Debates of 27 Feb 2014

MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:55 a.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 10:55 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:55 a.m.
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of 20th February, 2014.]
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of 21st February, 2014.]
    • Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Do you have a correction?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am grateful. Per the regulations governing activities of this House, Standing Order 48 tells us that before proceedings can begin, we need one-third of the membership of the entire House. I have done the counting; we are just 62 in the House; so, we do not form a quorum, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Very well.
    Hon Members, I direct that the bell be rung while we continue with proceedings.
    Yes, page 1…20.
    Hon Members, we have some Questions, so Hon Deputy Majority Leader --
    Hon Members, you can see that on the Order Paper, we have the Questions listed but unfortunately, the Answers have not been provided on the Order Paper, and I think the Hon Deputy Majority Leader should be in a position to explain.
    Mr Alfred K. Agbesi 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry has communicated with the Clerk's office on their inability to provide the Answers at this time.
    Mr Speaker -- [Interruption] -- the Ministry has informed the House that, the Answers that they are to provide are inadequate at this time; they want time to reschedule the Questions for the appropriate Answers to be provided to the House.
    Mr Speaker, this has been brought to the notice of Leadership and we have discussed it. The Questions should therefore be rescheduled, so that the Ministry can give the appropriate Answers to the Questions.
    Mr Speaker, this is the position of the Ministry as of now.
    Mr Simon Osei-Mensah 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think it is time Parliament was taken seriously by the Executive wing. These Questions have been with them; some for over one year. Are they telling us that, for that while they could not prepare Answers? Then how did they accept these Questions and also advertise them on the Order Paper? Are they saying they did not have the Answers before advertising?
    I think the Business Committee has to explain to us why they did not have the Answers to the Questions yet they have advertised these Questions.
    Mr Agbesi 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Questions had been programmed by the Business Committee to be asked today. The Clerk's office had that Business Statement and that these Questions are to be asked today, subject to the provision of the Answers. We had the response from the Ministry to the effect that, we should reschedule the Questions for them.
    Once the Questions have been programmed, the Clerk's office cannot take the Questions out of the Order Paper. It is only this House that can agree to that suggestion.
    So, Mr Speaker, though the Questions had been programmed, the Clerk's office could not take them off. This is because
    they are already adopted by the House-- the Business Committee's report had been adopted so they could not take them out. Hence, the Questions are here and they are waiting to get the Answers to them.
    Mr Osei-Mensah 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise on my feet again.
    Mr Speaker, the answer he is giving is inadequate and I do not think it is acceptable. It first appeared on the Provisional Order Paper; they could not even cross-check. Are we being told that, when we are putting a Question on the Order Paper, we do not check the Answers? At the level of the Business Committee, I am sure when they take a Question, they would look at the Answer first.
    How do they select them? Are they saying they put it there without knowing there is an Answer or not? They place it on the Provisional Order Paper; they did not check whether the Ministry had written to them. Is that what they are telling us? It is quite unfortunate.
    I do not think this is acceptable and the Hon Ministers would have to take us seriously. This is an important arm of Government. The Government is one, but it has three important arms; one is the Legislature and we must be given that recognition; that respect must be given to us. It is not acceptable for --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Allright. Hon Member, thank you very much for the sentiments expressed. I think that I cannot agree with you more. But at the same time, if you look, for example, at the Question that you filed, it requires a very detailed Answer nationwide. You are asking for the details as well as the locations and the sources of funding and so on.
    Dr Anthony Akoto Osei 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, on a related matter. I am bringing this to the attention of the Business Committee. Somehow, a reporter knew that the Answers had not been provided and called an Hon Member of Parliament, that the Question you had filed, the Answers are not going to be provided. A reporter - - Parliament did not know. We ought to be careful the way we conduct business here.
    I thought the Business Committee ought to know and the Clerk's office also needs to pay attention. A reporter called the Hon Member, yesterday. So, reporters know more than we do; this is not the best for this House.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon Members, shall we make some progress?
    Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with respect, I believe that this has happened before and if care is not taken, it could repeat itself. This is because, maybe, we have not appropriately structured the filing of Questions, how Questions are admitted. After Questions have been admitted, the process of
    transmission to the Ministries, feedbacks that we should have from the Ministries in order to input same onto the business to be programmed by the Business Committee--
    Mr Speaker, I think as you rightly said, our Standing Orders provide that, when Questions have been asked, the Ministers shall respond to same within three weeks. I would want to believe that, the response is dependent upon the Speaker having admitted the Question. After the Speaker has admitted the Question, then the Clerk's Office would transmit the Questions to the Ministry.
    It is important at that stage to communicate same to the Hon Majority Leader who is the Leader of Government Business, who then would elect one person from his secretariat -- perhaps, one of the Whips -- to trace and track the status of the Questions with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) so that we do not have Questions fallowing at the Ministries for, as the Hon Member for Bosomtwi said, maybe, over six months and the Question may be fallowing there. It should not happen.
    But I think the proper thing is, after the transmission, to alert the Hon Majority Leader, the Leader of Government Business and also the Hon Minority Leader's office. This is because most of these Questions relating to proper oversight would be coming from the Minority side. Once we have this and the Hon Majority Leader signals that he has received the appropriate response, we can programme it on the Business Committee's programme for the ensuing week.
    As it is, we are all caught in a labyrinth. So I would suggest that we properly structure the process of filing Questions, having responses before programming them on the Business Committee's own programme thereafter, if there are any hiccups we may agree.
    Sometimes it may be possible that even after programming, a Minister may have to go somewhere into the regions and so on. That would be acceptable if we have such development. But let us have the structure better established. I think that would help this House.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon Members, I think that there is the need to take a closer look at the process as far as Questions are concerned. I would direct that the Leadership as well as the Clerk's office should sit down and structure this thing properly, so that we do not have any loose ends.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Mr Agbesi 11:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we can take item number 4.
    The Hon Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection is in the House.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon Members, we have the Hon Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection in the House to make a Statement on the Plight of Head-Porters popularly referred to as Kayayei in this country.
    Hon Minister, you have the floor.
    STATEMENTS 11:15 a.m.
    Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection (Mrs Nana Oye Lithur) 11:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we are grateful for the opportunity to inform this august house about the Kayayei phenomenon, which

    is of great concern to my Ministry. All over the world, migration has been on the increase as a result of developmental imbalance among continents, nations, towns and communities. According to a World Bank Report (2011), more than 215 million people, or three per cent of the world's population were estimated to be living outside their place of birth.

    Background

    For developing countries such as Ghana, rural-urban migration is mostly common, and it results from developmental policies adopted during the colonial and post-colonial era (Mabogunje, 1990). The focus of these policies was on industrial development of urban cities with the import of labour from the rural areas to work in the mines and on cash crop farms, among others.

    The practice therefore, created disparities between regions that have economic resources and others that have less (Awumbila and Schandorf, 2008: 171, Abdulai, 1999). Ghana's history of internal migration has thus been spurred on by inequalities within the country, including rural-urban disparities.

    Rural-urban migration has been prevalent over the past few decades, as people move in search of employment and better social services and infrastructure. This migration trend contributes significantly to rapid urban growth in Ghana, in addition to other factors such as the natural increase in urban populations and the reclassification of formerly rural areas as urban.

    Since the 1960s, population censuses have consistently revealed that, six regions in Ghana; namely Central, Eastern, Volta, Northern, Upper East and Upper West have largely been net out-migration regions. The three northern regions have the highest out-migration rates. In contrast, the Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo,
    Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection (Mrs Nana Oye Lithur) 11:15 a.m.
    Ashanti and Western regions are in- migration areas. These patterns of internal migration are a reflection of regional disparities and differential rural-urban poverty in Ghana (MOI, 2014).
    These have led to a situation of lack of job opportunities for a huge section of our youth population, and has compelled, especially, young girls to migrate in search of jobs in the Southern parts of Ghana (Anafi, Kwankye, et al. 2003). Agriculture -- which is the dominant means of employment in the northern sector -- is primarily rain-fed. Consequently, the harmful effects of climate change as seen in irregular rainfall patterns, and loss of soil fertility, has greatly affected agriculture as a sustainable means of livelihood (Songsore and Denkabe 1995; Abdul- Korah 2004).
    This situation compelled young women and girls to migrate independently to become head-porters, also called “Kayayei”, and engage in other informal ventures such as petty trading (Awumbila and Schandorf, 2008:171).
    Nature of the head porterage activity
    In Ghana, women are predominantly active in the informal sector and petty trading is primarily the occupational province of women (Apt, van Ham, et al., 1992). The system of head porterage is a form of petty trading and has been a part of the informal trading business for generations. The demand for porters is determined by congestion in markets and petty trading activities that require the rapid movement of wares from one place to another.
    The word kayayoo was derived from two languages. Kaya comes from the Hausa language, meaning luggage, load

    or goods, and Yoo is a Ga word meaning a woman. The word kayayoo, is a combination of the two words, meaning a young woman or a teenage girl who carries other people's loads on the head for a fee. The plural form of yoo is yei, hence kayayei are women head-porters. Because such women are ubiquitous in the towns and cities of southern Ghana, the terms kayayoo and kayayei have become part of the Ghanaian commercial vocabulary.

    Snapshot of the situation

    The actual numbers of Kayayei in Ghana is unknown, since no national survey has been conducted on the phenomenon. Nevertheless, a registration exercise of Kayayei at the Makola, Konkomba and Agbogbloshie markets in the Accra Metropolitan area by the then Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) in 2007, captured 2,432 Kayayei. A more recent study by the People's Dialogue and Ghana Federation of Urban Poor (PDGFUP) in 2011, puts the number of Kayayei at approximately

    15,000.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon Member, just give me a minute.

    So, Hon Member, you can proceed.
    Nana Oye Lithur 11:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am most grateful.
    Mr Speaker, all the studies and data available show that most Kayayei are migrant females from the Northern parts of our country. The recent Ghana Living
    Nana Oye Lithur 11:15 a.m.
    (GSS, 2008).
    In a report by PDGFUP on persons engaged in the head porterage business, it was found that, out of the 15,074 respondents, 51.4 per cent were Dagombas, 29.7 per cent were Mamprusi, 4.5 per cent were Gonja, 5.9 per cent Sissala, 0.9 per cent Akan and 7.7 per cent constituted other ethnic groups (People's Dialogue and Ghana Federation of Urban Poor,
    2011).
    Statistics produced from the Kayayei registration exercise by the then Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), indicate that of the 2,432 Ka- yayei registered, almost all respondents interviewed had migrated from the northern part of Ghana and significantly they were between the ages of 6 and 36 (MOWAC, 2007). Accordingly, these
    statistics show that most of the Ka- yayei are from the Northern parts of Ghana.
    Mr Speaker, with regard to the educational background of the Kayayei, the statistics also show that, over 50 per cent of the young girls engaged in the head porterage business have no formal education. The few who have had some form of education did not go beyond basic school level (MOWAC, 2007).
    SPACE FOR DIAGRAM - PAGE 3 -

    Reason for engaging in head porterage

    The common reason for people leaving their communities is to have a better life. Even if they know that they would be facing harder times, they take all the chances hoping to succeed. The Kayayei phenomenon is underpinned by a mixture of reasons, and as a result, makes it very complex to address. Available evidence suggests that, girls and women who frequently become kayayei do so for the following reasons:

    To raise capital to start a more profitable venture or to acquire the necessary items to enter marriage (Agarwal, et al, 1997);

    Poverty, refusal of parents to support them through school, other abusive socio-cultural practices (early or forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), et cetera and cases of being orphaned;

    For a significant number, to work briefly to raise money to pay their school fees (MOWAC, 2007). This group work for short periods and

    go back to where they came from. This is affirmed by the survey conducted by People's Dialogue and Ghana Federation of Urban Poor which indicates that 40 per cent of Kayayei have been in Greater Accra for less than one year

    (PDGFUP 2011).

    Poverty is often given as the major causal factor for people migrating to the south. A 2010 UNICEF Report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) notes Ghana is on track to achieving MDG 1, which is to halve the proportion of the population in extreme poverty. Even though the national poverty rate has declined from 51.7 per cent in 1991/92 to 28.5 per cent in 2005/6, the poverty rate in the Northern sector remains at two to three times higher than the national average (Atuluk, 2013).

    This could explain why 60 per cent of Kayayei cited financial difficulty as the major reason for their dropping out of school (Table 1).

    SPACE FOR DIAGRAM - PAGE 3 -
    Nana Oye Lithur 11:15 a.m.
    Table 1: Reason for stopping (leaving) school?
    Mr Speaker, the head porterage business is also determined by the need to acquire capital which is not available in the rural areas, thus resulting in the rural and urban drift. More recently trafficking of girls from the less endowed parts of
    the country and the conflict that broke out in certain parts of northern Ghana have become push factors. There are also other factors such as peer influence and socio-cultural issues such as early marriages (Table 2).
    Space for Table 2: Reasons for Migrating to Accra -11.25 a.m.

    Challenges faced by the kayayei

    Mr Speaker, Kayayei face numerous challenges, which cannot be fully enumerated at this moment, but for the purpose of this briefing, I will highlight the salient ones.

    Most Kayayei's operate within market areas since that is where their services are usually solicited.

    In the mornings, the market women usually engage them to carry their wares from one storage point to another, and at the end of the day, they carry the goods back to the original storage points from where the goods were carried.

    What makes the Kayayei's work difficult is the fact that, most of them work 12 hours a day and have to walk from place to place, looking for clients. Others position themselves at certain strategic locations in the market, and wait to be engaged.

    When a shopper engages a kayayoo, she has no choice but to follow the shopper from one stall to another, carrying the items purchased. When the shopper is done, the kayayoo may still carry the items to the client's vehicle in the city car parks or to a public transport terminal.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon Members, can we have some order?
    Nana Oye Lithur 11:35 a.m.
    The first is the Bolsa Familia initiative by former Brazilian President, Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva in 2003. Bolsa Familia is noted as the largest cash transfer programme in the world.
    Under the programme, families earning less than 140 Reais (US$82) receive a monthly allowance of 32 Reais (US$19) per child attending school for up to five children. In return, the family gives an undertaking to ensure that, the children remain in school and are sent for regular health checks. The allowance is preferably given to a female head of the household and the allowances are withdrawn through a debit card system to facilitate monitoring and tracking of the funds.
    The programme has reached over 48 million people from 12 million families, out of an estimated national population of 199.32 million. The Bolsa Familia programme costs less than 1 per cent of Brazil's GDP and about 2.5 per cent of the total government expenditure. Successes recorded include:
    Reduction of income inequality;
    Reduction of population living in extreme poverty;
    Improvement in school performance and health of beneficiaries;
    Emergence of small businesses is in poor areas;
    Rural development; and
    Reduction in regional inequalities.
    The second example, Mr Speaker, is the Oportunidades (originally known as Progresa) results-based financing (RBF) programme of Mexico. This is a conditional
    Nana Oye Lithur 11:35 a.m.


    With the realistic view that, a minority of the Kayayei may continue to engage in the practice, it would be important to consider measures which would protect the dignity and economic wellbeing of Kayayei. To this end, research has shown that, information commu- nication technology (1CT) has a great potential to assist Kayayei. Ghana's progress in ICT has been praised across the world and the ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) has been recognised as a measure and medium for assisting Kayayei.

    In 2012, a study on migrant head porters in Ghana, presented to the 2012 International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance, Kayayei who were interviewed in Ghana

    identified micro-banking, money transfer, health awareness information, weather- related information, incidence reporting and popular participation as services they could access from their mobile phones. Coming from the Kayayei themselves, and they are here with us in the House. Mr Speaker, it would be critical for the Government to consider the full integration of Kayayei into the ICT4AD in the longer- term.

    In conclusion, Mr Speaker, there is the need to acknowledge that the pheno- menon is a national challenge. The development, well being and best interest of these young sisters must be a priority of all of us and not my Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection alone. The current budget of my Ministry is limited so we would need additional support to address these intervention.

    SPACE FOR PICTURE - PAGE 14 - 11.35

    A.M.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Minister.
    Hon Members, I know a lot of you would want to contribute. It all started from the point in time when an Hon Member made a Statement on this floor regarding the Kayayei problem.
    I would want to direct that the Hon Minister's Statement be referred to the Committee on Gender and Children for their consideration and for them to liaise with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to find solutions to the problems raised, and for them to submit a Report to this august House for our consideration. I believe that would give us more room to make contributions.
    Beyond that, I am also directing that, the Hon Minister's Statement be made available and distributed to all Hon Members of this august House, so that we would have the opportunity of reading through it in detail. At the appropriate
    time when the Report is submitted to this House, we would have the opportunity to have indepth discussions when Hon Members would be able to make their contributions. I think this will help us.
    Hon Minister, thank you very much for attending upon this House. We are very grateful.
    Some Hon Members 11:35 a.m.
    [Tweaa!]
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Hon Members, order! Order!
    I believe that, we are all aware of the fact that the word “Tweaa” has been declared unparliamentary --[Uproar] -- Therefore, we should be careful how we go about it.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Mr Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we have presentation of Papers at item 5 on the Order Paper.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Item number what?
    Mr Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Item 5 on the Order Paper.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Very well.
    Mr Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, two things. I thought I did not hear you give any time frame for the matter that you just raised, so if you could do that.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon Members, I believe that a time frame of about one calendar month, is it too long? Two weeks is all right? Within a time frame of two weeks the Committee should submit its Report to this House, at least, two weeks from today.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I indicated that, I was going to relate to two issues. The first one is what you have just addressed. The second one relates to the proscription of the word Tweaa. Mr Speaker, if you want to bring it to the front burner, indicate to us in strong terms that it has been banned, I shudder to think about what may happen to His Excellency, who employed the word most profusely in the House -- [Laughter.]
    Mr Speaker, I do not know what you may do to His Excellency so, I thought you were not going to bring it back at all.
    Mr Enoch T. Mensah 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the President was lured into the word Tweaa -- He only rebutted it. So, he cannot be part of it. After you have mentioned it four times before he made a response. So, Mr Speaker, I think he cannot be part of it.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with respect, what I said was that, the President employed the word -- He used it profusely in the House. Hon E.T. Mensah is saying that, he was lured into using the word. The question is, did he use it or did he not use it? In any event, Mr Speaker, if anybody is purported to have lured the President into it, nobody is on record to have used the microphone to use the word.
    So, it was self-inflicted but as I said, I thought that, that was in the lighter vein.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Very well, Hon Members, I believe that the Hon Speaker, gave a ruling on this issue. I am not the person to reverse it. I was only drawing attention to the existence of that ruling and for the necessary compliance, that is it.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, you referred to item number 5. Can we take it --
    Mr Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, there is an Addendum Order Paper which has been circulated -- Presentation of Paper by the Minister for Energy and Petroleum.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    You are talking about the Addendum?
    Mr Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, very well. Then, we can deal with the addendum. Minister for Energy and Petroleum, is he in the House?
    PAPERS 11:45 a.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Very well, we would take item (ii) and then, I would make the necessary referral.
    By the Minister for Energy and Petroleum
    -- 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the presenta- tion of the Annual Report of the National Commission on Civic Education for the year 2011 to be laid by the Majority Leader. Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to lay it on behalf of the Majority Leader.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon Minority Leader, what is your response.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think we do not have any objection to that. I have always insisted that, in laying this particular Paper and such others as this one, the Majority Leader does so in his capacity as Majority Leader and not as Minister incharge of Government Business.
    There is the Deputy, and I think I am in agreement that he does so. This is because, if it is in his Ministerial capacity, then the Deputy cannot do so on his behalf. But I believe he has the right to lay it.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Thank you very much. Item number 5 on the original Order Paper.
    By the Deputy Majority Leader (on behalf) of the Majority Leader --
    Annual Report of the National Commission on Civic Education for the year 2011.
    Referred to the Special Budget Committee.
    Mr Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, item 6 -- Anti Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill, 2013 at the Consideration Stage.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon Members, I wonder, do we have enough time to deal with this particular subject matter? The sector Minister is not available here, neither is her Deputy.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Chairman of the Committee is here. He is a very competent person, no doubt about that, but he agrees with me, that every now and then, as we made progress on the Bill, he was in close consultation with the sector Minister.
    Mr Speaker, it is imperative that we have this so that, we know we are on the right track for which reason, I would suggest that we defer further consideration of the Bill. I would advise the Deputy Majority Leader at this juncture to do the right thing.
    Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I definitely take a cue from the Chair and I also get the sense of the House. I agree with the Hon Minority Leader that, it is important and necessary for the spon- soring Ministry to be represented at the highest level. This is because, most of the clauses deal with policy matters. That is why I was in constant discussion with the Hon Deputy Attorney-General and Deputy Minister for Justice.
    So, I do agree that, in the absence of the political Leadership of the Ministry, it is not advisable to go on with the consideration of the Bill. I do not object to us taking it probably to next week and not tomorrow. Tomorrow is Friday, so if we could do it on Tuesday, we would be available to do it.
    Dr Anthony A. Osei 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just want to remind the House and your goodself of your statement on this matter the last time we met. I think you advised that some discussions should take place on those issues. Even in the light of that, can we be advised if those discussions have taken place and whether or not we are in a position to proceed? So, I agree with the Hon Chairman.
    Mr Bagbin 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the discussions are ongoing but it was with regard to some specific clauses. So, we could continue with the rest of the clauses that have no problems. But we would definitely conclude the discussions before we move those clauses.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Thank you very much. Yes, Hon Minority Leader.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I sounded that we could continue the Consideration of the Bill next week. But my attention has just been drawn to an arrangement that, because we are going to commence the debate on the President's State of the Nation Address on Tuesday, we have even programmed not to have Questions in order to liberate space to deal with this rather interesting State of the Nation Address.
    So, if I may plead that, we do not even take the Consideration Stage on Tuesday, when we would be commencing the debate. I am aware that, Thursday is also 6th March and that would be Independence Day. I do not know whether we would
    now have to ferry further afield to perhaps Friday. But certainly, the first two days, we may have to concentrate on the State of the Nation Address.
    I would assure the Hon Chairman of the Committee that we would collaborate to certainly deal with the Consideration Stage and put it behind us.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Thank you very much. I think we get the sense of the House that we defer this matter to a more appropriate date. I think the Executive Committee would assist in taking that kind of decision. In the mean time, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, we are in your hands.
    Mr Alfred K. Agbesi 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, some Committees are billed to meet after adjournment. So, at this stage, I beg to move, that the House do adjourn till tomorrow 10.00 o'clock in the forenoon.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Any Member to second?
    Mr Dominic B. A. Nitiwul 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I second the Motion.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    ADJOURNMENT 11:55 a.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 12.00 noon. till Friday, 28th February, 2014 at 10.00 a.m.