Debates of 12 Mar 2019

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:10 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:10 a.m.
Mr Speaker 10:10 a.m.
Hon Members, items listed 2 — Correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
The Votes and Proceedings of 8 th March, 2019.
  • [No correction was made to the Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 8th March, 2019.]
    • Mr Speaker 10:10 a.m.
    Hon Members, the Official Report dated 12th February, 2019. Any corrections?
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of Tuesday, 12th February, 2019.]
    • Mr Speaker 10:10 a.m.
    Hon Members, item numbered 3 — there is an Urgent Question in the name of the Hon Member for Shai- Osudoku; but I have in my hand a correspondence to the Clerk to Parliament that the Hon Minister is out of the country, and would arrive this evening. It has been signed by the Chief Director and they are asking for Friday, 15th March, 2019. I would put it on 15th March, 2019, accordingly.
    Item numbered 4, Questions.
    Mr Speaker 10:10 a.m.


    Hon Minister for Education, please take the appropriate chair.

    Question numbered *542 stands in the name of the Hon Member for Akatsi North.
    ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:10 a.m.
    MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 10:10 a.m.
    Minister for Education (Dr Matthew O. Prempeh) 10:10 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am unaware of what had been done in the health sector recently. So if he could provide relevant information, I could attest to that statement. I cannot verify what had been done for the Ministry of Health.
    Nevertheless, Mr Speaker, a total of 14,160 trained teachers from the Colleges of Education, both public and private, were posted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) in 2017.
    This was made up of 11,733 from the public colleges and 2,427 from the private colleges. The private colleges involved were:
    Methodist College of Education, Akim Oda -- 54
    Jackson College of Education, Kumasi -- 2084
    Christ the Teacher College of Education, Kumasi -- 46
    Cambridge College of Education, Kumasi -- 9
    St. Ambrose College of Education, Dormaa -- 31 (Which has since been absorbed into the public system)
    Holy Spirit College of Education, Ho -- 92
    MCcoy College of Education, Nadowli -- 56
    SDA College of Education, Agona- Ashanti -- 55
    This was the first time ever that graduates of the private colleges were directly posted by the (GES).
    Mr Speaker, last year, the GES was reminded of the National Service Act, which requires graduates of all tertiary institutions to undertake National Service before seeking formal employment. As a result, all graduates from the Colleges of Education, including those from both public and private, were registered by the National Service Secretariat in collabora- tion with the GES to undertake their national service which they are currently undergoing.
    During the period of their National Service, they will be expected to write their Licensure Examinations to secure professional licence to teach as teachers and also undergo the orientation, which is required of them as teachers.
    Those who pass the Licensure Examinations at the end of their National Service shall then apply to the GES for employment based on declared vacancies.
    Mr Speaker 10:10 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Member, any follow-up question?
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 10:20 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, in the Answer that the Hon Minister provided, although his intro- duction to the Answer was not part of the written response, he mentioned that I did not give any indication or evidence from the Ministry of Health, but I would just want to remind him that it is true; it happened in the Ministry of Health. That was in 2017; when they posted a number of teachers.
    Mr Speaker, when we look at the bottom paragraph of his Answer, and with your permission, I quote; it says:
    “Those who pass the Licensure Examinations at the end of their National Service shall then apply to the GES for employment based on declared vacancies.”
    Mr Speaker I would like to know from the Hon Minister the steps that the Ministry is taking to absorb those who finished their National Service in 2018, and had written and passed the Licensure Examination.
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, nobody wrote the Licensure Examinations and passed in 2018.
    Mr Speaker 10:20 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Member, any further?
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I know that some privately-trained teachers are still at home. Therefore, I would want to know whether the Ministry is taking steps to absorb them, as there are vacancies in our schools all over the country.
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member is inviting me on a wild goose chase. Could he tell me the number of vacancies available? Every year, when the
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.


    Ghana Education Service declares vacancies, applications are sought from qualified teachers to apply and write an examination, or they come for interviews and those who qualify are posted. It would be done the same way this year.
    Mr Speaker 10:20 a.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Minister.
    Hon Members, we would move on to Question 543, which stands in the name of the Hon Member for Krachi West.
    Construction of the Osramani Community Day Senior High School
    Building
    Q.543. Ms Helen A. Ntoso asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry had plans to construct the Osramani Community Day Senior High School building which was awarded in
    2016.
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I do not know why the Hon Member chose to say “2016”.
    Mr Speaker, the contract to construct Osramani Community Senior High School was awarded in June 2015 as part of the 101 e-Blocks being funded by the Government of Ghana. The site was handed over to the Contractor, Messrs Happy Check Limited, and work was expected to commence on 25th September, 2015, for completion within 18 months.
    Mr Speaker, the contractor, Messrs Happy Check Limited, after clearing the site, failed to commence work on the project. The supervising consultant has issued warning letters to the contractor and recommended termination of the contract for non-performance.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry is considering termination of this contract and all similar uncommenced contracts under the Community Senior High Schools Project for possible re-award, based on the availability of funds.
    Ms Ntoso 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer he did say that the supervising consultant has issued warning letters to the contractor and recommended termination.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to know from the Hon Minister, the reasons the contractor has given him for not starting the project.
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the con- tractor was supposed to have commenced work on September 2015. So September 2016 was one year; by December 2016, this project should have been done.
    Mr Speaker, as to the reasons the contractor has given, he has not fulfilled his part of the contract and the consultant has recommended termination. So we would also terminate appropriately.
    Ms Ntoso 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister, in his Answer, also said that the contractor has received warning letters. So I would want to know how long it has been now, from the time the contractor received the warning letters till today. This is because the Ministry has not considered, but is still considering his termination. I would want to know how long it has taken.
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, receipt of warning letters goes to and fro. Every month, the supervising consultant would go to the site during his normal supervision, and if a contractor is not progressing as scheduled, he would seek to write him a letter to expedite action on the contract. So this goes in and out, the
    contractor would then go back to do something which might not even meet the expectation of the consultant.
    Mr Speaker, therefore, this is the mandate of the consultants. They are to make sure that contracts are executed; but when they realise that the contractor is not helping, then they write that we should terminate the contract. Even when they write that we should terminate, the Ministry has to go through a process.
    It is not that they write immediately, then we terminate. There are contracts where somebody had not been on site for about 18 months, which we have terminated, and there had been court issues. So as we said, we would terminate at the appropriate time.
    Mr Speaker 10:20 a.m.
    Hon Member, you may ask your last question.
    Ms Ntoso 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to know whether the Hon Minster is therefore assuring this House that he would re-award the contract when it is terminated, for another contractor to start the project.
    Mr Speaker 10:20 a.m.
    Hon Minister, assurance.
    Dr Prempeh 10:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with your permission, I beg to quote from the last paragraph of my Answer:
    “The Ministry is considering termination of this Contract and all similar uncommented Contracts under the Community Senior High Schools Project for possible re- award, based on the availability of funds.”
    Mr Speaker 10:20 a.m.
    Thank you very much.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Hon Member, this is a constituency-specific Question, and you know the situation.
    Hon Minister, thank you for attending to the House and answering our Questions. You are discharged.
    Hon Members, item listed 5 -- Statements
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Hon Members, we would stand down item listed number 5, and we shall move on to the Commencement of Public Business.
    Item listed 6(a) -- By the Hon Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to seek your permission to lay the said Paper for and on behalf of the Hon Majority Leader.
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Please proceed.
    PAPERS 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Item listed 6(b), Hon Minister for Finance?
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, respectfully, the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance, our own Hon Colleague, is here to lay the said Paper on behalf of the Hon Minister for Finance.
    Thank you.
    By Mrs Abena Osei-Asare (on behalf of the Minister for Finance) --
    Credit Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Export-Import Bank of Indian for an amount of thirty million United States dollars (US$30,000,000.00) for financing the Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Potable Water System in Yendi.
    Referred to the Finance Committee.
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Item 6(c) -- By the Chairman of the Finance Committee.
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Committee has informed me that we should step it down. It is not ready; so in the course of the day, the Report would be ready for laying.
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    For both item numbered 6(c) (i) and (ii)?
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Rightly so, Mr Speaker.
    By the Chairman of the Committee --
    Report of the Committee on Poverty Reduction Strategy on the 2015 Annual Progress Report on the Implementation of the Ghana Shared Growth and Develop- ment Agenda (GSGDA II), 2014-2017.
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, having conferred with the Leadership of the Minority, the
    Hon Minority Chief Whip has given the indication that they are ready for item numbered 7, and the same applies to our Side of the Leadership. It is on the Motion for the re-composition of Committees of this House.
    Mr Speaker, the debate began; we have just a few more contributions from each Side, and then the Question could be put.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Hon Minority Chief
    Whip, we normally have consensus and agreements on these matters. Is there any such development so that we dispatch?
    Alhaji Muntaka 10:30 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker, except that the last time the debate ensued, Hon Members said that they did not have copies.
    Mr Speaker, these copies were made last week and distributed, but Hon Yieleh Chireh says he does not have a copy. I have just handed him one because we cannot continue to allow this to hang on.
    Mr Speaker, some have become Hon Ministers and these changes were due last year, but we have allowed them to stay for long. Now, Hon Members who have received indication that they are being moved, or Hon Ministers who were Hon Ranking Members or Hon Chairpersons who are now Hon Ministers, and therefore could not chair -- it has been hanging for long, and now new Hon Ministers are coming.
    So it is better we clear this from our path, as the Hon Deputy Majority Leader said, so that when these new Hon Ministers are vetted and approved, we would come back for whatever changes that we would want to do because we cannot allow this to linger on.
    So Mr Speaker, we should just put the Question to it, and then when our Hon Colleagues -- about 13 or 14 of them who become Hon Ministers are vetted and approved, we could come back to look at the necessary changes that may emanate from that.
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Hon Yieleh Chireh --
    MOTIONS 10:30 a.m.
  • [Continuation of debate from 31/10/ 2018]
    • Mr Joseph Y. Chireh (NDC -- Wa West) 10:30 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    I think that public time in this matter is important. The Majority Side has had a reshuffle. The President has nominated people, and I think that in order to save public time, we should wait until we do the vetting.
    What we are now considering as if it is something that has never happened --- it is not today. We should wait until the Majority Side decides who an Hon Minister is and he/she cannot chair before we make the changes. If we make these changes within the next two or three weeks, they would ask for another change to be made. I think it is an unnecessary interruption in the Business of the House.
    We need to let the Majority Side decide who could be an Hon Chairperson, or who could not be on a committee. The idea of
    Hon Ministers vetting other Hon Ministers is not only happening today. In any case, with the kind of majority that the Majority Side has now, whether we agree with them or not, they would have their way. So what is all this noise about making changes?
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think my senior Hon Colleague is weeping more than the bereaved. He seeks to advocate what the Majority Side should do or would not do.
    I wish to assure the House that on the Majority Side, having conferred with the Hon Majority Leader, we have no issue with this Motion that has been longstanding. Mr Speaker, this Motion was moved in the last Meeting, and we have not been able to put the Question on it because the two Hon Leaders had to agree on something. We have come to a consensus, and we want to move it now.
    Mr Speaker 10:30 a.m.
    Hon Members, order. There is too much background noise, and one Hon Member's back is to me.
    Ms Safo 10:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Legislature, the House, your good Hon Self, is an independent arm of Government. The deliberations and proceedings of this House cannot be as and when the Executive acts.
    Mr Speaker, Committees must continue to work, perform their oversight functions, and bring their reports to this House. If it takes a while for H. E. the President to finish with his appointments, which I cannot determine, it would mean that this Motion will stand till he respectfully finishes his appointments.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    In fact, it could mean it would last forever. The President is not bound to finish at any time.
    Ms Safo 10:40 a.m.
    Rightly so, Mr Speaker.
    I believe that Hon Yieleh Chireh is advocating for us, as the Majority Side. We do not have a problem with that. The Hon Majority Leader told me that we should go ahead with this Motion. Anytime H. E. the President makes an appointment and there is the need to recompose because Hon Members have been made Hon Ministers or Hon Deputy Ministers, we shall do so accordingly.
    Mr Speaker, I entreat Hon Members to indulge us to continue with this Motion which has been long standing. It is long overdue.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    H. E. the President may make appointments one month to next year's General Elections. Those matters do not concern us actually. Shall we proceed with those that are primarily our matter?

    Leadership, I am in a position to put the Question.
    Alhaji Muntaka 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, as we said, you could put the Question on this.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Thank you.
    Both Hon Leaders agree.
    Question put and Motion agreed to. That this Honourable House adopts
    the Report of the Committee of Selection on the Re-composition of Committees of the House.
    ANNOUNCEMENTS 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Members, I have the pleasure to introduce to you a delegation from the CPA UK Modern Slavery Project who are here on a two-day visit to Ghana.
    They are here, among others, to interact with us on experiences in combating modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, et cetera and to exchange knowledge on the role of Hon Members of Parliament as leaders on these issues.
    The delegation includes the following:
    1. Hon Prof Baroness Margaret Lola Young, UK House of the Lords;
    2. Morgan Fynn, Programme Officer, Modern Slavery Project;
    3. Anthony Pemberton, Project Officer, Modern Slavery Project;
    Hon Members, on your behalf, I wish them a pleasant stay in the country and fruitful celebrations.
    Majority Leadership?
    Ms Safo 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, item numbered
    9, the Consideration Stage of the Payment Systems and Services Bill, 2018, could be taken.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Payment Systems and Services Bill, 2018, at the Consideration Stage.
    BILLS -- CONSIDERATION STAGE 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    There is an amendment in the name of the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
    Chairman of the Committee (Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah) 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 41, headnote, before “Information”, add “Submission of”.
    So the headnote would now read, “Submission of information and periodic returns”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    There is a further amendment to clause 41.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, clause 41(i) but just for the purpose of arrangement --
    “corporate member” means a banking institution or company licensed by the Bank of Ghana under the Non-Bank Financial Institution Act 2008".
    One would have thought that:
    “corporate member” means a banking institution or a financial services company”.
    Even though it has been provided for, it is left in the last line. I thought that for the purpose of elegance, it could read:
    “corporate member” means a banking institution or financial services company”.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Member, are you reading with reference to clause 41(i)?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just want to draw the attention of the Hon Minority Leader to the fact that we are
    considering the Payment Systems and Services Bill, 2018, and not the Chartered Institute of Bankers (Ghana) Bill, 2018.
    Mr Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, he is right.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, there is a proposed amendment in the name of Hon Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. What is your position on it? The Hon Member is not in the House.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I cannot speak for her, but earlier, she had amendments that the House deemed withdrawn, and that has been the practice. If an Hon Member is not here to move his or her amendment --
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    You may be in agreement but you are not in a position to adopt it.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    I am in vehement disagreement, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Are you very much in disagreement?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    The proposed amend- ment is abandoned accordingly as at this stage.
    10. 50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Item numbered 9(iii). Hon Members, there is a further amendment proposed.
    Hon Chairman of the Committee?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, before I move the amendment on the Order Paper, the subclauses 6 and 7 are misplaced and they do not relate to submission of periodic returns. So what we proposed to do is to delete both subclauses but then, we would have a new clause 42.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.


    Mr Speaker, I beg to move,

    “Requirement for Material Change

    42. (1) an electronic money issuer or payment service provider who intends to introduce a material change or enhancement in the electronic money issuance or provision of payment service shall

    (a) Seek approval of the Bank of Ghana, and

    (b) Give notice in writing to the Bank of Ghana thirty days before the proposed implementation of the change or enhancement.

    (2)An electronic money issuer or payment service provider shall seek the prior approval of the Bank of Ghana where the electronic money issuer or payment service provider intends to

    (a) Transfer more than fifteen per cent of the shares in the electronic money or payment service business; or

    (b) Introduce material changes in the payment service that alters the scope of the service, including new service capabilities or change in technology service provider.”
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Yieleh Chireh?
    Mr Chireh 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think the idea, if he wants to delete subclauses 6 and 7 and relocate them, then, we should delete only those, and not consider what the Hon Chairman is saying. We need to
    finish the whole Bill and deal with the requirement for material change as a new clause.
    But if not, if we make this change here, impliedly, it should come under clause 41 but we may not want it there, so he should just move a simple Motion for clauses 6 and 7 to be deleted. We should stand the rest down until we finish the whole Bill and the new clauses would be added. But the draftspersons would know where to locate them for the convenience of the whole Bill. Otherwise, if we change things, we would have a difficulty.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think the Hon Member for Wa West is right. We are providing a new clause; as to where it sits in the Bill, I think the draftsperson would do that. So not necessarily a new clause 42 because it would throw us off what we are doing because there is clause 42 which we are yet to go to so we cannot determine the clause number at this stage. All that we are saying is that a new clause be provided in the Bill.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Member, does that capture your viewpoint?
    Mr Chireh 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, what I am saying is that what we should do procedurally is for him to delete clauses 6 and 7. That is the end of it. We could go ahead with the rest of the clauses. At the end of the consideration of the Bill, he then moves for the change. I am not opposed to it but are we considering this to be part of clause 41? It is a procedural matter.
    And if the Hansard is to be considered in the interpretation of all court cases, they would say this issue was discussed under clause 41. Did we, the law makers want it to be under clause 41? That is what I am talking about.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, we would rather that the draftsperson makes the appropriate location. There should be no difficulty.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Rightly so, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that clause 41, subclauses 6 and 7, delete.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    And that? I want you to capture that so that it would be captured by the draftspersons.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, because we did not want it to hang and be deleted forever, I would ask that you direct the draftspersons to provide a new clause which would capture subclauses 6 and 7.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Member, the amendment is moved accordingly.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    The draftsperson is to act accordingly.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I respect your authority on this matter but just that the Hon Chairman would note, clause 41, subclause 1, ‘‘the Bank of Ghana shall, for the purpose of supervision—
    I was thinking that while you put the Question, we should add “regulation” to it. The Bank of Ghana has two important functions; regulation and supervision. We cannot just, for this purpose, say that they are exercising their supervisory role.
    There is a regulatory role. So if the Hon Chairman has no objection, even as you put the Question, clause 41 should read:
    “The Bank of Ghana shall, for the purposes of regulation and super- vision, require an electronic money issuer or payment service provider….”
    So we are tying the two dual roles of the bank which are supervision and regulation.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, supervi- sion and regulation.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have no objection.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Very well.
    I would put the Question on the further amendment.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
    Sorry, Mr Speaker, it does no harm to the Bill; clause 41 (2);
    “The Bank of Ghana may determine
    --”
    I thought our intention there is “the Bank of Ghana shall provide” instead of the word, “determine” they “shall provide (a) details of the information required..”
    (b) form in which the information is to be reported—
    But the word, ‘determine', if I have my way, I would substitute it for ‘‘provide''. I submit for the Hon Chairman's attention.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    And rule out ‘may' to stay.
    Mr Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the ‘may' should be ‘shall'. I agree with you; I am taking a cue from you. “They shall provide the details” because we want them to exercise their supervisory and regulatory roles. So instead of using the word, ‘determine', it should be, “shall provide”.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, no objection?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I object to this one. I want it to stay as ‘determine'.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Do you want ‘may' to stay?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    No, Mr Speaker. It should stay as ‘determine', not ‘provide' because if we read it, the Bank of Ghana is determining details of information required; the form in which the information is to be reported; the period within which the report is to be returned to the Bank of Ghana.
    So it is for the bank to determine, not to provide. So the Bank of Ghana may determine the form in which all of these are supplied.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    And do you stand by a ‘may' or a ‘shall'?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, ‘may'.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    Is it a duty they may or may not perform.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Very well, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    You think so? They may or may not perform it? Would they have a discretion not to perform?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, there are reporting requirements and this is
    additional, so we do not want to make it a ‘shall'. Let it stay as it is in the Bill.
    Mr Speaker, respectfully, you were putting the Question on clause 41 and all of a sudden, the Hon Minority Leader—
    Mr Speaker 10:40 a.m.
    No, please, at a Consideration Stage, my policy is flexibility. Consideration Stage is consideration stage. We could go forward and backward so long as the matter is of essence. So do not bring in the technicality. Do you consider it appropriate or not?
    Mr Chireh 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think the ‘determine' is a better word here than ‘provide'. If we say “provide”, it would look like that is the obligation of the Bank of Ghana. But we are saying that the Bank of Ghana should determine the form the report would take and all these other things. So I would advise my Hon Leader to abandon his further amendment.
    Mr Iddrisu 10:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I accordingly abandon it.
    Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
    Very well. Let us make progress then.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 41 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Ms Safo 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, respectfully, I seek to make an application for us to vary the order of Business and go back to take the Statement to be made by the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration who is a senior Member of this House.
    Mr Speaker 11 a.m.
    We were waiting for her. Very well.

    Hon Members, item numbered 5, Statements. Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs?
    STATEMENTS 11 a.m.
    Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (Ms Shirley A. Botchwey) 11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Colleague Members of Parliament, yesterday marked the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the Common-wealth of Nations, and to celebrate this occasion, I hosted a Flag- Raising Ceremony in my Ministry.
    Mr Speaker, 70 years ago, the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 countries that supported one another and worked together towards shared goals in democracy and development was formed. Ghana joined the Commonwealth as a young Independent nation in 1957 because it shared in the fundamental political values of the organisation which included democracy, freedom, respect for human rights, the rule of law and opportunity for all.
    Since joining the organisation, Ghana has played an active role in the realisation of these values by serving as an example in Commonwealth Africa through successful transfer of power from one government to another since 1992.
    Mr Speaker, the theme for this year's celebration, aptly titled “A Connected Commonwealth”, is not only appropriate, but significant. Indeed, on this auspicious
    occasion, it is important to recognise that the Commonwealth has provided a veritable platform for a diverse group which includes the world's largest and smallest, richest and poorest countries with over two billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities spanning five continents, to work together at many levels through far-reaching and deep-rooted networks of friendship and goodwill.
    Mr Speaker, significantly, the Commonwealth provides a network of intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations that work together to grow economies; boost trade and investment; empower young people and address gender inequality and threats such as terrorism and climate change.
    Member States also collaborate to protect natural resources and the environment and work towards the inclusive economic empowerment of women and children, youth and marginalised communities.
    Regrettably, despite our enormous collective resources, a number of Commonwealth member countries are still saddled with poverty and marginalisation. Our countries have also not been spared the devastating effects of climate change, environmental degradation, social depri- vation, as well as terrorism.
    Again, whilst a growing number of Commonwealth countries are enjoying favourable economic achievements, many others are still struggling in their efforts to achieve poverty reduction and Sustainable Development objectives.
    Against this background, Common- wealth Heads of Governments, at their biennial meeting in London in April 2018, took a number of key decisions to ensure a prosperous future. The Heads of Government acknowledged that as globally agreed under Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
    Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (Ms Shirley A. Botchwey) 11 a.m.


    promoting peace, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive national institutions at all levels, were essential for development to flourish.

    They made a commitment to fight protectionism by ensuring free trade in a transparent, inclusive, fair and open rule- based multilateral trading system by expanding and boosting intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030.

    The Heads of Government also agreed to ensure that all boys and girls across the Commonwealth would be able to access, at least, 12 years of quality education by 2030. Remarkably, the Government of the United Kingdom has committed 212 million pounds of funding to achieve this.

    Mr Speaker, to address pollution in member States, the Heads of Government adopted the first-ever Commonwealth Blue Charter to tackle plastic waste pollution. In recognition of the need to enhance cyber security to protect critical national infrastructure, and the economic and social value of cyberspace, the Heads of Government adopted a Commonwealth Cyber Declaration that reflects Common- wealth values, and sets out a common commitment to an open, democratic, peaceful and secure internet.

    Mr Speaker, Ghana has over the years benefitted substantially, both directly and indirectly, by her membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. In June 2018, for instance, the International Trade Centre launched the Ghana Chapter of the She Trades in the Commonwealth.

    This is a project which aims to drive increased trade, productivity and competitiveness for women entrepreneurs

    to ensure that they play an active role in international trade. Through intensive training and mentoring activities, the goal of the project is to strengthen the capacities of 3,000 women owned businesses with a view to generate sales worth £28 million (US$38m) by 2020.

    The organisation is also supporting Ghana to develop a new evidence-based national youth policy. The initiative will help enhance the status of the youth and empower them to build on their competencies and capabilities for life.

    Mr Speaker, the Government of President Akufo-Addo is committed to realising the fundamental values of the Commonwealth. It would be recalled that at a press briefing of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April 2018, His Excellency the President reiterated the importance of the Commonwealth to global consensus building and development.

    At the event, the President also affirmed the continuous relevance of the Commonwealth in meeting the needs and aspirations of the youth of the world especially as it relates to the provision of education, skills development, job creation and the promotion of freedoms and democratic values.

    At the same meeting of Common wealth Heads of Government meeting, it was announced that her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would no longer automatically be present at the proceedings of the Commonwealth as she prepared to hand over the position of Head of the organisation to His Royal Highness Prince Charles.

    Mr Speaker, I am pleased to inform this august House that as a result of Ghana's commitment to this organisation, she has served on the Commonwealth

    Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which deals with persistent or serious violations of the fundamental political views of the organisation of the Heads of Government meeting held in 2018, Ghana was re-elected to serve another term of two years.

    Indeed, it is the desire of Government to continue to support the efforts of the Commonwealth in promoting international rules-based order, economic growth and development. These are essential instruments for achieving peace and security, prosperity, and the overall objectives of the global agenda on Sustainable Development.

    Long live Ghana, long live the Commonwealth.

    I thank you for your kind attention.
    Mr Speaker 11:10 a.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs.
    Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo (NDC -- Wa Central) 11:10 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement which was made by the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on the celebration of Commonwealth Day.
    Mr Speaker, Ghana is a very important member of the Commonwealth, especially because we were the first country to gain Independence in the south of the Sahara.
    Mostly, countries that belong to the Commonwealth are those that were previously dependent on the British Empire, but as the empire crumpled and there was decolonisation, there was the need to hold the values and the principles that held the countries together and that is why at independence and after independence, we thought it was a very critical moment for us to still belong to
    the same tradition of democracy, economic development and of the kind of cooporation that would allow the nation to link up with the rest of the world and be a sovereign nation of its own with same kind of principles about governance.
    Mr Speaker, it is important that in doing so, we uphold certain principles that give us the unique outlook into the world. There must be nothing that should destroy our determination and our stance on what democracy means; nothing should also stop us from pursuing the principles of human rights and justice in this country. Indeed, they are the foundation of our independence struggle.
    Mr Speaker, as we celebrate the Commonwealth Day, it is important for us to continue to believe in these principles and to behave in ways that would uphold these values. This is why most of us are worried when democratic values are stampeded out of the way with thugs arising out of political parties to hijack the system and create chaos in what we do to define our democracy.
    Mr Speaker, I believe that those values that we have inherited over the years from our forefathers, arising out of domination of another country which we all are against, must form part and parcel of our day to day administrative and governance set-up.
    Mr Speaker, it is clear that democracy is very expensive, but, it is still important that we keep it. The alternative would be worse off than we know and so, as a member of the Commonwealth, we should work along with many other countries to uphold this principle and to be part of the comity of nations to support each other and to make sure that we continue to be who we are. It is something that we cannot avoid.
    Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo (NDC -- Wa Central) 11:10 a.m.


    Mr Speaker, I would want to urge all of us to keep in mind, at all times, that we are not just alone, and not being alone does not mean that we are not a sovereign country. It simply means that we share certain values that enhance our sovereignty and it is important for Ghana to continue to stand out because of our positions in Pan Africanism, democracy and advancing the interest of all people in the world, especially, the rights of people all throughout the world.
    Mr Speaker 11:10 a.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Pelpuo, for your contribution.
    Any contributions from my right-hand Side on this important matter?
    rose
    Mr Speaker 11:10 a.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
    Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP-- Nsawam-Adoagyiri) 11:10 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement.
    Mr Speaker, it is important that the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration is nudging the House on this important international day as significant as it appears.
    Mr Speaker, fact be told that Ghana, as Hon Pelpuo alluded to, was the first sub- Saharan country to have gained independence and set the tone for democratic principles and development - many years down the lane, notwith- standing the rich experiences that we had imbibed from our British colonies, we are still saddled, as the Hon Minister said, with fundamental challenges in our pursuit of development.
    Mr Speaker 11:10 a.m.
    Hon Member, just a moment.
    There would be one contribution further from each Side before the Leaders would contribute. The young people at the public gallery are learning, so Hon Members, start making your notes.
    Hon Member, you may continue.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 11:10 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, on a day like this, one would have thought that it would all be good stuff which would be itemised and touched on. It is regrettable that member States of the Commonwealth still struggle to travel to the United Kingdom (UK). This is a challenge that going forward, I would plead that our colonial masters would have to take a better appreciation of request by citizens of member States who desire to travel or visit the UK.
    We are told that spouses who want to pick up their partners from other parts of Commonwealth countries would have to go through a rigorous test of examination. One would have thought that as a member of the Commonwealth, we would be able to bond stronger and learn from the good experiences that they have gone through.
    I have a regret on this, and I hope that the British High Commission would bond closer with our Executive and the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs for us to be able to iron out these differences. It leaves so much to be desired, that our citizens would have to go through a lot of difficulties.
    Mr Speaker, I am touched by some of the topical concerns that the Hon Minister touched on -- climate change, economic development and democratic principles.
    Climate change is topmost on the agenda on the United Nations (UN) and it has become one of the critical concerns of the world. I would want to plead that our colonial masters would assist us in the area of capacity building for us to come on top of these challenges that plague us in our pursuit of development.
    Mr Speaker, it is refreshing, and I am excited that the Hon Minister has brought this up in the House. With the challenges that plague Commonwealth countries, our colonial masters can better assist us in resolving these issues. Nobody is saying that they should compromise on the requirements, but we should be able to come to a point where traveling to the UK should not become too much of a challenge for citizens of member countries of the Commonwealth to travel to the UK.
    Mr Speaker, with these words, I support the Hon Minister for such a wonderful Statement and I could only hope that the Committee on Foreign Affairs would have a better cooperation with the British High Commission for us to resolve these challenges that plague our citizens.
    Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh (NDC -- Wa West) 11:10 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for this opportunity.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister has reminded us about our membership of the Commonwealth and the benefits that Ghana has derived from its membership.
    Mr Speaker 11:20 a.m.
    Order! The background noise is a bit high.
    Mr Chireh 11:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, importantly, if we look at the issue of assistance that the Commonwealth gives, virtually all
    Ministers of Ghana attend meetings of Commonwealth Ministers. And at these meetings, themes are developed for member-countries to focus on and get proper programmes to run them. For instance, when I was the Minister for Health, anytime a World Health Organi- sation meeting was arranged, a side meeting of the Commonwealth Ministers was also held. In one of the occasions, the theme was on mental health.
    That is how it came into focus when the whole world asked them to focus on mental health. And that gave us the capacity to pass our own Mental Health Authority Bill into an Act.
    Mr Speaker, if we also look at the elections that are being held by the member-countries, one would see that there is always an observer mission. Ghana has had the opportunity of always being either leading the observer missions or being a key member of it. That is the way to democratise.
    Human rights have been highlighted, and indeed, in this country, there are civil society organi-sations supported by Commonwealth organisations to follow on vulnerable groups; women and children, and the violations of the rights of these people are also being targeted.
    That is why we should all cherish it. This time around, it is not the white man who is deciding what happens. We are now a community of 53 nations all across the world, and what is more important, just as we seek to join or we would have joined the Francophone, Mozambique and other places, though originally these were not under the Commonwealth, have also come under the shadow of the Commonwealth because there is progress there.
    Mr Speaker, and so on this occasion, we have to remind the younger genera-

    tions that it is no longer a communal relationship; this is an organisation that is dealing with human rights, democracy and development; and the kind of technical assistance that we get from the Commonwealth, one cannot measure it.

    That is why I think that for the Hon Minister, constantly, we have to revive — When I was in secondary school, we used to have Commonwealth Clubs all over the Secondary Schools. And this helped to imbibe values of our development and association with Britain. Today, the Queen is no longer the head, but everything has a beginning, and if we are not happy, at least, the role that we have played in the Commonwealth is such a tremendous one that all of us should be proud to be members.
    Mr Speaker 11:20 a.m.
    And on my right? — [Pause]
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader, you may prompt a contribution. I did give an advance indication. I thought it would have prompted you and your members to put yourselves in readiness. So I am waiting.
    Ms Safo 11:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, Hon Michael Gyato has been up but he is so far away from you.
    Mr Michael Y. Gyato (NPP — Krachi East) 11:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to make a con- tribution.
    Mr Speaker, in 1958, Hon Harold Macmillan actually announced on the
    Floor of Parliament that the British empire is going to be turned to the Common- wealth of Nations, of which eventually, Ghana became a member.
    Over the years, all we want to say is that, of the membership, in 1949, it had only eight members, but we are happy to say that the membership has now increased to 54. And in all these, we have close to about 2.4 billion population within the Commonwealth Nations, of which India alone has close to about 1.4 billion.
    Mr Speaker, our numbers are so great to say that we constitute, at least, one third of the world's population. So the Commonwealth has a role to play in the scheme of things in the world. And I would want to urge Hon Members that, going forward, we should find a way of making sure that at least, our cultural and democratic values, the peace we are enjoying within the Commonwealth countries, are also upheld for the good of humanity and for our people.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister rightly said that over £212 billion has been set aside to support this Commonwealth activities. And going forward, what is the role of numbers within the Commonwealth in making sure that at least, this monetary injection within the system actually goes to benefit our people?
    I would want to urge that for this number of years of the formation of the Common- wealth, we need to show something. Though we have democracy and peace to show, we are also glad to say that the Commonwealth is also assisting us, especially, our youth to also have Commonwealth Games, portraying what our culture and co-existence can be.
    Mr Speaker, going forward, I would want to urge our colonial masters to see the need to support us, especially, the less
    endowed States, so that more aid could go to those less endowed States to support them to be able to grow, so that at the end of the day, come next year when we celebrate the Common-wealth Day, we can say that we have moved from one level to another.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity and I also thank the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for delivering such a commemorative Statement.
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 11:30 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. She remains the forebearer of the President's foreign policy, and necessarily, Ghana, because of our own recent past and history as a colony, we do have a relationship with the British Common- wealth.
    I do agree with Hon Gyato, who just spoke, except to add that previously, between 1905 -- I understand that the Empire Day was transformed into the Commonwealth Day, initially setting the tone by Lord Meath, as I have read.
    Mr Speaker, in the United Kingdom normally, this event is marked by some Christian service by the Anglican Church. I am sure tomorrow, the Hon Minister and the President may also allow the Anglican Church of Ghana to play their part in order that we raise the consciousness of the country and its people to what it means to be part of the British Commonwealth.
    Mr Speaker, particularly, in the 21st Century, and more importantly for us in this period of March, when the United Kingdom itself, after long years of
    marriage with the European Union is considering a major exit on 29th March, we should be interested in what the implications of Brexit will be for Ghana as a country and for the other 52 member States of the Commonwealth.

    Mr Speaker, my understanding will be one to which the British Government will realign and refocus its foreign policy and focus more on friendlier Commonwealth nations. The world's populous countries -- India, Indonesia and Ghana are all proudly part of it. We have seen Nigeria conduct elections; Indonesia has elections in 2019 and many other Commonwealth countries have walked the talk on democracy, but we still need to deepen the values.

    Mr Speaker, I do not intend to support the celebration with £215 million pounds -- what does that mean even for just Ghana, not to talk about 53 countries? It is a paltry sum of money for all intents and purposes. It is not going to smack off the kind of changes that we have. But as a country, we can pride ourselves as we do -- the Rt Hon Speaker was part of the celebration and saw the wonderful events of our 62nd Anniversary celebration in Tamale. The people of Tamale were gracious and that is how far we have come as a country.

    Mr Speaker, but beyond political independence in economic emancipation, where are we as a country? We still have challenges with infrastructural develop- ment, a deficit of about US$2 billion.

    Mr Speaker, once again, I would want to commend the Hon Minister who made the Statement. Indeed, the Empire Day or Commonwealth Day was supposed to symbolise what is called a symbol of that unity of feeling to promote freedom,
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 11:30 a.m.


    justice and tolerance. Where are we as a country in the promotion of freedom, in ensuring justice and tolerance? I am sure among nations, Ghana would stand firm.

    Mr Speaker, again, my only caution is that no country should feel inherently superior to another as we are all sovereign countries now belonging to the Common- wealth. There should be respectability and we should respect the rights of other countries and not to sometimes necessarily interfere in the internal affairs of some other countries.

    Mr Speaker, whether the United Kingdom would be celebrating or sulking on 29th March, 2019, we live it to the jurists who are out there. But the significant thing is the United Kingdom has a compelling responsibility to redefine and redirect its foreign policy to favour the British Commonwealth. We look forward to a stronger bond between Ghana, the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries.

    Mr Speaker, at the parliamentary level, we are a proud member of the Common- wealth Parliamentary Association here in Africa and we are a proud member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Interna- tional. I understand that the Leader of Government Business would represent us in Ottawa. What is important is for all countries to respect other countries.

    Mr Speaker, we are growing and we are now at a middle income status as a country. I do not think that we should be celebrating the fact that £215 million has been dedicated. Just do simple mathe- matics, if you divide £215 million by 53 countries one would realise that it is woefully inadequate. But what we need particularly from Britain is to deepen its

    trade ties with us, allow for more expanded exports between our two countries, even though they remain an important partner.

    Mr Speaker, once again, I would want to commend the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for the Statement.

    I thank you.
    Mr Speaker 11:30 a.m.
    Hon Members, Majority Leadership?
    Ms Sarah Adwoa Safo (NPP -- Dome/ Kwabenya) 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
    Mr Speaker, on this day, we ought to celebrate as member States of the Commonwealth. Earlier contributors have commended the Hon Minister for bringing to the Floor of Parliament such an important Statement on this important day. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching her on television with other members of the Diplomatic Corps as they celebrated the day.
    Mr Speaker, we all know the Commonwealth was founded in 1931; and in 1957, Ghana as a sovereign State joined the Commonwealth of Nations. It is an association of member States who all view themselves as equal, sovereign and have territorial independence of each other. But that is not for us to lose sight of the fact that majority of its members are former colonies or territories of the British Empire.
    Mr Speaker, the Commonwealth has come together with all member States to form a common socio-economic and political agenda where each one of them would have to promote that agenda in their independent member States. We need to cooperate as a member State; we
    need to also open up our doors to other member states in times of international trade and investments. Mainly, that is the purpose of these international obligations as a country. We all would have to take advantage of the economic and social opportunities that are available within and between member States.
    Mr Speaker, we all have a common framework of common values and goals that we have set for ourselves as members of the Commonwealth. To add my voice to what has already been said by the Hon Minority Leader, we should all see ourselves as co-equals, giving each other the necessary respect, integrity and the necessary sovereignty that we all enjoy as member States.
    Mr Speaker, I have talked about the values and goals of the Commonwealth and this is enshrined or consolidated in the Singapore Declaration that was issued in 1971. Some of the goals and values include the promotion of human rights, democracy, good governance, rule of law, individual liberties, free trade, bilateralism and world peace.
    These are very broad and important goals that we have set for ourselves. I believe that as an African country and Ghana being part of the Commonwealth, we all have to aspire to promote these values within and as we deal with other member States.
    Mr Speaker, we cannot celebrate this day without talking about the Common- wealth Games. The Common-wealth Games and the organisation brings together all member states and their athletes to celebrate, compete and share love and solidarity and I believe it is very much commendable. We should not lose sight of the fact that sports has a role to play.
    Recently, they have been focusing on athletics for physically challenged persons, where we have amputees competing and it has been very competitive. In all these games, Ghana has competed very well.
    So on this day, I believe that the introduction of the Commonwealth Games for all member States is also well thought of because when we organise these games, we get to meet one another and inspire ourselves to better heights.
    Mr Speaker, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) of which Ghana's Parliament is a member, the Commonwealth Association International which is based in the United Kingdom, and then the CPA Africa Chapter, which I am proudly a member of — I believe that on that platform, we have been able to hold inter-parliamentary discussions in parliamentary experiences between member States and that have enriched our various Parliaments.
    So we are grateful and we would continue to be members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, both the International and the Africa Chapters; we would continue to hold those values high.

    On such a platform, you would meet other Colleague Members of Parliament in other jurisdictions who form part of the Commonwealth and one would learn a lot about the jurisdictional differences and legal framework differences that exist between Commonwealth countries. Yet we have been able to come together to form this association and forge ahead.

    I am happy to say today that even at the Commonwealth International Executive Committee level, we have the Speaker from Africa, Cameroon to be specific. I was one of her campaign team members. She is a female and she is
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs, do you require any response?
    Ms Botchwey 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, no, except to thank Hon Colleagues.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Thank you very much.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end of Statements.
    Hon Members, we also have a six- member delegation from the Parliament of Sierra Leone and they would be in the country from 11th - 15th March, 2019.
    ANNOUNCEMENTS 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Benchmarking visit to Parliament by a six member delegation from the Parliament of Sierra Leone, 11th - 15th March 2019.
    Hon members, I have the pleasure to introduce to you a six-member delegation from the Parliamentary Service Com- mission of the Parliament of Sierra Leone who are on a five-day benchmarking visit to Ghana.
    They are here, among others, to interact with their counterparts in our Parliament to exchange views on best practices in the functioning of a Parliamentary Service Commission.
    The visit is further intended to create the platform for networking between Hon Members and their Sierra Leonean
    counterparts with the aim of deepening relations between the two legislatures.
    The delegation comprises the fol- lowing:
    Hon Segepoh Solomon Thomas -- Deputy Speaker;
    Hon Dr Kandeh K. Yumkella -- Member;
    Hon Quintin Salia-Konneh -- Member;
    Hon Rugiatu Rosy Kanu -- Member;
    Hon P. C. Prince Mambu Pewa -- Member;
    Mrs Alari Shaw -- Secretary to delegation.
    Hon Members, on behalf of the House, I welcome them to Parliament and I wish them fruitful deliberations.
    Hon Second Deputy Speaker would take the Chair.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader, do we go back to the Consideration Stage?
    Ms Safo 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, rightly so.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Hon Members, item numbered 9.
    Payment Systems and Services Bill, 2018 at the Consideration Stage.
    BILLS -- CONSIDERATION STAGE 11:40 a.m.
  • [Continuation of debate from column 2094.]
    • Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 42 paragraph (e), line 1, delete “authorised”.
    Mr Speaker, it would now read 11:40 a.m.
    “Responsible business conduct of all staff and agents.”
    Mr Speaker, we want this to cover all agents and not only authorised agents.
    Mr Iddrisu 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman should further convince us. Clause 42(e) as it stands reads, “res- ponsible business conduct of all staff and all authorised agents.” Mr Speaker, he should not forget that earlier, under clause 41 the Bank of Ghana was given a certain role to play and they would authorise agents. Mr Speaker, so why does he now want “agents” to stand alone?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, “agents” include authorised agents and so we would want this to cover all agents; both authorised and unauthorised. So if we say “agents” then authorised agents are included.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, could there be unauthorised agents?
    Mr Iddrisu 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we cannot deal with unauthorised agents here. We could only deal with authorised agents; those who have the blessing and legitimacy of the Bank of Ghana. Therefore the Hon Chairman should abandon the amendment and let “authorise” stay.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, could we possibly have unauthorised agents?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the point is who is an authorised agent? What
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:40 a.m.


    has been defined in the Bill is an agent and so we are saying that the word “authorise” should be deleted so that it would now read “responsible business conduct of all staff and agents.” Mr Speaker, what has been defined in the Bill is “agent”.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    So if you are not authorised then you cannot be an agent and so “authorise” is a tautology.
    Mr Iddrisu 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, for this purpose, the ‘‘authorised agents'' is referring to those agents who have been authorised for this purpose by the Bank of Ghana.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, for the avoidance of doubt the “authorised agents” are those who have been authorised by the Bank of Ghana.
    Would it hurt anything if we put it there for emphasis? We see people advertising that people should desist from un- authorised agents.
    Mr Iddrisu 11:40 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, may I respectively refer you to clauses 21 and 22 but for emphasis, clause 22:
    “A body corporate regulated under the Banks and Specialised Deposit- Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930) shall not engage in electronic money business without authorisa- tion from the Bank of Ghana.”
    Mr Speaker, there are those we envisage would be the authorised agents. So the word should stay.
    Mr Speaker 11:40 a.m.
    The word is even repeated in the context.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, if it is the pleasure of the House for us to keep it, I do not have any problem.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 11:50 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Member. If you agree with the Hon Minority Leader we would make progress.
    Dr Prempeh 11:50 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I can understand why you want us to make progress.
    Mr Speaker, saying an “authorised agent” might mean that there are agents who are not authorised. The import of the Bill is that anybody who would be subject to this Bill must be authorised anyway. So we should not bring “authorised agent”. Once there are agents, they have to be authorised. So though he wants us to make room, maybe we should, it might mean that the Hon Minority Leader should go to the definition section and also propose a definition that would not make some agents illegal.
    MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 11:52 a.m.
    Hon Members, I am told you are at clause 42 and there is a proposed amendment by the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
    Have you taken the one numbered (iii) on page 4?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:52 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the clause numbered (iii) on page 4 came in error. It is a new clause being proposed and it should not have been numbered. So that 42 is not under consideration. We have dealt with that one. We are now at amendment numbered (iv) on page 5, and I am being advised to withdraw the
    amendment. So the amendment numbered (iv) on page 4 is hereby withdrawn.
    Mr Speaker, there is an advertised amendment, but as you are well aware, those amendments are being abandoned.
    Mr Iddrisu 11:52 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am guided by the Hon Chairman of the Committee's withdrawal. He initially wanted “authorised”, clause 42 (e), line 1, deleted before “agents”. We have persuaded him that if we come to clauses 21 and 22, the Bank of Ghana has a responsibility to authorise those who would engage in those services. So you may put the Question on the entire 42 as he requested.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.

    Clause 42 as amended is ordered to stand part of the Bill.

    Clause 43 -- Responsibilities of electronic money issuer and payment service provider
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 11:52 a.m.
    There is no proposed amendment to clause 43 but I see the Hon Minority Leader on his feet.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Iddrisu 11:52 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I may with your leave and indulgence propose a new amendment to clause 43(1), line 2, to delete “at least 99.5 %”.
    Mr Speaker, in legislation, we cannot set this benchmark when we set up a benchmark with 99.5 per cent. It should read:
    “An electronic money issuer or payment service provider shall ensure high quality performance of availability and accessibility.”
    Mr Speaker, we cannot legislate on 99.5 per cent. If we do and it is 99. 4 per cent, that would breach the law and therefore, we should be mindful that we do not insist on this limit in a legislation if 43(1) as it stands now reads as follows:
    “An electronic money issuer or payment service provider shall ensure high quality performance of at least 99.5% …”,
    Mr Speaker, that is a wrong footing. We cannot be making a determination. If we say 99.5 per cent and the person performs 99 per cent, that would breach the law and how are we going to hold the person responsible to it? So if we want to insist on high quality performance, let us do so, but we do not need to narrow it to the statistic here that it should be 99.5 per cent.
    So Mr Speaker, clause 43(1), with your leave, I seek the deletion of the words, “of at least 99.5%”.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 11:52 a.m.
    Hon Members, the Hon Minority Leader has proposed an amendment to clause 43, subclause (1), line 2.
    Mr Patrick Y. Boamah 11:52 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am opposed to his amendment.
    Mr Speaker, they are licensing agents or institutions to perform a certain task to ensure customer protection and also satisfy a certain base within that space. If we do not hold them to a certain standard but leave it ajar and say that let us delete 99.5 per cent and leave it, how are we going
    Mr Patrick Y. Boamah 11:52 a.m.


    to hold the service provider to account to the innocent user of that service? That is my opposition to the amendment. I think it is a technical figure that has been put there. There is a reason behind it to ensure -- looking at the headnote, which is on responsibilities of electronic money users and payment service providers, that they do not perform below a certain standard. That is my understanding of this provision, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Dafeamekpor 11:52 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I support the position of the Hon Minority Leader. This is because no indices are provided as to how the 99.5 per cent would be gauged. This is subjective. So I think the real intendment of this House is to ensure that there is a certain high level of quality service delivery, but to peg it at a definitive 99.5 per cent, who determines that? It means that is the threshold.
    So we do not even have the indices to even gauge that. What is important is that the quality of service they would deliver would have to be so high. But we cannot determine that there should be a number to be placed at that threshold. It would be difficult.
    Mr Speaker, so I am in full support of the proposition put forward by the Hon Minority Leader in this matter.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker noon
    Hon Members, please, let me listen to the Hon Chairman first, before I come to the Hon Deputy Majority Leader.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah noon
    Mr Speaker, this is an industry terminology, and the Hon Minority Leader, who had been an Hon Minister for Communications knows.
    Mr Speaker, when it says 99.5 per cent service availability, it relates to the down time per month, or the down time measured in hours. So it is a technical term. The 99.5 per cent service availability would mean that one's system can only be down for not more than 3. 6 hours in a day, and that can also be converted in terms of the monthly down time. So this was debated upon at the Committee, and it was explained that it is a technical term used in the communications industry.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker noon
    Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Ms Safo noon
    Mr Speaker, I tend to have a difficulty with the explanation being proffered by the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
    Mr Speaker, the measurement of 99.5 per cent service availability is even subjective in the first place, because who determines it? Who measures it? What is 99.5 per cent highest quality performance to the Hon Minority Leader, would be different from that of my good self.
    Mr Speaker, I believe that stating the phrase; “to ensure high quality per- formance”, is good enough. This is because we would then have set the highest standard, but when we go into measurements and putting percentages to it, I do not believe that it would make the drafting even neat in the first place.
    I believe that we should be more concise, and should be less subjective. This is because 99.5 per cent service availability-- I tend to tilt towards the arguments being proffered by the Hon Minority Leader, which is that we should stay away from putting percentages to it.
    Mr Speaker, when we say that a standard should be high, it is high. So I believe that we should move away from
    that because it would even be more subjective when we put the 99.5 per cent there, and it does not make it neat at all.
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker noon
    Yes, Hon Member for Ningo-Prampram?
    Mr George noon
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I tend to lend myself to the position that introducing a said percentage or a specific percentage in the legislation would be difficult to observe, and it would create a certain problem for service providers. This is because what then becomes the standard by which they would measure the 99.5 per cent?
    Mr Speaker, as we speak today, the telecom service operators do not have such benchmarks stated in any law that they must meet 99.5 per cent up time. These electronic money operators are going to be operating on the back of mobile telephone service operators. So the vehicle on which they are operating does not itself have any legal obligation of 99.5 per cent up time.
    Mr Speaker, we should not forget that the vendor himself does not own the vehicle that is going to provide the service. He is only running on the vehicle, so he does not provide, or cannot ensure up time. That is the duty of the telco on which he is providing the service. So imposing the 99.5 per cent on someone who is just a passenger in a vehicle, is like a person asking that a passenger in a trotro must ensure the kind of engine oil that is being used in the trotro, or the speed at which the trotro is driven.
    Mr Speaker, therefore, with this 99.5 per cent, we must speak about high quality delivery, and that would be fine, but for
    us to say 99.5 per cent. If I am a passenger in a trotro, then how would I be able to determine the speed at which the trotro is driven, or the oil that was used in the servicing?
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker noon
    Yes, Hon Minister for Education?
    Dr Prempeh noon
    Mr Speaker, this is not about a passenger in a trotro, or talking about the speed at which a vehicle is driven. [Laughter.]
    Mr Speaker, why is it that bullion vans are designed in a specific way? Why is it that we do not put money in any other vehicle? Why is it that we do not put our bullion in the trotro you and I ride in?
    Mr Speaker, specific things are done for specific purposes. When we put our moneys through this system and we are not assured of when the moneys would go from A to B, without any reliable reliance test, it is a problem. This is not an ordinary telephone call, a Whatsapp message, or a text message. This is one's ability to move somebody who has brought his money to a specific person, within a specified time.
    Mr Speaker, therefore, the mobile telecom operator who now wants to be a susu collector or money maker, would have an obligation to ensure that his system is up and running at a particular time speed. It is not that trotro, which we take when somebody is going to school or the hospital. If bullion vans are licensed, it is because of a reason.
    If a person goes to take other people's money and the person has no reliability standard, then there would be a problem.
    Dr Prempeh noon


    It is not for nothing that the proponents of the Bill for the first time decided to make it 99.5 per cent.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader, my good friend, who himself is very knowledgeable in telecommunication should understand that even when it comes to the reliability of mobile telecommunication companies, even though we have not been able to put anything in the law, they are fined if their down times and their up times are not appropriate.

    Mr Speaker, we should make sure that this one stays in the Bill, and it should not be subject to analysis like the trotro analysis, but it should be understood that it is supposed to carry an essence that people are entrusting through the mobile telecom companies or maybe other companies. So maybe other companies, and so their reliability and efficiency should be of utmost importance. We should not judge trotros with bullion vans.

    Mr Speaker, thank you.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker noon
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Iddrisu noon
    Mr Speaker, I would want to give two explanations, so that I would carry my Hon Colleagues on board.
    Mr Speaker, I am not against the principle of setting higher quality standards. I have a problem with the measurability of those standards. My Hon Colleague, who is the Deputy Minister for Communications, whom I worked with when he was the Chief Executive for Glo --
    Mr Speaker, I just shared this practical experience, and many of us have experienced it. When a person lands in
    the Washington Airport for instance, one may have the Verizon, show signal strength, but after one or two steps AT&T may take over. It is an aspect of interoperability of signal strength, which is Seamless. Ghana has not got there yet, so I intend in clause 43, to sponsor a new amendment, which amendment would be that the provider and money issuer must provide for redundancy. My Hon Colleague understands that.
    Mr Speaker, redundant infrastructure would mean that for instance, in Parliament, we may be relying on the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) for the services of our broadband for internet connectivity. To ensure that when NITA breaks down, we would have a backup, we must provide for redundancy.
    Mr Speaker, I am therefore opposed to putting the 99.5 per cent in this legislation on two principles. One, measurability, and two, when we legislate it, it means that when a person performs 80 per cent, it is illegal and unlawful, and would become an infraction.
    Even in the Bank of Ghana, there have been times that we have been told that the Ghana Integrated Financial Manage- ment Information System (GIFMIS) is down and so the processing of a request from the Ministry of Finance to the Bank of Ghana cannot be done because of the system breakdown.
    Mr Speaker, so what we need to do, is to delete the 99.5 per cent and provide, in order to make sure that service providers do not run away from their obligation, that they must provide for redundancy, which is an Information Technology (IT) language. The Hon Minister for Education should know that this is not about the tracking system, where we have the yellow track and the red track, but it is redundant infrastructure.
    Mr Speaker, therefore, I am sure that I am about right on this matter. I would rather even be defeated on the record. I would want to be defeated, that this was shot down by Parliament, after all these reasonable explanation. In communica- tions, it is the Seamless less connectivity, which is important, and we are simply saying that we ensure high performance, but how do we do?
    Even Parliament, as we all enter none of us get signal. We have referred it to the IT Department.
    Ordinarily, once we enter the precincts of Parliament, we should have a signal telling us that we have connectivity. We do not have it, because the primary source is itself ineffective. So a secondary source to be relied on is what is referred to in communication as redundant infra- structure.
    Thank you.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, this is a very technical subject, and we need to take our time to understand it before we take a decision. So let me recognise the Hon Deputy Minister for Communications.
    Mr George Andah 12:10 p.m.
    Thank you very much Mr Speaker.
    I think we are all about saying the same thing, but we just need to be clear on exactly what the final proposal is, so that we can understand whether the final proposal meets the expectations of all of us.
    I would like to suggest to the Hon Minority Leader, if he could rephrase his proposal, or if he could define his
    amendment, so that I can understand what he is trying to say.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    His amendment is to delete the “at least 99.5 per cent”. He feels there should not be that percentage there. That is the amendment.
    Mr Andah 12:10 p.m.
    He was making a proposal about redundancy.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    No, we have not got to that yet.
    Mr Andah 12:10 p.m.
    So he wants to delete it and not talk about the redundancy at all? That is why I want to understand exactly what he wants to say.
    Mr Iddrisu 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if I succeed in persuading this House to delete, the “99.5 per cent”, then, we would promote a new subclause which should read; “an electronic money issuer or provider shall provide for redundancy for system failures”. Then it comes to beef it up that an additional obligation has been created, still, under clause 43.
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    The person who requested for the further explanation is the Hon Deputy Minister, so, I would listen to him first.
    Hon Deputy Minster, are you satisfied with the explanation?
    Mr Andah 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, no, I am not satisfied with the explanation.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Then, let me listen to Hon Sam George, before I come to the Hon Minister for Education.
    Mr George 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if you read clause 43, it talks about the responsibility. It says;
    Mr George 12:10 p.m.


    “An electronic money issue or payment service provider shall ensure high quality performance of at least 99.5per cent service availability and accessibility”.

    Now, let us go to the interpretation and see who an electronic money issuer is, as per this Bill. It says:

    “ an electronic money issuer means a payment service provider that issues electronic money”.

    Now, who is a payment service provider?

    “Payment service provider means a body corporate licensed or authorised under this Act to provide payment service”.

    Let us ask ourselves, per this interpretation, do any of the people who would just be providing mobile money services have the capacity to ensure the redundancy of the system on which the mobile money runs? That is the job of the telecommunications company (telco).

    Let us not mix up the job of the telcos, because let us not forget that the mobile money service operators we are talking about -- mobile money, Vodafone money, the banks -- are not telcos, and they do not have capacity to ensure that the system is 99.5 per cent reliable. That is the telco who is providing them the infrastructure on which the service is running.

    This service is basically an Over-the- Top (OTT), so if we are asking an OTT provider to give us guarantees on the system that he is only running on, we are asking the wrong person to give us the guarantees.
    Dr Prempeh 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is the precise reason we need the 99.5 per cent. Think for once about the person who is going to be subject to this money transaction and the recipient thereof, and the reliability of this service in delivering the service.
    Who says MTN should involve themselves in this? It is not by force, but if MTN would provide the backbone on which electronic money transactions would happen, then they should ensure, for reliability purposes, 99.5 per cent.
    We are saying that the money issuer should ensure 99.5 per cent, so if MTN -- [Interruption] -- one does not have to have a telco, but one would go to a telco to offer him a backbone service, so if that telco decides to offer one that service, it should ensure that one meets his service obligation.
    If it cannot meet one's service obligation -- if you give me a banking license and I go to rent a building, does he know that the Bank of Ghana should come and inspect the building to see if it is safe to do that business? Is the Bank of Ghana a construction company?
    So please, understand that the security which we expect our money transactions to go through are different from ordinary telco services. We can even charge ordinary telco services for system failures.
    Mr Speaker, the danger is even in the Hon Minority Leader's suggestion. He is talking about redundancy in terms of system failure. We are talking about reliability of the system. It might not fail, but it might be unreliable.
    It is like going to buy a train ticket to Kumasi. It is the safest means of transport, but I do not know when he is going to get there if he buys a train ticket now. It is
    very safe, very reliable, but it would never get him there.
    That is why I am saying that that money issuer who would offer a service on somebody's backbone should ensure that that backbone can stand the pressures. You do not go and put a 60 ton person on a backbone that can support a one ton person.
    Mr Speaker, the proponents of the Bill are right. It is very technical. We should not cry more than the bereaved. If he goes to Bank of Ghana, that he wants to issue electronic money, the system that he would use should have a reliability of 99.5 per cent. How he would go and get it is his own business, but yes, so that the ordinary Ghanaian, he and I, would not come and sit here that people are swallowing people's money and they never deliver it.
    It is important that the person who has been given the license performs to protect the ordinary Ghanaian.
    Thank you Mr Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:10 p.m.
    Let me listen to the Hon Minority Chief Whip.
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, whereas I agree that this is a very technical area, we need to ask ourselves how it would be enforced, because it is one thing creating a law. We would also have to think of how it would be implemented.
    Mr Speaker, how will this be measured? If we say there should be 99.5 per cent, will it be measured by Bank of Ghana, National Communications Authority (NCA), or the one who is accessing the service?
    If we are not very clear about how this 99.5 per cent - I agree perfectly with the argument about its reliability, because if I am sitting in this Chamber and for whatever reason I send money to Dr Prempeh, my expectation is that within a minute he would nod to me that he has received it. But if we are giving it a caveat of 99.5 per cent, how do we measure this?
    We need to hear from the Hon Chairman of the Committee how this can be measured. Maybe if he can put out the measurement system, it would explain further to us how it can be implemented, and all these arguments would be gone, but if it cannot be measured then it would be problematic.
    So Mr Speaker, I would be grateful to hear from the Hon Chairman of the Committee how this can be measured.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, first, there are systems available to measure such quality performance.
    Earlier, I explained that the 99.5 per cent service availability is translated into down time per year, so for example, if you have 99.5 per cent service availability, it would mean not more than 3.65 days down time per year. Ninety-five per cent would relate to 18 days per year down time, and then 90 per cent would be 36 days down time.
    So we do not want more than four days down time in a year. That is what this is saying.
    In other words, instead of having 99.5 per cent, we would have said, not more than four days down time in a year. Think about the environment we operate in. This is mobile money business and we are saying that in the whole year, when one is sending money, sometimes, we say we
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.


    have a number of hours down time. If we measure in total for a year, it should not be more than 3.65 days down time in a year. That is what the 99.5 per cent service availability translates into.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Let me raise this issue for your kind consideration because I think the word “ensure” is what has created the problem. The person who is providing the service we are referring to, is not in control of the system, so how can that person ensure? Should it not read, “the person shall be sure?”
    In other words, we have a regulator measuring the service providers and then you have benchmarks and before you apply to use that system, you should be sure that the system provides that high quality but not you yourself ensuring that it is provided. That is where I believe there is a problem. You cannot ensure because you do not own it. You are not in control of it.
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, now that the Hon Chairman of the Committee has provided the basis for the measurement, I am convinced. What happens is, when I sign a contract with MTN or Vodafone to help me perform that service, with these measurements in mind -- if I am not able to meet the minimum requirement of about four days in a year, it would come with penalties from the Bank of Ghana.
    When I sign a contract with MTN, Vodafone or AirtelTigo, I would have to incorporate this and tell them that anytime I have down time - I may even agree on three days with my provider, that if I go down four days in a year, the penalty would be on them and in terms of what I would pay them would reduce because I would pay those charges to the Bank of Ghana for that failure.
    I am only using them as my vehicle. Mr Speaker, it is doable and it is a way to make the system --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Your explanation is not to the effect that that person should ensure that the provider meets the high performance target.
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this is how it works. Let me use MTN as an example. I use MTN to provide my service, but I have entered into an agreement with the Bank of Ghana to provide electronic money services and I sign a contract with BoG with this condition that in the whole year, I, the one using the platform, should not go down more than four days.
    I use MTN's service, so, in signing a contract with them, to use their platform, I must ensure that this BoG benchmark is equally in our contract so that the one providing the service will -- Mr Speaker, the reason I am for this is that, the terrain that we are entering, in an hour, the amount of money that exchanges hands -- if we relax this --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Do not appeal to our conscience. We are looking at the practicability of it because we are going to enforce a law. Now, you are trying to appeal to our --
    Alhaji Muntaka 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am trying to use that to buttress the point.
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Let me listen to the Hon Minister.
    Mr Bryan Acheampong 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the issues are quite technical but very simple. If I am a financial service provider, first, I have my software to provide the service. That software rides on the backbone of MTN or Vodafone -- and if
    I am to provide 99.5 per cent reliability, it means that my system in itself, in terms of bandwidth and how the software operates, must be up 99.5 per cent of the time.
    Secondly, in signing up for a service provider to provide the backbone service, if I sign up with MTN, I need to now look at a second service provider as in lane one to provide redundancy. That has nothing to do with my system being reliable 99.5 per cent of the time. I can have three backbone providers. So if MTN is not reliable, I can now hop on to another system or the other.
    Mr George 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we need to be careful what we are asking. That is where I agree with your position that what he said in theory may make sense, but practically, looking at the choice of words, where you say that “the service provider shall ensure”, the service provider does not have the capacity to ensure the reliability of the backbone.
    What the service provider can ensure, and if we use the example the Hon Member gave, when we check the application that is running the mobile money business of what we call electronic money issuer or payment service provider, he can show you that he has had 99.5 or 100 per cent up time.
    However in terms of service delivery, his system may work alright, but the backbone or the mechanism on which he runs, which could be a telecom service provider, may not reach that benchmark. So then, who do we hold responsible for not meeting the 99.5 per cent? Is it the service provider who technically has met the benchmark or his service provider?
    Mr Speaker, that is why we are saying that to put ensuring of the 99.5 per cent on the person who is just an over-the-top and not on the person who is providing the backbone, in itself would present us practical challenges in enforcement when it comes to finding out -- Let us ask ourselves --
    The Hon Deputy Minister for Commu- nications is here. None of the telcos in this country meets 99.5 per cent up time in a year. If we go by the Hon Chairman of the Committee's explanation that 99.5 per cent is for a whole year and so, in 365 days, the providers should not have less than four days of down time, none of the telecos in this country, which are the backbones that we would run on, meets less than four days of cumulative down time.
    Mr Speaker, are we setting the electronic money issuers up to fail or default? These are the questions we must begin to ask ourselves. Mr Speaker, we can look at reframing it like the Hon Minority Leader has suggested to be more practical. That is my position.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    I think the explanation of the redundancy seems to respond to the issue you just flagged. If it is one single backbone, you may have this problem but if the person is to ensure by making sure that the service is not provided on only one backbone, but there are other redundancies to make sure that you provide a service yourself that has

    high performance of 99.5 per cent, which means that you would not rely one backbone, then, that is possible.

    If it is on one, then, you would have a difficulty because you do not have any control over that one.

    Yes, Hon Chairman?

    12. 30 p. m.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you hit the nail right on the head; same way Hon Members would have two mobile phones.
    Mr Speaker, I have double Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) on my mobile phone so my down time in a year would be less than three days. So I have 99.5 per cent service availability because this mobile phone has a backbone of two service providers; Vodafone and MTN. So I am ensuring that I have 99.5 per cent service availability.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    That is to make assurance double sure, so I would put the Question -- [Interruption] --
    Well, he is not here to withdraw the amendment so I would put the Question.
    Mr George 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, he mandated me to hold his position and plead with you to subject this to a vote before he left. This is because we hold this position very dearly.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon Member, there is no need for you to hold the position. The amendment has already been moved, it has been debated; the mover of the Amendment has not come to withdraw it so, I have to put the Question.
    Question put and amendment negatived.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    We have as many as four amendments to clause 44, but three are in the name of the Hon Chairman of the Committee. So Hon Chairman of the Committee may move the proposed amendments.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move,
    Clause 44 -- Head note I delete.
    So that the Head note shall now read:
    “Right and responsibility of electronic money holder”.
    Mr Speaker, this is to make it consistent with terminology used throughout the Bill.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon Members, the other amendments are also consequential on the amendment to the Head note by requesting that we delete the word, ‘account' to make it consistent with the terminology used throughout the Bill. So, I would like to put the Question on the Head note and subclause 1, line 1 and subclause 2, line 1.
    Question put and amendment—
    Hon Members, do you need a suspension of the Sitting? This is because I heard only the voice of the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
    I would put the Question again.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Since the proposer for the next amendment is not available, and in tune with practice, I think that one has lapsed. So I would put the Question on clause 44.
    Clause 44 as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 45 -- Complaints procedure.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon Chairman of the Committee?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 45, subclause (2), paragraph (d), line 2, delete “working.”
    Mr Speaker, in line 2, we have “an additional fifteen working days” and we were advised that fifteen days would mean fifteen working days in the Interpretations Act. That is why we are effecting this amendment.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Hon Chairman, in paragraph (d), we have within five working days and then, additional fifteen working days. Your proposed amendment is to delete the ‘working' with the ‘fifteen' but the one with the ‘five' should stay. Is that the case? [Pause] -- I just want to be sure. Do you want it to be five days or five working days?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, five days.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker So the proposed amendment is to delete ‘working' from clause 45, subclause 1, paragraph (d), line 1, and line 2.
    Question put and amendment—
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minister? You are on your feet so I thought—
    I would put the Question again.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:20 p.m.
    We still have further proposed amendment to clause 45 in the name of the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:20 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 45subclause (3), line 2, delete “calendar”.
    So that the complaint may be lodged within thirty days.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Yes, it is just the deletion of the word “calendar”. It is very clear, so I would put the Question.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    We would go to the last proposed amendment to clause 45. Hon Chairman?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, add the following new subclause: “(10) The Bank of Ghana shall within three days, resolve the complaint”.
    Mr Speaker, we are bringing in this new subclause and the draftsperson would now renumber. In subclause 9, where the complainant is not satisfied with the decision of the electronic money issuer or payment service provider, the
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:40 p.m.


    complainant may report to the Bank of Ghana. We left it at that so now, we are introducing a new subclause which says that:

    “(10) The Bank of Ghana shall within three days, resolve the complaint.”
    Mr Dafeamekpor 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move a further amendment to the one proposed by the Hon Chairman, that:
    “(10) The Bank of Ghana shall within three days, resolve the complaint upon receipt of the complaint”.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Hon Chairman, what do you say to the further proposed amendment?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think that it is in the right direction.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 45 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 46 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 47 -- Access to participation in system approved by Bank of Ghana.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, subclause (4), line 1, delete “Subject to subsection (1)”.
    Mr Speaker, what we have in clause 47 (4) is a standalone and should not be cross-referenced in sub section 1. We are saying that:
    “(4) The Bank of Ghana shall not withdraw access to a system by a bank , a specialised deposit-taking
    institution or other institution without giving the bank, the specialised deposit-taking institu- tion or the institution a reasonable opportunity to make representation to the Bank of Ghana.”
    So we need not cross-reference it to sub section1.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 47 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 48 -- Supervision of established and designated systems
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    We have some proposed amendments, but those standing in the name of the Hon Minister for Communication would lapse. The one standing in the name of the Hon Minority Leader who is also not on the Floor, would follow the same fate.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the one standing in the name of the Hon Minority Leader is in clause 49, so you could put the Question on clause 48.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Then I would put it on clause 48, you are right.
    Clause 48 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 49 - Systemic risk
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Well, the Hon Minority Leader is not available.
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    Hon Member, do you have his authority?
    Mr George 12:40 p.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    All right, you may go on.
    Mr George 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, subclause (2), opening phrase, line 1, delete “systemic” and insert “system.”
    So instead of reading “systemic risk”, it would read “system risk”. If we are looking at the language, what we are --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:40 p.m.
    What we have on the Order Paper says subclause (2), opening phrase, line 1, delete “systemic” and insert “system”.
    However, in subclause (2), line 1, we do not have that there. I am sure he meant subclause (1) and not sub clause (2). It should be clause 49(1), line 1, where we have “systemic risk” and not subclause
    (2).
    Mr George 12:40 p.m.
    Rightly so, Mr Speaker.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:40 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the headnote reads “systemic risk” and that is what is being addressed in the body of the clause. So how then do we delete “systemic risk” which is what is in the headnote and introduce “system”? I am opposed to this amendment.
    Mr George 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the headnote is the broad overview, but if we read clause 1, what we are referencing there is a risk to the system.
    So if the Bank of Ghana (BoG) considers that there is a risk to the system, it may issue a directive in writing to a participant requiring that he or she does
    the following. If we say ‘' a systemic risk'', what exactly are we referring to? What the BoG would deem to have been a risk is the system that is operating. So in reference to that particular system, the risk is in reference to a system.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want my Hon Colleague to look at the ‘'Interpretation'' where ‘'system'' has been defined, and then tell us if he still wants to leave it at ‘'system''.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    ‘‘system'' and ‘'Systemic risk'' have been defined in page 72 of the Bill.
    Mr George 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, taking cognisance from the ‘‘Interpretation'', I would abandon the amendment.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 49 subclause (1), paragraph (a), line 3, at end, delete “or” and insert “and”.
    Mr Speaker, this is to make the requirements conjunctive.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Do you mean the two must happen at the same time to constitute - ?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:50 p.m.
    Rightly so, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Dafeamekpor 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want the Hon Chairman of the Committee justify why he wants to make it a conjunctive and not a disjunctive.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    It means that after performing the act, you would have to provide the relevant documenta- tion to the BoG. You do not just perform
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.


    the act and leave it there, and also say you would provide the document soon, which is ‘‘or'', when there is no issue for you to provide it. That is why it is a conjunctive.

    Question put and amendment agreed to
    Mr Sam George (on behalf of) Mr Haruna Iddrisu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 49, subclause (3), line 1, delete “may” and insert “shall”.
    Mr Speaker, the new rendition would be 12:50 p.m.
    ‘'The Bank of Ghana shall take steps under this Act to safeguard the system''.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I oppose the amendment. We would want to confer discretionary powers on the BoG; but in essence, it is mandatory for them to do it. ‘‘may'' is interpreted as ‘'Shall''.
    Mr George 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Committee has only buttressed our position. This is because if he says that ‘‘may'' should be interpreted as ‘‘shall'', then the word ‘‘shall'' should be used instead of ‘‘may''.
    Mr Speaker, in clause 43, we spoke about how we need to protect the users of the system, and one of the agencies that would ensure the protection of users of the system is the BoG . So if we would want to impose that duty of care on them, it must be mandatory.
    If the Hon Chairman of the Committee says ‘‘may'' should be interpreted as ‘‘shall', then the Hon Minority Leader's amendment, which seeks that ‘‘may'' be
    deleted and be replaced with the word ‘‘shall'' is supported and justified.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    We learn the law every day. The Hon Chairman of the Committee says that the word ‘‘may'' in this particular instance means ‘'Shall''; If so, why should it not be used?,
    Dr Prempeh 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the highest court of the land has also interpreted ‘‘shall'' to be ‘‘may'' in certain circumstances. -- [Interruption.] -- Please, they should follow the Supreme Court law.
    Mr Speaker, ‘‘may'' and ‘‘shall'', in current legislative drafting, are being done away with and they have introduced ‘‘must'' which is more mandatory. In this case, ‘‘may'' is ‘‘shall'' and ‘‘shall'' could be ‘‘may'' - that is the legislative drafter's interpretation.
    The Supreme Court has already said, in one of the cases that their forebears went, that ‘‘shall'' became ‘‘may'' -- [Interruption] -- In the “Tuffour vrs the Attorney-General case” in the election petition, ‘‘shall'' became ‘‘may'' in this country.
    Mr Speaker, truthfully, in current legislative drafting language, ‘'must',' which is more mandatory is used. If we want to make it mandatory ‘'must'' is even better than ‘'shall'' or ‘'may''. In Ghana, the word ‘‘shall'' is ‘‘may'' and ‘‘may'' is ‘‘shall''.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Until you become the Supreme Court, we do not know that ‘‘may'' is interpreted as ‘‘shall''. [Laughter.]
    Mr Iddrisu 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, on a lighter note, I would want to remind the Hon

    Mr Speaker, we are talking of building systems, and with the same arguments that my Hon Colleagues articulated on the BoG- what is the problem with ‘‘shall'' being substituted with ‘‘may''?

    Mr Speaker, we are guided in this by the Interpretations Act and we oblige the BoG to take the necessary steps to build the system. That is why I earlier argued that when it comes to Information Technology (IT), system risk - we should respect the fact that ‘‘may'' would do no harm to the Bill, but it is better it is made mandatory because this is system risk.

    When we were referred to the mobile service provider issuer and the others, we simply talked about the telecommuni- cation companies that are referred to in Ghana as the Mobile Network Operators (MNO) -- they are to build these systems. That is why they have persuaded the Hon Minister for Communications to stand down many of her amendments.

    This is because this is a system that the Cabinet and the Government want controlled by the Bank of Ghana and not the regulator, which is the NCA. That was the initial policy conflict. So once we have resolve it, I so urge my Hon Colleagues to support, “The Bank of Ghana shall take steps under this Act to safeguard the system.” This is because the system must function properly. In their engagement with the mobile network operators who would be used as a platform for the money exchange, their obligations must be properly defined.

    Mr Speaker, this is Parliament, and it is our duty to make laws. I think that we

    should shy away from allowing the courts to make laws. It is not a proper practice, even though judgements, because of those doctrines, become law.

    Our mandate is to make laws. Even when the courts make pronouncements, we should go a step further to legislate on those judgements in order to exercise our mandates; ours is to make laws, and theirs is to interpret and enforce it. They are not — if we follow the strict discipline of separation of powers.

    Mr Speaker, this is not harmful; I am only saying that, we should delete “may” and insert “shall”.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Members, I think it is very clear that the word there should be “shall”, and so I will put the Question.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 49 as admended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Members we would be stopping at clause 50 and so I would put the Question on it. There is no proposed amendment. — [Pause]
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, there are no amendments to clauses 50 to 64.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Yes.
    Clauses 50 to 52 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 53 — Customer information after the execution of a transfer.
    Mr Iddrisu 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, on clause 53, I know that we have passed the Data
    Mr Iddrisu 1 p.m.


    Commission Act, and I think we could subject clause 53 to its provisions because it protects personal data and as a Parliament, we could qualify this. Unless it is expressly agreed to the contrary and subject to the Data Protection Act, then the rest could flow in clause 53. It is a suggestion, and if I have your leave and indulgence. This is because, personal information in Ghana is protected only by the provisions of the Data Protection Act.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Chairman, what do you say before I can take a decision on whether to allow him to move that proposal?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to satisfy myself with the Data Protection Act. So if we can let this one pass and then at the Second Consideration Stage — [Interruption.]--- This Bill will go through a Second Consideration Stage.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    So can we flag it and move on?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, because I do not know the —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Clause 53 deals with customer information. What he is saying is that in the Data Protection Act, the personal information of an individual is confidential and cannot be subjected to the openness in clause 53(1).
    That is the position, but the Hon Chairman is right. There is the need to refer to the specific provision in the Data Protection Act to guide us to take a right decision. So we can flag it and move on. It could be raised at the Second Consideration Stage.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as a matter of fact, the decision has been taken
    to reinstate clause 2. We earlier deleted clause 2, but we would introduce it at the Second Consideration Stage. So if you would agree with me, we could add the relevant enactments that were earlier deleted from the Bill as well as the Data Protection Act here at Second Con- sideration Stage.
    Mr Speaker, so you could put the Question on this one; at the Second Consideration Stage, where we would list the relevant enactments, we would bring the Data Protection Act.
    Mr Iddrisu 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, once we have this assurance from the Hon Chairman, relative to clause 2, to add application of relevant enactments and the Data Protection Act, we could proceed with the rest with the firm assurance that we would arrest the Third Reading to allow for a Second Consideration in respect of clauses 2 and 53.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1 p.m.
    Hon Members, before we proceed, you have copies of the Order Paper Addendum, so we would go back to Presentation of Papers. We have a number of Papers to be laid by both the Hon Minister for Finance and the Hon Minister for Education.
    We would suspend Consideration of the Bill and transact that Business.
    Hon Members, Presentation of Papers — Item (a) by the Hon Minister for Finance.
    Ms Safo 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance, Hon Osei-Asare, who is one of our own, is here to lay the Paper in the stead of the Hon Minister for Finance.
    Mr Iddrisu 1 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, there is no objection. The Hon Deputy Minister is capable of laying it.
    Once we see reference to an Hon Minister -- except that we are now aware that there is a specific Hon Minister designated for vocational and technical education.
    PAPERS 1:10 p.m.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is a Commercial Agreement, so it should go to the Committee on Education alone.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Should it be referred only to the Committee on Education?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, normally, they would have added the leadership of the Committee on Finance, but we have too much on our plates.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, I have realised that item (a) on the Order Paper Addendum deals with €123,756,774.15, which is on upgrading and modernisation. That Paper was referred to the Committee on Finance.

    Hon Minister, is it the same Contract Agreement to item (a) on the Order Paper Addendum?
    Dr Prempeh 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, yes. There is a very good explanation that we would advance.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, I would want to make the appropriate orders. Should item (a) on the Order Paper Addendum go to only the
    Committee on Finance, or you would need the Committee on Education on board?
    Mr Iddrisu 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it could go to the Committee on Finance; but if you would be persuaded, ask the leadership of Education Committee to join the Committee on Finance. Then item numbered (b) on the Order Paper Addendum could go to the Committee on Education.
    I thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Ms Safo 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, inasmuch as we would want to enrich Committee work, the practice has been that with loan Agreements, it is with the Committee on Finance; but we would agree that when it comes to the Contract Agreement, the leadership of the Committee on Finance could join the Committee on Education to consider it - item numbered (b) (i) on the Order Paper Addendum . The Loan Agreement is to the Finance Committee and that has been the practice.
    Mr Iddrisu 1:10 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, your referral is appropriate. The Paper listed (a) on the Order Paper Addendum is exercised when we look at the terms of it. In all practicality, if the leadership of the Committee on Education joins, how come that when they go to the Finance Committee, the Hon Minister or his Deputy Minister joins? It is to provide input to allow for more thoroughness and transparency.
    Mr Speaker, I do not think that this one deducts anything from the principle. The referral is to the Committee on Finance, but we should allow the leadership of the Education Committee to participate. For instance, if we are looking at a loan of €123,756,774.15, maybe the Committee on Education may advise that Mr Yaw Mosu
    in Brong Ahafo, for the sake of a certain knowledge, should be added even though we are looking at the terms.
    So the Hon Deputy Majority Leader should not make this work difficult. If she wants us to be strict, then why is she saying that the Committee on Finance should join them when it comes to --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Members, for the sake of clarification, item numbered (a) on the Order Paper Addendum is referred to the Finance Committee alone. Item (b) on the Order Paper Addendum is to the Leadership of Finance Committee and the Committee on Education.
    By the Minister for Education --
    Amendment to the Contract Agree- ment among the Govern ment of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Education) and P.C. Education Africa Ventures (a subsidiary of Planetcore Education Holding Limited of Malta), and SUMEC Complete Equipment & Engineering Company Limited for the Overall Upgrading and Modernisation of the Vocational Education System in Ghana.
    Referred to the Committee on Educa- tion.
    By the Minister for Education --
    (iii) Proposed Formula for the Distribution of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GET und) for the Year 2019.
    Referred to the Committee of the Whole.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:10 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Ms Safo 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, there are some unadvertised provisions of the Payment Systems and Services Bill. If you could put the Question on those ones get the sense of the House, we could adjourn.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader, you realised I was in that process, but we got some new proposed amendments from time to time, and that was why we stopped at clause 53. It is not that straightforward. We are not sure that I can go through all without any new proposed amendments coming from the Floor.
    Yes, Hon Chairman of the Committee?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I get a signal from the Hon Minority Leader that he would not put impediments in our way. So he says he would not do that.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Hon Chairman, the signal was of what nature?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, he did like this -- [He waves his hand.]
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Hon Member, by a wave of the hand?
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, yes.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    So we have flagged clause 53. What I would do is that we would go back to Consideration Stage --
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, clause 53 is not flagged. We said it should pass, so that we would bring that Data Commission Act under clause 2 --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    In other words, you want us to go through it, but
    if there is the need for a proposed amendment then it would come under the Second Consideration Stage.
    Dr Assibey-Yeboah 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am saying that put the Question. Then under clause 2, I would list that enactment as part of the relevant enactments.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Let me first direct that the House should go back to the Consideration Stage of the Payments Systems and Services Bill, 2018.
    BILLS - CONSIDERATION STAGE 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Hon Members, we are now back to the Consideration Stage of the Payment Systems and Services Bill, 2018.
    We were at clause 53, and we would repeat that for clarification and certainty.
    Clause 53 -- 64 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end of the Consideration Stage for today.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Ms Safo 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very
    much.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Did I hear her being referred to as “incoming”?
    Ms Safo 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, ignore all such comments. [Laughter.]
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    The whispers from the Floor were very loud, so I did not eavesdrop. I heard them clearly.
    Ms Safo 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I get the sense of the House, and I get the indication from the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee that we could bring closure to the Consideration Stage of the Payment Systems and Services Bill, 2018.
    Mr Speaker, there are Committee meetings scheduled for today. At this point, I would humbly move that the House adjourns till tomorrow.
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:20 a.m.
    Hon Members, for your guidance, catching the eye of the Rt Hon Speaker does not mean that he has not seen you. They are different terms.
    Ms Safo 1:20 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House adjourns till tomorrow at
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 10 a.m.
    Hon Member for Prampram, are you the available Hon Leader for the Minority now?
    Mr Samuel N. George 10 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, it appears so.
    Mr Speaker, we have no objection to the Motion moved by the Hon Deputy Majority Leader, so I beg to second the Motion.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    ADJOURNMENT 10 a.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 1.28 p.m. till Wednesday, 13th March, 2019 at 10.00 a.m.