Debates of 3 Jul 2015

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:05 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:05 a.m.
Mr Speaker 10:05 a.m.
Hon Members , Correction of Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 2nd July, 2015.
  • [No correction was mae to the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 2nd July, 2015.]
    • Mr Speaker 10:05 a.m.
    Hon Members, Correction of Official Report of Thursday, 25th June, 2015.

    M r S p e a k e r : Y e s , H o n D e p u t y M a j o r i t y L e a d e r ?
    Mr Alfred K. Agbesi 10:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise under Order 53 of our Standing Orders to apply that the Business of the day be varied to enable us go straight to ther Hon Minister for Health who is in the House to answer Questions. He has an equally important assignment at a certain time ofr the day so, we would want to go to that issue before we move to Public Business.
    Mr Speasker 10:05 a.m.
    Hon Members, I have been informed that the Hon Minister has an engagement at 11.00 o'clock this morning at the Presidency and on that basis, I would invite him to come and respond to the Questions.

    Hon Members, Question time, item number 4 on the Order Paper. Queestion number 386 stands in the name of the Hon Member for Yagaba/Kubori.
    ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:05 a.m.
    MINISTRY OF HEALTH 10:05 a.m.
    Minister for Health (Mr Alesander P. Segbefia) 10:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is Government's policy to provide every district with a district hospital as a first referral point at the district level. In line with this policy, the Ministry of Health is currently negotiating for concessionary funding to provide a district hospital and Mamprugu Moaduri District which has been ranked 5th in the ranking order in the Northern Region, for the provision of a district hospital as part of the Ministry of Health's C a p i t a l I n v e s t m e n t P l a n , would be priovided with one.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, this is a minor correction which I thought the Hon Minister would effect; otherwise, it would appear as if it is the Ministry that provides the district. That was what I was signalling to him.
    The fourth line, I thought it should rather read, “ negotiating for concessionary funding to provide a district hospital at Mamprugu Moaduri District”, but he read “and”, and then it appears as if it is within his remit to fashion out or create districts; but it is not.
    If that is the intendment, can he effect
    the correction?
    Mr Segbefia 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, point taken. I would make amendment to read “at” as opposed to “and”.
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Hon Member, your supplementary question.
    Mr Ussif 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Minister for Health, the agency from which the Ministry is seeking the concessionary loan to fund the district hospital for the people of Mamprugu Moaduri.
    Mr Segbefia 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, a t the moment, there are a number of concessionary fundings before the Ministry of Finance. We have the Thermax Group from the Turkish Exim Bank. We have the Alliance International from France, the Rabobank from The Netherlands, the ABB Scientific Group, the Sinohydro uncompleted projects, the ten polyclinics by Unicredit Bank and the Czech Republic. Five polyclinics by Bank Austria, a quantum solutions funding from Société Générale, Oreo, which is a Dutch funding organisation, which is to do one district hospital and five polyclinics.
    In all that funding, there is the prioritisation of which district would obtain the hospitals or the clinics. We would then begin as we get approval from the Ministry of Finance to proceed. So, those are the lists of funding arrangements that are being made currently.
    Mr Ussif 10:15 a.m.
    If I understand the Hon Minister very well, each funding source is targeted at specific districts, am I right?
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Hon Member, from what the Hon Minister said, there are a number of organisations that they are negotiating with and he has mentioned them. There is no particular one, because they are still at the negotiation level. They
    have not firmed up the negotiations. So, please, follow up with your supplementary question.
    Mr Ussif 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Hon Minister whether he is aware that Mamprugu Moaduri District, which is popularly known as the “overseas” is a district without even a blood transfusion facility and the nearest point of getting such service is about a three-hour drive from the district?
    If he is aware, what is he doing to get the district a temporary facility? This is because women in labour and other people are suffering.
    Mr Segbefia 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry takes into account three factors when prioritising which areas or districts need facilities.One is the population of the area it covers; the second is the access to the nearest facilities available; and finally, it is the level of deprivation and the facilities within the lower level or sub-district level.
    That is why at the moment, this particular area is marked as fifth in line within the Northern Region. I have taken on board the points my Hon Colleague has noted.We would ask that the Ministry or those in charge look at a reassessment of all the issues and if it means upgrading that particular facility, the ranking then would be done.
    Mr Ussif 10:15 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to refer the Hon Minister to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto 2008 -
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Please, we are not discussing NDC manifesto here.
    Please, Hon Members, we are not discussing NDC manifesto in this Chamber this morning. Please, ask your supplemen- tary question about district hospitals. Ask a supplementary question.
    Mr Kyei -Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Mr
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Agreed.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Do you agree?
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    I agree.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    So, if the question finds expression or it is contextualised in the manifesto, it is within the same -
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    The manifesto, in my view is a declaration of intent. Beyond that, Government brings policies here. They bring Appropriations here, and we approve those things for them.
    It is within those contexts when it becomes a policy approved by this House or it becomes a law. It is then that that we can hold them responsible. Beyond that, we should leave it for the political platform.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, you are aware, and I am -- you are increasingly -
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Hon Minority Leader, you know I have ruled on this matter. I have ruled that we cannot move to manifesto issues.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I accept that. I am not challenging your ruling. The point I am making is that it is not for nothing that increasingly, there is a paradigm shift to get Parliament to engage Ministers for Finance before the final submission of Budgets. It is just so that we would know that the Government's
    programme of development is - or should I say the Budget dovetails into the Government's development programme.
    Mr Speaker, that is why I am saying that -
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    The development programme in terms of the National Development Planning Agenda which they bring to this House
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Which certainly would have been contextualised in the manifesto.
    Mr Speaker, so, I would just like to
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Well, I think he is asking supplementary questions. We are not dealing with -
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we would leave it like that for now.
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Yes, for now. If we were doing general debate on an issue, it would be permissible, but asking supplementary questions and then falling on the manifesto at this stage, I think it is a little way off.
    Your last supplementary question.
    Mr Ussif 10:15 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    The good people of Mamprugu Maoduri District are looking up to you to intercede on their behalf because they are going through a lot.
    My last supplementary question. I would like to find out whether the Hon Minister can give us the exact time we should expect a district hospital or have some temporary measures to get this blood transfusion facility for our District, because we all know that women in labour lose a lot of blood. Iin such circumstances,
    to transfer patients from the district all the way to Sandema or Walewale, sometimes on motorbike is not acceptable.
    So, I would like to find out from him what measures he is putting in place temporarily to get my people decent health services.
    Mr Segbefia 10:15 a.m.
    As I indicated, Mr Speaker, we would take on board the concerns of the Hon Member.
    We do not take lightly the concerns he has raised. In the short term, we hope that the Community Health (Based) Planning Services (CHPS) compound system that is being looked at currently as a policy would be able to address some of the immediate concerns that may fall within that area.
    I have taken the points he has made on board.
    Mr Speaker 10:15 a.m.
    Hon Members, these are constituency specific questions, but we would take from -- Hon Deputy Minority Chief Whip.
    Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah 10:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister said in his Answer that it is Government's policy to provide every district with a district hospital.
    I would like to know from him, since when has that policy been in place and what is the level of implementation of that policy as of now?
    Mr Segbefia 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the need to build district hospitals has been in place,

    I am informed, for quite a while. I cannot give a specific date, but it has been an ongoing situation.

    What I can say is that, at the moment in the Ashanti Region, there are thirteen (13) district hospitals; in Brong Ahafo, there are nine (9) district hospitals; in Central Region, there are twelve (12) district hospitals; in Eastern Region, there are fourteen (14) district hospitals; in Greater Accra Region, there are six (6) district hospitals; in the Northern Region, there are twelve (12) district hospitals; Upper East, there are four (4) district hospitals; Upper West has two district hospitals; Volta and Western Regions have eight (8) district hospitals each.

    So, there are 88 district hospitals in total in the country and we are looking to ensure, as Government policy, that there should be a district hospital in each district.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I know the language of the Hon Minister; his expression of himself in the English language is impeccable.
    I was saying that I know for a fact that
    the Hon Minister's command over the English language is very impeccable. But I am not too sure what is meant by the second sentence in the Answer that he has provided.
    I would want to believe that if he has a second look, he would know that the construction there is very cumbersome in language and tenor. I believe that would not express what his own intentions are.
    Mr Speaker, with your permission, I beg to read the sentence 10:25 a.m.
    “In line with this policy the Ministry of Health is currently negotiating for concessionary funding to provide a district hospital and Mamprugu Moaduri District which has been
    Mr Speaker 10:25 a.m.
    I hope the Hon Minister would take that on board.
    Question number 405.
    Upgrade of clinic to the status of a district hospital
    (Asiwa, Bosome-Freho District)
    Q.405. Mr Kwadwo Kyei-Frimpong asked the Minister for Health what plans
    the Ministry has to upgrade the clinic at Asiwa in the Bosome-Freho District to the status of a district hospital.
    Mr Segbefia 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Asiwa, in the Bosome Freho District, has been ranked 3rd after Kumawu and Fomena in the ranking order in Ashanti Region for the provision of a district hospital. However, the construction of district hospitals are currently underway at Kumawu and Fomena and therefore Asiwa is the next on the agenda for the provision of a district hospital in the Ashanti Region.
    The programme for upgrading has not been captured in the 2015 Budget. However, in line with Government's policy to provide every district with a district hospital as a first referral point, the Ministry of Health is currently seeking concessionary funding to provide a fully functional hospital for Bosome-Freho District as part of the Ministry's Capital Investment Plan.
    Mr Kyei-Frimpong 10:25 a.m.
    Thank you, Hon Minister.
    Your Answer is quite relieving and refreshing. But I am a bit disappointed that Asiwa or Bosome-Freho District was not captured in the 2015 Budget. When are you going to include Bosome-Freho District in the budget allocation?
    Mr Segbefia 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Capital Investment Plan is one that has been put forward from 2015 to 2019; it is a four- year plan.
    In terms of district hospitals, because this particular hospital is next in line, I would like to think that it should be in the 2016 Budget.
    But without going through the details and knowing what the budget funding will be like, I do not want to categorically promise that, that is the situation. The Capital Plan is from 2015 to 2019, which encompasses the hope that every district
    should have a hospital within that period.
    Mr Kyei-Frimpong 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to assure the Hon Minister that land has been made available; un- encumbered land is there. It is about 33.45 acres. So, he is assured of land. He should include Bosome-Freho in the next allocation.
    Mr Speaker 10:25 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister indicated to us that in respect of the Kumawu and Fomena District Hospitals, construction is currently underway.
    Mr Speaker, what is meant by that? Are they ongoing? Or underway? This is because “underway” could mean prepara- tions in the pipeline.
    Mr Speaker 10:25 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Minister?
    Mr Segbefia 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Kuwamu is about 70 per cent complete and ongoing, Fomena is about 30 per cent complete.
    Mr Speaker 10:25 a.m.
    Question number 406 - Hon Member for Akim Swedru?
    Provision of District Hospital for Birim South
    Q.406. Mr Kennedy Nyarko Osei asked the Minister for Health when Birim South would be provided with a district hospital to cater for the health needs of about 190,000 people within the district.
    Mr Segbefia 10:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Akim Swedru which is the capital of the Birim South District presently ranks 6th in the
    ranking order in the Eastern Region for the provision of a district hospital.
    Presently, Government is sourcing for funds for the expansion, upgrading and provision of District Hospitals and Akim Swedru will surely come on board when funds are made available.
    Mr K. N. Osei 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the Answer given by the Hon Minister, he mentioned Akim Swedru presently being ranked 6th in the Eastern Region. I do not know the meaning of the ranking and the criteria used in the ranking for Akim Swedru to be the 6th.
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, as I indicated early on, the issues taken into account when the ranking is being done are the population of the area, the access to the nearest facility and the level of deprivation in the area.
    In order to help Hon Members of the House to know how ranking or positioning is done, we endeavour to provide the House with details of the rankings for each region so that, at least, people would know what had gone into it. If there are issues or things have changed, which means that people should be sent up further at the ladder, it would be done. At the end of the day we just -
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, how would you rank Suame because it is neither a district nor a sub-metro or a Municipality. This is just so that we would take care of the Hon Minority Leader's concern.
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, choice of words are lost - [Laughter] but it would be given the due consideration in honour of he being the Hon Minority Leader.
    Mr K. N. Osei 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would

    want to find out from the Hon Minister - now that he says they are looking for funds and when they are available, they are going to provide Akim Swedru with a district hospital, in the interim. Is there any plan by the Ministry to strengthen the current health centres within the district to cater for the health needs while Government looks for funds?
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, one of the major priorities of the Government and the Ministry, as I indicated early on, is the CHIP compounds, which would bring healthcare directly to the people at the lowest level at the communities.That should deal with the immediate concerns that I have raised.
    As I have indicated, there is a plan to upgrade or build new district hospitals over a four-year period with the Capital Investment Programme.
    Mr K. N. Osei 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister mentioned CHIP compounds. I would be happy if the Hon Minister can provide the House with the state of those compounds that he claims are in place and which are going to cater for the health needs of the people. I wish he could tell us about their present state, because I want the House to know.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, is it a question or a comment?
    Mr K. N. Osei 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am just appealing to the Hon Minister.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Very well, Hon Minister, I hope you would take that on board.
    Question number 407.
    Mr Moses Anim 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Hon Ato Arthur just called that he is on his
    way coming so I should ask the Question on his behalf. I therefore, ask for your permission to do that.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Very well.
    Office space for Health Directorate of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abrem
    Municipality
    Q.407. Mr Moses Anim (on behalf of Dr Stephen Nana Ato Arthur) asked the Minister for Health what steps the Ministry had taken to provide an office space for the Health Directorate of the Komenda/Edina/ Eguafo/Abrem Municipality.
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the issue of office accommodation for the Health Directorate has come to the attention of the Ministry of Health. The District Assembly promised to provide the accommodation but unfortunately it was not done. It was then programmed under the 2014 Capital Investment Plan of the region. However, due to the Ministry of Finance's directive on new Government of Ghana funded projects, it was put on hold.
    This project has been captured under the Ministry's Capital Investment Plan 2015-2019 and as soon as funds are secured, Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abrem Municipality would be provided with an office facility.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Members, Question number 444.
    Upgrade of Kenyasi Health Centre to a District Hospital Status
    Q.444. Mr Joseph Benhazin Dahah asked the Minister for Health when the Kenyasi Health Centre would be upgraded
    to a hospital status for the district to have a district hospital.
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Kenyasi which is the capital of the Asutifi North District presently ranks 8th in the ranking order in Brong Ahafo Region for the provision of a district hospital.
    Presently, Government is sourcing for funds for the expansion, upgrading and provision of District Hospitals and Kenyasi will surely come on board when funds are made available.
    Mr Speaker, I am sure that when the rankings are provided, as I indicated earlier, it would assist Hon Members of the House.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, your supplementary question.
    Hon Members, the rule of the House is that the Hon Member in whose name the Question stands exhausts his supplemen- tary questions and then we would call any other person.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, who are you standing up against?
    Dr A. A. Osei 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, against the Hon Minister.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Which Standing Order has he breached?
    Dr A. A. Osei 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, he misled the House by not properly mentioning “Kenyasi”. Mr Speaker, there is nothing like “KE-NYAA-SI”, it is “KENYASI”. [Interruptions.]
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Minister, what did you say? [Laughter.]
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, please, let him take me on, on this. I said “Kenyaasi”. So, if I say “Kenyasi” or Kenyaasi”, I stand corrected, but I know that everybody knows which town I am talking about.
    Mr Speaker 10:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, your supplementary question.
    Mr Dahah 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speake r, my supplemen-tary question is simple.
    I would want the Hon Minister to assure the good people of Kenyasi about the precise time that the hospital would be constructed for them.
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, timelines are difficult to give at this stage. I have indicated the ranking of Kenyasi. We would endeavour, once the rankings have been given to the House Hon Members should look at it in tandem with the so that if there is a difficulty with the ranking it can be dealt with.
    As I indicated, this is a four-year plan; from 2015 to 2019, and depending on where one fits in the ranking and the funds that are available, their district hospital would be built.
    Mr Dahah 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister has talked about the source of funding. I would want to ask him where this source would come from.
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have indicated early on the different sources of funding that are being followed through by the Ministry and the Ministry of Finance to deal with the building of hospitals and polyclinics at this stage.
    Mr Baffour-Awuah 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the
    Hon Minister says that Kenyasi is ranked 8th in Brong Ahafo for the districts that are supposed to have district hospitals. I just want to know from the Hon Minister - on the average, how many district hospitals are provided in a year?
    Mr Segbefia 10:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not in a position to answer that particular question at the moment, but I can look it up. It is always going to be subject to the funding availability that would depict how many hospitals All I can say is that there have been a lot of hospitals built in the last three years within the country and some are on- going - Polyclinics and district hospitals. I can get the full details of that and furnish it in writing to the House.
    Mr Speaker 10:45 a.m.
    Hon Minister, you promised to supply the House with the ranking order of the various districts. How soon would that information reach the House?
    Mr Segbefiah 10:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I hope that we could do it within a week, if that would suffice.We have the information; we just have to put it together.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 10:45 a.m.
    Very well. Hon Minister, we thank you very much for coming promptly and for attending upon the House and responding to Questions from Hon Members.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, may I observe that quite apart from the diligence expressed by the Hon Minister, he is always here with his able Deputy whenever he has to answer Questions here.
    Mr Speaker 10:45 a.m.
    Which is a positive sign.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:45 a.m.
    Which is a positive sign. [Laughter.]
    Mr Speaker 10:45 a.m.
    Hon Members, we go back to item number 3 --. Business Statement for the Ninth Week.
    Chairman of the Business Committee?
    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 10:45 a.m.
    Majority Leader/Chairman of the Business Committee (Mr Alban S. A. Bagbin) 10:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise to present the Business Statement for the Nineth Week ending Friday, 10th July, 2015 for and on behalf of the Business Committee.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee met on Thursday, 2nd July, 2015 and arranged Business of the House for the Nineth Week ending Friday, 10thJuly, 2015.
    Mr Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 56 (1), the Committee accordingly submits its Report as follows:
    Arrangement of Business
    Question(s)
    Mr Speaker, the Committee has programmed the following Ministers to respond to Questions asked of them during the week:
    No. of
    Question(s)
    i. Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing -- 1
    ii. Minister for Local Government and Rural Development -- 3
    i i i . M i n i s t e r f o r E d u c a t i o n
    -- 1
    iv. Minister for Health -- 2
    v. Minister for Power -- 5
    vi. Minister for Roads and Highways -- 6
    Total number of Questions -- 18 Mr Speaker, six (6) Ministers are expected to attend upon the House to respond to
    eighteen (18) Questions during the week. The Questions are of the following types:
    i. Urgent - 2
    ii. Oral - 16
    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.
    Extended Sittings
    Mr Speaker, the House may extend Sitting beyond the time stipulated in Order 40(2) when the need arises to enable the completion of scheduled business.
    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.

    Urgent Question --

    (a) Ms Shirley AyorkorBotchwey (Anyaa/Sowutuom): To ask the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing when the Lafa River storm drain will be constructed.

    (b) M r O s e i B o n s u A m o a h (Akuapim South): To ask the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development what steps are being taken to prevent floods in Accra and other regional capitals in the country.

    Questions --

    *373. Mr Kofi Okyere-Agyekum (Fanteakwa South): To ask the
    Majority Leader/Chairman of the Business Committee (Mr Alban S. A. Bagbin) 10:45 a.m.
    Minister for Local Government and Rural Development when the Ehiamenkyene Market, which is a major source of revenue for the Fanteakwa District Assembly, will be constructed.
    *374. Mr Kofi Frimpong (Kwabre East): To ask the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development when the refuse dumps at Ahwia- Overseas, Ahwia-Anyinam, Fawade, and Asenua will be evacuated to forestall an outbreak of cholera and related diseases in the area.
    Statements
    Presentation of Papers --
    (a) Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor-General on the state-ment of foreign exchange receipts and payments of the Bank of Ghana for the half-year ended 31st December, 2012.
    (b) Adoption of the Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor- General on the statement of foreign exchange receipts and payments of the Bank of Ghana for the Half-year Ended 30th June, 2013.
    (c) Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the performance audit report of the Auditor- General on the regulation of residential homes for Children (Orphanages) by the Department of Social Welfare (DSW).
    (d) Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the
    Auditor-General on the manage- ment of petroleum funds for the period May, 2011 to December
    2012.
    Consideration Stage of Bills --
    Intestate Succession Bill, 2013. (Continuation of Debate)
    Millennium Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
    Committee sittings.

    Questions --

    *456. Mr Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus- Glover (Tema East): To ask the Minister for Education what effort the Ministry is making to provide a permanent office complex for the Tema Metropolitan Education Directorate.

    *445. Mr Sanja Nanja (Atebubu/ Amantin): To ask the Minister for Health what measures the Ministry is putting in place to provide an additional ward for the only forty- five (45) bed capacity ward at the Atebubu/Amantin District Hospital which is shared among male and female patients.

    *446. Mr Frank Boakye Agyen (Effiduase/Asokore): To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry has been able to employ all newly trained Ghanaian medical doctors, if so, how many and where have they been posted.

    Statements

    Motions

    Third Reading of Bills --

    Petroleum Revenue Management (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

    Consideration Stage of Bills --

    Intestate Succession Bill, 2013. (Continuation of Consideration)

    Chieftaincy (Amendment) Bill,

    2013.

    Committee sittings.

    Questions --

    *330. Mr Wahab Wumbei Suhuyini (Tolon): To ask the Minister for Power when electricity supply from the National Grid will be extended to the following communities in the Tolon Constituency: (i) Koblimahigu (ii) Botingli; (iii) Gbambaya; (iv) Tuzeenayili; (v) Naha; (vi) Gbanjogla; (vii) Walshe; (viii) Kpalsogukuraa; (ix) Zantani.

    *443. Mr Ameen Salifu (Wa East): To ask the Minister for Power when electricity supply from the national grid will be extended to the following communities: (i) Loggu Sagu; (ii) Binteng; (iii) Saawubelee; (iv) Kulun; (v) Kataa.

    *452. Mr Anthony Osei Boakye (Atwima Nwabiagya South): To ask the Minister for Power when electricity will be extended from Mile 19 Junction to the following communit ies in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Constituency: (i) Ahwia; (ii) Bankyease; (iii) Ntabanu; (iv) Akuapem.

    *460. Mr Mohammed Salisu Bamba (Ejura-Sekyedumase): To ask the Minister for Power why the following communities have not been connected to the national electricity grid even though wiring has been completed since 2012: (i) Mbanaa; (ii) Kantankani; (iii) Kyenkyenkura; (iv) Dwenewoho.

    *462. Mr Ben Abdallah Banda (Offinso South): To ask the Minister for Power when the following villages will be connected to the national electricity grid: (i) Agogo; near Kwapanin; (ii) Asuboi; near Kwapanin.

    Statements--

    Motions

    (a) Adoption of the Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor -General on the Statement of foreign exchange receipts and payments of the Bank of Ghana for the half-year ended 31st December, 2012.

    (b) Adoption of the Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Report of the Auditor- General on the statement of foreign exchange receipts and payments of the Bank of Ghana for the Half-year ended 30th June,

    2013.

    Consideration Stage of Bills --

    Income Tax Bill, 2015.

    Committee sittings.

    Questions

    *281. MrKwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (Sunyani East): To ask the Minister for Roads and Highways when
    Dr A. A. Osei 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to crave the indulgence of the Leader of Government Business, if the Business Committee could consider an amendment, where we can have a Committee of the Whole to discuss our moving into the building and other important matters next week. I understand we would rise at the end of the month and it would be prudent to address these matters early so that the appropriate management can take the decision before we rise. So if that could be considered.
    Secondly, there is a matter that I thought would be in the Business Statement but it is not.
    The Second Deputy Speaker ruled, not too long ago, that the Hon Minister for Petroleum should bring before us, first, the work programme which we have and the Sinopec contract by June 13, 2015. Today is July 3, 2015. He has not come and he is not programmed. I wonder what
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Hon Member, my attention has been drawn to the fact that the Clerk's office has received the Sinopec Agreement. My attention was drawn to it this morning but looking at the headline, I would want to discuss it with the Leaders whether this is a document that ought to be laid in the House.
    This is because, jurisdiction is conferred by law and therefore, if on the face of the document, it is not one that ought to be laid, maybe, we do so for information or approval purposes only.
    This is a matter I would want to discuss with the Leaders first. My attention was drawn to it this morning by the Clerks-at-the-Table in my Lobby. I have the document here. It is between two companies.
    Dr A. A. Osei 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I take a cue from that. We await your directions.
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Hon Member for Efutu?
    Mr Alexander K. Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, on 15th May, 2015, the Hon Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hon Okity- Duah, in answering a Question on the state of premix fuel, indicated that the Government was in short supply of the dye which is used for the colouring and they had made some orders for same to be supplied from South Africa.
    Mr Speaker, unfortunately, we are in the fishing season and there are still complaints of insufficient premix fuel from Aflao to Sanzule, including Keta my paternal hometown and Effutu my maternal hometown. They are all fishermen.
    Mr Speaker, I was looking forward to
    a situation where the Hon Minister would be programmed to give us an update as to whether the dyes have come. This is because when the season passes, Mr Speaker, our people would not have -
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    What issue are you raising? Please, go straight to the point.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, you were not in the Chair, so I wanted to give the background.
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    You do not even know how to pronounce your paternal hometown.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, me be Keta aloo?
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Continue.
    Dr A. A. Osei 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, yesterday, the First Deputy Speaker gave directives that if anybody speaks any Ghanaian language, he should be prepared to translate. The Hon Member just spoke a Ghanaian language and he has not translated. Those were directives from the Hon First Deputy Speaker, so he should, at least,translate for the rest of us to understand what he said.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I spoke a little Anlo which means “I said”. What I said, me be means ‘I said' so if that is what he wants. I hope he has understood. Mr Speaker, you can correct me.
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Even the language you have spoken, you are seriously challenged. Do not go there.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am challenged because of Effutu.
    Mr Speaker, since time is of the
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Those who are able to buy petrol and diesel to mix - It is also very expensive and it is costing them dearly.

    Mr Speaker, I said, “thank you, God bless you”. Mawu neyrawo means “God bless you” - [Interruption.] Mr Speaker, me be de Mawu neyrawo - [Interruption] meaning, I am saying that, “God bless you”akpe nawo for giving me the opportunity. Thank you. That is what I mean.
    Mr Speaker 10:55 a.m.
    Hon Member, you are out of order. Take your seat.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:55 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Moses Anim 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, conspicuously missing in the Business Statement is the Motion to adopt the Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the performance audit of the construction of the Achimota-Ofankor Road, which was slated to have been taken this week, but it is not in the Business of the House.
    Mr Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    When was it slated to be taken?
    Mr Anim 11:05 a.m.
    It was slated to be taken

    today, in the Provisional Order Paper for -
    Mr Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    That is a continuing Business so they do not necessarily need to programme it.
    Mr Anim 11:05 a.m.
    All right Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Any other comment, so that I can invite the Hon Majority Leader, who is the Chairman of the Business Committee, to respond to the issues raised on the floor?
    Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Bagbin 11:05 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with regard to the movement into the “Job 600”, the Technical Committee put in place by the Parliamentary Service is still, together with the consultants, trying to put a few things in order before we can meet Hon Members and brief them. Since it is still ongoing, we hope that they would tighten up those knots and give us the information to brief Hon Members very soon.
    Mr Speaker, well, you have answered the other one on the Sinopec Contract, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and the (GNPC) Programme for the year.
    Mr Speaker, on the premix, definitely, my Hon Colleague knows what to do in issues of urgent matters of this nature. This is because the Committee would be meeting on Thursday and that means that, the whole of next week, nothing would have been done.
    I want to, maybe, humbly draw his attention to some of the Standing Orders that he could use. So, if it had been programmed, then it is just a reminder for him to appear before the House. So, during the Committee meetings or whatever, we could put in on daily basis whatever we want to be done.
    I was not around when the issue of pre-mix was discussed. But the Report
    that has also been mentioned or the Public Accounts Committee on the performance audit for the construction of the Achimota- Ofankor Road, is an ongoing business and I think at the appropriate time, it would be programmed for adoption by the House.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 11:05 a.m.
    Hon Members, that brings us to the end of the consideration of the Business Statement for the Ninth Week.
    The Business Statement for the Ninth Week is accordingly adopted.
    Hon Members, I have admitted one Statement this morning, standing in the name of Hon Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi.
    Hon Member, you have the floor.
    STATEMENTS 11:05 a.m.
    Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi (NPP- - Tarkwa-Nsuaem) 11:05 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker for the opportunity to make a Statement on the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy and its devastating effects on the development of our nation Ghana.
    Mr Speaker, on Thursday, 18th June, 2015, my attention was drawn to a publication in the Daily Searchlight newspaper with the caption “Pregnant Teenagers at Kissi to be paraded through town”.
    According to the report, Nana Efua Badu II, the Queen of Kissi, in the Edina-Eguafo-Abirem Munici-pality of the Central Region, worried about the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy over the years, announced at a forum organised by the Central Regional Directorate of the Department of Gender, with sponsorship
    from UNFPA that hence, there will be “a procession of parents of pregnant teenagers, men who were responsible as well as the pregnant teenagers themselves in the principal streets of Kissi to compel irresponsible parents to change and discourage teenagers from indulging in premarital sex.
    The forum which was organised for school pupils attracted many passers- by and traders. Those present at the said function, according to the report exhibited their excitement and applauded the Queen spontaneously. The Queen and the people of Kissi are worried that girls as young as eleven and twelve years were getting pregnant.
    Mr Speaker, I cannot continue without doffing my hat for the Queen of Kissi, Nana Efua Badu II. Mr Speaker, the Queen is in the gallery and all the queen mothers, especially those from Tarkwa Nsuaem Constituency for their commitment to eradicate such a problem in their traditional areas. Nananom also promise “to leave no stone unturned to reduce or end the phenomenon of high rate of teenage pregnancy”.
    Nana, I salute you and all Queens in Ghana as well as organisations who have joined the battle to reduce or eradicate this canker, which is robbing the nation of its workforce which would have been better utilised in the nation's development process if they are left to be educated.
    In 2008, a nurse at the Elmina Health centre disclosed at a forum on Teenage Pregnancy HIV/AIDS that the number of teenage pregnancy cases in KEEA was 799 and in 2007 it was 810 (www.keea. ghanadistricts.gov.gh).
    July, 2013 the Medical Director of Central Regional hospital, Dr Daniel Asare, expressed concern that teenage pregnancy is on the increase from 12,064 in 2010 and 13,059 in 2011 to 13,789 in
    Mrs Queenstar P. Sawyerr (NDC - Agona East) 11:15 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this important Statement made by my Hon Colleague, the Hon Member for Tarkwa- Nsuaem.
    Mr Speaker, teenage pregnancy is fast becoming a canker in our Ghanaian society today and it is important for all stakeholders to join forces to fight this menace. As I listened to my Hon Colleague, a lot of figures were mentioned.
    I have tallied them and she is correct in every figure she has given. I congratulate her for this good job. I am a bit worried about my region, the Central Region because the figures I have from all the regions, it looks like my region has the highest. We had between the years 2012 and 2015, 53,000 teenage mothers.
    When it happens like this, they drop out of school, become single parents and are added to the disadvantaged of the Government like the Livelihood
    Mr Speaker 11:15 a.m.
    Hon Member for Effutu, please maintain order.
    Mrs Sawyerr 11:15 a.m.
    I would encourage parents to spend time with their children and supervise them. I would also encourage my Colleague Members of Parliament to have a three way course of Teachers, Parents and Members of Parliament to supervise our children so that they would succeed. We cannot leave it to the parents, Members of Parliament or teachers alone.
    I am happy about this Statement and I want to commend the Government for instituting counselling for the adolescent girls in schools. I plead that the Government institutes this in most communities, especially in the Central Region where we have a lot of teenage pregnancies.
    Mr Speaker, I believe this would help curb the canker which has become something most parents cannot handle.
    To conclude, I urge all MPs to show interest in their constituency so that we can support the girl child.
    Ms Esther Dappah Obeng (NPP - Abirem) 11:25 p.m.
    Thank you Mr Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Statement made by the Hon Member for Tarkwa-Nsuaem.
    I observed that the Hon Member gave a lot of figures but the one which intrigued me was Ghana; 143 out of 1,000 teenage girls get pregnant. In Burkina Faso, 187 out of 2,000 girls get pregnant but in Switzerland, eight out of 1,000 girls get pregnant. So, this could closely be linked to poverty and bad parenting and I would
    suggest that at all levels, poverty must be eradicated from our society.
    Mr Speaker, another observation is that even though in Switzerland, with all this sex education and other education that they receive, still, eight girls out of 1,000 get pregnant. So, whatever you do, some would fall out of the net. What do we do to these girls who fall into this predicament? Pregnancy is a traumatic experience for an elderly person, let alone a teenager and when a teenager gets pregnant, the first thing is that she is frightened.
    She is frightened because she has no job or money, her body would change, she does not know what goes on in her body and she does not know who to talk to.
    The first person she would probably turn to is the man or young boy who made her pregnant, and usually, these young men are also frightened and sometimes run away and leave them. So, she would talk to her friends who would give her bad advice and this has resulted in the figure quoted by the Hon Member for Tarkwa- Nsuaem, three million teenage girls go through unsafe abortions.
    Mr Speaker, my suggestion is that, there must be help lines and counselling centres, where people can walk in or phone to talk to experienced women who have been through the same experiences and advise them as to what to do. At least, by doing this, most of the unsafe abortions would be curtailed.
    Mr Speaker, also, there must be education for the girls on the prenatal conditions that they are in. They must be educated as to how to feed well so that the baby they are carrying will be healthy. That education must go on, on how to dress well and how to keep focus because there would be a lot of advice given to them.
    A lot of loathing, parents would be telling them we told you so, why do you always go out, friends would be scolding them and so they must be advised and educated as to how to keep focus and keep
    the baby and have safe delivery and have a healthy baby.
    After delivery, there must also be a postnatal care; care for the mother, and care for the baby. But after all that, the girl who has had the baby must be remolded, empowered, educated, go to school to get a career.
    At this stage, I would commend a lady called Rhoda Doku, for the amazing job that she is doing with these teenage girls. Teaching them craft, encouraging them, raising capital to help them set-up small businesses so that the young mother can be on her feet and look after herself well and know that all is not lost and that she would carry on and look after her baby.
    Mr Speaker, another experience is that, people must register with the social services. When people who are matured, are on the register, they can be linked to these young pregnant girls so that they would help them.
    I have had an experience to adopt a teenage girl into my home, helped her through the pregnancy and the delivery and put her back on her feet. This can also be adopted so that people would be on the register and they can be of use to such girls.
    Lastly, Mr Speaker -
    Mr Speaker 11:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, the rules are very clear. Your comments are supposed to be very brief.
    Ms Obeng 11:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, lastly, there must be recreational centres to find out what teenagers want so that they can have places to go and gather and share ideas instead of going about with boys and getting pregnant.
    rose rose
    Mr Speaker 11:25 p.m.
    Gender balance. Deputy Minister for Food Agriculture.
    Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan (NDC - Mion) 11:25 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement on such an important subject that affects most families in the world and in Ghana.
    I think the Statement has identified the location of the problem which stance, I do believe, is with very bad parenting. It is a case today, that many parents are simply too busy to look after their children in particular at their very critical stages of development where the children are not sure because they are developing minds and transitioning into adulthood and parents are too busy and absent from the home to let the teenagers know what they should do and should not do, et cetera.
    It is important that as parents, we review our attitude towards our own responsibilities in the home and ensure that when our children are moving from childhood, through teenage level to adulthood, that is the time they need us most and that is the time we need to interact with them most so that if there are any mistakes we made at that stage of our development, they stand an opportunity to get corrected so that they do not run into problems.
    In certain cases, the way we even relate with some of the youngsters, the way they present themselves to society and the way we encourage them to present themselves to the society eventually ends up with such problems.
    Mr Speaker, we have a situation of youngsters being inundated with volumes of information on the internet and we do not have a policy that can disaggregate this information to what such people should consume and what adults should consume.
    Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan (NDC - Mion) 11:25 p.m.


    Even ordinary television, even though films are classified into family viewing and adult viewing et cetera, many homes do not make this difference known and so, we find youngsters watching things that are of adult nature and they would feel like experimenting at their own level when they are outside the home. I believe this has to be taken on board seriously.

    Recent statistics published by the Ghana AIDS Commission indicated that the prevalence age of HIV/AIDS is coming down to about 1.6 per cent or so. Unfortunately, it is rising among the category of teenagers which was somewhere between 16 and 25 years. If these group of people are not restrained, they would come to undermine the very statistics of the HIV prevalence that we have in the country. I believe the earlier we took steps as a country, as families, as parents to restrain and arrest this problem, the better for all of us as a country.
    Mr Speaker 11:25 p.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker, takes the Chair.
    MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
    Dr Alhassan 11:32 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, it has been suggested that education be provided to these teenage girls who get pregnant. But as a country, we have to be careful and try to take certain policies and not laugh away certain policies that are taken by Government. Sometime, when Government took a decision to distribute sanitary pads to girls in schools, it was a subject of ridicule in the press.
    I was not particularly happy because, education of the child about her sexuality starts with the child recognising that she is matured and must look after her body.
    One of the cardinal points is taking care of herself during the time they have their menstruation. I believe that if we begin to recognise that this constituency teenage girls have to be looked after, I believe they would be making a head way in the fight against this phenomenon of teenage pregnancy.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to conclude by supporting the Statement and urging us that it must be an all attack on this phenomenon and it must start squarely at the home level and with good parenting as a people.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end of this particular Statement.
    Hon Members, there is a second Statement admitted by the Rt Hon Speaker which stands in the name of the Hon Member for Tano North Consti-tuency.
    The State of Ghana Prisons Service
    Ms Freda Akosua O. Prempeh (NPP Tano North) 11:35 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make this Statement on the state of the Ghana Prisons Service.
    Mr Speaker, over the years, much has been said about decongesting our prisons and making the prisons suitable to reform the inmates. Persistently, however, the population of prisoners keeps increasing. The situation is aggravated by the daily influx of remand prisoners.
    The situation at Duayaw Nkwanta Settlement Camp, which is in my constituency, sad to relate, is not different from other prison establishments nationwide. Indeed, there are many problems.
    These problems arise as a result of:
    1. Inadequate budgetary allocation, inadequate feeding rate, high remand population, poor health delivery, poor sanitation, lack of reformatory, learning and training facilities, et cetera.
    2. Poor conditions of service for staff, inadequate decent residential and office accommodation for prisons personnel.
    3. Slow judicial processes.
    4. Lack of a well thought-through national prisons policy,
    5. Lack of electronic national database on prisoners, et cetera
    The way forward
    The construction of prison hospital and clinic in every region with an inmate population of 1000 or more is crucial. The construction of these health facilities must go in tandem with adequate staffing and logistics.
    In the interim, however, existing infirmaries should be adequately resourced to ensure that inmates receive better health care while in lawful custody.
    At present, those on remand are being catered for by the Prisons Service, except for their transpor- tation to and from court. Therefore, taking over the transportation of same will be a minor addition to the mandate of the Prisons Service. This should however, come with the necessary logistical support.
    This would help expedite the trial processes as suspects will be sent to court on schedule thereby reducing congestion in the prisons.
    Ms Freda Akosua O. Prempeh (NPP Tano North) 11:35 a.m.


    Mr Speaker, it is recommended that detention centres be constructed to ensure that remand and convicts are not held at common places. This measure will also be useful in our quest to decongest the prisons.

    Some convicts, who are almost completing their sentences in prison, could be placed in what is known as prisons-operated halfway houses, community-based restitution pro- grammes and work release centres.

    Construction of modern prison facilities to augment the capacity of existing prisons.

    Provision of electronic national database (records on prisoners) to capture all biometric features of the inmates for effective identification and classification of prisoners.

    There should be an effective collaboration among key stake- holders in criminal justice system to solve the remand problems.

    Improvement of staff working conditions to attract and retain qualified professionals.

    Adequate budget allocation and feeding rates must be established to ensure the proper nutrition and upkeep of prisoners.

    Mr Speaker, this Statement is not intended to apportion blame to any single institution. Therefore, the institutions involved in criminal justice system are being entreated to co-operate to finding appropriate solutions to these challenges. We must be in a position to enforce a system that ensures that no matter the crime, a suspect should be able to know his or her fate within the shortest possible time.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Hon Members, the floor is opened for contributions.
    Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome (NDC South Tongu) 11:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I want to use this occasion to congratulate the Hon Member who made the Statement. It comes at the time that there is so much being done by the Executive, to as it were, improve on the situation in our prisons.
    Mr Speaker, currently, it is known all over the world that prison must not be seen as a form of punishment so that when one is imprisoned, the aim is to get the person reformed when he or she finishes the term. But, the situation currently in our prisons give the indication and as a matter of fact, some come out more hardened than at the time they were actually incarcerated. That is not too good.
    I was listening to the news a while ago when I was driving to Parliament and there were lots of testimonies by people who were actually being considered to be granted some opportunity to be freed by the President The programme currently being undertaken to allow people who have behaved very well and for certain reasons, be freed.
    That the situation they met, for
    instance, the Nsawam Prisons that ought to take about 800 inmates, ended up taking in over 3,000, all congested in very small rooms and having very bad sanitary conditions and not too good at all for human habitation. Some share very affective stories about their being in the prisons.
    Mr Speaker, the call by the Hon Member who made the Statement, also putting forward some suggestions, possibly to look at the number of remand cases that we are currently experiencing, and also probably to begin looking at community service, like it is in other jurisdictions, of people who are first time offenders. These, I think in a way, would help decongest the prisons so that at the end of the day, we will be able to realise the aim of getting inmates reformed and well integrated into the society so that they do not get back to fall culprits to some of the things that forced them into becoming hardened criminals.
    Mr Speaker, I woud want to share an experience that I was party to in my constituency, when one person who was involved in a drug case and as a result was incarcerated. When he came back, his testimony was that, he wanted to go back because he had made some very fantastic friends. What he did was that, he was involved in another case the following day and as a result, he had to be imprisoned again.
    Some have found more solace to be in prison instead of getting integrated with their families; brothers and sisters and probably help to get some suitable job and improve on their lives.
    This is very important and in a way, we need to look at it and commend H.E the President and the work being done by the Prisons Council, led by Rev Dr Stephen Wengam and his colleagues and also, the call on the general society to continue to
    support with some donations to improve on the services of the Prisons, as well as the facilities as it is currently. I think that will help to really bring about what we all want, to be at parallel with what exist in other jurisdictions.
    Mr Speaker, I think the Hon Member who made the Statement has done well by bringing the issue to the fore, as a way of drumming home the call being made all over, for us to support in improving on the situation currently pertaining in our prisons.
    Mr Alexander K. Afenyo-Markin (NPP Effutu) 11:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, meda woase de ama me kwan de menkasa. Oye me enyigye de Hon MP, Freda Prempeh aofi Tano Northodzedemasemyiabotogua. Onnye me nwanwa, osandenankasaoayeedwumawo
    - 11:35 a.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, I hope you are prepared to translate?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:35 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker, in obedience to your ruling.
    Mr Speaker, oaye edwuma wo Prisons
    Service da ntsionyimdzaokodo wo ho na haw a nkorofo wo mu.Nkye Mr Speaker, oba no de obi kadafiedze a, nankyeoyeasotwe a -
    Mr Alfred Agbesi 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we admire our Hon Colleague for speaking the local language. All of us would have wished that was the situation, but this House goes by rules and in our Standing Orders, it is said that, we could speak the languages listed; Ga, Akan et cetera.
    Mr Speaker, it is provided further that when facilities for translation are made available, we could then resort to the use of
    the Ghanaian languages. I believe that as of now, the facilities are not yet available.
    Much as I wish that we can all speak the language for our people who cannot easily understand the English language to follow, I believe that we should go by the rules. For instance, if the one who is making the statement decides to do the interpretation, it may not necessarily be accurate and appropriate, hence, there may be problems.
    In order for all of us to be on the same level, we can go by the provisions in the Standing Orders, so that we are seen to be at the same level and moving along the same line. Mr Speaker, I think that these are the few things I would want to point out to my Hon Colleague.
    Yes, we would want to speak the Ghanaian language, but are the facilities available for interpretation? We all agree that, we need to amend our Standing Orders and the process is ongoing. If at the end that becomes a reality, we shall all be happy for it.
    Dr A. A. Osei 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would have agreed with the Hon Deputy Majority Leader of this House. The Standing Orders say that and I beg to quote,
    “…provided the facilities exist in the House for its interpretation.”
    However, in this House, we go by the directives of the Hon Speaker. The Hon Speaker yesterday - I stand to be corrected - said that, it would be all right if the Hon Member would immediately translate. In fact, when he started the Hon Speaker reminded him that he hoped the Hon Member would translate.
    So, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, if the Hon Speaker has so directed, so be it. I think as part of the Leadership, he should pay attention to the Hon Speaker's direction so that we can move forward.
    It is either he was not here or he was not listening to the Hon Speaker. Either way, I suggest to the Hon Deputy Majority Leader that once the Hon Speaker has directed, he should allow the Hon Speaker's directive to prevail in this House. Otherwise, there would be mayhem, if Leadership is seen not to be following the Hon Speaker's directive.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon Members, I gave that directive based on what has been the practice in this House. In spite of Standing Order 47 which you referred to, the practice has been that, when you use any Ghanaian language, you are required to translate it into the English language. So, I was expecting that after every single sentence, he would translate it into the English language and not to move the whole Statement in the Ghanaian language and then attempt to translate it into English language.
    Hon Member, provided you would take it sentence by sentence,so that after each sentence, you would translate it into the English language. That has been the practice in this House.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with the greatest respect, Standing Order 47 reads and I beg to quote,
    “The proceedings of Parliament shall ordinarily be conducted in English Language, except that a Member may exercise the option to address the House in either Akan, Nzema, Ga, Ewe, Hausa, Dagbani, Dagaare or [there is a disjunctive use of language] in any other local language provided facilities exist in the House for its interpretation”
    Mr Speaker, the use of that disjunctive construction in my view means that, for the regular languages that have been mentioned; Akan, Nzema, Ga, Ewe,
    Hausa, Dagaare, they are as a matter of necessity.
    It would be provided for. If you look at the disjunctive effect of that language used, it is where one is using any other language apart from the ones listed that you must ensure that facilities exist.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    I disagree with you.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker, I may be disagreed with -
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon Member, I disagree with you. Please, take you seat.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:45 a.m.
    Very well.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    I disagree with you. It is making provisions for some other languages apart from those listed, but if the facility is not there, clearly, you cannot go ahead and use it.
    But by practice, we have given ourselves a little room to manoeuvre that you use a Ghanaian Language and you are prepared to translate it into English Language immediately. Because we are not good translators, that is a risk. You could even be translating the words into English language in a very wrong manner. But if it is a sentence or two and you are translating it into English language, that is fine. But to read a whole Statement in any of these languages and after that translate it, I think that would be running against the practice of the House.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you. You have ruled but I would be happy if after 22 years you would encourage the House to ensure - we have the Ghana Institute of Languages; we have a lot of people who have studied to advance level - Dagbani, Gonja, Akan, Ewe, Hausa - so that we make provisions here.
    We are 22 years of parliamentary life. So Mr Speaker, I believe that the other aspects would be taken on board so that as soon as practicable, those facilities would be made available.
    That notwithstanding, I would proceed in the normal English language as required.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Thank you.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I hope I would be forgiven when I make grammatical errors. - [Laughter.]
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for Old Tafo?
    Dr A. A. Osei 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, in consonance with the Hon Speaker's directive, at least the part that he spoke in Akan, he should translate for the rest of us, to be sure that he said the right thing. That part should be translated.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Very well.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, basically, I thanked the Hon Member for Tano North, Hon Freda Prempeh, for making the Statement. I commended her and also said that it does not come as a surprise because she was once a Prison Officer.
    I went further to say that, normally, when people are incarcerated, it is supposed to help them to reform. But as Mr Speaker may be aware, when they get there, they rather learn all manner of social vices that in the end, instead of them being reformed, they come back worse and be extra burden for society.
    My Hon Colleague, Mr Woyome, gave his own example of somebody who was incarcerated. He came back and said that, he had made some new friends and all that, but within 24 hours he found himself back to the prisons.
    So, Mr Speaker, I would proceed from there.
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for Shai Osudoku, are you up on a point of order?
    Mr David T. Assumeng 11:45 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I also need your guidance on this. Just as he has done the interpretation, I believe he would write same in the language for the Hansard Department to capture it in the Hansard.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
    Hon Member, I believe that his interpretation is what the Hansard would capture.
    Mr Assumeng 11:45 a.m.
    Thank you Mr Speaker.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to take this opportunity to commend her Ladyship, the Chief Justice for this policy of Justice for All. In fact, it has helped in decongesting our prisons.
    We have some Court of Appeal Judges and also some High Court Judges who have been assigned on this.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon Member, are you up on a point of order?
    I believe it has to do with the collaborative effort, which you want to talk about. It is not just the Chief Justice, but the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, the Ghana Prisons Service and the Ghana Police Service as well. It is a collaborative effort. I do not think it is just the effort of the Chief Justice.
    Mr George Loh 11:55 a.m.
    That is so, Mr Speaker; I thank you for already making
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, was the Hon Member on a point of order or point of information? This is because, the Standing Orders is a sacred book. He should quote what - Mr Speaker, he is now at the front seat - [Interruptions] - Mr Speaker, for him to - because I did not get what he is -
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Order! Order!
    I believe that the point he is making is that, this is a House of record, so if you are talking about a newspaper having said something, first of all, you should give the name of the newspaper, the source, the publication, the date and so on.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is a matter of public knowledge and record that, there is a policy of justice for all, whereupon the Hon Lady Chief Justice has assigned some Court of Appeal and High Court judges to spearhead that.
    Of course, just as you have mentioned, it is a collaborative effort; the learned Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice's Office, the Ghana Police Service, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and some other institutions that have human rights as their focus have all joined. The Ghana Bar Association has also joined in that. Mr Speaker, I believe if the Judiciary is resourced to continue with this drive, we would in the long term decongest our prisons.
    Mr Speaker, but equally important is the issue of our police prosecutors and investigators being well resourced. This is because, Mr Speaker, those of us at
    the Bar, including your very good Self - [Interruption].
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon Member, are you up on a point of order?
    Mr Richard Quashigah 11:55 a.m.
    Rightly so, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I believe that my Hon Colleague on the other side of the isle did not take into cognisance the point of order that was raised earlier. It is true that a matter may be of public knowledge, but since this is a House of record, I think it is pertinent that one would categorically point to which documents the individual is referring to.
    Mr Speaker, but if we would all get up to say that a matter is of public knowledge, for which reason it would no longer be necessary for us, as it were, to indicate which material one is quoting from, I think that would lead to some degeneration and chaos.
    So, I think it would be necessary for him, as a matter of record, to point to us which source he is specifically referring to, so that it would not be a matter of paraphrasing or saying things, which may not totally be in consonance with the issue that he is referring to.
    Thank you Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon Members, my understanding of the whole issue is that, when the point of order was raised, and realising that he did not have the exact particulars of the source, he abandoned that and rephrased it.
    So, could we make some progress?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is good that you have ruled him out.
    Mr Speaker, going forward, I believe that if police investigators and prosecutors are well resourced, it would go a long way in speeding up trials.
    This is because Mr Speaker, only
    yesterday, you were active at the Bar. Many other Hon Members are still active at the Bar, including my very goodself. Mr Speaker, you may be aware that there are certain crimes or offences that by their nature, time is needed to investigate. Those who investigate ought to be resourced. So, if the State takes up this matter and institutions that have the power to investigate are well resourced, Mr Speaker, it would go a long way in helping to decongest our prisons.
    The Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO) as an institution of State, which is also empowered to investigate certain crimes, is also supposed to be resourced. This is because Mr Speaker, we have had some complaints where people are remanded, and because they are unable to conclude investigations on time, they are unable to also make progress with trial.
    I believe that the mainstay of the Statement is to draw our attention to some of these challenges, which the State is supposed to take a serious view at.
    Mr Speaker, if we look at the prisons and the facilities that they have,the least said about these facilities, perhaps, the better. Mr Speaker, but it should not be the case.
    Human rights go beyond fair trial, to a situation where the person is even incarcerated, the person being entitled to health facilities and to also enjoy basic necessities in life. So, the fact that a person is incarcerated does not mean that when such a person needs some health facilities, such a person would not be entitled to. We have resources in this country.
    I heard Hon Woyome commending the Prisons Council. Going beyond that, the Government, through the Ministry of the Interior must resource our Prison Service; they need to be well resourced.
    Mr Speaker, you would never know, God forbid, when somebody by accident or by mistake would get there. If the
    impression is always created that as for the prisons, it is for the truly guilty minds, it is not always the case. Sometimes, the miscarriage of justice could take you there, and when you get there and you do not enjoy the facilities that a normal human being must enjoy, Mr Speaker, then there is a problem.
    If you go to Holland, Mr Speaker, I have not been there before, but those who have been there tell me that, when you are even incarcerated, there are times during summer when the authorities are able to bring a helicopter that would airlift a prisoner.
    During summer in Europe, all manner of fun may go on, that even prison inmates are given access to pleasurable things. Mr Speaker, because of the fasting mood, I believe that you have gotten me. They are given access to the pleasurable things in life. So Mr Speaker, I am not saying that in Ghana, we should extend it to that, but at least the basic ones must be provided.
    Mr Speaker, I have seen other Hon Members very anxious and wanting to make contributions. So, I would end here, and today being Friday, my Hon Colleagues would also have the opportunity to go to the mosques.
    I thank you Mr Speaker for this opportunity.
    God bless you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Thank you very much.
    Minister for Employment and Labour Relations (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) (MP) 12:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, let me commend the Hon Member who made the Statement, Hon Freda Prempeh, for bringing this important subject on the necessity for the reformation of Ghana's prisons, and her identification of some of the nagging problems that has affected the proper care of prison inmates to the fore.
    Mr Speaker, let me pick on page
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Thank you, very much.
    Yes, the last contribution from the Hon Member for Bekwai.
    Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu (NPP -Bekwai) 12:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I wish to congratulate the Hon Member who made the Statement. It is a pity that she has left the Prison Service and come to this high institutions. She has some nostalgic feeling and she wants us to talk about them.
    Mr Speaker, I noticed that the Statement is in two parts; the challenges and the way forward. The challenges are well known and well documented and I rather want to focus on the way forward.
    Mr Speaker, two days ago, Hon Members of Parliament were given copies of this document coming from the Ghana
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
    Thank you, very much.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Mr Alfred K. Agbesi (NDC- Ashaiman) 12:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity and to also make some few points in support of the Statement that has been made.
    During the last Parliament, Committees of this House undertook some trips to the prisons in Ghana. We visited the Winneba Prisons, Kpando Prisons, Koforidua Prisons and Nsawam Prisons. What we saw in those prisons I can describe them as very terrible and horrible.
    The prisoners were virtually sleeping on each other and when we had the chance to go into the prison cells after the prisoners were packed at one place, few of us could enter the prison cells.
    Mr Speaker, it was a scene which nobody should ever want to see or experience, and yet people continue to be put there daily.
    In this House, we have had the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice coming in to support their budget some years ago, in which they said they were establishing weekend courts with the first one in Sekondi-Takoradi to be extended to other parts of the country. The purpose
    was that, people who would be arrested on Fridays or weekends could be tried and possibly given bail. I am wondering what has happened to this laudable idea of the weekend courts.
    Some drivers who commit motor offences and are arrested on Fridays, unfortunately, find themselves in remand until Monday. So, the idea of a weekend court was a welcomed idea and I believe the idea has not been abandoned. It should be brought on board so that those who would be unfortunate to have their cases on the weekends can find justice before Monday.
    Mr Speaker, we also have some of the prisons where they are choked and overcrowded with people who are remanded on petty offences.
    There is this issue of Supervising High Court Judges. If we have Supervising High Court Judges supervising the Magistrate Courts, the District Courts, and seeing their records as to who is in prison, who is in remand for weeks, months or years, the likelihood is that, such people can have justice and be released. Hence, we support the Chief Justice's idea of bringing on board the Justice for All Programme and I believe the Chief Justice must be encouraged to continue with the Justice for All Programme.
    Mr Speaker, suggestions have been made about prosecutors. I may go further to mention investigators whose duty it is to bring remand prisoners from prison. Most of the time, or in some cases they would say they have no vehicle, no funds to transport them to court. There is the need for more funds to be made available to the prosecution department, so that, those who are on remand can be transported to the court for their cases to be heard. In most cases some are even forgotten in remand because their dockets might have gone
    missing or the prosecutor is on transfer, or the investigator may be deliberately punishing the person by not bringing him or her to court.
    Mr Speaker, we need the work of the supervising High Court Judges to be effectively done so that our prisons can be decongested.
    The idea that we should look at the conditions of the Prisons Service is welcomed as it is contained in this Statement. Most people have given credit to the Prison Board, particularly Rev Wengam who is the Chairman of the Board for the yeoman's job he is doing. I would urge that more should be done and in that wise our prisons would be decongested.
    Mr Speaker, if we advocate for the construction of prisons, it is not because we want to go there one day. It is not the wish of anybody to be in prison, but it is not a punishment to be in prison.So the authorities should make it possible that the old buildings of the prisons which cannot contain prisoners, modern prisons are constructed so that those who would be unfortunate to find themselves there can leave as human beings but not to be sleeping on each other.
    Mr Speaker, I think this is a welcome Statement and all of us Ghanaians must support it.
    I thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
    Thank you very much.
    Hon Members, in his presentation, the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations made a suggestion that I should give a directive that GIFEC should try to assist the Prisons Service with regards to electronic national database on prisoners. I find it very difficult to give that kind of directive. What I would do, would be to direct the Committee on Communications to take up the matter, liaise with GIFEC
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, I thought we had come to the end of it.
    Mr Hammond 12:15 p.m.
    I was sitting here hoping that I would catch -
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:15 p.m.
    Very well. Very brief.
    Mr K.T. Hammond (NPP -- Adansi Asokwa) 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would be very brief.
    But indeed, I would also want to ask whether the way this House is configured the Speaker is able to catch the sight of those who sit around this corner because I have been standing for the past five minutes and your eyes were not directed towards this direction at all.
    May be we have to give you tele printers on the flanks so that you can see those who sit here. I sympathise with them and I guess they are not catching your eyes at all.
    Mr Speaker, I would be very brief. I have always been thinking, if it is not appropriate for this country to establish a kind of crown prosecution service, separately funded and separately manned which can take charge of these prosecution activities, of course with the Attorney- General and Minister for Justice always in charge. But the way the prosecution is done and left in the hands of police corporals, police sergeants--
    I heard the Hon Deputy Minority Leader say that, sometimes they even forget that there is a prisoner in there, and
    the dockets are missing.
    Mr Speaker, it says quite a lot about how the judicial system works in the country, particularly with respect to these criminals. How they are contained and how they are controlled. It also says quite a lot about the judicial system in respect of how criminals are dealt with. Is it every case that a person has to be put into prison and sometimes on remand for three years or four years? Nobody thinks that their conditions are nothing to write home about, it is better left than discussed.
    But Mr Speaker, what is worrying me is whether we could shape a system whereby we do not need to put people in there on the slightest of excuses and slightest of charges.
    Mr Speaker, it comes to a point when somebody who steals cassava or a goat or koklo deka to wit “one fowl” goes in for three years. Sometimes Mr Speaker, on remand alone they stay there for more than a year.I think a summary offence on koklo deka, if one would go to prison at all, should not be more than six months, but they spend about two to three years on remand alone.
    Mr Speaker, the House should try and streamline this. If it has to do with the Executive bringing Bills here for us to look at this prosecutions service properly. We should not leave it to the corporals, the sergeants in the Ghana Police Service.
    They should do the arrest and the investigations all right, but there should be a national centralised crowned prosecution service.
    Mr Speaker, they are able to coordinate properly. I am troubled to see the way prosecutions are conducted here and of course at the bottom of it all is funding. One would see these poor and sad police officers walking all the distance, sometimes from the police station to the court.
    I had a case in my constituency, where the story is told that the police officer who, I think was a corporal, was walking the man from Obuasi down the road,there was no car and he suspected that the man wanted to run away. He looked at him and said the look in the man's eye suggested that he would run away, so he had to give him some dirty slaps to sanitise whatever was in his mind.
    On another occasion, the prisoner actually ran away and so the prison warden went to this other town and solicited the help of the town folks, gong gong was beaten for people to run after the guy in the forest. In the end, Mr Speaker, they got him, gave him a good thrashing and took him back. It is not right, they should get some money.
    Mr Speaker, because you want me to just wind up, I could go on for an hour, but I like you and so I would leave it here.
    But let us look at the crown prosecution system and see whether we could do better than we are doing now.
    But Mr Speaker, keep an eye on the Hon Members who sit here because they are suffering.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Hon Members, on the earlier directive I gave to the Communications Committee, I think I should add the Committee on Defence and Interior so that they can collaborate and see how best they could get GIFEC to assist the Ghana Prisons Service with the creation of the database for prisoners.
    The Chairman of the Committee on Defence and Interior is here, and I hope he is listening. At the appropriate time, we would have at least some solutions to
    some of the challenges the Ghana Prisons Service is facing.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end of Statements for the day.
    Yes, Hon Loh?
    Mr George Loh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my instruction now is that the rest of the Business for the day is deferred, and it would be appropriate for us to adjourn till Tuesday.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    So, move the Motion.
    Mr Loh 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this House stand adjourn till Tuesday, 7th July, 2015.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Any seconder?
    Dr A. A. Osei 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    ADJOURNMENT 12:25 p.m.
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