Debates of 29 Jan 2016

Mr Speaker, items 9, 10, 11 and 12 are not items programmed to be debated for some reasons. Item 13 is yet being reconsidered. The structure for the management of the Minerals Development Fund is still being detailed out.
Mr Speaker, items 14 and 15 are still being discussed. The outstanding matter in item 14 — we have been given a proposed amendment to the clause 4 (e) which is still going through the Considera- tion Stage.
Mr Speaker, the Committee is requesting for next week with regard to item 15, which deals with the National Disaster Management Organisation Bill,
2015.
Mr Speaker, the Committee on Finance will have enough time to go and look at the Bill that was laid -- the Income Tax (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2016 and then to report next week, whether it is of urgent nature. By then, I am sure that a lot of things would have settled down.
Mr Speaker, so, I am tempted, -- and want to see the sense of the House — I am tempted to move the Motion for an adjournment.

Mr Speaker, I was just drawing the attention of the Hon Majority Leader to this subtle way of framing the mind of Committees to go and see or go and find out whether -- directing or suggesting to the Committee about the urgency. This urgency is lately leading us into areas that are demeaning this whole House.
Mr Speaker, I am pleading with my Hon Majority Leader that, if he thinks a Bill is of urgent nature, he can talk to the Hon Chairman and the Hon Ranking Member behind closed doors when we leave, so that they can facilitate the urgency. This is because if Mr Speaker sits in the Chair and directs a committee that they should check whether there is any urgency — it is a way of framing the debate and the minds of the Hon Members of the committee.
Mr Speaker, in the last Meeting, we realised how some urgent things were done and had led us all into very serious problems in this country -- the fuel levies and utility prices.
Mr Speaker, so, I am cautioning the Hon Leader of the House, that he has so much powers to go to the Committee to set the Hon Majority Chief Whip to make sure he has decided it is urgent, not in the exalted position of his red seat.

Mr Speaker, usually, in the Business Statement of the House, we have a paragraph on Bills, Papers and reports. In that paragraph, we always say,
“Rt Hon Speaker, Bills may be presented to the House for First Reading, and those of urgent nature may be taken through the various

Before I ask for any secondment, I realised that Hon Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has started growing a beard — [Laughter.]

Mr Speaker, by mentioning my beard, you have drawn me into a very — but I have been leaving a
beard for a simple reason, and it is because we got some august visitors in this House who are under security watch and one is in my house and has a beard. So, I do not want my neighbours to confuse the newly found friend with a beard that I have in my house with myself, so that they do not go attacking him.
Mr Speaker, it is the beard representing the Guantanamo bay detainees who are in Ghana and my friends from Syria who are on the plane to Ghana — the Syria 17.
Mr Speaker, I side with H.E the President of the Republic of Ghana that, if he has done what is right for the country, he should come and do what is right by the people's representatives. The beard is for the Syrian and Guantanamo bay detainees.

Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion for adjournment.
Question put and Motion agreed to.