Debates of 18 Dec 2013

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Correction of Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 17th December,
2013.
Page 1, 2, 3 - 8.
Mr Joseph Y. Chireh 11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
If you look at item number 7 on page 8, you have two withdrawals. The second one should be deleted.
If you look at it --
“The Rt Hon Speaker accordingly withdrew the referral to the Finance and Roads Committee.”
Then we have the same referral now only to the Finance Committee. I also think that they should add the joint committees.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
I am not getting the point.
Mr Chireh 11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if you look at item number 7, page 8, you come--
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Item number 7 starts from page 7 -- [Interruptions.]
Mr Chireh 11 a.m.
I am saying that you withdrew the referral that is on top of the roman numeral and then the down and I thought that there was a repetition.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
My understanding from the Clerks-at-the-Table is that, they are treating it separately in terms of the agreement and the tax waiver. That is why they made it two.

Hon Chireh, does that satisfy you?
Mr Chireh 11 a.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Very well.

Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 17th December, 2013, are adopted as the true record of proceedings.

Hon Members, we have two Official Reports for correction. That of Thursday, 5th December, 2013 and Monday, 9 th December, 2013. We start with that of Thursday, 5 th December, 2013 for correction.

Any correction?

Hon Members, the Official Report of Monday, 9th December, 2013 for correction.
Mr David T. Assumeng 11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, column 2190, the first paragraph, there is a question mark on the third line which should be deleted.
“Before I continue, may I congratulate you for the punctuality to the call in Parliament”?
Mr Speaker, it is not a question; it is an emphatic statement.
So, the question mark should be deleted.
And on the second paragraph as well, it was during your term that the very Committee was active. Again, the question sign should be deleted.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Any other correction?
Hon Members, the Official Report of Monday, 9th December, 2013, is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Dr Benjamin B. Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we would want to defer the item; there are still some consultations going on and we would want to take it later in the day.
Dr Kunbuor 11 a.m.
So, we can take item --
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Hon Majority Leader, do we lay the Papers before I come back to Statements?
Dr Kunbuor 11 a.m.
Yes. That is what I wanted to suggest, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Very well.
Dr Kunbuor 11 a.m.
The Finance Minister and the others are in a committee meeting. Mr Speaker, given the importance of what the Finance Minister and his Deputies are attending to in a Committee of the House, I would like to crave your indulgence to lay the Papers on his behalf.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Very well. Item number 5 (a)
PAPERS 11 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
Item number 5 (b) is not ready?
Dr Kunbuor 11 a.m.
That is so, Mr Speaker. All the other items are not ready. This is because the Chairman is also at the Committee.
So, we can come back to item number 4.
Mr Speaker 11:10 a.m.
Hon Members, we have one Statement today standing in the name of Hon E. T. Mensah.
Hon E. T. Mensah, you have the floor.
STATEMENTS 11:10 a.m.
Mr Enoch T. Mensah (NDC -- Ningo- Prampram) 11:10 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the late Hon Henry Romulus Sawyerr (aka Harry Sawyerr.
Now the labourer's task is over Now the battle-day is past Now upon the farther shore Lands the voyager at last
-- (MHB 976)
Mr Speaker, often when one is called upon to pay tribute to a dead person, one has to try hard to find good or kind things to say about that person. Happily, it is not so with the late Harry Sawyerr.
Whichever part of his life we care to look at, the late Harry Sawyerr bore fruits which have impacted and continue to impact positively on national develop- ment.
I, therefore, thank you for the honour and privilege to pay tribute to this illustrious son of our dear country.
Mr Fritz F. Baffour (NDC -- Ablekuma South) 11:20 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to support the tribute made to the memory of an immeasurably great Ghanaian, Henry Romulus Sawyerr, patriot, technocrat, politician, philanthropist, sportsman, father and family man par excellence, who went to his maker on Friday, 8th November, 2013 and would be buried on Saturday, 21st December, 2013.
Mr Speaker, the demise of the late Harry Romulus Sawyerr is not only a loss to Ghana but to the West African sub- region and the rest of the world. This is because he left his mark everywhere he travelled, either on official duty or otherwise. His dynamism, innovation, public spiritedness, and managerial ability are evidenced by the many milestones he chalked in his remarkable life on earth.
I first met the late Hon Harry Sawyerr when he lived on the outskirts of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, where he was then the City Valuer of the Kumasi City Council and was also responsible for securing the lands of the university. Four of his children were in primary school with me at the Kwame Nkrumah University Primary School, so I attended several birthday parties at his house.
The late Harry Sawyerr was then a dapper debonair gentleman who drove a convertible Borgward car. Several decades later, when I entered politics, he became one of my role models. He was a wise and thoughtful mentor whose experience in public life was a boom to any young up -and-coming politician.
Henry Romulus Sawyerr was a firm disciplinarian, a homely but strict family man, selfless and dedicated both to home and nation. His attributes are so many. For brevity's sake, I cannot recount them all, but I would end with this quote taken from Henry W. Longfellow's poem “The Psalm of life” --
“Lives of great all remind us We can make our lives sublime And departing leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time Footprints that perhaps another Sailing over life's solemn mean Of fallen and shipwreck brother Seen shall take heart again.”
Henry Romulus Sawyerr leaves behind a loving wife, children, grandchildren, family, numerous friends and admirers and a nation in mourning.
May his soul rest in perfect and deserving peace. Amen!
Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin (NDC -- Nadowli/Kaleo) 11:20 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the late Harry Sawyerr left indelible marks in the memories of men and women in this generation. It is sad that he has gone to rest in the bosom of our Lord.
As a young student in Legon, I could identify the Limann regime with only the late Harry Sawyerr. This is because, in those days, it was difficult to get transport and we had to be “charging” into wooden trucks that we called “we no go sit down.”
Therefore, it gladdened the hearts of all when we heard that an Hon Minister in the Limann regime was able to negotiate with India to bring in buses called “Tata Buses”. That was a mark of leadership. It is not as easy as it is today, but he managed and sounded a loud message in the annals of history.
Mr Speaker, in Nigeria, I was one day confronted by an elderly man who asked whether I knew the late Harry Sawyerr and I said he was an elder of my party. He told me his footprints in Nigeria when he was then the Chief Federal Lands Officer of Nigeria. Nigeria was not then as rich as it is. I mean, in terms of cash and the liquidity position. Yes, they had the natural resources, but they were then transiting from an economy basically dependent on the export of groundnuts. But the late Harry Sawyerr was there to support that country to have a good hold on the land issue in Nigeria.
Mr Speaker, the late Harry Sawyerr taught me a few things. What I learnt from him was uniqueness. You have to make sure that you did not try to ape anybody because every human being is created unique. He was unique. Whether it is in dressing, or in his outlook or in his way of speaking, or how he comported himself, he was unique. I think it is important that we learn that in spite of all his professionalism, in spite of all his resources, in spite of all what he had made in life, he stayed a unique Ga elder. And I think that this is something worth emulating.
Apart from that, Mr Speaker, he was a man of patience. I never saw Harry in anger; I never. He chose his words carefully -- [Interruption] -- I never saw him in anger. But it is when he had to come and tell you the hard truth that he showed passion, not anger. I think many of us find it difficult to take it but he made
his mark. And I think that, we would do honour to ourselves, not just to Harry, when we give him a very befitting funeral.
I hope and pray that his family would take “solace” in his achievements and that the party would learn from his footsteps and that Ghana would stay away from trying to slavishly follow any country, but chart a path that God has destined for this country.
It is with this Mr Speaker, that I would want to say, as our brothers always say, “Damirifa Due”.
Thank you very much.
Mr Isaac Osei (NPP -- Subin) 11:30 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to add a few words to what has been spoken by my Hon Colleagues about Harry Romulus Sawyerr. I know that Harry Sawyerr was a man of many parts and he struggled the whole political spectrum; starting his parliamentary career as an Independent Member of this House.
Then as a member of the United National Convention of the Danquah/ Dombo/Busia tradition, and then he became a member of Rawlings' PNDC and finally, he was indeed, a senior member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He served our country in many capacities.
He started off as a surveyor and I think many people in this country know him for the work that he did in various traditional areas, demarcating the boundaries of various areas. He was indeed, a consummate professional, as a surveyor. But I also know him as a Free Mason who contributed to many worthy causes and he is remembered in that fraternity for his oratory and for his financial contributions to many worthy causes.
He was also a traditionalist and occupied a number of stools as we have been told this morning in different parts of the Ga State. I believe that Harry
Mr Isaac Osei (NPP -- Subin) 11:30 a.m.


Sawyerr would also be remembered as a senior citizen of this country who made his mark, not only as a member of the Council of State, but also offering counsel to various people in various capacities across the political divide. This, because, after all, he himself strutted the whole spectrum.

Mr Speaker, as we mourn the passing on of this great Ghanaian, I think many of us have to look at his life and take instructive lessons from them. That you can indeed, rise to the very top without forgetting where you come from. And I think that is the lesson of the life of Harry Sawyerr. You can also indeed, change your mind about the political family that you initially started with; you can indeed, change your mind and he did that on a couple of occasions.

I am looking forward to some of my Hon Friends who are saying, “change your mind to come to this side”. [Hear! Hear!] But today, I think all of us as a mark of respect, should remember Harry Sawyerr and the family that he has left behind.

I would say, Harry ‘demirifa due; due ni ama ne hunu'.
Minority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 11:30 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity to also associate myself with the commemorative Statement made by the Hon Member for Ningo/Prampram, Mr E. T. Mensah, in respect of the late Harry Sawyerr.
Mr Speaker, the man whose life we celebrate today and whose memory we are committing these dirges, was a man who had a rich resume of appointments.
Mr Speaker, I guess on a lighter vein, if he had lived his life today, we would have been under constant attack by foot soldiers who think that the day belongs to them.
Mr Speaker, the importation of Tata buses was mainly due to the insistence and perseverance of the man. Now, that in itself generated considerable furore in the country. Mr Speaker, the reason for that at the time was that, we had in this country the Neoplan Assembly Plant and people questioned the rationale for the importation of Tata buses at the time.
This is because, one, the passenger capacity of the Tata buses was not equal to that of the Neoplan buses. The certified durability of the Tata buses was nowhere near the Neoplan buses.
Mr Speaker, the upholstery, the hardness of the seats were all issues that became contentious at the time. But he raised issues about the cost and indicated to Ghanaians that quite apart from bringing the completely assembled vehicle to Ghana, the cost of one Neoplan bus at the time was about two and a half times that of the Tata bus and that sort to justify why he did what he did.

Mr Speaker, the lesson is that, socialism is not incompatible with property ownership. [Hear! Hear!] That is why the Constitution of this country in articles 18 (1) (a) and 36 (7) emphasise property ownership. Mr Speaker, that is property owning.

Mr Speaker, it is covered in the Constitution and I have been told that in crafting those clauses in the Constitution, the late Harry Sawyerr was an effective participant, an effective participant in the

Mr Speaker, now, I believe that the lessons that the man has imparted to all of us in this country, should not be taken for granted. We should remain committed to whatever task that we employ ourselves to.

May his soul rest in perfect peace and we wish him eternal peace in the bosom of our father Abraham.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity.
Mr Alfred K. Agbesi (NDC -- Ashaiman) 11:40 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I r ise to contribute and to pay tribute to the late Harry Sawyerr.
Mr Speaker, the name Harry Sawyerr transcends beyond the boundary of Ghana. The ECOWAS parliamentarians in Nigeria, particularly in Abuja always refer to the name Harry Sawyerr.
Mr Speaker, when we asked for the reason, they said they came to learn that Harry Sawyerr was part of the surveyors who planned Abuja. Indeed, Abuja is a nice city. So, when they referred to it, we Ghanaians are happy because one of us is associated with that city called “Abuja.”
Mr Speaker, it has already been said that as students of University of Ghana, one thing we got to know was that, when Tata buses were in the system, they came to compete with “Trotro” or wooden trucks. One particular truck was called “Waste-no-Time”. It ran from Madina to Accra. And by the time we were preparing to come to lectures at Ghana School of Law, we had to be fast so that we could board “Waste-no-Time”, if not, one would not get to the Ghana School of Law at Makola.
The Tata buses came and so “Waste- no-Time” was no more any bus we were struggling for. So, the name Harry Sawyerr, Mr Speaker, is a great name and we have lost a great person in the person of Harry Sawyerr.
Dr Anthony A. Osei 11:40 a.m.
On a point of order.
Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon Member, you are out of order.
Mr Agbesi 11:40 a.m.
Mr Speaker, as a young man entering active party politics, I came face to face with Harry Sawyerr. This was the time a lot of people in my constituency, Ashaiman, wanted to go to Parliament and there was confusion. Harry Sawyerr himself was in Ashaiman to make sure that there was peace.
Upon his intervention, there was sanity in politics in my constituency in Ashaiman and throughout 1996 up to 2000, we took

Harry Sawyerr as our godfather and he nurtured and groomed the constituency called Ashaiman and today, Ashaiman is peaceful and we owe that to Harry Sawyerr.

Mr Speaker, we have lost a great man. We have lost, indeed, a big man in politics.

My condolences go to the family and to the NDC party which he has left behind.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.
Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon Members, as you are aware, I am an old boy of Accra Academy and therefore, I intend to read an extract from the Tribute by the Old Boys -- just a brief part of the tribute the old boys -- prepared in his honour. Then after that, as the tradition of the school goes, whenever we pay tribute to an old boy, we sing the school anthem. But I cannot sing from the Chair. So, I would read the anthem into the Hansard.
I am just taking an extract, from two paragraphs.
“The strict discipline in the school and the fr iendly but committed and determined teachers, whose main goal was to bring out the best in the students, developed young Harry Sawyerr and his colleagues into a fine breed of disciplined and determined young men firmly established in the virtues of honesty, selflessness and patriotism upon which the Accra Academy had been built.
Without a shade of doubt, the seeds of the Virtues which informed his achievements were nurtured in the rough soil of the Accra Academy.
In his class, Harry Sawyerr was the smallest in stature, but very intelligent,
brilliant and very ambitious. He knew what he wanted and how to achieve quick results. In his final year, he was proposed as the School Prefect, but perhaps due to his stature and the fact that he was a day student, the position was given to the late Justice N. Y. B. Adade, who later became a Supreme Court Judge.
Nevertheless, in spite of his small stature which he maintained throughout, his life was full of splendid and spectacular achievements, a true example of the Old English maxim “from the little acorn the mighty oak grows.”
Now, the School Anthem:
SCHOOL ANTHEM 11:40 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Please, be seated.
May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Mr Agbesi 11:40 a.m.
Mr Speaker, item number
8.
Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Do we have item numbers 6 and 7 ready?
Mr Agbesi 11:40 a.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Yes, Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee?
MOTIONS 11:40 a.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 11:40 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least, forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the Second Reading of the Excise Tax Stamp Bill, 2013 may be moved today.
Mr Joseph Y. Chireh (NDC -- Wa West) 11:40 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
Hon Members, item number 9 -- Motion.
Mr Agbesi 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we would want to seek permission for the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance to take it on behalf of the Minister.
Mr Speaker 11:50 a.m.
I saw the Minister some few minutes ago.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am aware that the substantive Minister has to transact some business with the House and I would want to believe that he is doing just that, and that being the case, we would not have any problem indulging any of the Deputy Ministers.
BILLS -- SECOND READING 11:50 a.m.
Minister for Finance) 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that the Excise Tax Stamp Bill, 2013, be now read a Second time.
Mr Speaker, the purpose of the Bill is to introduce the affixing of tax stamp on excisable products imported or manufactured for consumption in Ghana.
Question Proposed.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K Avedzi) 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion and in doing so, present the Committee's Report.
Introduction
The Customs and Excise (Duties and other Taxes) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2013 was presented to Parliament by the Hon Deputy Minister, Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, on behalf of the Hon Minister for Finance and read for the First time on Thursday, 28 th November, 2013 and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 174(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 169 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
Mr Speaker further directed the Committee to determine whether the Bill is of urgent nature to be taken through all the three stages of passage in a day in accordance with article 106 (13) of the
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K Avedzi) 11:50 a.m.


Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.

Pursuant to the referral, the Committee met with the Hon Minister for Finance, Mr Seth E. Terkpeh, Deputy Minister for Finance, Hon George Kweku Ricketts- Hagan, officials from the Ministry of Finance, Attorney-General's Department and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and considered the referral.

The Committee is grateful to the Hon Minister, Deputy Minister and officials from the Ministry, Attorney-General's Department and the GRA for their assistance.

Reference

The Committee referred to the following documents at its deliberations:

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana,

The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana,

The Customs and Excise (Duties and other Taxes) Act, 1996 (Act 512)

Background

The Minister for Finance in presenting the 2014 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government, outlined policy, measures that the Government intends to undertake to promote and increase the printing of textbooks and exercise books as well as the manufacture of the HIV/ AIDS drugs locally. And it is to give effect to these measures that the Customs and Excise (Duties and other taxes) (Amendments) (No. 2) has been presented to Parliament for consideration.

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill seeks to amend the Customs and Excise (Duties and Other Taxes) Act, 1996 (Act 512) to exempt raw materials used for the manufacture of HIV/AIDS drugs and the printing of textbooks and exercise books from import duty.

Provisions of the Bill

The Bill has one clause which amends section 7 of Act 512 to exempt materials used for the manufacture and printing textbooks and exercise books from import duty.

Observations

Urgency of the Bill

The Committee in its deliberations considered the Bill to be of an urgent nature and must be taken through all the stages in one day in accordance with article 106 (13) of the Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.

The Committee proposes this because it learnt that the country has been experiencing intermittent shortages of Anti-Retroviral Drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and that the incentive regime put in place to boost local production expired in year 2012 and the effective date for exempted goods is January, 2014.

The Committee also considered its own tight schedule and the fact that Parliament will be going on recess upon the passage of the Appropriations Bill.

Rationale for the Bill

Commenting on the rationale for the Bill, the Minister indicated that currently, the importation of text books and exercise books into the country attracts zero import

duty while the importation of raw materials for the printing of textbooks and exercise books attract twenty per cent (20%) import duty. The Minister explained that the current regime discriminates against local manufacturers and reduces their competitiveness and the removal of the tax will bring equity and help promote the local printing industry.

Regarding the HIV/AIDS drugs, it was stated that there has been intermittent shortage of drugs which if not immediately addressed would adversely affect the persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Control mechanism to check abuse of the regime

The Committee was informed that to prevent the abuse of the regime and to ensure that the exemptions achieve the intended purposes, the exemption of the raw materials for the local manufacture of the HIV/AIDS drugs will be done under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, whiles the exemptions for the raw materials for the printing of the text and exercise books will be through tenders administered by the Ministry of Education..

Further, the relief will be controlled with the support of the Customs Division of the GRA through the bonded warehouse system.

The Committee, however, is of the view that since the exempted raw materials particularly, those meant for the printing of textbooks and exercise books could be used for other purposes, the Ministry of Finance should tighten the control measures to ensure that the system is not abused.

Amount realised and expected revenue lost

The Committee was informed that the total expected revenue for the year (Jan - Dec), 2013) on the importation of raw materials for the printing of textbooks and exercise books is six million, one hundred and eighty-eight thousand, seven hundred and four cedis and fifty-one pesewas (GH¢6,188,704.51) and as at October, 2013, an amount of five million, one hundred and fifty-seven thousand, two hundred and fifty-three Ghana cedis seventy-six pesewas (GH¢5,157,253.76) has been collected.

The expected total revenue for the year 2014 was also given as six million, eight hundred and seven thousand, five hundred and seventy-four Ghana cedis ninety-six pesewas (GH¢6,807,574.96). This implies that the projected revenue lost to the state for the year 2014 is GH¢6,807,574.96. Detailed break-down is attached as appendix 1

Conclusion

The Committee, upon a thorough examination of the Bill is hopeful that the proposed exemptions will help promote local printing and pharmaceutical industries and boost the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The Committee accordingly recommends to the House to adopt its Report and take the Customs and Excise (Duties and other Taxes) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2013 through all the stages in accordance with article 106 (13) of the Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.

Respectfully submitted.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K Avedzi) 11:50 a.m.


SPACE FOR APPENDIX I - PAGE 6 - 11.50A.M.

Question proposed.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, listening to the Chairman of the Finance Committee, there appears to be some urgency about that and ordinarily, nobody should raise any issue about it except to observe that I am not sure that we have been served with the copies of the Report. I do not have, and I was asking my Ranking Member whether he had it and he said he did not have it, and I thought we should do the proper thing.
Mr Speaker 11:50 a.m.
I have a copy --
Chairman of the Finance Committee?
Mr Avedzi 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Report, to my knowledge, was distributed. Mine was
on my table here before I came, so I assume that it has been distributed to all Members.
Mr Speaker 11:50 a.m.
Hon Members, I have looked at the Report and there appears to be some consensus. I will let us take the Second Reading and defer the Consideration Stage for some few minutes, so that Members can get the Report and read and understand the amendments that the Committee has filed before we take the Consideration Stage. I think that would be a compromise position on this matter.
Dr Anthony A. Osei (NPP -- Old Tafo) 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion.
Mr Speaker, this is one of the very few times that Hon Papa Owusu-Ankomah had a difficulty with the English
Language. He had a difficulty pronouncing the word “excisable” at the Committee and I was surprised.
Mr Speaker, the Excise Tax Stamp Bill is one of the policy measures that we are told should be informing the budget for 2014. Basically, it is an attempt to tighten compliance in this area. Mr Speaker, if you read the Committee's Report and look at the Memorandum, or even the Bill itself, you would notice that the goods that we are talking about include cigarettes and other tobacco products, alcoholic beverages and bottled water.
Mr Speaker, at the Committee, we raised an issue with the Minister about the sensitive matter of textiles and we were told that at the appropriate time when discussions have gone on properly with the stakeholders, the Minister reserves the right to come back and look at that issue; because it is a sensitive matter.
On one hand, the textiles producers feel strongly and they had wanted us to come at this early stage. On the other hand, if you look at the number of cloth sellers in the country, you really have to be careful about what you do. So, we hope that after proper consultation, they may find it necessary to --
Mr Speaker, the changes that are being recommended by the Committee are indeed, minor, so, I urge all Hon Members to support the Motion on the floor right now.
Mr Joseph Y. Chireh (NDC -- Wa West) 11:50 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think that as the previous contributors have indicated, this is something that has taken too long to come to us. It is addressing one particular issue, which is dear to my heart, and that is, those items that are brought in as fake
products and it is difficult to determine. But if the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is able to affix whatever stamp they have on these, it would indicate clearly that these are genuinely produced items for consumption in this country.
The second issue is about people who import goods and say they are sending them to our neighbours in the hinterland, and when they reach some places, offload them and start selling.
It also encourages those people who can smuggle in particularly cigarettes, which is dangerous to our health and there is no way of identifying them.
So, if apart from getting revenue for us, it can also protect public health, I think that it is something we all must support.
I thank you for the opportunity.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
The Excise Tax Stamp Bill, 2013 was according read a Second time.
Mr Speaker noon
Hon Members, do we take another matter for some few minutes, so that people who do not have the Report can study the amendments before the Consideration Stage? At the end of the date, the amendments would go into the final output. The Chairman and the Ranking Member are saying that they are minor amendments, but I do not know what you feel about it.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, I still think that the Report is for the general consideration of Hon Members and not just the Committee. What the Committee does is just to advise the rest of us.
But Mr Speaker, on a point of correction, the Hon Member for Old Tafo has made this point at plenary, that for the first time, the Hon Member for Sekondi
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon


had a difficulty pronouncing the word “excisable”. Mr Speaker, the problem, knowing the impeccability of my Hon Colleague from Sekondi, he knows that the correct pronunciation of the word is “excisable” not “exciseable”. So perhaps, when he insisted that the word should be pronounced appropriately as “excisable” some people did not understand.
rose
Mr Speaker noon
Hon Members, I do not intend taking further contribution on this point.
So, Hon Members, we defer for some few minutes while we take another matter, so that the Report would be distributed to all Hon Members of the House, then afterwards, we can go ahead to take the Consideration Stage of the Bill.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, are you ready to move your Motion with regard to the Auditor-General? Are you ready with Motion numbers 6 and 7 or --
Mr Agbesi noon
Mr Speaker, I am not yet ready.
Mr Speaker noon
Then what do we do now?
Hon Members say they have not got the Report. That is a legitimate concern. They say they have not got the Report; we cannot proceed when Hon Members are complaining that they have not got the Report. So, what item should we take?
Mr Agbesi noon
Mr Speaker, I think they are making efforts to get copies to Hon Members. So, maybe, we have to --
Mr Speaker noon
So, what do we do, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Mr Agbesi noon
Mr Speaker, we are in your hands but if you can suspend Sitting for some few minutes --
Mr Speaker noon
I thought we could take one or two items before I suspend Sitting. If your Motion which is Motion numbers 6 and 7 were ready, we would have taken them, then we suspend. But if the reports are not available, I do not know-- I need advice from Leadership.
Hon Minority Leader, what do we do now?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, I think in respect of Motions listed as item number 6 and also the one listed as item number 7, the principal characters are not in the House -- I think Hon Agyeman- Manu and Alhaji Dey.
Mr Speaker noon
I saw them some few minutes ago.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
They are also not in the Chamber, which then remains that we have to suspend for the time being.
Mr Agbesi noon
Mr Speaker, they all have meetings outside.
Mr Speaker noon
We have a programme this evening.
Mr Agbesi noon
Mr Speaker, I can move, so that it can be suspended --
Mr Speaker noon
Please, if the other members of the Committee are not here --
Hon Members, what I intend doing is that, we may have to do two suspensions today in order for Hon Members to get the Report, then we can take the Consideration Stage and take the other matters. I will allow for 30 minutes --
Dr A. A. Osei noon
Mr Speaker, I would want to crave the indulgence of the House since they are really minor amendments that Hon Members allow us to take the amendments, so that we can get rid of that and go to weightier matters.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, the Committee as I indicated, is to advise plenary. Since the two are ad idem on that, that is the Chairman and the Ranking Member, who am I to dispute what they are telling us? So, maybe, we could agree with the Ranking Member and the Chairman for them to walk us through what is not before the rest of us.
Mr Speaker noon
Very well.
Hon Members, item number 10 on the Order Paper.
The First Deputy Speaker to take the Chair.
Suspension of Standing Order 128 (1)
Deputy Minister for Finance (Mr Cassiel A. B. Forson)(on behalf of the
Minister for Finance) noon
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 128(1) which require that when a Bill has been read a second time, it shall pass through a Consideration Stage which shall not be taken until at least, forty-eight hours have elapsed, the Consideration Stage of the Excise Tax Stamp Bill, 2013 may be taken today.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) noon
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
BILLS -- CONSIDERATION noon
STAGE noon
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) noon
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, subclause (2), delete (2) and insert
(3).
Mr Speaker, the section being referred to is section 3 of the Bill but not 2.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 1 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 2 -- Goods to which Excise Tax Stamp is to be affixed.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, you just informed this House that the First Deputy Speaker should take your seat and that you are exiting. Mr Speaker, I would want to believe that these announcements are just to inform the House formally. But I am wondering whether what we do is not in breach of Standing Order 13 (1).
Mr Speaker noon
What does Order 13 (1) say?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, that:
“Either of the Deputy Speakers shall take the Chair as Deputy Speaker whenever requested to do so by Mr. Speaker during a Sitting of the House without any formal communication to the House.”
Mr Speaker noon
So, if you do formal, what is the breach?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, the breach, in my opinion, is that there should not be any communication.
Mr Speaker noon
The practice is that you may or you may not and at times I send the Clerks-at-the-Table to inform them, and at times --
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noon
Mr Speaker, I know you want to be courteous to the House. But I do not know it is not in breach of --
Mr Speaker noon
The rules are in my bosom.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 12:10 p.m.
Mr Speaker, a formal announcement that your Deputy is assuming the Chair comes from the Clerks-at-the-Table. So, when the Speaker just says Deputy Speaker to take the Chair as the Hon Minority Leader intimated, it is a courtesy to the House; it is not an announcement. [Laughter.]
Mr Speaker 12:10 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member for Sekondi. [Laughter.]
MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:11 p.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Mr Agbesi 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we are at the Consideration Stage of the Bill and we are at clause 2.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:11 p.m.
Hon Members, clause 2, Chairman of the Committee?
Mr Avedzi 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 2, paragraph (e), after “other” insert “excisable”.
Mr Speaker, the rendition would now be 12:11 p.m.
“Any other excisable products prescribed by the Minister.”
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the reason for the amendment is that, it is only excisable products that can be prescribed by the Minister. The Hon Member for Old Tafo, the Ranking Member of the Committee spoke about textiles. Textiles are not excisable goods, so, the Minister cannot by regulations add textiles to the list.
If he desires to do so, then he must come for a formal amendment. That is why the Committee or the Chairman is introducing this amendment, so that we all know that it is not every product that the Minister can prescribe. It is only an excisable product.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 2 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 3 -- Features and designs of excise tax stamps
Mr Avedzi 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is not clause 3. It is a mistake. It should be clause 4.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, there is a mistake here, so it is alright.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:11 p.m.
So, where do we stand? There is no amendment with regard to clause 3, so we should put the Question with regard to clause 3 standing part of the Bill.
Clause 3 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 4 -- Registration
Mr Avedzi 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, subclause (4), line 2, delete “importer” and insert “manufacturer”. So, the rendition will read as:
“The Authority shall register a foreign manufacturer if the Authority is satisfied that that foreign manufacturer would comply with the Act.”
Mr Speaker, not “an importer”.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 4 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 6 -- Procurement of excise tax stamps
Mr Avedzi 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 6, subclause (3) delete.
Mr Speaker, the subclause is talking about the procurement of the tax stamp by the Authority, that is the Ghana Revenue Authority, and we thought that that was an administrative issue and therefore, should not come in the Bill. That is why the Committee is proposing the deletion of subclause (3) entirely.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 6 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 7 -- Supply and distribution of excise tax stamps
Mr Avedzi 12:11 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 7, subclause (1), line 3, delete “or the appropriate officer concerned”.
Mr Speaker, the new rendition will read 12:20 p.m.
“The Authority shall supply the approved category and quantity of stamps to a manufacturer or an importer of goods after approval by the Commissioner-General”.
The “appropriate officer concerned” should be deleted because we thought that it was not necessary. Who is that “appropriate officer” if not the Commissioner-General? So, the sentence should end after “Commissioner-General”.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 7 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 8 to 11 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 12-- Returns to be submitted.
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 12, subclause 1, line 3, delete excise tax stamp and insert an excise tax stamp.
Mr Speaker, we are referring to one, singular. So, we are deleting the “s” and then adding an “an”.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Clause 12 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clauses 13 and 14 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 15 -- Failure to affix excise tax stamp.
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 15-- amendment proposed-- Add the following new clause:
“Sections 288 and 289 of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Management Act 1993 PNDC Law 330, apply to a seizure under this section”.
Mr Speaker, following from subclause 2, where the authority seizes a product under this, after the seizure what follows? What follows is the new clause that we bring, that the section under the Customs, Excise and Preventive Management Act apply here, so that it will not conflict with what already exists in the law.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Clause 15 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:20 p.m.
People on this side are saying “Ayes” without knowing what they are voting for -- [Laughter] -- Mr Speaker, when you said clause 18, they shouted “Ayes”.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Well, I think the error came from me.
Mr Agbesi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe Hon Akoto Osei is just joking because to say that some Hon Members of this side are just saying “Ayes” without knowing -- it is a serious indictment on us. You are joking, so let us take it lightly.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Hon Members, I believe that was on a lighter side. Shall we move on?
Clauses 16 and 17 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 18 -- Regulations
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 18, paragraph (a), line 1, delete “goods” and clause 18, insert “excisable product.”
The new rendition will be --
“the Minister may by Legislative Instrument make regulations to provide for the excisable product to which an excise tax stamp is to be affixed.”
Mr Speaker, the new rendition will make it better; the Minister may not make the regulation to provide for the affixing on any goods at all but only on the excisable product.
Mr Speaker, that is the purpose of the amendment.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
I believe you want to say it makes it better?
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 18, paragraph (b), line 2, delete “goods” and insert “excisable product”.
Mr Speaker, this is flowing from (a) as I explained earlier.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Very well, it is consequential.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Clause 18 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 19 -- Interpretation.
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, clause 19 -- before I move the amendment, I would want to seek your direction for the rearrangement of the order of the
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
I believe we leave it to the draftspersons, but you go ahead.
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move clause 19, definition of “importer” paragraphs (2) and (3), delete”goods” and insert “products”.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 19 -- paragraph (b), delete” “goods” and insert “products”.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Mr Avedzi 12:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, add
“‘excisable goods means goods of description liable to excise duty if delivered for consumption in Ghana and includes spirits ratified or compounded in Ghana.”
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
Should I put the Question? There is a further amendment to 19.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Very well.
Question put and amendment agreed to
Mr Avedzi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 19, further amendment to new subclause,
“excise duty means any duty other than export duty of customs imposed on any goods manufactured or produced in this country or similar goods imported into the country.”
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 19 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Mr Avedzi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, before clause 20, I noticed that there is an amendment proposed by the Committee but has not been captured on the Order Paper under clause 19, that would be (c). The first amendments (a) and (b) and this should be (c). Now, we defined “products” to include “goods” which is part of the new clause we are adding under the clause 19.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
So, we are going back to clause 19?
Mr Avedzi 12:30 p.m.
Yes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Very well.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 19 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 20 -- Transitional provision
Mr Avedzi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 20, subclause (1), line 1, delete “The Authority shall” and insert “The Minister shall by Executive Instrument”.
Mr Speaker, we think it is the Minister who should decide through Executive Instrument the dates for which manufacturers and importers are to start the affixing of the stamp on the products.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Mr Avedzi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 20, subclause (4), line 2, delete “in this country”.
Mr Speaker, we think that “in this country” is redundant in this sentence. The new rendition would read:
“A product which requires an Excise Tax Stamp found displayed on sale or sold or distributed after the period specified in sub-section 2 without an Excise Tax Stamp is liable to seizure and the person selling or distributing the product commits an offence”.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 20 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
The Long Title ordered to stand part of the Bill.
The Schedule ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
This brings us to the end of the Consideration Stage.
Mr Agbesi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, item number 12 on the original Order Paper.
MOTIONS 12:30 p.m.
Minister for Finance) 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 131(1) which
require that when a Bill has passed through the Consideration Stage, the Third Reading thereof shall not be taken until at least, twenty-four hours have elapsed, the Motion for the Third Reading of the Excise Tax Stamp Bill, 2013 may be moved today.
Mr Avedzi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Hon Members, we would be with you pretty soon; just give us a few minutes. [Pause.]
Dr A. A. Osei 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thought yesterday, it was agreed that when such a Motion is being moved, a reason must be given, but I did not hear any reason from the Chairman or the Minister. So, can the Hon Minister give us a reason for this?
Mr Forson 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the reason is that, this is of an urgent nature since the Bill forms part of one of the compliant measures as being outlined in the budget that is supposed to start in January, 2014.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Agbesi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Motion number 13.
BILLS -- THIRD READING 12:30 p.m.
Mr Agbesi 12:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if we can go back to the Addendum, at the Commencement of Public Business.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Which item on the Addendum Order Paper?
Mr Agbesi 12:30 p.m.
Item number one.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:30 p.m.
Very well. Item number one on the Addendum Order Paper, by the Chairman of the Committee.
PAPERS 12:40 p.m.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I need your guidance. We have just gone through the Second Reading, Consideration Stage and the Third Reading of the Excise Tax Stamp Bill and the Addendum says “The Excise Duty Bill”. Is that the same thing? Can somebody explain to us?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
I believe it is an error.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:40 p.m.
All r ight -- [Interruption.]
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Well, I am advised it is a different matter altogether.
[Pause] This one has to do with duty, the other one has to do with Stamp Tax.
Mr Agbesi 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the first one was Excise Tax Stamp Bill and this one is Excise Duty Bill.
Mr Speaker, item 2 on the Addendum Order Paper --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Item number 2 on the Addendum Order Paper,
BILLS -- FIRST READING 12:40 p.m.
Mr Agbesi 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, at this stage, if you could suspend Sitting for an hour for other matters to be considered before the Appropriation Bill comes in.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think the suspension should be to a non- defined period, because it depends on the conclusion of other matters. So, to say that we should suspend for one hour, Mr Speaker, I would disagree with that. We would suspend Sitting to a non-defined time until we are through with the matters that we are considering.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, how do you respond to that?
Mr Agbesi 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, except to say this House would definitely rise today. But if the Hon Minority Leader says “a long
Mr Agbesi 12:40 p.m.


undefined period”, then it does not give any indication -- [Interruption] -- In any case, Mr Speaker, the House is in your hands.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I said “a non-defined time”. We could even come back in 30 minutes or 15 minutes. He is taking a pessimistic view of the non-definition of the period to mean that, that is ad infinitum.
Mr Speaker, that is not the import of it at all. I am just saying that it is dependent on the conclusion of some other matters, just to -- and I think that reflects the general will of Hon Members in the House.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would need your guidance. The Hon Deputy Majority Leader, a few seconds ago, said “the House will definitely rise today.”
Mr Speaker, it is only the Chair that can make that kind of statement. But for him to say that we would “definitely”, is he trying to usurp your powers? [Interruption.] That should not be tolerated -- definitely, that should come from the Chair.
Mr Agbesi 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Business Statement that has been read to this House put it “definitely” that the House is rising today and that is what I am referring to -- [Interruption.]
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Very well. Hon Members, let us not overstretch this matter. I think it is in the bosom of Mr Speaker to determine when we are rising --
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, let me even sound that at the pre-sitting meeting this morning, some other matter has cropped up, which would go before
the Speaker. It is possible that we may even have to Sit tomorrow, so we cannot be very definite about that.
But Mr Speaker, following the beckoning of the Hon Deputy Majority Leader, I will second the Motion for the suspension of the Sitting.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Very well. Proceedings accordingly suspended until further notice.
12.47 p.m. -- Sitting suspended.
4.20 p.m. -- Sitting resumed.
Dr Kubuor 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if we can take item number 3 on the Addendum Order Paper.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am at a loss what is happening. I was informed that there would be a Committee of the Whole before we move further. Now, my Leadership is not here, so I am going on the information that I was told early on. If there has been a change, nobody has advised me.
So, I am sitting here with the understanding that we would go into Committee of the Whole, sort out some preliminary issues and then proceed. So, I am completely at a loss.
Dr Kunbuor 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I guess it is understandable that we can always vary the order of the Business of this House. [Some Hon Members: No! No!] Mr Speaker, I would want your guidance on this matter, as long as they are not prepared to listen to me; you give your directions and if you think we should go on with the Committee of the Whole, let us proceed. [Interruption.]
MR SPEAKER
Mr Speaker 4:20 p.m.
Hon Members, let us have order in the House.
Hon Member for Old Tafo, are you talking about the Committee of the Whole or you are talking about Joint Caucus meeting? I would want to get the point clear.
Dr A. A. Osei 4:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if I remember correctly, in the morning when I was here, I left. I do not know what happened after I left. But I recall that you had alluded to a Committee of the Whole and you were avoiding two suspensions; that is why we went through the Export Bill.
So, my understanding was that there would be a Committee of the Whole, but they were waiting for Leadership to sort out some matters and then we are called back; that would proceed quickly. My Leader is coming, perhaps, he has a better view of what I -- But I am going on with what my understanding is.
Mr Speaker 4:20 p.m.
Hon Members, I know that after the suspension, a lot of consultations have taken place. [Interruption.] Please, Hon Members, I know that a lot of consultations have taken place. All that we need to do is let us proceed -- [Some Hon Members: No! No!] Hon Members, let us proceed -- Hon Members, at least, respect the authority of the Chair.

Hon Members, Order Paper Addendum.

Hon Minority Leader, you want to take the floor?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 4:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.

With respect to the Chair, come and deal with the outstanding matter, which should not take any long time.
Mr Speaker 4:20 p.m.
Hon Members, [Interruption.] I would want to take two quick items on the Order Paper and suspend Sitting, before I come and take the Appropriation Bill. [Hear! Hear!]
Hon Majority Leader, are we laying this Report? I have seen a copy of the Report; if we can lay it and take it and then take the Committee or the Special Committee; the one we could not take because the members of the Ad Hoc Committee were not available, then we can break for some few minutes for the Committee of the Whole or Closed Sitting or whatever.
Dr Kunbuor 4:20 p.m.
That is so, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 4:20 p.m.
Hon Members, I refer you to item number 3 on the Order Paper Addendum.
Chairman of the Committee?
MOTIONS 4:20 p.m.
Mr Avedzi 4:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least, forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the request for waiver of Customs Duties,
Mr Avedzi 4:20 p.m.


VAT, EDIF, ECOWAS LEVY, Destination Inspection Fees, Withholding Tax Liabilities on suppliers and Special Import Levy amounting to thirty-five million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand, five hundred and three United States dollars (US$35,794,503.00) relating to the implementation of Ghana Dedicated Security Information System Project (Phase II) may be moved today.
Dr A. A. Osei 4:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I hate to repeat it, but you have ruled that when this type of Motion is being moved, a reason must be given. This is your ruling. I would not want to be seen as going contrary to your Speaker's ruling. So, I think the Chairman should give a reason and then I can second the Motion. I would not want the Speaker to think that we are going against his rule.
Mr Speaker 4:20 p.m.
Hon Member, second the Motion.
Dr A. A. Osei 4:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, are you directing me?
Mr Speaker 4:20 p.m.
No! I am not directing you, but we would want to do this thing quickly, so that we can have time for the meeting.
Dr A. A. Osei 4:20 p.m.
I was only reminding you of your earlier ruling, but I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Waiver of Duties, Taxes and Levies for Ghana Dedicated Security
Information System Project (Phase II)
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 4:20 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Finance Committee on the request for waiver of Customs Duties,
VAT, EDIF, ECOWAS LEVY, Destination Inspection Fees, Withholding Tax Liabilities on suppliers and Special Import Levy amounting to thirty-five million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand, five hundred and three United States dollars (US$35,794,503.00) relating to the implementation of Ghana Dedicated Security Information System Project (Phase II).
Mr Speaker, in doing so, I present your Committee's Report.
Introduction
The request for waiver of Customs Duties, VAT, EDIF, ECOWAS Levy, Destination Inspection Fees, Withholding Tax Liabilities on Suppliers and Special Import Levy amounting to thirty-five million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand, five hundred and three United States dollars (US$35,794,503.00) relating to the implementation of Ghana Dedicated Security Information System Project Phase II was presented to Parliament by the Hon Majority Leader and Minister in charge of Government Business in Parliament, Dr Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor on Wednesday, 18th December,
2013.
Mr Speaker referred the request to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 174(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 169 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
The Committee met with the Hon Minister for Finance, Mr Seth Terkpeh, and his two deputies, officials from the Ministry of Finance and GRA and considered the referral.
The Committee is grateful to the Hon. Minister and his deputies and officials from the Ministry and GRA for the clarifications and assistance.
Reference
The Committee referred to the following additional documents during its deliberations:
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
Stamp Duty Act, 2005 (Act 689).
Supply Contract Agreement between the Government of Ghana (represented by National Security Council) and the ZTE Corporation, China.
The Preferential Buyer Credit loan Agreement on Ghana Dedicated Security Information System (Phase II) project Between the Government of Republic of Ghana and the Export- Import Bank of China.
Background
The Global Open Trucking Architecture (GOTA) Phase I network was deployed since 2007 and has been running well. Phase one of the Project covered mainly the Southern sector of the Country (Greater Accra, Central, Western, Eastern, Volta and Ashanti).
The Phase 1 which has a capacity of 50, 000 lines with 72 Base Transceivers stations(BTS) for the wireless coverage was funded through a credit facility from the China Exim Bank has been successfully completed and the services are functioning.
The GOTA Communication Network Phase II of the project is outstanding.
Under the Phase II, 270 BTS would be deployed as part of the expansion of the project to cover the Northern part of the country (Upper East, Upper West, Brong Ahafo and Northern regions.)
Additionally, the coverage in the Southern parts of the country undertaken during the Phase I will be enhanced, all the BTS provide Evolution- Data- only (EVDO) RV.B (The most advanced Technology) service, and will also upgrade the BTS of Phase I to support EVDO Rev. B.
Considering the disaster redundancy, one set of new call network (CN) will be deployed in Kumasi for the Phase II network expansion. Based on the Phase II network the total capacity will be two hundred thousand lines ( 200,000) and the system can be expanded to provide services for three million (3,000,000) users.
Approval of the Loan Agreement
Hon Members will recall that the House at its Third Sitting of Emergency Meeting held on 18th September, 2013, approved by Resolution, the Preferential Buyer Credit Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Export-Import Bank of China for an amount of one hundred and twenty-three million, four hundred and nine thousand, two hundred and seventy-three United States dollars, ten cents (US$123,409,273.10 ) to finance the implementation of Phase II of the Dedicated Secured Communications System for Ghana's Public Administration and Emergency Services.
Obligation of the Government of Ghana
Article 7 of the Supply Contract Agreement between the Government of Ghana (represented by National Security Council) and the ZTE Corporation, China requires the Government of Ghana to be responsible for all local taxes that are
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 4:30 p.m.


applicable to the execution of the GOTA Communication Network Phase II.

Required waiver

To ensure that the full amount of the credit facility is used on the project, the Ministry of Communications through the Ministry of Finance is seeking for tax exemption amounting to US$35,794,503.00.

Observation

The Committee having carefully scrutinised the request, made the following observations:

Required waiver

The Committee noted that the required waiver of thirty-five million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand, five hundred and three United States dollars (US$35,794,503.00). This in the opinion of the Committee is on a high side and questioned how the values of items used in determining the tax waiver were arrived at.

It was explained that as has been the norm, computation of the tax waiver is based on the values submitted by the supplier. The final waiver would however, be reassessed and verified by the Destination Inspection Companies (DICs) on arrival of the items in the country.

The Deputy Minister for Finance also added that the Monitoring Unit of the Tax Policy Unit has already been taxed to conduct an import audit of the items that would be imported.

The Committee recommends to the Ministry to task the Tax Policy Unit to closely monitor its implementation to ensure there is value for money and the country is not short-changed.

Approval of the tax waiver

The Committee observed that the Ghana Revenue Authority upon thorough assessment granted an interim waiver on the assessed amount, amounting to US$35,794,503.00 pending parliamentary approval.

Conclusion and recommendation

The Committee, having carefully examined the referral, recommends to the House to adopt its Report and approve by Resolution, the Waiver of Customs Duties, VAT, EDIF, ECOWAS Levy, Destination Inspection Fees, Withholding Tax Liabilities on Suppliers and Special Import Levy amounting to thirty-five million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand, five hundred and three United States dollars (US$35,794,503.00) relating to the implementation of Ghana Dedicated Security Information System Project Phase II in accordance with article 174(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 169 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.

Respectfully Submitted.

Ranking Member of the Committee (Dr Anthony A. Osei): Mr Speaker, I rise to second the Motion and in so doing, I would want to say a few words.

Mr Speaker, I do not know what it is, but it appears that anytime we have to deal with the ZTE matter, it brings some controversy. Here, I would want us to really be mindful of it. We expressed our views at the Committee but I would want to re-ointerate the same here.

Mr Speaker, we approved a sum of US$123.4 million as a loan. Now, we are

about to grant a tax waiver of US$35.8 million, almost 29 per cent of the loan. Put differently, it is as if, even though we are contracting a loan of US$123.4 million, the effective amount is US$87.6 million. Mr Speaker, I think Parliament ought to direct the Ministry to do a special audit of the items that are going to come in. Yes, this is an interim assessment, but the amount is so high and I think the difficulty is that, it went through Executive approval.

I think if Cabinet members were looking at it, somebody could have caught it -- US$123 million and the tax waiver is US$36 million. It would have hit somebody's eye. Normally, when one looks at US$36 million, we are talking about loans above 200, 300 million dollars. This is abnormal and I am inviting this House, when we approve this, to direct the Ministry to report back to us on the actual items that come in, so that we would ensure we are getting value for money.

I think this is important. Twenty-nine per cent of tax waiver is a bit high. It is not normal and I think the House should be seen to be doing the work.

As we were told, the values that are accepted are those provided by the supplier in the first instance. So, there is no way that they can do otherwise. But when the items come in, they go through customs. There is a company-- one of them -- I do not know which one is going to do it; the DIC, they should be told that we are watching. They should know that Parliament is concerned and they should do the appropriate thing.

Mr Speaker, with those few words, I second the Motion.

Question put and Motion agreed to.
Mr Speaker 4:30 p.m.
Consequential Resolution --
rose
Mr Speaker 4:30 p.m.
I would make the directive after the Resolution.
RESOLUTIONS 4:30 p.m.
Minister for Finance (Mr Seth E. Terkpeh) 4:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House is respectfully requested to adopt the following Resolution:
WHEREAS by the provisions of article 174 (2) of the Constitution, Parliament is empowered to confer power on any person or authority to waive or vary a tax imposed by an Act of Parliament;
THE EXERCISE of any power conferred on any person or authority to waive or vary a tax in favour of any person or authority is by the said provisions made subject to the prior approval of Parliament by resolution;
BY THE COMBINED operation of the provisions of section 26 (2) of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (Management) Law, 1993 (PNDCL 330), the Export and Import Act, 1995 (Act 503), the Export Development and Investment Fund Act, 2000 (Act 582), the Value Added Tax Act, 1998 (Act 546), the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act, 2000
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 4:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Speaker 4:30 p.m.
Hon Members, I direct that a copy of the Committee's Report be served on the Hon Minister for Finance.
In particular, I direct also that the Ministry should task the Tax Policy Unit to closely monitor its implementation to ensure that there is value for money and the country is not short-changed as duly captured in the Committee's Report.
I am adding the Ministry of Communica- tions to that of the Ministry of Finance.
Hon Members, let us go back to the original Order Paper and take item number
6.
Hon Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee?
MOTIONS 4:30 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Alfred K. Agbesi) 4:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least, forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Special Committee on the Appointment of an Auditor to Audit the Accounts of the Office of the Auditor- general may be moved today.
Mr Speaker, the need to suspend the Standing Order has arisen because Parliament is about to rise and there is a backlog of auditing to be done with the Auditor yet to be appointed. It is on this basis that we are suspending the Standing Order to move the Motion today.
Ranking Member of the Committee (Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Appointment of Auditor to audit the Accounts of the
Auditor-General
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Alfred K. Agbesi) 4:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Special Committee on
the Appointment of an Auditor to audit the Accounts of the Office of the Auditor- General.
Mr Speaker, in so doing, I would want to present the Report of your Committee.
Introduction
The Special Committee on the appointment of an Auditor to audit the accounts of the Office of the Auditor- General was constituted by the House on Friday 12th July, 2013 pursuant to article 103 (1) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 191 of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Committee comprised:
i. Hon Alfred Kwame Agbesi -- Deputy Majority Leader and Chairman of the Committee.
ii. Hon Kwaku Agyeman-Manu -- Member.
iii. Hon Alhaji Ibrahim Dey Abubakari -- Member.
Reference materials
In conducting its deliberations, the Committee referred to and/or was guided by the following:
i. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
ii. The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
iii. The Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act
584).
iv.The Financial Administration Act, 2003 (Act 654).
v. The Financial Administration Regulations, 2004 (L.I. 1802).
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Alfred K. Agbesi) 4:40 p.m.


procedures applied were sufficient to safeguard and control public interest and property.

e. To find out whether the Office of the Auditor-General has audited all the Public Accounts of Ghana as well as all Public Offices including the Courts, the Central and Local Government Administration, the Universities and Public Institutions of like nature or organistions established by an Act of Parliament as provided for in article 187(1) of the 1992 Constitution.

f. To report to Parliament whether in their opinion the financial statements of the Office of the Auditor-General were prepared under generally accepted accounting principles and standards, complied with relevant legislation and presented a true and fair view of the financial position and performance of the Office of the Auditor General.

g. To undertake any other activity in relation to the above.

Line of reporting

The Committee also determined that the Auditors shall be responsible to Parliament and shall, in accordance with section 20(1) of the Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act 584), submit their Reports to Parliament within six months after the end of the immediately preceding financial year to which the accounts relate; provided however that the accounts supposedly in arrears (that is to say for the financial years 2007-2011) shall be examined and reported on, within six (6) months after the appointment.

The Reports shall as far as possible examine the effectiveness and reliability of the internal control systems pertaining in the Audit Service.

Observations

Egala, Atitso and Associates

The Committee observed that the firm Egala, Atitso and Associates (EAA) was registered in 1984 as a Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants firm. They established a “correspondent member” status with Messrs Moores Rowland International, London in 1990. They offer financial advisory services, due diligence, audit, accountancy, corporate recovery and restructuring, insolvency, corporate finance, tax management, consultancy and other services to businesses and government.

The Committee noted that the firm has honoured its tax obligations and also paid the necessary Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions of its staff.

Partners of the firm

The Committee observed that the three (3) Partners of the practice are all members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG) and Fellows of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Mr Idris Egala, with over 30 years post qualification audit experience, is the Managing Partner of the firm. Mr Enoch N.O. Dodoo has over 40 years post qualification audit experience and is the Technical Partner.

Mr Alex Abugri, who is the Engagement Partner, also has over 20 years post qualification experience. These Partners are backed by Associates and well trained staff.

Clientele of Egala, Atitso and Associates

The Committee noted that the firm has significant experience in rendering a broad range of services to both the private and government sectors.

They have audited the accounts of organisations that provide health services (such as Ghana Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services -- Nankpanduri Health Center, Dar-Bem Clinic, University for Development Studies Clinic at Nyankpala, District Mutual Health Schemes, Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights -- NGO); Projects financed by donor agencies (such as the World Bank, IDA, IFAD, DANIDA, JICA, DFID, EU, USAID); as well as Government of Ghana owned organisations (such as the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the University for Development Studies

(UDS).

Currently, the firm's clients include the Second Land Administration Project (LAP-2), Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (NGO), Dar-Bem Clinic Limited, University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), as well as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture/CSIR/World Bank (audit of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme).

The curriculum vitae of the Partners also revealed extensive practising experience, both in Ghana and abroad.

Recommendations and conclusion

It is instructive to indicate that even though the Auditor-General has been submitting Financial Statements on his Office to the House since 2007, Parliament,

as an institution, as required under the Constitution, has not appointed an Auditor to audit same.

The Committee therefore, recommends that, Egala Atitso and Associates be appointed as Auditors to undertake the audit of the accounts of the Office of the Auditor-General for the period 2007 to 2013 in accordance with article 187 (15) of the 1992 Constitution.

The Committee further recommends that the annual fee of twenty-four thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine Ghana cedis and thirty-four pesewas (GH¢24,559.34) charged by Egala, Atitso and Associates and being the lowest quotation, be approved by the House.

Respectfully submitted.

Ranking Member of the Committee (Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and in so doing, I would like to urge my Hon Colleagues in the House to support the Motion and approve it.

Mr Speaker, the auditing function is a ritual that should have been undertaken almost every year for us to actually succeed in our efforts to achieve some accountability in all systems and institutions in our country. Therefore, Mr Speaker, as a constitutional obligation, we do not seem to have so many options than to actually go the way you have rightly directed and we have submitted a Report to that respect.

So, Mr Speaker, I would urge the House to support the Motion.

Question proposed.
rose
Mr Speaker 4:40 p.m.
Brief comments, you are a member of the Committee.
Alhaji Ibrahim Dey Abubakari (NDC -- Salaga South) 4:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would be brief as you stated.
I rise to support the Motion, and in doing so, I would want to make three observations to the House.
Mr Speaker, the Office of the Auditor- General is important as enshrined in the Constitution. If you look at the functions, he is supposed to audit all the public institutions in Ghana, which ensures accountability. In other words, oversight that the Parliament is supposed to do.
So, if the Auditor-General is the one policing the public institutions, who is policing the Auditor-General? Hence the reason article 187(15) enjoins us that Parliament should appoint an audit firm to audit the Auditor-General.
But Mr Speaker, when you read the Report, you would realise that, apart from 2003, when an auditor was appointed to audit the Auditor-General, Parliament has not been able to appoint any auditor to audit the Auditor-General. In 2006, the mandate was renewed but from 2007 although Mr Speaker directed that the auditor should continue, the question is whether that one was constitutional or not.
We have to look at it, whether Mr Speaker can allow the Auditor to audit the Auditor-General without Parliament ratifying the whole issue. So, I am just urging that Parliament would have to do its responsibility as enshrined in article 187 and ensure that we appoint an auditor to audit the Auditor-General. Nobody can do it apart from Parliament; not the Speaker nor the Clerks. Therefore, Parliament would have to ensure that an auditor is appointed to do that work.
My Second point is, when the Committee was sitting and we advertised, only four audit firms applied. So, the question is, why did only four audit firms apply? It looks like the other audit firms are not interested. We have to find out why they are not interested in doing the job? Is it the fees that we are paying them or it is the question of conflict of interest; because most of these audit firms are given jobs by the Auditor-General and as a result, finding it difficult to audit the Auditor-General? Parliament would have to find that one out.
My last one is the scope of the audit. If we give the job to the auditor who is going to do it, where is the scope? Is it supposed to audit only the office of the Auditor-General, or to find out whether the work that the Auditor-General conducts is also efficient? Has the Auditor-General conducted his work efficiently? This is silent.
Mr Speaker 4:40 p.m.
Hon Member, wind up. This one we are only appointing an auditor. So, the Auditor would do the work and bring the report for us to debate.
Alhaji Abubakari 4:40 p.m.
In conclusion, Mr Speaker, all I am saying is that since we are appointing an auditor to audit the Auditor-General, let us define the work that the Auditor is supposed to do.
With this, I support the Motion.
Mr Speaker 4:40 p.m.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of the debate.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved that the House appoints Egala , Atitso & Associates as auditors to undertake the audit of the accounts of the Office of the Auditor-General for the period 2007 to 2013 in accordance with article 187(15) of the 1992 Constitution.
Mr Speaker 4:40 p.m.
Hon Members, Order Paper Addendum 2 -- Laying of Papers.
PAPERS 4:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker 4:40 p.m.
Hon Members, I have given special permission to the Member for Sekondi to pay tribute to the late Justice Kludze.
STATEMENTS 4:50 p.m.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah (NPP -- Sekondi) 4:50 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to pay this tribute to the late distinguished Ghanaian Professor Anselem Kodzo Paaku Kludze, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and a distinguished academic scholar and Statesman, who died at the Hohoe Government Hospital on 6 th October, 2013.
Mr Speaker, Prof. Kludze was born in Gbi-Kpeme, Hohoe from very humble beginnings and rose to the pinnacle in academia and the legal profession by becoming a Professor of Law at the University of Ghana and later a Justice at the Supreme Court of Ghana.
He attended the Roman Catholic Boys' School in Hohoe and proceeded to Adisadel College, Cape Coast. From there he entered the University of Ghana where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and Bachelor of Law from the same University in 1965. In addition, he acquired his Doctorate of Law as the first Ghanaian to earn a higher doctorate degree in Law from the University of London in 2002.
He was a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1965 and Attorney at Law, State of New York and a member of the prestigious America Law Institute.
He started his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Ghana in 1965. He was also the distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey, USA. He was a Visiting Professor of Law at the Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Calabar, Nigeria and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, Graz University, Austria.
In 2003, Prof.Justice Kludze was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and in 2004, he was appointed Director, Career Magistrates Programme of the Judicial Service and was also the Chairman of the Law Commission.
His appointment to the Supreme Court together with other legal academics was to develop a trend in appointment to the Supreme Court, so that we could have a balance of practising lawyers, career judges and legal academics. His appointment therefore, enriched the level of the Bench at the Supreme Court.
While a student at the University of Ghana, he served as President of the National Union of Ghana Students, and
Papa Owusu-Ankomah (NPP -- Sekondi) 4:50 p.m.


during his tenure, he was incarcerated for his outspoken criticism of some of the policies of the Nkrumah Administration.

He was a world renowned expert of African law and had five law books to his credit, one of which, “Ewe Law of Property” challenged a seemingly well accepted legal principle that there were no ownerless lands in Ghana.

Mr Speaker, the life of this distinguished academic and jurist, is quite revealing. Despite the lofty academic and judicial heights to which he rose, he never forgot his humble beginnings. He kept closely in touch with his village, Gbi-Kpeme, and even built a house there, even though upon entering the university, he never permanently resided in his holy village.

Mr Speaker, he sponsored many brilliant but needy students from Gbi- Kpeme and other parts of the Volta Region and the country at large through their tertiary education and even secured scholarships for some of them to attend universities in Europe and USA.

The late Prof. Justice Kludze was very passionate in his youth and lived a life that reflected that passion. As an academic, his views on the law reflected his traditional values of communalism, individual enterprise and the need to create a society that would enable the individual to exploit his talent.

Mr Speaker, on the day he died, Prof. Kludze was in Gbi-Kpeme awaiting the performance of some customary rites by his family as a thanksgiving from his recovery from illness and his safe return from the United States. He died just a day before the rites were to be performed when he was rushed from his residence to the Hohoe Government Hospital after he had

suddenly been taken ill. He therefore, died among his people.

After a long distinguished public service, the life of this academic and jurist should inspire the young generation and teach us never to forget our roots whatever the heights or fame we may rise to by the grace of God.

Mr Speaker, his body will lie in state at the forecourt of the State House on Friday, 20th December and from there to Hohoe in the Volta Region where God willing he will rest with his ancestors.

Mr Speaker, may his soul rest in peace.
Mr Speaker 4:50 p.m.
Hon Members, we are pressed for time, so I will call the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe.
Dr (Mrs) Bernice A. Heloo (NDC -- Hohoe) 4:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by the Hon Member.
Professor Justice Kludze is a renowned personality who hails from Hohoe. He has contributed a lot to the development of the municipality and has also helped a lot of people.
Indeed, if we list the renowned personalities in Hohoe, Prof. Justice Kludze would be among the top ten. We the people of Hohoe want to express our condolences to the bereaved family and also wish the Professor a restful solace in the arms of the Lord.
I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker 4:50 p.m.
Last comment from Hon Joe Ghartey.
Hon Members, we have a programme at 6 o'clock today. We have not passed the Appropriation Bill. The House wants a Closed Sitting or so --
Mr Joe Ghartey (NPP --Esikadu/ Ketan) 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I first got to hear of Justice Kludze or Professor Kludze as he was then known. That was when I went to reside in Hohoe and in my last year of the university. I was staying at a house opposite a bar called Saleria on the road to St. Francis.
The house I was staying in is a house that had General Kotoka's statue in front of it and I was staying a stone's throw from Justice Kludze's house. They would remind you, when they found out that you were a law student, that there were great lawyers who came from the town, then they would constantly mention the name of Justice Prof. Kludze.
Mr Speaker, I did not have the opportunity to be thought by this legal luminary in the true sense. But many years later, I came across him once more and every time I came across him, knowing that I stayed in his vicinity before, he was always so gracious to me.
The last time we met was when he chaired the D. J. da Rocha Memorial Lectures last year, I believe, where I was the Guest Speaker, and to be in the company of Justice Kludze, was a formidable task.
Indeed, I was supposed to be the Guest Speaker and he was supposed to be the Chairman, but by the time they ended the programme, he had become the main event and I had become the footnote. [Laughter.] I was gladly a footnote to such a great man.
I remember that he said he did not understand how come I was teaching company law because he found it as a very difficult subject. I whispered to him that equity, trust and land law, which he
was an expert, was a much more difficult subject. He was a great and humble man and he was the true legal luminary in the sense of the word.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, I thank all of you for your brevity.
Do we observe a minute's silence in his memory?

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Hon Members, we have only fifty minutes more because this is a programme that we have invited people from outside. I have just got information from the Clerk to Parliament that Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) said we should start on time. So, I would want to plead with you -- I am suspending the House for ten minutes, so that the Leaders can give you the information, then I will come back for us to take the Appropriation Bill.

Hon Members, the House is accordingly suspended for ten minutes.

5.03 p.m. --Sitting suspended.

5.30 p.m. -- Sitting resumed.
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I guess that we are on the Appropriation Bill?
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
So, what item is that?
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my attention has just been drawn to the fact that there was an addendum Order Paper number 2.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
No! It is the original Order Paper. Have they laid the Report?
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker, the original Order Paper --
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Have we laid the Report of the Committee?
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
So, we move to the Second Reading?
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
That is so.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Are we taking item 15? Hon Ranking Member, is it item 15?
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Yes, item 15.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, sorry, item 14 -- Hon Members, have you laid the Report? I am getting a different signal: have they laid it?
Dr A. A. Osei 5 p.m.
We have laid item number 5 (d).
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Has the Report been laid?
Dr A. A. Osei 5 p.m.
Yes. It was laid in the morning -- [Interruptions] -- You bowed.
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Is it the Appropriation Bill? This was laid yesterday.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
No! Have you laid the Committee's Report on the Appropriation Bill?
Dr A. A. Osei 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, this morning, the Hon Chairman bowed on item number 5 (b) on the original.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon First Deputy Speaker, was the Report of the Appropriation Bill laid?
Mr Ebo Barton-Odro 5 p.m.
That is so-- this morning. Yes, it was laid.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe that the Clerks-at-the-Table can advise us.
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am now aware that that item was laid this morning.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, you may recall that when we got to that item -- When I was presiding, the Hon Majority Leader said the Report was not ready and the Committee was at that time working on it before the First Deputy Speaker took over from me.
I do not know whether after I had left the Chair, that Report had been laid or not.
Hon Chairman of the Committee, have you laid it or not?
Mr Avedzi 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Report has been laid by myself.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, item 14, Minister for Finance.
MOTIONS 5 p.m.
Minister for Finance (Mr Seth E. Terkpeh) 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of the Standing Order 80 (1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least, 48 hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given
-- 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, the Clerks- at-the-Table are telling me that it has not been laid. This is just a --
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as far as I remember, it was not done. But even if it was, Mr Speaker, for the avoidance of doubt, we could do it.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, for the avoidance of doubt, I will have it laid.
Dr Kunbuor 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, since we have problems with records now, I will ask that we take item number 5 (b).
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, item 5 (b) by the Chairman of the Committee.
PAPERS 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Members, item 14 -- Minister for Finance.
Suspension of Standing Order 80 (1)
Minister for Finance (Mr Seth E. Terkpeh) 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing 80 (1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least, 48 ours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill, 2014 may be moved today.
The Motion there needs to be passed before the House goes on recess in order that the Bill becomes an Act on the 4th of January, 2013 -- It is 2014. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Yes, any seconder?
Mr Avedzi 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker I beg to second the Motion moved by the Minister for Finance. Mr Speaker, in doing so, I --
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Hon Member, this is a procedural Motion which is being moved, that is the Report.
Hon Members, Motion moved and seconded; it is for the consideration of the House.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Item number 15, Hon Minister.
Mr Terkpeh 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, may I crave your indulgence to correct the Appropriation Bill 2013. If we could effect that correction because in all probability it is a Bill which will take effect in 2014 but the Bill is 2013.
Mr Speaker 5 p.m.
Well that one I thought it is not a serious matter because the draftsperson would handle it. -- [Interruptions.]
No, if the Act is passed but it takes effect next year, it can be 2013, if the President signs it in 2014, I do not think that should be a matter that we should -- 2013 yes.
BILLS -- SECOND READING 5 p.m.
Minister for Finance (Mr Seth E. Terkpeh) 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that the Appropriation Bill, 2013 be now read the Second time.
Question Proposed.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 5 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion and in doing so, I present your Committee's Report. Mr Speaker, I also wish to amend the cover page of the Report -- The Appropriation Bill should read 2013 not 2014.
Introduction
Pursuant to article 179 (2) of the Constitution and following the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the 2014 financial year, the Appropriation Bill for the 2014 financial year was presented to Parliament by the Hon Minister for Finance, Mr Seth E. Terkpeh and read for the First time on Tuesday, 17th December, 2013.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 5 p.m.


The Bill was referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report in accordance with article 179 (2) of the Order169 of the Standing Orders of the House.

The Committee accordingly met with the Hon Minister for Finance, His Deputies and officials from the Ministry of Finance during the consideration of the referral and reports to the House in accordance with article 106 (5) of the Constitution.

The Committee is grateful to the Hon Minister, his Deputies and the officials for their assistance during the deliberations.

References

The Committee referred to the following documents during its deliberations:

1. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

2. The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.

3. The Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of the Republic of Ghana for the 2014 financial year.

4. Reports of Parliamentary Committees on the 2014 Annual Estimates of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

5. The 2013 Appropriation Bill.

Background information

The Minister for Finance, acting on the authority of His Excellency, the President has requested the House to approve and authorize the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Fund and from other funds for the running of the State for the 2014 financial year.

The Minister for Finance acting on authority of the President accordingly, presented the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2014 financial year to Parliament. And in fulfilment of article 179

(2), which among others, requires that estimates of expenditure of public offices shall be included in an Appropriation Bill, the 2013 Appropriation Bill is presented for Parliamentary approval.

Object of the Bill

The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the withdrawal of sums of money necessary to meet Government expenditure for the 2014 financial year. TheAppropriation Bill is thus seeking Parliamentary approval to enable the sums of moneys not exceeding thirty-six billion, one hundred and seventy million, nine hundred and eighty-three thousand, six hundred and sixty-three Ghana cedis (GH¢36,170,983,663.00) to be issued from the consolidated fund during the 2014 financial year for the purpose of meeting Government expenditure.

The purposes for which the sums shall be appropriated have been specified in the Schedules to the Bill.

Clauses of the Bill

The Bill is divided into 5 clauses and 2 Schedules. Clause 1 deals with sum of money to be issued from the Consolidated Fund for the 2014 financial year. Clause 2 deals with internally generated funds while clause 3 specifies payment of money on authorisation of Minister for Finance. Clause 4 spells out the commencement date of the Appropriation Act and clause 5 seeks to repeal the Appropriation Act of

2013.

Schedule 1 provides for the total appropriation expenditure by items and Schedule 2 provides a breakdown of total IGFs retention for 2014.

Attached are the summary of appropriation expenditure by items and the total IGFs retention (Schedules 1 and

2).

Observations

Urgency

In accordance with Order number 119, the Committee has determined that the Bill is of an urgent nature and should therefore be taken through all the stages of passage in one day under a certificate of urgency.

Constitutional requirement

The Committee observed that the Bill is in accordance with the constitutional requirement under article 179 (2) which states that:

“The estimates of the expenditure of all public offices and public corporations, other than those setup as commercial ventures-- (a) shall be classified under programmes or activities which shall be included in a bill to be known as an Appropriation Bill and which shall be introduced into Parliament to provide for the issue from the Consolidated Fund or such other appropriate fund, of the sums of money necessary to meet that expenditure and the appropriation of those sums for the purposes specified in that bill.”

Statutory Funds

The Committee also observed that the Bill makes provision for the sum of money not exceeding six billion, four hundred and ninety-eight million, twenty-two thousand, seven hundred and ninety Ghana cedis (Gh¢6,498,022,790.00) to be allocated to the District Assemblies Common Fund, Ghana Education Trust Fund and National Health Insurance Fund, Road Fund, Petroleum related Fund, retention of IGFs Fund and transfer to GNPC from oil revenue in the 2014 financial year.

This allocation, the Committee noted, is almost twice of the 2013 allocation of GH¢3,344,571,086.00. The Committee urges the Minister for Finance to ensure timely releases of these allocations since the funds are committed to various projects and programmes, delays of which would have adverse effect on their smooth implementation and completion.

Amendments proposed

The Committee, having carefully examined the Bill, proposes the following amendment for the consideration of the House:

i. Clause 4 -- Amendment proposed -- delete the words “be deemed to have” after “shall”.

ii. Clause 5 -- Amendment proposed -- after “2013” insert “ Act 856”.

iii. First Schedule (Section 1) -- Amendment proposed -- delete Salaries and Wages amount and insert “10,597,256,350”.

iv. First Schedule (Section 1) -- Amendment proposed -- delete Petroleum Related Subsidies amount and insert “5,731,046”.

v. Second Schedule-- Amendment proposed -- Heading -- delete “IGF'S” and insert “IGF”.

vi. Long Title -- Amendment proposed -- line 2 insert “ and” after “funds”

vii. Short Title -- Amendment proposed --delete “2014” and insert :2013".

Recommendation and conclusion

The committee, having carefully considered the Bill, recommends that the House adopts its Report and approve the sum of money not exceeding thirty-six billion, one hundred and seventy million, nine hundred and eighty-three thousand, six hundred and sixty-three Ghana cedis (Gh¢36,170,983,663.00)) to be issued from the Consolidated Fund and for withdrawal from other Funds for the purposes of financing all Government operations during the 2014 financial year.

The Committee also recommends to the House, to take the Bill through all the stages in accordance with article 106 (13) of the Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.

Respectfully Submitted.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 5:30 p.m.
SPACE FOR TABLE - PAGE 8 -

SPACE FOR TABLE - PAGE 9 -
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 5:30 p.m.


Question proposed.
Dr A. A. Osei 5:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my good Friend, Hon Sulemani Amin gave me some advice that he wants to go back to Wa or Sissala East, so I should not speak. On that note, I support the Motion -- [Laughter.]
Mr Speaker 5:30 p.m.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of the Second Reading. I will put the Question.
Hon Members, we are not adopting the Report; you can get the Table Office and the Hansard Department to have it corrected before the Hansard is printed.
Prof. Gyan-Baffour 5:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the appropriation here is actually different from the one in this text. I think that explanation should be given, so that it would appear somewhere in the records. This is because I think the explanation delayed somewhere; that makes it different from what is here.
Mr Speaker 5:30 p.m.
Hon Member for Wenchi, the Committee can review whatever is there and the House too can also review whatever the Committee has brought. So, when we reach the Consideration Stage, at that stage, we will reconcile the figures.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of the Second Reading of the Bill.
Question put and Motion agreed to
The Appropriation Bill, 2013 was accordingly read a Second time.
MOTIONS 5:30 p.m.
Minister for Finance (Mr Seth E. Terkpeh) 5:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 128 (1) which require that when a Bill has been read a Second time,
it, shall pass through a Consideration Stage, which shall not be taken until at least, forty-eight hours have elapsed, the Consideration Stage of the Appropriation Bill, 2013 may be taken today.
Mr James K. Avedzi 5:30 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Mr Speaker 5:30 p.m.
Item number 17, Appropriation Bill, 2013 at the Consideration Stage.
Hon Members, the amendments are in the Committee's Report. They have not been advertised in the Order Paper. So, you should look at the amendments in the Committee's Report. Page 4 of the Committee's Report, we have the amendments.
BILLS -- CONSIDERATION 5:40 p.m.
STAGE 5:40 p.m.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 4, delete the words “be deemed to have” after “shall”.
Mr Speaker, the new rendition will read 5:40 p.m.
“This Act shall come into force on the first day of January, 2014.
Mr Speaker, the way it is captured in the Bill, it looks as if the Act will take a
retrospective effect but in this case, it is taken effect after it has been passed.
Mr Speaker 5:40 p.m.
Hon Chairman, the Bill that I have does not have the “deemed”. What I have is “this Act shall come into Force on the first day of January, 2014”. that is what I have here.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think the Ministry of Finance went and did the correction and brought that one. So, that is not what we used at the Committee level.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 4 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 5 -- Repeal.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 5 -- after “2013” insert “Act 856”.
Mr Speaker, we want to quote the Act number to make it clear.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Clause 5 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
First Schedule -- Description.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, First Schedule (Selection 1), delete “salaries and wages amount” and insert “GH¢10,597, -
256,350”.
Mr Speaker, this is just to correct the figure. The figure is not 351, it is rather
350.
Mr Speaker 5:40 p.m.
Why are you deleting “salaries and wages”?
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the amount and insert a new figure; “salaries and wages” and insert this new. -- It is the figure we are correcting.
Dr A. A. Osei 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I think the construction is what is confusing. Perhaps, if he said delete “10,597,256,350” and insert “10,597,256,350”, Mr Speaker, that is what the Hon Chairman is doing.
Mr Speaker 5:40 p.m.
Is that what you want to do? If it is only figures, then the point being made by the Ranking Member makes sense. What has been put in your report says we should delete “salaries”.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, what the Hon Ranking Member said is what we want to capture there. We are deleting only the figures for the salaries and wages. That figure there is not correct; we are deleting it and inserting a new figure of “10,597,-- [Interruptions.]
Dr A. A. Osei 5:40 p.m.
“Compensation” not “salaries and wages.”
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the “compensation”, not the “salaries and wages.”
Mr Speaker 5:40 p.m.
Hon Members, the compensation of employees, the figure should read 10,597,256,350.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, First Schedule (Selection 1) -- delete Petroleum Related Funds amount and insert “5,731,046”.
Mr Speaker 5:40 p.m.
Hon Members, I guess “Petroleum Related Funds” the amendment is to have the figures
“5,731,046”.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
The First Schedule as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Second Schedule -- 2014 IGFs Retention Breakdown.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, Second Schedule (Selection 1) -- Heading -- delete “IGFs” and insert
“IGF”.
Question put and amendment agreed to.
The Second Schedule as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
The Long Title --
Mr Speaker, the new rendition reads--
“An Act to provide for the withdrawal of sums of money necessary to meet government's expenditure for 2014 financial year from the Consolidated Fund and from other Funds and to provide for related matters”.
Mr Avedzi 5:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, Long Title -- line 2, insert “and” after “Funds”.
Mr Speaker, the new rendition reads 5:40 p.m.
“An Act to provide for the withdrawal of sums of money necessary to meet government's expenditure for 2014 financial year from the Consolidated Fund and from other Funds and to provide for related matters.”
Question put and amendment agreed to.
The Long Title as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Mr Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Do we amend the Short Title? [Interruption.] Do we amend “Short Title”? That is for the draftsperson. Under our Standing Order, we do not amend the Short Title but I will -- [Interruption] -- So, I direct the draftsperson to look at the Short Title.
Dr A. A. Osei 5:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, before we move from here, I would need your guidance.
The Hon Member for Wenchi raised an important matter and I think that if the Hon Chairman is allowed to explain for the records, it may assist our proceedings. He raised an issue, I think the Hon Chairman has an answer and it needs to be captured, so that --
Mr Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Very well. I will relax the rules for him to do that.
Mr Avedzi 5:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if you read the Budget Statement on page 209, the total amount needed to be appropriated should be “GH¢36,209,423,663”. But the Appropriation is now requesting for GH¢36,170,983,663. There is a difference of GH¢38,440,000.
Now the reason for this difference, which is a reduction, is that when we were doing the “Other Government Obligations”, we realised that the amortisation figure, which was originally captured as GH¢1,183,656,000 thereabout, is not a correct figure and that it was overstated by GH¢108,940,000. That is one.
Then, Mr Speaker, we recently passed the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy, thereby, we are going to save or rake in additional revenue of GH¢70.5 million. If you find the net effect of this additional revenue and the difference of GH¢108,940, the net effect is a reduction of
GH¢38,440,000.
That is why the amount in the Budget Statement which is GH¢36,209,423,663 has come down by a difference of GH¢38,440,000. That is the explanation.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Mr Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon Members, time is not on our side. Just for the records, that is why I relaxed the rules for him to offer that explanation.
Hon Members, that brings to the end of the Appropriation Bill, 2013.
Item 18 --
MOTIONS 5:50 p.m.
Minister for Finance (Mr Seth Terkpeh) 5:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 131(1) which require that when a Bill has passed through the Consideration Stage, the Third Reading thereof shall not be taken until at least, twenty-four hours have elapsed, the Motion for the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill, 2013 may be moved today.
Prof. Gyan-Baffour 5:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Bill entitled the Appropriation Act, 2013, let us also add the Act number because a Bill like that already exists.
Mr Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon Member, the particular Act of 2013 has been repealed by what we are passing now. Please, these are drafting matters. Yes, I get the point you are making but they are drafting matters and the draftsperson will handle it.
Any seconder?
Chairman of the Committee (Mr James K. Avedzi) 5:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly
Mr Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Item number 19, Hon Minister for Finance --
BILLS -- THIRD READING 5:50 p.m.
Mr Seth Terkpeh 5:50 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Hon Members, your goodself, the Speakership as well as Leadership, Chairmen of Committees and the entire House for the patience with which they looked at not just the Government policies but also the estimates that were presented.
Mr Speaker, one thing that ran through most of the committee reports was the fact that releases with respect to certain commitments did not meet the levels. We have explained this in various ways.
Mr Speaker, we would continue with measures regarding the moratorium on contracts. We would also continue with measures with respect to the implementation of the GIFMIX and other programmes.
Finally, Mr Speaker, in the spirit of the discussions that were held at Ho and as agreed earlier this year, Government would be working with Labour to develop a comprehensive set of measures in the national interest that would ensure moderation in the negotiation of wage or salary increases including a possible moratorium on increases.
It is in this respect, as we noted, that His Excellency and the Executive made the gesture.
Mr Speaker, with these few words and lots of gratitude, I thank you very much.
Mr Speaker 5:50 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, you have not presented your Business Statement. If you can move for its adoption, because everybody has a copy --
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 6 p.m.
Majority Leader/Chairman of the Business Committee (Dr Benjamin B. Kunbuor) 6 p.m.
Mr Speaker, given the constraint of time, your Committee did meet to consider the Business commencing when Parliament begins the next Session on the 28th of January, 2014.
Mr Speaker, the Committee met today, Wednesday, 18th December, 2013 and arranged Business of the House for the First Week of the First Meeting of the Second Session ending Friday, 31st January, 2014.
Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its Report as follows 6 p.m.
Arrangement of Business
Question(s)
Mr Speaker, Questions may be asked of various Ministers during the week. The relevant Ministers expected to respond to Questions would be informed in due course.
Statements
Mr Speaker, pursuant to Order 70 (2), Ministers of State may be permitted to make Statements of Government policy. Your goodself may also admit Statements to be made in the House by Hon Members in accordance with Order 72.
Bills, Papers and Reports
Mr Speaker, Bills may be presented to the House for First Reading and those of urgent nature may be taken through the various stages in one day in accordance with Order 119. Papers and committee reports may also be presented to the House.
Motions and Resolutions
Mr Speaker, Motions may be debated and their consequential Resolutions, if any, taken during the week.
Outstanding Business
(a) Mr Speaker, the Business Committee wishes to inform Hon Members that any item of Business which has not been completed at the end of this Meeting, would be carried over to the next Meeting commencing on Tuesday, 28th January, 2014 in accordance with Order 55 of the Standing Orders.
(b) The Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is entreated to endeavour to engage stakeholders to iron out any outstanding issues relating to the amendments to the Plants Breeders Bill, 2013 during the recess. This is expected to facilitate work at the Consideration Stage of the Bill at the next Meeting.
(c) The Business Committee also entreats the Standing Orders Committee as well as all other Committees of the House to expedite work on their respective referrals for consideration of the House during the next Meeting.
Mr Speaker, the Business Committee wishes to express gratitude and appreciation to your goodself and all Hon Members for the sterling performance during this Third Meeting.
Mr Speaker, the Committee wishes all of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.
Parliamentary calendar
Mr Speaker, the Business Committee has prepared a proposed parliamentary calendar for the year 2014. Mr Speaker, this calendar has been attached to the Business Statement for perusal of Hon Members.
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 160 (2) and subject to Standing Order 53, the Committee submits to this Honourable House, the order in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the week.

Questions

Statements

Presentation of Papers --

(a)Report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the Anti- Terrorism (Amendment) Bill,

2013.

(b) Report of the Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture on the Chieftaincy (Amendment) Bill,

2013.

Motions

Consideration Stage of Bills --

Plant Breeders Bill, 2013. (Continuation of debate)

Committee sittings.

Questions

Statements

Presentation of Papers --

(a) Report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the Trademarks (Amendment) Bill,

2013.

(b) Report of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the Anti- Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

Motions

Consideration Stage of Bills --

Plant Breeders Bill, 2013. (Continuation of debate)

Committee sittings.

Questions

Statements

Presentation of Papers --

Motions

Second Reading of Bills --

Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill,

2013.

Chieftaincy (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

Consideration Stage of Bills --

Plant Breeders Bill, 2013. (Continuation of debate)

Committee sittings.

Questions

Statements

Presentation of Papers --

Motions

(a) Second Reading of Bills--

Trademarks (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

Anti-Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

(b) Third Reading of Bills--

Plant Breeders Bill, 2013.

Motions

Committee sittings.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 6 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to suggest -- This is because you have given an indication that we ought to start the choral night programme at 6.00 p.m. Already, it is past 6.00 p.m. So, I should think that the closing remarks from myself and the Hon Majority Leader may be transmitted to the Table Office to be captured in the Hansard and you may give us your parting words.
Dr Kunbuor 6 p.m.
That is so, Mr Speaker. We have agreed on that.
Mr Speaker 6 p.m.
Very well. I direct that the concluding remarks of the two Leaders be captured in the Hansard.
CLOSING REMARKS 6 p.m.
Minority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu) 6 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we have successfully come to the end of our Sittings for the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Sixth Parliament and I am grateful that I have this opportunity to make these few comments as the House prepares to rise sine die. As usual, we must, first, be most thankful to God who has sustained our lives and given us strength, vitality and vigour to go about our activities.
I am also grateful to Members who have worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure the effective execution of the Business of Parliament.
Mr Speaker, we have debated, amended and passed many Bills even though, in the view of the Minority group, not all
SPACE FOR CALENDAR FOR 2014
have been after thorough consideration. Notable among them are the Internal Revenue (Amendment No. 2) Bill, Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, Special Import Levy (Amendment) Bill, and the Export Trade, Agricultural and Industrial Development Fund Bill, the Excise Tax Stamp Bill, 2013 and the Appropriation Bill.
Mr Speaker, the high point of this Meeting, undoubtedly was the presentation to Parliament of the 2014 Budget by the Minister for Finance, Hon Seth Emmanuel Terkpeh. The Minister's presentation which was enveloped by a chorus of “Hear, Hear” from the Majority benches, seemed to suggest to Ghanaians that their salvation lies in the 2014 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Ghanaians.
Indeed, the Majority, in the course of the debate, demonstrated their admiration to the “Rising to the challenge and Re- alignment budget” by proclaiming that it is the best thing to have happened in contemporary times to Ghanaians. The Minority side thought that Budget Statement and Economic Policy is sterile and menopausic and not capable of generating the desired growth. Next year, by this time, Ghanaians would better appreciate which side got it right.
Mr Speaker, the conduct of Business in the House in the course of this Meeting has been eventful, even though much of it has been negative. Temperatures in the House have often risen to levels which they ordinarily ought not to have reached.
All of us must do sober introspection and reflection. The maxim in a Parliament worth its sort has always been that whereas the Majority may have their way, the Minority must always have their say. The Minority must be protected by the Chair. What are the instruments available to Parliament in their “power of the purse” and oversight responsibilities: Question

time, Statements, Motions, committee work, et cetera. To what extent have the officers of the House allowed the House and Members to prosecute their duties through this medium? Parliament is not a uniform body and the Business of oversight in any Parliament rests more on the shoulders of the Minority parties in Parliament. Notwithstanding, the Minority must state their case without any intention to block Government's developmental agenda. Sheer obstruction does not pay.

The Majority group must have their say but they should know they do not have the support of the entire populace and that is why consensus-building should be the resort. The tendency to out-muscle Minority groups or spring surprises is michalcelian and is not sustainable. The Speaker should always protect the rights of the Minority, not the other way round and the sword that the Speaker wields, must be double-edged. Let us introspect to strengthen Parliament and we will be able to avoid these volcanic eruptions.

Subject to these, Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minority, let me once again, reiterate our commitment to co-operate with the Majority side of the House to facilitate the implementation of Government policies.

Mr Speaker, I would like to commend the various committees with regard to the time consciousness of the submission of reports on the budget estimates of the various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, in spite of the short time Hon Members had to their disposal to digest the information, and conduct the hearings.

It is important to state though that increasingly, the time and space for the scrutiny of our budget estimates and economic policy have been contracting.

It is a sad commentary on the scrutiny and diligence that ought to be exercised by Parliament. A Parliament requires at least, eight weeks to dissect a budget; any period less than eight weeks is unhelpful.

Notwithstanding, Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to commend you and your deputies for dedication to duty in spite of the occasion differences. You have resorted by and large, the work ethics of Rt Hon Peter Ala Adjetey and that is commendable. It is for the MPs to take a cue. May I also once again, express my sincerest thanks to the Clerk, his deputies and staff for all the work they continue to do in this House.

We cannot forget our media practitioners who transmit events from the Chamber to the rest of our citizens and the world at large. We urge them to continue with this all important exercise, so that the people of Ghana would feel part and parcel of good democratic governance.

Mr Speaker, may I, in winding up, use this opportunity to wish all Ghanaians a happy Christmas. Christmas is a period of forgiveness, reconciliation and reunion, occasioned by the birth of Christ Jesus. As individuals, as believers, as groups, as leaders, let us acknowledge that we are not the repository of wisdom or knowledge.

We complement one another. Let us be another's keeper. That is how to lessen the burden on our fellow human beings. If we create, we must all participate in the sharing. When we do not create, we should not share. The nation will be better, healthier and stronger by that.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.
Majority Leader (Dr Benjamin B. Kunbuor) 6 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we have come to the end of the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Sixth Parliament. Coincidentally, it also marks the end of the First Session in the life of this Parliament and we give thanks to the Good Lord for bringing us this far.
This Session was particularly eventful as it witnessed the swearing in of a new Parliament. While some of the old Members were returned by their constituents, we also had a good number of new Members, who have over the period, quickly learnt the nuances of parliamentary practice and procedure. I must say that this Parliament has performed creditably, given the number of new Members in the House.
Mr Speaker, this Meeting, as is the case with every Third Meeting, was eventful. The Meeting witnessed the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government for the 2014 financial year by the Minister for Finance.
The presentation of the Budget Statement to Parliament by the Minister responsible for Finance is an important activity in the calendar of almost all Parliaments in the world and Ghana is no exception. It is an occasion for the Government to inform Parliament and the general public about the economic policy and new initiatives to be introduced in the ensuing year.
It is therefore, important that on such occasions, we give one another and the general public the opportunity to listen to the Statement from the Minister. I do appreciate that Members have a second opportunity to read the document subsequently. But this may be the only opportunity available to the public and therefore, we should endeavour to
minimize the chorus of our approval or disapproval of the Statement by the Minister. I am aware that Mr Speaker and his predecessors have on a number of occasions raised concern about this issue and the display of printed materials on the Floor during such important events. I therefore, wish to appeal to my Colleagues to take these concerns from the Chair seriously.
Mr Speaker, following the budget presentation, and under the auspices of your goodself, the office organised the usual post-budget workshop, where experts were invited to explain various policy initiatives and their implications in order to equip Members to debate the budget.
Mr Speaker, for the first time, the workshop was held in Parliament for all Members of Parliament and was financed primarily from Parliament. This is a shift from the past where the workshop was always organised for Chairpersons, Ranking Members and some selected MPs -- and was always residential. The workshop has over the years been principally organised and financed by the Parliamentary Centre.
The advantage of this year 's arrangement was that it was non- residential and was for all MPs. This option was chosen because the Leadership believed that the debate on the budget was opened to all MPs and not restr icted to selected few and therefore, all Members should have equal opportunity to benefit from the knowledge to be shared.
I wish to commend Members for the high turnout and commitment at the workshop. I have no doubt that the information acquired at the workshop helped to raise the quality of the budget debate this year.
Mr Speaker 6 p.m.
Hon Members, we have come to the end of the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic today. I am grateful to the Almighty God for giving us the strength and good health to accomplish our mission for this Meeting as well as the entire First Session.
I am fortunate to have been ably supported by my two deputies in steering affairs of the House. Furthermore, the support and guidance of the Leadership, was essential in holding this House together, and in resolving several issues
which otherwise, would have been a drag on the pace of our work. I look forward to an even closer level of collaboration and co- operation with the Leadership during the rest of the term of this Parliament in furtherance of our national interest.
Hon Members, let me commend you for your commitment to the work of this House, especially when the Sittings had to be extended beyond the normal time to ensure that business was completed on schedule. In spite of the enormous strain and physical and mental exertion you experienced in discharging the enormous tasks, you were resilient, particularly during the just ended Session on the Financial Policy Statement and Budget, and the passage of the Appropriation Bill, 2013.
I thank you, Hon Members, for your sacrifice and co-operation.
Hon Members, listen to this one carefully. It is my fervent hope that Hon Members would in their New Year Resolutions, resolve to assist the Chair maintain order in the House, and thus obviate the need to rigidly enforce the rules dealing with order.
I do express my sincere thanks to the Clerk and his able and dedicated staff who provided the necessary support behind the scenes for our work. I also thank the auxiliary Services in the House -- the paramedics, the Ghana Fire Service and Police detachments, whose efforts are sometimes unseen and un-noticed, yet crucial for the successful conduct of our work.
I also commend the work of the Parliamentary Press Corps in providing media coverage for the House and its proceedings. It is my expectation that in the coming year, more professionalism would be injected into their reportage, and the
Mr Speaker 6 p.m.


Leadership of Parliament is ready to support them to achieve this.

Hon Members, in about a week, we shall celebrate Christmas. As we break for the Christmas recess, let us reflect soberly on the season's message of “Peace, Love and Goodwill towards Men” that marked the birth and life of Jesus Christ.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year in advance.

As we leave the precincts of Parliament for our respective homes and constituencies, it is my prayer that the Almighty God would grant us all good health, travelling mercies and shield us till we meet here again in the year 2014.

This House now stands adjourned sine die.

Thank you.
ADJOURMENT 6 p.m.
SUMMARY OF PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS OF THE THIRD MEETING 6:50 p.m.
VISITS TO THE HOUSE 6:50 p.m.