Debates of 1 Feb 2017

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 12:40 p.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 12:40 p.m.
Mr Speaker 12:40 p.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 3 on the Order Paper - Correction of Votes and Proceedings.
  • [No correction was made to the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 31st January, 2017.]
    • Mr Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    No Statement has been admitted.
    At the commencement of Public Business-- item number 5 on he Order Paper -- Presentation of Papers.
    Hon Chairman of the Appointments Committee, the Third Report on the President's nominations for Ministerial appointments.
    Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Appointments Committee informed me that the Report of the Appointments Committee on His Excellency, the President's nominations for Ministerial appointments may be laid but may not be considered. In other words, after the laying, they would rather prefer that the consequential Motions, in this case, items numbered 6 and 7, would be stood down until tomorrow.
    Mr James K. Avedzi 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the normal practice in the House is that the Report of the Committee is laid by the Chairman or any other member of that Committee. In the case of the Appointments Committee, we do not have any member on the floor. The request by the Hon Leader of the House, that he lays that Report on behalf of the Appointments Committee is not appropriate.
    This is because he is not part of that Committee and for that matter, he does not even know what the Report contains. So, why is he going to lay that Report on behalf of the Committee? It is better we adjourn, so that when we get the Hon Members around, they could lay the Report.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I do not know where my Hon Colleague is deriving this strength from. Standing Order 74 is very clear on that. It provides:
    “A Paper may be presented to the House only by Mr. Speaker, the Chairman of a Committee, a Member or a Minister.”
    In this case, a “Member of Parliament”. He says no Mr Speaker.
    rose
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    With respect to my Hon Colleague, could he sit down and listen to me?
    Let me take him to Standing Order 7. It defines a Member as follows:
    “Member” means a Member of Parliament”
    He should please, address his mind to that. It is not a member of a Committee. So, any Member of this House could lay a Paper on behalf of any committee. One does not necessarily have to belong to the committee. If one has the permission of the Committee to do that, one can. In this case, I am telling him that I have spoken to the Chairman and he said I could do so on behalf of the Committee.
    Mr Avedzi 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if it is the case that any Hon Member of the House could lay the report of a committee, why is the Hon Majority Leader applying for you to permit him to lay the Report? Why is he applying for permission from Mr Speaker, to lay that Report if any Member could do so? It would be for Mr Speaker to call for the laying of that Report and he would stand up to lay it. That is the point that I am raising.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the simple answer to my Hon Colleague's question is this, a Minister can lay a document. If the Minister is not here and his deputy or any other Minister not in charge of that sector is, that Minister could lay the Paper on behalf of the Ministry.
    One does not have to belong to that Ministry. He knows that in that case, the Majority Leader would seek the permission of the Chair. It is by the same principle that I do what I am doing. I guess my Hon Colleague, the Deputy Minority Leader, would understand.
    Mr Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    It is quite clear that essentially, a member of the committee would lay, in the same way as an Hon Member who asks a Question may normally ask it or a Statement normally make it. However, an Hon Member who is not on the record as the original owner, would normally seek the permission of the Chair in order to make it.
    There cannot be anything wrong, therefore, if an Hon Member, and for that matter, the Leader of the House seeks the permission of the Chair to do that, which na Member can do, but which normally is done by the Chairman of the Committee.
    Hon Majority Leader, you may proceed.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you are indeed a Daniel and I lay the document on behalf of the Committee.
    PAPERS 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader, at this juncture, any other business?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, there does not appear to be any other business, that is, if you have not admitted a Statement. If there is no pending Statement that you have admitted, then we have come to the end of the Business for today.
    Mr Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    May I receive a Motion accordingly for adjournment?
    Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Inusah Fuseini said something. I have not heard it because

    Mr Speaker, in the circumstance, I beg to move, that this House doadjourns till tomorrow at 10.00 o'clock in the forenoon.
    Mr James K. Avedzi 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in seconding the Motion for the adjournment of the House, I would want to say that, because this Side of the House knew very well that the business for today would be very light, we call for the amendment to the Local Governance Act to be done today, instead of risking our lives to stay here under the falling roof.
    It is now clear that today, we do not have any business to do.
    I beg to second the Motion. [Interruption.] --
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, respectfully, I moved a Motion for an adjournment. My Hon Colleague rose to say that he was seconding the Motion for “adjonment” [Laughter.] -- I did not say “adjonment”, I said “adjournment”. [Laughter.] -- [Interruptions.] --
    So Mr Speaker, if he would rise to second the Motion that I moved -- Otherwise, I would get another Hon Member to do the secondment of the Motion for “adjournment” and not “adjonment” [Laughter.] --
    Mr Speaker, secondly, my Hon Colleague, instead of doing the simple thing, he invoked another issue and tried to inject it into the opportunity offered him to second the Motion for adjournment. He said that the roof of the Chamber was collapsing.
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minority Leader, do you second the Motion?
    Mr Avedzi 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I earlier seconded the Motion for the adjournment of the House.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    Order!

    Hon Deputy Minority Leader, would you insist on a division?
    Mr James K. Avedzi 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would leave that for you to judge [Laughter.] --
    Mr Speaker 1 p.m.
    The House will stand adjourned till tomorrow at 10.00 clock in the forenoon.
    ADJOURNMENT 1 p.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 1.04 p.m. till Thursday, 2nd February, 2017 at 10.00 a.m.