opportunity to commend the Ministry of Defence today. In their effort to establish the defence industrial

holding company with almost nine other sub-companies making up this industrial holding company, the intention is to create an avenue where the Veterans, after they have served honourably, could still gain employment in these companies that are being established, using their own funds and sourcing other funds.

Madam Speaker, it is a very good example because in Pakistan, in 1982, when they had these challenges, they established one company called Fuji Fertilizer Company. Today, that company in Pakistan employs close to 20,000 ex- service-men and women; it creates good employment avenues for them after they have served their country. And it is the generals who run it and it is run economically - and it is the leading fertilizer company in Pakistan.

Madam Speaker, it is by this that I commend the Ministry and hope that when we get to the details of the Bill, all of us would help contribute to ensure that the law that would be passed would enable the Ministry to be able to establish this company that would safeguard the future of veterans. Madam Speaker, relying on government alone, all of us will agree, would be extremely difficult to take good care of our veterans. It is better for us to find other ingenious ways of creating employment opportunities and creating other resources that would support the welfare of our veterans.

With these comments, Madam Speaker, I support and urge all my Hon Colleagues to support the Motion before us and hope that at the Consideration Stage, all of us --- as many as possible, would be interested and make sure that we get a very good law that would govern the veterans of our country.

Question put and Motion agreed to. The Veterans Administration, Ghana Bill, 2010 was accordingly read a Second time.

Madam Speaker

Hon Pelpuo, are we going back to items 4(a) and (b)?

Alhaji Pelpuo

Yes, Madam Speaker. The Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning as has been indicated, is now with us and I would crave your indulgence to permit him to lay the Paper on behalf of the Minister - item (a)(i) and (ii). But he would have some explanations to give on (iii).

Madam Speaker

Yes, Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning would lay the Paper; any objection? No objections?

Mr Seth Terkpeh

Madam Speaker, before I lay the Paper, I wish to apologise to the House for coming late this morning.

Mr Seth Terkpeh

Madam Speaker, may I crave your indulgence to explain that the item 4(a)(ii) was actually laid sometime last week and at the Committee stage, we recognized that the commu-

nication to the House had indicated the loan amount to be US$250 million excluding the insurance elements that were included in the Memorandum. Therefore, the consensus was that I come to the House this morning to withdraw what was laid and to re-lay the Instrument to facilitate the work of the Committee.

Madam Speaker

Yes, no objection; you are withdrawing the former one laid and laying this?

Mr Terkpeh

Yes, Madam Speaker. So on this note, I wish to withdraw what was presented last week.

Madam Speaker

The Agreement which was laid last week is Withdrawn and the referral is also withdrawn. Then you are laying this today? Lay it.
Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning (Mr Seth Terkpeh) on behalf "of Minister for Finance and Economic Planning)-
Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Deutsche Bank AG of New York, USA for an amount of US$267,000,000.00 to finance the supply and installation of medical equipment for selected health institutions nationwide.
Referred to the joint Committee on Finance and Health.

Madam Speaker

The next item would be taken by the First Deputy Speaker, that is item number (6). [Pause]
He is dressing to take the Chair; but we could start it - Motion number 6. Chairman, you may move Motion number 6.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah)

Madam Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Rep on of the Public Accounts Committee on the Performance Audit Report of the Auditor-General on the preparedness of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to manage disaster in Ghana.
Madam Speaker, in moving the Motion, I present the Report of the Committee.
1.0 Introduction
Madam Speaker, the above Performance Audit Report was laid in the House on 8th June, 2009 in accordance with article 187 of the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
This Audit Report was referred to the PublicAccounts Committee in accordance with Standing Order 165 for examination and report.
In examining this Report, the Committee met with Hon Kwasi Apea-Kubi, the then Deputy Minister for the Interior, the NADMO National Co-ordinator, Mr. Kofi Portuphy, and a technical team from the Ministry of the Interior and Ghana Audit Service.
2.0 Reason for the audit
NADMO was established to manage disasters and other emergencies in the country. In carrying out its functions, however, the general public perceives NADMO not to be up to the task and is seen as existing only to distribute relief items. .

The audit was to assess NADMO's preparedness to manage disasters in the country.

3.0 Audit findings, observations and recommendations

3.1 Lack of effective systems in place The Auditor-General was concerned with the absence of effective systems at NADMO. In particular, the Report mentioned that there were:

1. no disaster management plans/ hazard maps to discharge the functions of NADMO;

2. an in effective warning/ information dissemination system;

3. ineffective monitoring and evaluation of systems;

4. inaccurate data on the incidence of disasters; and

5. poor collaboration among key institutions and agencies.

Management informed the Committee that since the Report was published, a lot had been done to position NADMO to deliver on its mandate. The composition of the Regional and District Management Committees have been improved and made active. The Regional Ministers and Assemblies are playing their roles as required by the law. The private sector has been roped in to assist in disaster management.

The organization was also taking the needed steps to commission the rest of the bodies necessary for the effective functioning of NADMO including the National Disaster Committee to be chaired by the Interior Minister.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah)

The National Co-ordinator also informed the Committee that the Organization had improved upon its collaboration and co-ordination with other key agencies to ensure the effective management of disaster in the country.
NADMO is seeking ways to engage agencies such as the MMDAs and the Regional Co-ordinating Councils to respond to disasters. Communities in and around disaster areas are being trained on disaster awareness and their management.
Observations and recommendations The Committee urges management to continue with its efforts to ensure that disasters are well managed. Management and the Disaster Management Committees should include key stakeholders from private sector and media in emergency response planning.
The warning/ communication systems should be kept operational through periodic rehearsals. Further, radio, television announcements and mobile vans should be done before the onset of rains or bush-fires.
3.2 Staffing challenges
NADMO did not have the required staff to perform its functions. It was also observed that existing staff were not properly trained.
Management informed the Committee that it was difficult forNADMO to attract competent personnel as a result of poor remuneration. Those employed unfortunately were not well equipped. This has adversely affected the operations of the organization.
To address this problem, management has lined up a number of training programmes to equip the staff. Further, there are structured on-the-job-training programmes in the regional offices for the field staff.

On the issue of poor remuneration, management was of the view that with the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, the inequality would be addressed. This would motivate the staff and attract other competent personnel to the organization.

Observations and recommendations

The -Committee was worried about the perception that NADMO is considered an institution to provide social services to politicians and religious organizations. There is also the impression that the outfit was formed to provide jobs for a ruling party's sympathizers.

To address this perception, the Committee reiterates the Auditor- General's recommendation that manage- ment should:

a. develop a structure showing job qualification and entry requirements on which applicants could be interviewed and employed;

b. ensure that less experienced officers having lower qualifications work under experienced ones with the requisite qualifications; c. ensure that employees with direct technical and operational res- ponsibilities during disasters are individuals with emergency or crisis management knowledge, training and experience; and d. a conscious effort should be made by governments to de- politicize the organization and allow it to win the confidence of the Ghanaian public.

3 .3 Lack of logistics

NADMO has insufficient and inappro- priate relief items at the regional and district warehouses. It had office accommodation challenges and lacked tools and operating equipment.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah)

Management confirmed the situation and informed the Committee that NADMO currently had only one per cent of the logistics it needs to manage disasters in the country.
The National Co-ordinator informed the Committee that the organization was seeking support from the UN Disaster Fund for an amount of US$75 million to procure logistics. "
Observations and recommendations
The Committee was surprised to know that NADMO had only one per cent of the required logistics to operate. This meant that in the event of any major catastrophe, lots of lives could be lost. If disasters are to be well managed, the State must invest in NADMO.
The Committee urges the Government to make adequate funds available to NADMO to ensure that it was properly positioned to combat disasters in the country.
4.0 Conclusion
The Committee was concerned that NADMO reacts more to disasters rather than being proactive. The organization does not have the capacity to respond to large-scale disasters.
Indeed, the Committee wondered whether successive Governments and NADMO are aware of the enormity of the responsibilities of NADMO in this age of widespread disasters worldwide.
The Committee strongly recommends for the adoption of the House that in view of the crucial importance of the role of NADMO, the House directs Cabinet and Government to make adequate resource allocation to NADMO to ensure that it has the capacity to be fully functional.

Disaster preparedness is very crucial particularly in this era of climate change where the weather is unpredictable. There is the need for an urgent action to assist NADMO address its teething problems to enable it play a meaningful role in saving life's and property during disasters.

The Committee recommends to the House to adopt its Report on the Performance Audit Report of the Auditor- General on the preparedness of NADMO to manage disaster in Ghana with the Committee's recommendations.

Respectfully submitted.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah (NPP - Sekondi)

Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and in so doing, make a few comments.
Mr Speaker, the time has come for us as a nation to decide what we would want NADMO to do. I recall that some time ago, when I happened to be the sector Minister, there was even a proposal to, as it were, change the structural design of NADMO and e_ven introduce a new Bill to replace the existing one.
Mr Speaker, when it comes to disaster and its management, NADMO should be seen more as a co-ordination institution. For instance, if there is a disaster and there is the need for temporary bridges to be constructed, one would think that the GhanaArmed Forces would be best placed to do that. But the question we must ask ourselves is, presently, what is the relationship between the Ghana Anned Forces and NADMO? If there is even a bushfire, it is a disaster.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah (NPP - Sekondi)

It would involve the Ghana National Fire Service and even in some developing countries, you have an aircraft putting out the fires. NADMO should be co- ordination; but what is the relationship? So it is important that we do not see NADMO as an institution that distributes relief items.
Over the years, I am sure we have all come to appreciate the fact that even with distributing the items, we do not seem to have any strategy; it is even seen as a form of patronage. So if We really want to make NADMO the institution that can effectively discharge its statutory obligation, then we must have a core, a cadre, a core of well-skilled, well-motivated and well-trained personnel who can do that.
In this country, if we ask, who are the foremost authorities on disaster preven- tion and management? I do not think that if you go to NADMO, you can get anyone there. .
So much as I support the recommen- dation of the Committee, I believe that we should go beyond that - assess the effectiveness of NADMO ever since its associate establishment and see how we can change it to be able to meet the future challenges that we would have.
It is important, as it was observed by the Hon Chairman, does NADMO effectively give out training even in schools? Assuming there is an earthquake, what should we be doing? How often does NADMO put up a programme for training for various communities? Even in terms of the structures, where we should have open spaces in communities, assuming there is an earthquake, where can we all go and congregate?

So we should try as much as possible as a nation -- We have come very far as a nation and as was rightly observed, let us make NADMO a more professional institution unlike an institution where we see a lot of political patronage.

I believe that we have the GhanaArmed Forces, the Ghana Police Service;, they serve the State and of course, one cannot rule out political patronage to some extent. But you do not make, an institution such that, any-time there is a change of government, it is like, the institution is direction-less. We have limited resources and the more we exhibit that form of political patronage, the worse it is for the country. I always say that the political class now has no excuse. We cannot have many more excuses. We cannot go on repeating wrong things that we have done over the years, but it takes a lot of political courage.

Let us bear in mind that at the end of the day, all that the people will be looking for or asking is, what is the legacy? Let us not be interested in transient political advantage. And while we have long-term and medium-term - let us think about the long-term. The time has come for us to have a long-term plan for NADMO. That will make it more effective.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Question proposed

Alhaji Mohammed-MubarakMuntaka (NDC -Asawase)

Mr Speaker, I support the Motion before us and in doing so, to say that as a county, we need to change our attitude. If you look at individuals and you ask what plan we even have towards unforeseen circumstances such as disasters, you will be very surprised to note that many of us, if not virtually all of us, do not even as individuals, prepare for the unforeseen.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

The Report is saying they have only one per cent and you are saying they have -

Alhaji Muntaka

Mr Speaker, I am saying that your Committee's Report clearly indicates that their readiness, it is just about one per cent, meaning, for 99 per cent, they are not ready. Mr Speaker, if you look at all of us, when we prepare out budgets in this country and this

House has always approved it, we make room for contingency. In my opinion, I see the activities of NADMO as a contingency for the country. Yes, I will further agree perfectly with the Committee's Report about the politicization of this very important organization. But the difficulty is, who cause am? Who started it? But I will also take inspiration from what my Hon Senior Colleague from Sekondi mentioned, that for how long can we continue doing the tit for tat?

There should be a break at a point and I think that the break should be now, that all of us should agree that if you are going to have NADMO, what should be the calibre of persons that will be at the national level? What should be the calibre of people that will be at the regional level? What should be the caliber of people that will be at the district level? So that there is a well-defined criterion.

Mr Speaker, there is no way you can become an Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in our country if you are not a Commissioner. You cannot be a Regional Police Commander if you are not, at least, a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

We need as a country, to be able to have this clear structure that will enable people with the necessary requisite knowledge and expertise to occupy those levels, so that we will be sure that when we say that this is the District NADMO Co-ordinator, at least, we know What he or she is capable of - then the material Will come to support.

But even if you provide the materials and we are not careful about properly structuring it, I am sorry to say, We will continue to have the kind of deployment that we are seeing.

When that happens, it is just like fire- fighting: you just rush there, you take some rice, some cups, some mat, et cetera. Are they really what are needed? So it is

Mr First'Deputy Speaker

I thought you were going to use the former Hon Minister for the Interior as an example.
A1hajiMuntaka: MrSpeaker, evacuation plan for even Parliament here, how many of us who are Sitting in this Chamber know the evacuation plan of Parliament? Should something be happening, all of us would be running and knocking each other and if you are not careful, even the running and hitting each other is what is going to compound the disaster. Look at what happened at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium; many people died not because of what was happening, but through stampede because people were running over each other.
So it is very, very important that we take this institution very seriously, so that we are clear on our minds what exactly we

want them to do and we must find the resources to let them act, so that they will be able to protect us when the need arises.

Yes, it is true, someone will say, "no, matter how you equip NADMO, there are certain things that will happen that they will not be able to handle". Even the United States of America had this challenge. Yes. Mr Speaker, let us take care of the minor ones. Let us not, let the minor ones kill us. If not the day the major ones will come, all of us will be finished.

Mr Speaker, on this note, I urge my Hon Colleagues to support the recommen- dation of your Committee, not only, for it to be, with the greatest of respect, a talk- show, where we just talk, talk about it and at the end of the day, we do not act on it. Let me say that all of us have responsibilities as Members of Parliament because when our budgets come, we all tend to forget the many contributions we have been making.

I believe that if our contributions are things that we jot down and take note of, when the Budget comes, we would ensure that the comments that we make reflects in the Budget that comes to this House and we will be getting somewhere. On this note, I urge my Hon Colleagues to support the Motion.

I thank you for the opportunity.

l 1.55 am.

Mr Joseph B. Aidoo (NPP-Amenfi East)

Mr Speaker, I am also on my feet to support the Motion ably moved by the Chairman of the Committee.
Mr Speaker, aside administration, two critical areas that will make NADMO move, I mean, logistics and staffing/ personnel are found wanting according to the Report. It is distressing to note from the Committee's Report that, if you

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Do you have a point of order?

Alhaji Muntaka

Mr Speaker, rightly so.
I heard my Colleague say that the gentleman was a trained graduate teacher. I am asking, as a graduate teacher, what was he looking for there? He was supposed to be in the classroom where we do not have adequate teachers. Why would he not go to the district and be put at the SSS?

Mr J. B. Aidoo

Mr Speaker, if I said "a graduate teacher", maybe, it was a slip of tongue. He was a graduate from the university and had even gone further to pursue his Masters, with eight years' experience as aRegional NADMO Officer. He was transferred not even to a district. but to a zonal office; I do not know whether it was done just to punish this gentleman or because of some political motivation, I cannot tell. This is exactly what this Committee's Report is -- this mischief -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Members, the Hon Member for Sekondi made a point and the Hon Member for Asawase supported that the tit for tat must stop.

Mr J. B. Aidoo

Mr Speaker, this mischief ought to be remedied.

Mr E. T. Mensah

Mr Speaker, I thought, with the intervention of Hon Papa Owusu-Ankomah and supported by Hon Muntaka, my good Friend will just not touch on this issue. This is because the tit for tat is enough. When NDC lost the elections, almost all the NADMO staff - he was one of them who was sacked. He was saying that let us consign that, into the dustbin of history and move forward.
Thank you.

Mr J. B. Aidoo

Mr Speaker, the example I am giving is just to lend support. Just to lend support to the very issue which the Hon Member for Sekondi and the Hon Member for Asawase have indicated- We must sort of remove this political clutch around NADMO and make sure that NADMO becomes a national institution working for the national interest.
In that case, I believe, with the requisite staff and support, particularly in terms of logistics- It is very, very important because NADMO has to move when they have the logistics but if they are given just one per cent of their potential, I do not know What that one per cent could be used for in achieving results.
This Report is very, very important and therefore, I would urge all Hon Members to support in the passage of the Motion.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Members, I will take two more.

Minister for Employment and Social Welfare (Mr E. T. Mensah)(MP)

Mr Speaker, I also rise to lend my support to the Report that has been put before us and share the sentiments of Hon Papa Owusu- Ankomah, Hon Muntaka and my good Friends.
As Hon Papa Owusu -Ankomah said, we have come to a time when we can no longer have any excuses for dealing with the issues that ought to be dealt with when it comes to strengthening our institutions.
I want to say that when we talk about disasters, there are causes of those disasters. What we need to do is to deal with the real issues and not the symptoms.
As Hon Muntaka said, what NADMO does is always fire-fighting. We need to prepare to prevent fire. What am I talking about? For instance, there are certain institutions that we need to create and strengthen and when we talk about floods, it is because of haphazard development.

We have District Assemblies; many of them do not have any planning units to write home about. If the planning units were strong and were working, if the Building Inspection Division were following up, people would not build in flood waterways or in areas that they should not build - in open spaces, so that when there is rain, the water would find its natural course.

It is important we think about strengthening the institutions which have the responsibility in ensuring that we prevent disasters. How many of the Assemblies have waste management departments to write home about'? People just dump refuse carelessly, abandon waste just anywhere and our gutters get silted. So when it rains for just two hours, it causes havoc.

What we need to do is to ensure that these organisations and District Assemblies are supported to develop these structures, strengthen them and once that is done, I think that we will be making progress, we would be preventing disasters from taking place.

Mr Speaker, a lot has been said, and I just want to end by -we have spoken about the calibre of personnel - if we do not have the structures and the institutions, there are people who are qualified, who would just go and see the offices and walk away. It is important that we deal with these issues.

With these few words, Mr Speaker, I will also want to support the recommen- dation by the Public Accounts Committee.

Thank you very much.

Mr DominicA.Azumah (NDC-Garu Tampane)

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to make a few comments on the Report.
Mr Speaker, I think that it is quite evident that NADMO is a very important

Mr DominicA.Azumah (NDC-Garu Tampane)

institution and would need the support of all to be able to perform- The Report clearly indicates or identifies the challenges NADMO is confronted with and made possible proposals.
Mr Speaker, if you go through the Whole Report, the bottom line is insufficient funding for NADMO to perform. I am rather a bit surprised that the House has not taken advantage of article 177 (l) of the Constitution which provides for the establishment of a Contingency Fund. Mr Speaker, with your permission, I beg to say that the flamers had a very good intention to come out with this particular formulation. The formulation states and Mr Speaker, I beg to quote:
"There shall be paid into the Contingency Fund moneys voted for the purpose by Parliament; and advances may be made from that Fund which are authorised by the committee responsible for financial measures in Parliament whenever that committee is satisfied that there has arisen an urgent or unforeseen need for expenditure for which no provision other exists to meet the need."
The intention of the framers of the Constitution was that, yes, due to the insufficient allocation that may be made to the sector Ministries, there might be unforeseen expenditures that NADMO could grapple with and therefore, urged the House to establish a Fund such that moneys are accrued into it- and any-time there is any unforeseen situation, funds can be made available to them to operate.

It even goes further to suggest that after expenditures are made a supple- mentary budget be brought from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to re-imburse them.

So I want to urge the Hon Minister for Finance and Economic Planning to consider this particular provision quite critically, otherwise, as we continue to make this small allocation to the Ministry of the Interior to cater for NADMO, we will never make any breakthrough in the performance of NADMO.

I believe that if we are able to get sufficient funding- the conditions of service for NADMO staff are nothing to write home about. If you hear about their salaries, you will not want to be a staff of NADMO at all. They do not have the required logistics -transportation. - when there is an urgent need for them to rush to a particular spot to observe or to report on an issue, they are always challenged. I think that all that the Report talks about is insufficient resources.

I hope and pray that Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning will consider this issue very seriously -- and find out whether Parliament cannot establish a Contingency Fund which will go into solving other problems. We have a number of cases people are confronted With - people go there with kidney problems needing dialyses -and sometimes they are so poor that they cannot even make ends meet.

If We were lucky, to have such a Fund in such critical situations, the Ministry of Health would be in a position to apply for Funds for such purposes.

Mr Speaker, on that note, I thank you and hope that the Report will go a long way to address the concerns faced by the auditors.

Thank you so much.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and let me thank Hon Members, for the many useful comments and contributions that they have made.
Mr Speaker, two things have come out. There is significant insufficient funding and again, there is too much politicisation. But Mr Speaker, all these are at the expense of our collective safety. Let us as a House, resolve to give NADMO the priority that it deserves when it comes to allocating the financial resources of the country.
Do not let us deceive ourselves into thinking that when there is a major disaster, support will come from outside are the country - by the time it comes, it may be too late for us.
Again, Mr Speaker, when it comes to finding people to work for NADMO - this morning, we talked about soldiers. There are well-trained soldiers who are going on retirement at 45 years. These people are already well-trained to do the work that NADMO does and I think it will be useful to suggest to NADMO that they can also look up to the Armed Forces in getting personnel to work for them. All these young soldiers who are leaving at 45 years are probably already well prepared to serve in NADMO.
With this, I want to thank Hon Members for the concern that they have shown and urge Leadership to take this matter up and ensure that our collective safety in this country can be assured at all times.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

The Clerk is to take steps to communicate the position of the House as captured in the Report to Cabinet in terms of resource allocation to NADMO -

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah)

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this House adopts the Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the performance Audit Report of the Auditor- General on the Information Technology Systems of St. Louis Secondary School, Kumasi.
l .0 Introduction
1.1 The Report of the Auditor-General on the Information Technology Systems of St. Louis Secondary School was presented to Parliament on Wednesday, 9* June, 2010 in accordance with article 187 (5) of the 1992 Constitution.
Pursuant to Order 165 (2) of the Standing Orders of the House, the Audit Report was referred to the Public Accounts Committee for examination and report.
1.2 Subsequently, the Committee met on Friday, 6th May, 201 1 and examined the Report. The Acting Deputy Auditor General, Mr Yaw Agyei Sifah and his technical team, the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah and the Headmistress of St. Louis Secondary School, Mrs Theresa Addae and her technical team were present at the ComInittee's meeting to offer clarifications on the referral.
The Committee is grateful to the above mentioned officers for availing them- selves to assist the Committee in its deliberations.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah)

2.0 Reference documents
The Committee referred to the following documents during its deli- berations:
a. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana;
b- The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana; and
c. TheAudit Service Act, 2000 (Act
584).
3 .0 Background
For the public sector in Ghana to be abreast of the advancement in Information Technology (IT), resources have been provided by Government and donor partners for the development of IT in the public sector. In line with this, some pre- university institutions in recent times have resorted to the computerisation of their systems to improve upon their service delivery. One of such institutions is the St. Louis Secondary School (currently known as St. Louis Senior High School).
In accordance with section 11 (I) and (3) of the Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act 584), the Auditor-General conducted an audit of the information systems of St. Louis Senior High School (S H S) to review and appraise the controls and procedures operated by management to ensure that information is reliable and the continued integrity of the school's critical systems (Student Records Management System) is safeguarded. It was also to assess the effectiveness of the overall management control over the IT function within the school.

4.0 Audit findings

The Auditor-General's Report dis- closed a number of weaknesses in the management of the school's IT systems. Significant among them are:

a. the absence of an information system strategy approved by senior management;

b. poor controls over user access to data;

c. the absence of the necessary technical documentation on installed IT applications; and

d. the absence of back-up systems for ensuring continuity of the school's operations in the event of any system failure.

5.0 Observations and recommendations

The Committee made the following observations during its deliberations:

a. IT policy /strategy and control measures

The Committee noted that following the audit finding, St. Louis SeniorHigh School has put measures in place to develop an IT policy and strategy. Currently, the school has an IT security policy and strategy as well as a back-up system. Proper control measures are in place to ensure that data input, processing and output transactions were accurate, completely processed, authorised and secured-

Appropriate measures have also been put in place to protect the hardware, software, data, processes, document- tation, personnel, buildings and the entire computer environment. In addition to these measures, the school has also employed an Administrator to effectively manage its IT systems.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah)

The Committee, however, recommends that the school management should seek technical assistance from the Ministry of Communications on its current compu- terisation arrangement to ensure that they are in line with recommended good practices in IT service management while adequately meeting the needs of the school.
b. Technical documentation
The Committee observed that there was still no technical documentation on how the application of the school's IT systems have been configured. This lapse, in the opinion of the Committee, would render the maintenance of the application very difficult should there be a change of hardware or/ and software.
The Headmistress informed the Committee that efforts to contact the software developer to deliver the necessary technical documentation on the school's IT systems have proved futile. She assured the Committee that all efforts would be made to ensure that the software developer delivers the technical documentation to the school.
The Committee recommends that as a matter of urgency, management should ensure that the software developer makes available to the school the necessary technical documentation on the school's IT systems for easy access to information.
c. Computerisation of IT systems
The Committee observed that St. Louis Senior High School did not seek technical advice from the Ministry of Education before embarking on its computerisation exercise.

The Committee is of the view that even though information technology is gradually becoming a necessity, there is the need to ensure that IT policies of public institutions are consistent with the national ICT policy of the country.

The Committee recommends that management of St. Louis SHS should contact the Ministry of Communications through the Ministry of Education for technical guidance. It also urges all educational institutions to consult the Ministry of Education before undertaking any computerisation exercise.

4.0 Conclusion

The Committee commends St Louis SHS for computerising its students' records management and also implementing most of the Auditor-General's recommendations after the audit findings. The Committee urges management of the school to put measures in place to ensure that its IT systems are safeguarded

In the light of the above, the Committee recommends to the House to adopt its Report on the Report of the Auditor- General on the information technology systems of St. Louis Secondary School, Kumasi.

Respectfully submitted.

Alhaji Ibrahim D.Abubakari (NDC-- Salaga)

Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion on the floor and in seconding it I just want to make one observation.
. First and foremost, I want to congratulate St Louis Senior High School, Kumasi for at least, taking this bold initiative to initiate Information Technology (IT) system in their school.

Mr Simon Osei-Mensah (NPP - Bosomtwe)

Mr Speaker, I rise to support the Motion on the floor, and in so doing, I wish to make some few comments.
Mr Speaker, undoubtedly, IT system for any institution in this modern world is of paramount significance for efficient running of our institutions.
Mr Speaker, again, I wish to underscore the importance of auditing; the fact that the system was audited, brought out some

of the weaknesses in the implementation of the IT system in the school. As has already been said by the Chairman of the Committee, some of these anomalies have been rectified by the institution. However, some are still outstanding. Prominent among them is the technical docu- mentation of the software.

Mr Speaker, sometimes, some of these software developers intentionally refuse to document the technical aspect of the software and hand them over to the implementers, so as to make them indispensable and then the sole controllers and owners of the software.

We wish to state that they should endeavour to make these documents available to the management of the school, so that in the absence of the software developer, the continuity of the maintenance of the software and the hardware could be done. Other than that, if the software developer is no longer available, it would mean any difficulty the institution would face with the usage of this IT system, would be a serious problem, in the sense that, they may not have somebody who can rectify whatever anomaly that occurs.

Again, Mr Speaker, we wish to insist that future development of such a system should strictly be in line with the national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy, so that we do not have divergent and different IT systems within different institutions in the country.

With these few words, Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Members, that brings us to the end of the debate.
Hon Chairman, do you Want to do winding up?

Mr Kan-Dapaah

Mr Speaker, let me just say that I am most grateful for the very useful comments that have been made.
Today, no institution can run away from the wonders of information technology and we commend all those educational institutions which have taken upon themselves to computerise.
We want to encourage the educational institutions which have not started to embark on computerisation to be bold and start to it. Our advice though is that, before - [Interruptions] - emboldening themselves to start the process, they must look for advice.
The Ministry of Education has an ICT policy as the Hon Member just said and it would be wrong for an educational institution to embark upon compute- risation without making sure that it suits the ICT policy of the Ministry of Education in respect of which they have a special unit headed by Rev.. Dadebor and we would urge all institutions which intend to computerise to take advantage of the technical support that is available.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Hon Members, we move to the Consideration Stage of the Renewable Energy Bill, 2010. But before then, can we take this Bill without the Hon Ministers? None of them is here.
Renewable Energy Bill, 2010 at the Consideration Stage - Hon Majority Chief Whip, can we take it without-

Mr Gershon K. B. Gbediame

Mr Speaker, I was just going to confirm that we contacted them and they are just entering the Chamber, so we can do it. Let us just start and they will join us.

Mrs Gifty E. Kusi

Mr Speaker, let us start and give them about ten minutes and if they do not come, we will stop -- Mr Speaker, let us give them ten minutes, if they do not come in, we should stop because it is so technical.
1225 pm.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Vice Chairman, after the amendment, how will the new clause 1, subclause (1), read?

MrYaka.h

Mr Speaker, it Will read as follows:
"The object of this Act is to provide for development, management, utilisation for . sustainable manner"

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Can I hear you again?

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker,
"The object of this Act is to provide for development, management, utilisation -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Vice Chairman, you have left something out there. That is why I am giving you the second chance.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, "The object of this Act is -to provide for the development, management and utilisation of renewable energy sources for sustainable manner."

Mrs Kusi

Mr Speaker, it is not clear. He said line 2, we delete -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

I thought he was moving it stage by stage. [Interruption] You will prefer that one? [Pause] Very well. Hon Vice Chairman, move the second one, so that I will put one Question.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, the proposed amendment is that, clause l, subclause (2), paragraph (Lt), line I, delete "of" and insert-

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Vice Chairman, and in line 2, what you did first was to insert the words "development, management and" before "utilisation". That is What you did first and I was going to put the Question. If you look at your own amendment, there is a continuation which says, "delete all the words after 'for' and insert the following" That is What the Hon Deputy Minority Chief Whip is talking about. Move it so that I put the Question.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, the new rendition is as follows, "An Act to provide -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Vice Chairman of the Committee, you have filed an amendment and the amendment stands in the name of the Committee. It is there; it is clear. You have moved the first leg of that amendment -

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker,
"'Ihe object of this Act is to provide -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

No. Please, Vice Chairman, you have moved that one. There is another amendment in line 2 of clause 1 and that is what the Hon Deputy Minority Chief Whip is talking about, that you should move all together, so that I will put one Question on them.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 1, subclause (1), line 2, "delete all words after "for" and insert the following:
"the production of heat and power in an efficient and environmentally sustainable manner".

Mr J. B. Aidoo

Mr Speaker, if the indication is to delete all the words there and insert "the production of heat", that is, you delete all the words after "for" in line 2; if you are deleting all the words there and then you insert what has been advertised, I do not think you will get the proper rendition. This is because what has been advertised in today's Order Paper, unless, maybe, I am holding a different Order Paper, page 3, is that you delete all the words after "for" in line 2 and insert the following:
"the production of heat and power in an efficient and environmentally"
[Interruption] Then it should not be delete all the words after "for" in line 2.

Mr First-Deputy Speaker

Hon Vice Chairman, the Hon Member for Amenfi East is absolutely correct- There is a mistake in the amendment that you put there and you should have corrected it before moving it.

Mr J. B- Aidoo

Mr Speaker, I have taken note of what he is trying to propose. It is in line 2 only and not with line -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

I think the problem is with the way the amendment has been filed. If you are inserting, you insert between two items. You have given us one end but you have not given us the second end and that is the problem with the amendment that has been filed on the OrderPaper. [Interruption] Very well. It is clear now.
Question put and amendment agreed to.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 1, subclause (2), paragraph (t), line l, delete "of" and insert "on" and also delete "consumption" and insert "utilisation".
So that the new rendition will read as follows:
"public education on renewable energy, production and utilisation"
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 1 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 2 - Meaning of renewable energy,

MrYakah

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 2, paragraph (t), after "landfill" add "gas".

Mr William O. Boafo

Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Vice Chairman, why he has chosen to give the meaning of "Renewable Energy" in the body of the Bill, instead of it being sent to the Interpretation section. This is because if you look at the Interpretation section, We have reference to the meaning of "renewable energy certificates,

renewable energy product, renewable energy resource renewable energy sources, and renewable energy system". I think if the meaning of "renewable energy" appears in the Interpretation section, it will be. more elegant and consistent.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

That question is for the Ministry why they brought the meaning of "renewable energy" so early in the Bill.

Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini

Mr Speaker, this was done on the advice of the Attorney-General's Office (AG's). Particularly so, as this place is a new area and anybody seeking to know the meaning must first look in the Bill instead of the Interpretation section. So at the discussion, when we met as a Committee, this matter came up and the AG's Office was adamant, that this is the way it should be.
Mr Boafo Mr Speaker, what normally we find in the Bill, when definition is attempted in the body of the Bill, is a situation where the definition relates to a section of the Bill or a part of the Bill. In this part of the Bill, "renewable energy" means this or that but if it is something which covers the entirety of the Bill, I do not see why it should be here.
In the Attorney-General's Office, at times they just bully us with some of these techniques. But we are here as legislators and we must do what we think is right consistently with the part of legislation that passes through this House.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

What I will do is that, I will put the Question since the controversy is not about the amendment filed: we will keep on discussing among ourselves, so that by the time we conclude, we would take a decision as a House, whether to leave it in clause 2 or to move it to the Interpretation section of the Bill.
Hon Member for Akropong, I think that is a fair position.

Mr Boafo Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr J. B.Aidoo

MrSpeaker, further to what he has just indicated, if you even take clause 1, where we have the object of the Bill, we are talking about "renewable energy sources". I was a bit baffled because if you look at the new rendition that had been given, whereby the object of this Bill is for development, management and utilization. If it is development, management and utilisation, then it is going to be the "development, management and utilisation of resources" and not the "sources".
The two ought to be distinguished; it should be the "resources" that had to be developed, managed and utilised. If you say drafting is there, then when you go to the Interpretation section, there is the definition for "renewable energy resources" and renewable energy sources"; the two are different. So we must know which one is applying in this particular instance.
Are we "developing, managing and utilising sources or resources"? 1 believe that it is the "resources" that we have to "develop" and "manage" and "utilise" and not the "sources". The "sources", yes, river is a source, wind is a source. But significantly, the resources ought to be developed.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Member, we may take note of it, so that at the appropriate stage of the Bill, we work on that area.
Mr Boafo Mr Speaker, with regard to what the Hon Member for Amenfi East (Mr J. B. Aidoo) said, when we want to find anything within the body of the Bill, we resort to the Long Title more than to the clause 1 and so forth. The Long Title deals with "renewable energy" and extension is given for electricity and heat

generation and for related matters. So that is where We have to look at and not clause 1 which he referred to. We are mostly guided by the Long Title in determining what should go into the body of the Bill.

Mr Speaker, I think what the drafts- persons brought to us is consistent and it is all right.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Very well, I will put the Question.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 2 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

But I direct that we discuss to find out exactly where to locate it in the Bill.
Clause 3 - Ministerial responsibility.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, I beg to move clause 3, lines 1 and 2, "the formulation of the National Renewable Energy Policy for".

Mr First Deputy Speaker

So what will be the new rendition?

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, the new rendition will be:
"The Minister has responsibility for providing policy direction for the achievement of the object of this Act";

Mr Boafo

Mr Speaker, if the Chairman can help us by explaining why he wants the deletion of "for the formulation of the National Renewable Energy Policy and . " I think that is what we have been advocating for in this House. That is, national policies with regard to certain activities in the country. So we want to know why in this case we want to delete it. This is because I think it is necessary

Alhaji Fuseini

Mr Speaker, that has been advisedly removed because the EnergyCommission is responsible for the formulation of energy matters in general and so, they have responsibility for that. We do not want to create a conflict between the Energy Commission and the Hon Minister, simplicita. We know that the Hon Minister-might have supervisory jurisdiction but with specific

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Do you have the Energy Commission Act before you?

Alhaji Fuseini

No, Mr Speaker. I will retrieve the Energy CommissionAct if you are minded that we look at it. But they have the authority and mandate for the formulation of energy policies in this country. So We do not want' to create -

Mr Joseph Y. Chireh

Mr Speaker, normally, this is a routine clause that we add and it is always to give Ministerial direction to the governing body. For instance, in the case of this, it means that in the Energy Commission Bill, the Minister will give Ministerial directive; and it is just one Ministerial directive given of -the general policy of Government or of the country. So, the formulation does not arise at all. I mean this whole matter does not arise- But then it should not just be on policy, it should be to the Commission.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

I thought that should be the reason we are deleting it; your second reason because by the rules of interpretation, if you put "National Energy Renewal Policy" then it means that that is the only area that the Minister has Ministerial responsibility.
This is because you have expressly mentioned it. So it means that all other matters, he has no policy directive. I thought that should be the reason for deleting it.

Mr Chireh

Where it is also Mr Speaker, is not right. It is normally at the tip end there "Administrative Procedures"; that is where we normally will put it. So that it is just a Ministerial directive on every issue to the Commission. If it is already in this one, we should even entirely delete if there is a provision in the Energy Commission Bill for providing for Ministerial directive.

Alhaji Fuseini

Mr Speaker, that is rightly so, but in addition to that, my clear understanding is that such a policy already exists. So the way it is couched, it looks like the policy is yet to be formulated.
But such a policy already exists and the Energy Commission is responsible. Three, we should not create in the minds of people that there is exclusivity here and so We had to delete them.
Mr Boafo Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Health raised an issue which I think the Deputy Minister has not answered. He said that under the Energy Commission Act and also the Public Utilities Regulatory Act, if there is such a provision reserved for the Minister, then the provision here is otiose. If under those two Acts, we already have a provision which gives the Hon Minister for Energy the right to give policy directions to the Commission, then the provision here is of no significance.

Alhaji Muntaka

Mr Speaker, it is very, very important that we have this clause here. We are assuming that all what the Ministerial directives or responsibilities are, as per the Energy Commission Bill, is with regard to formulation of national policy on renewable energy. But this one, you are establishing an Act and it has an object and you are saying that the responsibility of a Minister is to ensure that this particularAct we are establishing works, and they will take policy directions from the Hon Minister.
So it is important that this one is there just to guide that this Act that we are establishing is also under the policy directive of the Hon Minister. So Mr Speaker, it is important that it remains.

Mr J. B. Aidoo

Mr Speaker, I also want to support the stand taken by the Hon Member who spoke last.
Leaving this provision here will re- in-force whatever provision that had been made in another Act. It does not take anything away from what we are doing. So I think it should stay to just re-inforce this particular arm of the Act.

Mr Chireh

Mr Speaker, in law making, if you do this, you are asking the Hon Minister to give policy direction, to Whom? Who should comply with it? That is why I am saying that if the Energy Commission Act provides for the Hon Minister to give policy directives, fine, then we do not need to repeat it here. In the case of the Public Utilities Regulatory Act, if a similar thing is provided for, fine. But as it is here, it is harmless and it has no direction - who should comply with

Mr First Deputy Speaker

The point being made is that this is a specific legislation dealing with renewable energy.

Mr Chireh

That is why I am saying that we can put it here as it is; it does not harm anything. But my point is that who is it directing to do this? If it is for the achievement of the objectives, fine.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

But that is -what is in the Bill anyway.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Member for Akropong, do you have a point again?

Mr Boafo

Yes, Mr Speaker. If we go further in the Bill to clause 7 (2), a number of institutions have been listed that are to collaborate with the Commission. Mr Speaker, I want to pose a question; do I understand the situation to be that the Minister for Energy is being given the responsibility to give policy direction to those institutions, the Ghana Standards Authority, the Forestry Commission, the Lands Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Metro, National Petroleum Commission and so forth?

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Member, there is nothing there suggesting What you are saying. It is only saying that the Commission shall collaborate. So there is nothing saying that the Minister will give policy directives-

Mr Boafo

Mr Speaker, this is being pursued in view of the fact that under the clause that we are considering - clause 3, it does not specify to whom the policy direction should be given. So it leaves that open.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

What is your response to that point?

Alhaji Fuseini

Mr Speaker, the answer is in clause 4. Clause 4 vests the Commission with some responsibilities. Clause 4.(b) mandates or requires that the Commission establishes a platform for collaboration. Clause 8 is given an indication of the institutions that the Commission shall collaborate with in the promotion and development or utilisation of renewable energy sources. It is not the Minister, it is the Commission.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Yes, it is there.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 3 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 4 - Responsibilities of the Energy Commission.

Mr Yakah

Mr Speaker, I beg to move clause 4, paragraph (a), delete "tech- nologies" and insert "matters". So it reads,
"The Energy Commission shall advise the Minister on renewable energy matters".

Mr Joseph K. Adda

Mr Speaker, indeed, I drafted an amendment which I sent to the Table Office but unfortunately, it has not reflected yet.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

On this particular clause?

MrAdda

Yes, indeed, just before this particular clause, after clause 3.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Is it clause 4 or clause 3?

Mr Adda

Mr Speaker, well, it precedes Clause 4.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Then you may have to - you should have drawn our attention. You should have caught my eye immediately -

Mr Adda

Mr Speaker, I rose -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Yes, I did not -- so I would suggest that we go on, maybe, at the Second Consideration Stage, then you move the amendment - This is because we have already put the Question on clause 3 under the rules.

MrAdda

I rose, Mr Speaker but I did not catch your eye, and it is so fun- damental to the entire Bill.

Debates of 18 Jul 2011

PRAYERS

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT

PAPERS

BILLS -SECOND READING

PAPERS

MOTIONS

MOTIONS

BILLS - CONSIDERATION STAGE