Debates of 13 Jun 2019

MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:17 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:17 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:17 a.m.
Hon Members, we will commence with the Correction of Votes and Proceedings of the Ninth Sitting of the Second Meeting of Parliament held on Wednesday, 12th June, 2019.
Pages 1…7 --
Mr Avedzi 10:17 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
On page 7, item numbered 13, I was marked absent yesterday.
Mr Speaker, I was not in the Chamber yesterday, but I was in a Committee Meeting in Parliament throughout yesterday. Today, I will continue with the Committee Meeting.
Mr Mathew Nyindam 10:17 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I believe the issue is not about Hon Members showing their faces in the Chamber; it is about going to the Mails Room to sign to indicate that they were present. Unfortunately, the Hon Deputy Minority Leader came to the House, but he never went to the Mails Room to sign that he was in Parliament. That is what he should
look at, so that when he is in Parliament, he will go to the Mails Room and sign.
Mr Avedzi 10:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, what he said is not different from what I said. When Hon Members come to the Chamber to show their faces, they will be marked by the Marshal.
If Hon Members do not come to the Chamber but go to the Mails Room to sign, they would be marked as present. The question is, if an Hon Member does that and leaves the precincts of Parliament, what work would they have done? That is my point.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:17 a.m.
So, at what point is the Hon Member present in Parliament? This is not a new issue. I recall we have debated this matter a couple of times in the House.
If an Hon Member comes and goes straight in to a Committee Meeting, and the Hon Member does record at the Mails Room, very often, the Committee report will come as a supplement and it will show that the Hon Member was present at a Committee Meeting. But was the Hon Member present in Parliament?
Truly, if we look at the record, 193 of us were recorded to have been present. For those of us who were here all through the day, how many people were in the Chamber? Sometimes, we are not sure which one is the record; whether it is the Hon Members present or those who have written their names or those who say they were at Committee Meetings?
We have to bring a finality to the matter, because frankly, I am often amazed at the numbers we get in the Votes and Proceedings when I compare with the numbers that are present and the Committee Meetings that are reported.
If we add the Committee Meetings that are reported to the number of persons who were in the Chamber, it does not come anywhere near the number that are reported to be present. I think Leadership should consider it and let us agree on a final definition of being present in Parliament.
Mr Avedzi 10:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think we would have to invite you to make a ruling on it, even though you have asked Leadership to do something about it. We closed our Committee Meeting late yesterday, so the Clerk could not report for the Committee Meeting to be captured in the Votes and Proceedings.
Mr Nyindam 10:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe you made it clear. This issue is not new. I remember once, Hon Joe Ghartey claimed he was in a Committee Meeting, but unfortunately he was marked absent.
There was a debate and we all resolved that for an Hon Member to say that he or she has come to Parliament, the Hon Member would have to go to the Mails Room and sign to indicate that he has attended to the business of the House.
Unfortunately, some Hon Members come and instead of going to the Mails Room to sign, they go straight to the committee meeting and after that, they go home. When Hon Members come to Parliament, they should go to the Mails Room and sign to indicate that they are present.
Whether they show their faces and then go home, that is a different debate. We have been talking about how best we can advance technologically, so that Hon Members clock in and clock
out. Now, we have not got there. So, if an Hon Member wants to be marked present on the floor of Parliament, I believe the best thing for them to do is to go to the Mails Room and sign to indicate that they have reported to Parliament.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:27 a.m.
So, Hon Leader, if I go and sign and go and sit in my office, am I present? Truly, that is one of the major challenges; since each Hon Member has got an office and a television, they watch proceedings. They sign and go and sit in their offices, do their private businesses and watch the rest of us do the work.
I do not know whether we should accept that as being present. If I recall correctly, the ruling that was agreed on was by Rt Hon Bamford-Addo --- Hon Papa Owusu -Ankomah was here and the argument was that, to be marked present, you must have entered the Chamber.
So the ruling has been that, before a Committee starts sitting, Hon Members must report in the Chamber. So I do not accept any “presents” if you have not entered the
Dr Clement A. Apaak 10:27 a.m.
Mr Speaker, while at it, I want to point out that two other Members of the Public Accounts Committee who were at the Committee meeting yesterday have also been marked absent.
But to the bigger issue at stake, I believe that we could look elsewhere for best practices to see how best we can have an arrangement that would allow us to be marked present if and when we come and engage in our work and not be marked present if we do not do what we all agreed we should be doing.
Mr Speaker, again, there are some Committees that sometimes sit outside of Accra or Parliament itself, Public Accounts Committee included. So if we are to go by your suggestion that one has to enter the Chamber to be marked present, that would also present another problem.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:27 a.m.
So if you are sitting at Bekwai, are you present in Parliament?
Mr Alexander K. Afenyo- Markin 10:27 a.m.
Mr Speaker, you just referred to a ruling during the time of Rt Hon Bamford-Addo and you appear not willing to vary it. But it appears that an application was made quite recently by Hon James Klutse Avedzi, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
In the said application, he argued that he was at the Public Accounts Committee meeting, which he chaired, but he did not enter the Chamber. The Chief Whip on the Minority Side, Hon Muntaka had countered that position and insisted that, per the ruling you just referred to, once he was not in the Chamber, he could not argue that he should be marked present.
Mr Speaker, I do not know the exceptional circumstance of that case or what informed the Rt Hon Aaron Mike Oquaye, but he acceded to the submission by Hon Avedzi and his prayer to be marked present was considered.
Mr Speaker, I am trying to draw our attention to a proper reconciliation. This is because the Professor who just spoke before me, Hon Dr Apaak --
Mr Afenyo-Markin 10:27 a.m.
I do not want him to be led into temptation.
Mr Ras Mubarak 10:27 a.m.
Mr Speaker, there was a ruling in respect of Hon Members being at Committee by Rt Hon Prof. Mike Oquaye and it was that if an Hon Member is in Committee, whether within the precincts of Parliament or outside, he seeks leave of the Speaker so that the Member is marked absent with permission.

No, not after adjournment. I think that if we should go by that ruling, it would cure some of these problems that we are currently faced with.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Solomon N. Boar 10:27 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think we have to look at this issue comprehensively. This is because for some of us who are Regional Ministers, we leave Parliament to get back to the region to continue with the regional work. We fill out a form indicating that we are leaving Parliament on a particular day and would be back on a particular day.
If the day comes and there is something critical to be dealt with in the region, especially security issues, that would call for the Minister to stay for an additional week or more, the Member, who is a Minister comes back and looks at the Votes and Proceedings and has been marked absent throughout and then the next time, Odikro is on his neck.
So this is something that we really need to look at as a House and deal with it decisively. What my Hon Colleague, Dr Apaak said was answered by my other Hon Colleague. At least, that is what most of the Ministers who are at the policy
level have been told about going out. One fills in a form and knows what his timetable says about his date of return. No problem. What about Regional Ministers?
So, Mr Speaker, this is an opportunity for us to deal with this comprehensively, so that we are not to be deviant as far as attending to parliamentary business is concerned.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Samuel N. George 10:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, this matter is one that should be dealt with in finality today. The reason being that we are told by the Hon Deputy Majority Whip that there is a register down there that Hon Members should go and sign. This is an Honourable House of Parliament.
Can we all be truthful to ourselves and to God that if we take today's Votes and Proceedings, the names marked present were really present in this Chamber or even at a Committee?
There are some names I could mention that are marked present every day but I have never seen them in the Chamber. They are not even present during State of the Nation Address, yet their names appear on the Votes and Proceedings.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:37 a.m.
Hon Okoe Boye, I asked you to hold on, do you still want to contribute?
Dr Bernard Okoe Boye 10:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, this is a House of record and since the Hon Member has tried to
build an argument -- [Interruption.] -- it would help because it is all about conjuncture.
Mr Kwame Govers Agbodza 10:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we need not to think about doing anything different. If an Hon Member is present, he or she would be marked present. My Hon Colleague, the Hon Deputy Northern Regional Minister, gave an example.
For instance, if he travelled and said he would be back on Tuesday and was back on Thursday and was marked present, and there is evidence that he was involved in something in his constituency, who would be blamed for misreporting?
Mr Speaker, we should not attempt to create a grey area in law for the people of Ghana because all the people would hide under it and leave the real reason the law was made. If an Hon Member comes to Parliament and wants to be marked present, he or she should come to the Chamber or write his or her name; nothing should be done.
In fact, we should even go further. We have the capability of biometrically registering ourselves from the consoles on our seats. Even in garages where vehicles are repaired, the apprentices are able to clock in and out in this country.
The reason we are not doing it is known. Mr Speaker, any attempt to discuss this and look for a way would create a grey area where all the people would hide and not do the right thing.
I oppose any attempt to create a way for people to sit in their homes or offices and pretend they were in this House. It is a bad proposition and should not be encouraged.
Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah 10:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the House Rules which guide us must be respected. You were going through the Votes and Proceedings page by page and this is done every day.
This is prima facie evidence of an Hon Member's presence or absence in this House, with or without permission; so if an Hon Member decides to sign and leave the precincts of Parliament without any just cause, it amounts to dishonesty. We cannot call ourselves Hon Members of Parliament, come to Parliament, sign and leave and have our names registered on the Votes and Proceedings.
Mr Speaker, I have a problem with the dangerous allegation made by the Hon Member for Ningo/Prampram. There are visitors and media personnel, so I would want him to
clarify what he said that some Hon Members are always marked present. This is because bad news travel faster and this is what might be reported and the image of this House would sink every day for the conduct of some Hon Members.
Mr Speaker, we want to uplift the image of this House because we have a lot of good Hon Members of Parliament who come to Parliament very early to work, so we should not play into the hands of some mischievous persons in the society.
Mr Matthew Nyindam 10:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would want to quote Standing Order 15(2) which has to do with what Hon Apaak said on Hon Members who attend to parliamentary business outside the jurisdiction of Parliament. It reads:
“ ... leave of absence may be given by Mr. Speaker to any Member who shows sufficient cause justifying his absence or who is away on official or parliamentary duties”.
Mr Speaker, if a Committee embarks on a tour, it means that the Hon Members of the Committee are attending to a parliamentary business and so what they need to do is to fill a leave of absence form for Mr Speaker to grant. They do not need any other
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
I think -- Hon Deputy Majority Leader, I will hear you before I make any further comments.
Ms Sarah A. Safo 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
I joined in and listened to a number of Hon Members from both Sides on the issue that has been raised by the Hon Deputy Minority Leader. You would agree with me that this is really not the first time that this House is going back and forth as to how to deal with this matter.
Mr Speaker, stricto sensu, if we are going by our Standing Orders, as it is now, and read the meaning of “Sitting” on page 5 -- and with your permission, I read:
“Sitting includes a period during which Parliament is sitting continuously without adjourn- ment and a period during which it is in Committee”.
Mr Speaker, again, referral is being made to Standing Order 15 which talks about the opportunity that has been given to Hon Members to ask for leave of absence.
If we are to go strictly by what we have in our Standing Orders, Standing Order 15 would be interpreted as when Parliament is Sitting, then it is Sitting here in the Chamber without adjournment and during Committee meetings as well.
Unfortunately, the convention and practice has been that Hon Members would actually register that they have appeared in this Chamber by going to the Mails Room to have their names recorded and that is what is captured in the Votes and Proceedings for this House.
Mr Speaker, I believe that many have found a way to work around it, which is, even if we have Committee meetings, at least, we appear before your good Self in the Chamber and then later, probably, go and have your Committee meetings so that we are not seen with empty seats in the Chamber all the time.
I know that you chair the Appointments Committee and you have made it a point that members of the Committee come to the Chamber before we go for our Committee meetings, at least, for the first one hour. Then you signal everybody and we move from the Chamber and we go to our Committee -- Mr Speaker, I would encourage that.
Other than that, if we go straight to the Committee meetings, without signing against our names, which is the practice and convention of this House, we will be recorded as absent. Although, stricto sensu, we are assumed to have been at the Committee meeting and hence, we should have been captured.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
I think I have heard enough. The
complaint was that the Hon Deputy Minority Leader was at a Committee meeting and did not show his face in the Chamber and so he has been marked ‘absent'.
Firstly, I believe that the records we have accepted is for us to go to the Mails Room and indicate our presence; secondly, even if you do not go to the Mails Room and you come to the Chamber, the Marshal's office will recognise you and mark you as present.
The complaint now is that there are so many Hon Members whose names appear as “present” but whose faces never show anywhere. As I have just gone through, I have marked about 15 Hon Members from yesterday's records that I did not see anywhere and they do not belong to the Committees which met yesterday.
I know that for a fact. How did their names get on our records? That is what the Hon Member for Ningo- Prampram talked about and it bothers on our integrity.
I think that it is important that we do not give room for people to doubt our integrity. There are so many of them -- Hon Member for Ningo- Prampram is right. There are some
people I have noted whose names I check every day, but we have not seen them here in a whole month.
That practice is bad and we should not encourage it. For those who have other official assignments, the Standing Orders are clear that we should seek permission with Mr Speaker.
Indeed, there is no question asked; once you file for leave of absence, it is granted as a matter of course. It is just a record that your Hon Whips know that you will not be in the Chamber and the Speaker has approved of that. However, we should not encourage the practice where people either enter their names and go and do their private businesses or sit in their offices and watch proceedings and claim that they are in the Chamber.
The other part of it is that if you claim to be in Parliament but you are found to be doing something else, that it is a matter that is reproachable at the Privileges Committee and I encourage Hon Members to look at that.
However, I think that the practice is that even Committees that sit around the premises should come to the Chamber first and that has been
Dr Apaak 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I make reference to item numbered 25 on page 8. The Hon Edward Kaale- Ewola Dery was present in the Chamber yesterday as well as the Public Accounts Committee sitting but he has been marked absent. So, I vouch for him because I saw him.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Yes, I recall seeing him.
Dr Apaak 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, on the same page, item numbered 40, Hon Kofi Okyere-Agyekum, Hon Member for Fanteakwa South was also present --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Well, he is here; if he would want to speak for himself, he will speak for himself. If not --
Dr Apaak 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
I did not see him.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
All right. Page 9 --
Mr Ras Mubarak 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, under the item numbered 8 on page 9, the statement was specifically in respect of “under representation of women in Parliament”.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
What has been reported is “females” but it was “women”.
Mr Ras Mubarak 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, what I said was specifically in Parliament.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Very well.
Page 10 … 17 --
Mr Agbodza 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 17, I moved an amendment with regard to the National Road Safety Authority Bill, 2019, but my surname has been written without the “a” at the end. So, it should be written properly.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Very well. The correction would be effected.
Hon Member for New Juaben South.
Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to take you back to page 12; you would recall that the last business that was conducted yesterday was when the Hon Minister for Education laid two Papers.
Mr Speaker, if you would recall, the first referral was to the Committee on Education and the second referral was to the Committee on Finance, but the second referral was an error. It should have also been referred to the Committee on Education.
However, it has been capture rightly in the Votes and Proceedings because I drew the attention of the Table Office to the fact that since both were Commercial Agreements, they were to be referred to the Committee on Education.
Mr Speaker, so, even though the right thing has been done in the Votes and Proceedings, I thought that the referral that has been made should be captured in the Votes and Proceedings before the correction
would be effected on the Floor. The Table Office has done the right thing, but your second referral was to the Committee on Finance, although it was a Commercial Agreement. So, it should be referred to the Committee on Education.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Hon Member, thank you for the vigilance, but the Table Office should not have acted on your instructions.
My referral was to the Committee on Finance and they have recorded it as the Committee on Education. So, that is not the true record of the proceedings, but I direct that the referral to the Committee on Finance should be reversed and the Paper be properly referred to the Committee on Education.
Pages 19 and 20.
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 12th June, 2019, as corrected is hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, we have an Official Report dated Wednesday, 10th April, 2019 for correction.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Hon Members, we would move to the item numbered 3 -- Questions.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader.
Ms Sarah A. Safo 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, there is one Question that stands in the name of Hon Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings for the Hon Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture to answer, but she is currently out of the jurisdiction and so we would defer the Question to next week Wednesday.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Very well.
Question numbered 576 is therefore deferred. We would take Question numbered 577.
Ms Safo 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, the Hon Minister for Health is here to answer the Question, but I would refer you to Standing Order 53 to vary the order of business for the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Finance to lay a Paper so that he could attend a Committee meeting on a referral made to your Committee yesterday.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, if he could lay the Paper before the Hon Minister for Health to answer the Questions.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Let me hear the available Hon Leader on the Minority Side.
Mr Agbodza 10:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we have no objection.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Very well.
Hon Members, we would vary the Order Paper and proceed to the commencement of public business -- the item numbered 5. Presentation of Papers.
PAPERS 10:47 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 10:47 a.m.
Hon Members, I would now revert to private business --
Question numbered 577 in the name of the Hon Member for Achiase, Mr Robert Kwasi Amoah?
ORAL ANSWERS TO 11:07 p.m.
QUESTIONS 11:07 p.m.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH 11:07 p.m.
Minister for Health (Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu) 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Health is aware that the population of Achiase is growing and will require a much wider service package than it has currently. The Health Centre will need to be upgraded to a polyclinic to include the required facilities and service areas.
The upgrade of the Achiase Health Centre to a polyclinic has been captured in the four-year Capital Investment Plan of 2015-2019. The Ministry has forwarded financial proposals to the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of eight (8)
Polyclinic Projects in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions in 2020. Achiase has been captured to benefit when approval is received.
Mr R. K. Amoah 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.
There is no supplementary question.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:07 p.m.
Very well.
Hon Members, the next Question is in the name of Mr Mohammed Abdul-Aziz, the Hon Member for Mion, to the Hon Minister for Health.
Establishment of a Psychiatric Hospital in the Northern Regions
Q. 578 Mr Mohammed Abdul- Aziz asked the Minister for Health when the Ministry will establish a psychiatric hospital in the Northern Regions to cater for mentally-ill persons in that part of the country.
Minister for Health (Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu) 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker I wish to state that a Psychiatric Hospital to serve the Northern Regions is very important and has been considered by the Ministry.
With the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846) passed, the Tamale Teaching Hospital treats psychiatric OPD patients in the Northern Sector
Mr Abdul-Aziz 11:07 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Is the Hon Minister aware that the Sakena facility also deals with cases of OPD and does not admit patients at that facility?
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not aware of this matter.
Mr Abdul-Aziz 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister indicated that he was sourcing for funding to be able to establish a health facility in the northern regions. How far has he gone with the process?
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, since I joined the Ministry, I have signed and submitted close to 60 proposals for funding to the Ministry of Finance.
I have been doing weekly follow- ups, but because of the financial challenges that we find ourselves in and our International Monetary Fund (IMF) engagements, the Ministry of Finance has not been able to actually deal with our requests expeditiously.
Despite the fact that we have exited IMF, the Minister for Finance explained that they still need a bit of space to create the necessary financial space that would accommodate the proposals that we are looking for.
However, the most important thing is that this is in our medium-term plan. It is not only the psychiatric facility; we are looking at establishing a centre at the Tamale Teaching Hospital to deal with cancers in the newly-created northern regions.
We are only waiting for the Ministry of Finance to give us a trigger that they are ready for us to take funds to move on. But we seemed to have over-borrowed, therefore, the Ministry of Finance is also a bit cautious in order not to disturb the stability we have managed to achieve over the last three years.
So, I would not be able to tell the Hon Member when, precisely, I would lay hands on funds to do what we have to do in our plans.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:07 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Abdul-Aziz 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, is the Hon Minister aware that there is no psychiatric specialist in the three northern regions, now five regions, including the Tamale Teaching Hospital?
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am very much aware of this situation. We do not have so many psychiatric specialists that could go round even in the teaching hospitals in our country. We are scaling up training. Government has actually removed the barriers that were confronting young doctors to go for specialisation.
So postgraduate training has not been declared free, and we are scaling up training in our nursing institutions. And we are now rededicating some of our nursing training institutions to specialised psychiatry nursing training institutions.
So these young people who are being trained in nursing, in psychiatry are those we are now relying on to
do psychiatry work for us in almost all facilities where we are creating units.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:07 p.m.
Yes, Hon Member for Sawla/Tuna/Kalba?
Mr Andrew Dari Chiwitey 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am aware the district psychiatric nurses in the northern enclave do not have medication to attend to patients. I would want to find out from the Hon Minister what his Ministry is doing about this situation?
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, funding of these psychotropic medications have been a challenge that has confronted the Ministry so many years back and not only this time. Fortunately for us, this year, we got some little allocation. We have actually started some procurement processes, and soon, we believe we could supply the needed medications for these nurses to work with.
Dr Francis Bawaana Dakura 11:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister admitted that we do not have specialists in the three northern regions, now five regions, but also said in his Answer that they received some kind of OPD treatments.
What sort of treatments are they receiving, if indeed we do not have specialists?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Hon Member, you are entitled to only one question.
Yes, Hon Minister, what kind of OPD treatment --
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would quote the phrase that the Hon Member used. He said “specialised psychiatric doctors”.
Mr Speaker, psychiatrics are specialised, but that does not rule out the fact that other medical officers cannot look at psychiatric patients at the OPD level. Our specialised nurses are also there.
Therefore, we have manpower that has to do with the OPD services that we provide in the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
An Hon Member -- rose --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
You are not from the Northern Region so I would not admit you.
Mr Edward Abambire Bawa 11:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's response to the main Question, he indicated that they were looking for concessionary loans to put up a facility in the three regions at the northern part of Ghana. We however know that since we attained middle income status, the access to concessionary loans has become difficult.
If we place importance in the building of a facility to take care of the five regions in the northern parts of Ghana now, then why would the Hon Minister tie that to a concessionary loan when he knows that it would be very difficult to access that at our post-middle income status level?
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague out of enthusiasm takes me away from the health sector to the finance sector.
Mr Speaker, I do not know when these rules became rules, that if one is of a middle income country, then they cannot access a concessionary facility. That is a misnomer. It is never true, and it does not happen anywhere.
Mr Speaker, in the eight plus three years, could the Hon Member tell me categorically if all the loans that he has borrowed does not include concessionary facilities? So, please,
the Ministry of Finance has space and it has arrangements to still continue to borrow concessionary.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Dr Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem 11:17 a.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, generally, the practice of psychiatry in Ghana is very poor. The Ghana Mental Health Act of 2012 was the Act that tried to establish better environment and better conditions for the practice of psychiatry. There have been several challenges that have impeded the passing of the Legislative Instrument to facilitate the implementation of the law.
Mr Speaker, I would want the Hon Minister to tell us what these challenges are.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Hon Member, you may please refer to the Question.
The Hon Minister for Health was asked when the Ministry would establish a psychiatric hospital. If you have challenges with the implemen- tation of the law, then you could bring your own Question, but for now, you should restrict yourself as a follow up to this Question.
Dr Kuganab-Lem 11:17 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, generally, the practice of psychiatry in the northern part of our country could be facilitated with a Legislative Instrument because it is in the Act that the establishment of psychiatric hospitals in the north of Ghana was stipulated.
Mr Speaker, I would therefore want to know if the Hon Minister could tell us what impedes the promulgation of the Legislative Instrument to facilitate the implementation of the Ghana Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846).
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Hon Minister, is the question clear? It is not very clear to me though.
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, he asks what impedes the promulgation of the legislation.
Mr Speaker, I believe I would have to come back and answer the question in two weeks. By then, I believe that he would have seen some progress on the legislation and would probably not ask any question again. I would not want to pre-empt what the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has forced herself to do for us in that area.
rose
Mr Umar 11:17 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer to why there is no psychiatry doctor in the northern part of Ghana, he stated that the Ministry has sponsored some young medical doctors to acquire those skills.
Mr Speaker, I would want to know if the Hon Minister could tell the House the number of young doctors that the Ministry has so far sponsored.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Hon Minister, would you want to answer that? Otherwise, it is out of the purpose of the Question.
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would have to get back, prepare, and come back to answer this particular Question.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Yes, “General Mosquito”, you came recently, but I would admit you. [Laughter.]
Mr Mumuni Alhassan 11:17 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer, he indicated that referral of psychiatric cases from the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) is directed to the Sakena facility.
Mr Speaker, I would want to know the plans that the Ministry has to support that facility to be able to take care of those who are referred with those cases.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minister, do you have any plans to support the Sakena Hospital?
Mr Agyeman-Manu 11:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the only support that we would give the Sakena Hospital is to collaborate with them. The Tamale Teaching Hospital goes there from time to time.
Mr Speaker, per our rules, we cannot procure equipment for a philanthropic facility, neither could we build to expand. There are certain little things the Tamale Teaching Hospital does with them, and that is why I said it is collaborative.
We cannot get budgetary allocation to go and put up a facility in Sakena, neither could we supply them with drugs, but when the Teaching Hospitals sent patients to the place and there are little things that they would need for those patients, the Tamale Teaching Hospital supports
them. That is what we do with the Sakena facility.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:17 a.m.
Hon Minister, thank you for attending upon the House to Answer Questions.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of Question time for today. We would move on to Statements. I have two Statements admitted for today.
The first one is in the name of Dr Kurt Mark Nawaane, Hon Member of Parliament for Nabdam.
STATEMENTS 11:27 a.m.
Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane (NDC -- Nabdam) 11:27 a.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker for permitting me to make this important Statement on the above subject.
I had the opportunity to participate in the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland and attended a seminar on Universal Health Coverage, organised in collaboration with Inter-Parliamentary Union of member States of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mr Speaker, the Universal Health Coverage means that all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative Health Services they need at the right time, of sufficient quality to be effective, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.
Mr Speaker, Universal Health Coverage is firmly based on the WHO constitution of 1948, declaring Health a fundamental Human Right and on the Health for all agenda set by the Alma-Ata Declaration 1978.
Mr Speaker, the International Community has committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals and the role of parliamentarians is critical in accelerating progress towards the Universal Health Coverage. Parliamentarians can influence Universal Health Coverage in terms of legislation, accountability, advocacy and budget allocation.
It was also stated categorically, that Parliament as representatives of the people should be blamed in any country that fails to implement Universal Health Coverage.
Mr Speaker, the delegation from Ghana led by the Minister for Health participated in the discussions of the
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:27 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member for Ledzokuku?
Dr Bernard Okoe Boye (NPP -- Ledzokuku) 11:27 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by my Hon Colleague.
Let me first of all, commend my Hon Colleague for bringing our attention to the role that Parliamentarians could play in the achievement of universal health coverage.
Mr Speaker, Ghana has done very well over the years to ensure that access to healthcare is made available to the majority, if not all of our citizens. In fact, the coverage is now over 95 per cent; we are talking about physical access.
Most Ghanaians still struggle when it comes to financial access and that is why the discussion about the performance of the National Health Insurance Scheme ought to be done in a very non-partisan manner to ensure that we are able to protect our citizens when it comes to financial access.
Mr Speaker, at the 72nd Assembly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made an observation that when the politicians support the health programmes, usually, the programmes succeed. And there is a good reason why that happens.
It is because it is in Parliament that the Budget Statement is planned; it is in Parliament that the monitoring happens and it is in Parliament that the evaluation happens as well.
Mr Speaker, it came out clearly that the practice in most countries is to engage the Hon Members who are on the Select Committee on Health. But empirical studies have shown that when all Members of Parliament (MPs) are generally engaged, the support is normally huge and we succeed in getting the funding necessary to support programmes.
So, the lesson is that in all our attempts, we should not only target the MPs on the Select Committee on Health but to try and speak to Hon Members about some of the benefits in supporting programmes.
Mr Speaker, one key recom- mendation that came out also at the gathering was to make sure that at every Committee, not only Committee on Health, we look out for the health content of our programme and programmes that could support the health of our people because it is not only in the hospitals that we could guarantee health.
So, for example, when we take the Committee that oversees the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, we could look at the quality of food that is going to the children under the School Feeding Programme because when food quality is good, it translates into better health outcomes.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:37 a.m.
I think all Hon MPs qualify. [Laughter.]
Dr Boye 11:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is interesting that finally, it has been recognised because it was not in the international classification for diseases; but at the last Assembly, it has been formally adopted.
What it means is that one could now approach a doctor to be assessed and diagnosed; and if one qualifies, one could get support. It is possible that one could even get some incentives to help you cope with the condition.
Finally, the World Blood Donor Day is just around and I have had a hint from the Hon Ranking Member that a Statement may be made. The late Kofi Annan said that, “It is my aspiration that health finally will be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for.”
Once health is a right, we must make sure that it comes with a responsibility. We must fund the programmes that would lead to good healthcare. When it comes to donations, we must voluntarily donate blood. We must do everything we can to support good health.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:37 a.m.
Hon Member, I want you to speak to this one. The charge is that when we have voluntarily agreed to contribute to fund our health, the money that is paid is not given to the Authority. That part has not been addressed, and that is what I am interested in hearing.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:37 a.m.
Would the Hon Minister speak to that? Very well.
Dr Boye 11:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I just wanted to make a short comment. I worked in a Government facility, and
most of the charges or fees were below the market rate. So, if one goes to a private facility, they charge rates that make sure that they sustain their activities.
However, because the charges for the investments that go into healthcare are approved in Parliament, we take charges that allow them to get internally generated funds that could sustain their activities, but not enough to go beyond running the facility and into capital investments. These are some of the reasons that sometimes the charges come up.
Dr Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem (NDC -- Binduri) 11:37 a.m.
Mr Speaker, universal health coverage is essential to ending poverty and ensuring that we all achieve full potential in dignity and equality.
Mr Speaker, universal health coverage is anchored on primary healthcare. We need to appreciate that there are some groups of persons who have continuously, commonly and also historically been discri- minated against.
I speak for the rights of women and children. How do we ensure that the rights of women and children are respected, so that they could benefit from good health and achieve their potential with dignity?

Mr Speaker, there is a movement that looks at sexual and reproductive health and the rights of women and children. When we talk about the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, it is about efforts to reduce mortality and morbidity and ensure quality sexual and reproductive health rights, including the provision of contraceptives, ensuring the minimisation of sexually -- infectious diseases, cervical cancer, violence against women, and the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents.

To achieve universal health coverage, we need to ensure that healthcare and provision of services to marginalised groups are achieved. How do we do this?

It is critical that the Affirmative Action Bill, which we are told has been prepared for some time, is brought to Parliament to ensure that people who have been marginalised and discriminated against are protected; so that together, everyone everywhere would have access to good health.

Mr Speaker, the contribution of Hon MPs is critical not only in the Appropriation Bill, but also in being examples at our community levels in creating healthy communities. A

humble appeal is that Hon MPs should be supported to adopt and create healthy communities that are examples within their constituencies, where all of the fundamental pillars of primary healthcare are available to be accessed by people.

Model communities of health that are excellent within a constituency could improve our primary healthcare structures and improve the access to healthcare of people who are discriminated against.

It is a global appeal that all Hon MPs-- there is a global parliamentary alliance that looks at the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and children and violence against women. It is high time we looked at the Affirmative Action Bill and brought it to Parliament to ensure that traditionally, people who are discriminated against have access to healthcare. This would give them a life of dignity and quality.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I end my submission.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:37 a.m.
Hon Minister, is that the situation? I have read it, but I have not got a confirmation. He mentioned that there was a new Hon Minister of State for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Dr Kwaku Afriyie (NPP -- Sefwi-Wiawso) 11:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, that is incorrect. As far as I am concerned, I have been invited by H. E. the President to be an Hon Minister of State in his Office. That is all that I know.
I rise to support the submission made to this august House by my professional Hon Colleague and also MP for Nabdam, and thank him for bringing this important topic for our deliberation.
Mr Speaker, the world is moving on, and there is a movement that is propelling health issues into the realm of fundamental human rights. It is to the extent that if I may use the United States of America, for example, there is a raging debate.
The underlying principle, which is epitomised by Senator Saunders, is that health is a right that must be taken on by the State. There are the conservatives who also believe that health belongs to states and individuals, and their financing, among others, should be left to them.
In between, there is this broad spectrum where people belong to either side. That notwithstanding, the issue is that universal health coverage is a very topical issue today.
Mr Speaker, when you talk about universal health coverage, sometimes, we confound the issues. There are three critical dimensions; one is who is covered, the other is what services are covered and thirdly, how much of the cost is covered?

Dr Boye seemed to have gone on that metric which measures the services that are covered. That is, when the NHIS was being crafted we used all services below district level C under the Ghana Health Services criteria for district hospitals, like the Bekwai Hospital and all others below clinical hierarchy.

Their services were compounded, and they consist of some 95 per cent of the services rendered to Ghanaians. To that extent, even if those services were rendered in teaching hospitals, they were deemed to be part of the benefit package and they should be given for free.

We lag behind on the question of who is covered. In fact, we have retrogressed. About five years ago or when the NHIS was rolled out, after 2003, we peaked somewhere around 40 per cent to 45 per cent of Ghanaians who were covered.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:47 a.m.
I would admit one each, and then I would bring the proceedings to a close.
Mr Charles Agbeve (NDC -- Agotime/Ziope) 11:47 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by Hon Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane.
Mr Speaker, I would like to refer to the paragraph where the Hon Member stated that:
“The greatest threat to the attainment of universal health coverage is the indebtedness of the NHIA to service providers.”
Mr Speaker, once the payment of claims are delayed, the facility turns to charge members of the Scheme. When members go and present their cards to the facility, they are told NHIA has not paid them, so members should do a top-up of drugs given
Mr Charles Agbeve (NDC -- Agotime/Ziope) 11:57 a.m.
them or they should do a top-up when they are asked to go to the laboratories for X-ray.
When that happens, they break the law because the law frowns on it; it is called cold payment. That was what was alluded to by Hon Dr Kwaku Afriyie, in his submission, that Half Assini has found a way to accept it. I would want to state that it is against the law, and it would not help the indigenes or the poor in society.
Mr Speaker, it also affords the facilities to find a nice way to charge NHIS clients for utility bills and so on in the name of they being paid. Once a member goes to a facility with the card and is not able to access quality healthcare, or a member is asked to top-up, he does not see the need to renew the card when it expires.
Once the cards are not being renewed, it leads to low numbers of active membership. If we do not take time, we will fall below 35 per cent, as it is stated. Once people no longer trust the usage of the card, then there is a problem with the Scheme.
It is important that once moneys are collected by GRA and given to the Ministry of Finance, they should immediately release it to the Scheme.

If the scheme does not get the money, they cannot pay the service providers. In Act 852, it states clearly in section 52 that 30 days after collection of the levy, the money should be transferred into a fund, and the Hon Minister for Finance should notify the Ministry of Health.

Mr Speaker, why is it not happening? I agree with him that we need to look at this whole thing holistically. The same Act says that the Hon Ministry of Finance is to report to Parliament every six months on these collections. I do not remember the last time the Hon Minister for Finance reported to this House on this particular issue.

Therefore, it is important that we look at these payments to the service providers. Some complain that last year July, was the last time they received payments. Mr Speaker, it seriously affects them.

Mr Speaker, to make matters worse, Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is taking them on because once they do not get payment, they are not able to pay Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions of their workers; but SSNIT and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) do not look at that.

So I recommend and support what Dr Afriyie said, that we need to come back to this particular topic and look at it holistically.

I thank the maker of this Statement for this very important contribution.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Kwame T. Ampofo (NDC -- Sene West) 11:57 a.m.
Mr Speaker, healthcare is very important in life; therefore, we need to look at it critically. Medicine is also expensive; so the providers need to be paid on time to be able to also deliver on time.
Mr Speaker, there should also be a proper mechanism put in place to check the providers. This is because health insurance or healthcare is very expensive. Therefore, the Government pay so much. So, there should be a mechanism to check the pharmacies or the doctors as to the mechanism they have in place.
This is because in the advanced countries and other countries that practise this healthcare system, there is a proper mechanism. If not, there would be so much fraud in the system. Millions of Ghana cedis would go waste. Do we have a system connected to the health sector, where
if somebody gives the correct figure or does not provide the actual figure it would be detected?
Mr Speaker, in some places, one sits in front of the computer as soon as he bills the medication and knows the price and the profit margin. But we do not have that system here in Ghana.
Therefore, how do we check the medical doctors who write the prescriptions for patients to ensure that they are doing the right thing? There should be proper mechanism to save us huge sums of money.
Mr Speaker, are the right medications given to patients? What systems do we have to check if the medication is brand or generic? Which one do we give to the patients? Mr Speaker, there should be proper mechanisms to check all these to help us, so that patients would get proper medications and the providers would also be paid on time.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you very much for the opportunity.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 11:57 a.m.
Hon Members, there is one more Statement on blood donation in the name of the Hon Member for Juaboso.
.
Mr Kwabena M. Akandoh (NDC -- Juaboso) 11:57 a.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker for the opportunity to make a Statement on World Blood Donation Day.
Mr Speaker, the World Blood Donor Day is celebrated annually on 14th June worldwide in recognition of voluntary and unpaid blood donation widely accepted as the safest method of collecting blood. Transfusion of blood and blood products save millions of lives every year.
Blood and blood products are essential components in the proper management of women suffering from bleeding associated with pregnancy and childbirth; children suffering from severe anemia due to malaria and malnutrition; patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, inherited disorders of hemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions; victims of trauma, emergencies, disasters and accidents; as well as patients undergoing advanced medical and surgical procedures.
Although the need for blood and blood products is universal, there is a marked difference in the level of access to safe blood and blood products across and within countries.
In many countries, blood services face the additional challenge of making sufficient blood and blood products available, while also ensuring its quality and safety.
On this day, we acknowledge the generous donors and also the staff of National Blood Service, who together make up the fabric of Ghana's public blood system.
Mr Speaker, in May 2005, during the 58th World Health Assembly, Hon Ministers for Health from across the world made a unanimous declaration of commitment and support towards voluntary blood donation, through resolution WHA 58.13. The Resolu- tion further urges member states to implement, and support well- organised, nationally-coordinated and sustainable blood programmes with appropriate regulatory oversight.
Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to call on the Hon Minister for Health to expedite action on the re-submission of the National Blood Bill to Parliament. The support requires that Governments provide adequate financing for high-quality blood donation services and for the expansion of these services, so that sufficient safe blood could be collected to meet the needs of patients.
In 2009, experts in transfusion medicine, policy-makers and non- governmental representatives from 40 countries formulated the Melbourne Declaration, which set up a goal for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020.
Mr Speaker the theme of this year's campaign is “Blood Donation and universal access to safe blood transfusion, as a component of achieving universal health coverage”. A slogan, “Safe Blood for all” was developed to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care and the crucial roles that voluntary donations play in achieving the goal of universal health coverage.
The theme strongly encourages more people all over the world to become blood donors and donate blood regularly - actions that are key to building a strong foundation of sustainable national blood supplies that are sufficient to meeting the needs of all patients requiring transfusion.
Mr Speaker, the day and the theme are also calls to action to all Govern- ments, national health authorities and national blood services to provide adequate resources and put in place systems and infrastructures to increase collection of blood from
voluntary and regular unpaid blood donors. To provide quality donor care; to promote and implement appro-priate clinical use of blood, and to set up systems for the oversight and surveillance on the whole chain of blood transfusion.
The objectives of this year's campaign are:
To celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood, and to encourage those who have not yet donated blood to start donating; to highlight the need for committed, year-round blood donation, to maintain adequate supplies and achieve universal and timely access to safe blood transfusion;
To focus attention on donor health and the quality of donor care as critical factors in building donor commitment and a willingness to donate regularly;
To demonstrate the need for universal access to safe blood transfusion and provide advo- cacy on its role the provision of effective health care and in achieving the goal of universal health coverage;
To mobilise support at national, regional and global levels among governments and development
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey Korle) 12:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to commend the Hon Member for a well- researched Statement, and to make few comments in support of it.
Mr Speaker, as we recognise World Blood Donation Day today under the theme ‘‘Safe Blood for All'', we must remember that it should not be only the day that we talk about it,
but there must be on-going education and promotion of awareness of the importance of people who donate blood.
We must also destigmatise the whole process of giving blood because everybody's life could possibly hang in a balance if there was no blood available in the blood banks.
Mr Speaker, we cannot assume that the cohorts of willing blood donors would necessarily fit the criteria to do so. If, for instance, we have a high prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Herpes B, automatically, these people would be eliminated from the list of potential donors.
If we have a high incidence of anaemia in the cohorts as well, they would also be eliminated from the list of potential donors, thereby decreasing the number of people who could possibly donate blood to our blood banks and to other patients.
Mr Speaker, in many ways, this Statement is tied very closely to the previous Statement, in that the provision of good healthcare in our country, the holistic provision of healthcare making sure that people eat properly so that they are not anaemic, and to make sure the people do not endanger themselves by
engaging in reckless sexual behaviour that would increase the spread of diseases like HIV and Herpes B.
These are things that tie into the availability of safe blood products and safe blood for people who would receive blood.
Mr Speaker, I would want to conclude by asking whether it would be totally unreasonable for us to tie or, perhaps, link the issue of whether a person wants to be a blood donor or an organ donor to the NHIS card. This is because we currently do not have it attached to any one's biometric data, whether they are willing donors of their organs or their blood.
Would it be totally unreasonable for us to look at that option since we are pushing for most people to have these cards? It would then be clear enough who wants to donate their blood or organ in order to make sure that Ghana would also come up to that international standard, where people naturally are volunteers whether as organ or blood donors.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you.
Dr Bernard Okoe Boye (NPP -- Ledzokuku) 12:07 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to commend the Hon Ranking
Member of the Health Committee for the Statement.
Mr Speaker, there are some principal reasons this day is actually worth celebrating. The first is to remind the public that there is such noble activity as donating blood, so that those who may be in need could be saved when they need it most.
It is also an opportunity to celebrate those who have dedicated their lives to making blood available. I know donors who donate three or five times in a year, and it is very commendable. These are silent unknown heroes.
Mr Speaker, there are some opportunities a person benefits from when he or she engages in blood donation activities. The first is that, it gives the person a benchmark to assess himself or herself in terms of his or her health. There are conditions that when a person finds his or her self, he or she cannot donate blood.
If a person is on drugs for hypertension, that person is not fit to donate blood; if a person is a diabetic, he or she is not fit to donate blood; and if a person has hepatitis, he or she is not fit to donate blood.
So, through the process, the person has an idea of some of the issues he or she has, then the person is able to
Dr Bernard Okoe Boye (NPP -- Ledzokuku) 12:17 p.m.
take care of himself or herself. If a person passes all that, then he or she is able to donate blood to save a life.
Mr Speaker, the other opportunity, which is derived from the donation process, is to ensure that there is enough stock to keep the system working. Recently, we had a lot of discussions on the drone delivery services by Zipline. Zipline could only distribute or give blood that is available.
They are not responsible for stocking, and that is why if we all participate in the process to ensure that there is enough stock, we are able to make sure that such a programme works.
Mr Speaker, such an occasion is also good for discussing some of the key challenges when it comes to blood donation. The first one has to do with funding to support the collection process. We have places or populations that are considered safe, and one critical category is the students in the senior high schools.
Most of them are free from hypertension and diabetes, so they are a safe class; but one key challenge that most of the agencies have is the milk, milo and the logistics needed to get them to donate blood.
There are health facilities that want to go out, and the students run over themselves to donate blood; but they want their milk and milo, but the agencies also complain they do not have funds to do that. We need to support because these are some of the very basic challenges.
Mr Speaker, one other key challenge has to do with the fight over turf. There is a turf war. When Parliament organises a programme to encourage people to donate blood, there is a National Blood Service that would want to assert itself as the only qualified institution to process and handle the blood.
If Ridge Hospital, for example, participates, they would also want to have the blood products at their end.
All these issues happen because the National Blood Act has not yet been passed by Parliament. This Act would define the limits and spell out what health facilities could do and what the agencies could also do.
As I speak now, the National Blood Service is, more or less, a recognised wing of the Ministry of Health. They are not an Agency and not backed by law, and it is the Bill that would give their job description and objectives.
Mr Speaker, because we do not have an Act, they survive only on their IGF. I have received calls from people who say that they have donated blood and yet when they needed blood, they had to pay GH¢150. The blood a person donates is not what is given to him or her.
It must be processed first. If there was an Act that spells out the funding and sources, it would be possible that they could get allocations and citizens would not have to pay fully for the processing of the blood.
If a person donates blood, he or she should know that even the processing comes at a cost, and that explains why in getting our own blood, we are asked to pay.
Mr Speaker, there is one opportunity that I cannot leave out, which is the opportunity to save lives. We are in a country where close to 2,000 people die every year from road traffic accident. If we do not have enough blood stocks, we would be in trouble because available blood is what is needed to save lives in those conditions.
Why do we say we have to donate blood consistently? The blood we donate has a shelf life of only 35 to 42 days. After 42 days, the blood
must be thrown away if it has not been used. This means that there must be a sustainable way to ensure that we have stocks available all the time.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, it is important that we also find ways to encourage people to be donors throughout their lifetime. I have had people who tell me that they donate blood all the time but when they go to clinics or hospitals and their relatives need blood, they are asked to pay fully.

We could have a programme that gives some special certificates to those who donate blood to serve as a waiver for at least one or two every year. This would be an incentive to get them going all the time. One cannot be part of a process to donate blood four to five times a year and when one's relative needs blood, he or she is asked to go strictly through the process just like those who do not even know about the programme.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, let us either donate blood ourselves or encourage others to do so as advocates because we might be the ones who need the blood and not a third person.

I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:17 p.m.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of Statements time. I would return to Public Business.
At the continuation of Public Business, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, which of the Motions are we taking?
Ms Sarah A. Safo 12:17 p.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, items numbered 9 and 10.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:17 p.m.
Very well, item numbered 9 by the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
MOTIONS 12:17 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye) 12:17 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which require that no Motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the Credit Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and Deutsche Bank AG (as Agent and Original Lender) and Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch (as Arranger and Structuring Bank) for an amount of fifty-five million euros (€55,000,000.00) relating to the

rehabilitation and auxiliary infrastructure of Kumasi Inner Ring Road and adjacent streets (100km) -- Phase 1 may be moved today.
Mr Kwame G. Agbodza 12:17 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:27 p.m.
Item numbered 10?
MOTIONS 12:27 p.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Ayeh-Paye) 12:27 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this Honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the Design-Build Contract Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by
the Ministry of Roads and Highways) and Messrs Contracta, Construction UK Limited for an amount of fifty- five million euros (€55,000,000.00) for the implementation of the Rehabilitation and Auxiliary Infrastructure of Kumasi Inner Ring Road and Adjacent Streets Project (100km) -- Phase 1.
Introduction
The Design and Build Commercial Contract Agreement between the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways) and Contracta, Construction UK Limited for the Rehabilitation of Auxiliary Infrastructure of Kumasi Inner Ring Road and Adjacent Streets project (100Km) -- Phase 1 was laid in the House on Tuesday, 28th May, 2019 by the Hon Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Anthony N-Yoh Puowele Karbo.
Mr Speaker referred the Agree- ment to the Committee on Roads and Transport for consideration and report in accordance with article 181(5) of the 1993 Constitution and Order 189 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
The Committee met with the Hon Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon Kwabena Owusu- Aduomi, officials from the Ministry of
Roads and Highways, the Department of Urban Roads and considered the Agreement. The Committee presents its Report to the House in accordance with Order 161 of the Standing Orders of the House.
Background
Kumasi is the capital city of Ashanti Region and Kumasi City (Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, KMA) with a population of approximately 2.0 million has been a commercial centre of the regional economy. Kumasi also has been playing the role of the transport and logistics centre for international distribution networks covering the surrounding landlocked countries, such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
In recent years, the city environment has deteriorated resulting in extensive urban sprawls, lack of public services and extreme congestion in the city centre. These problems have arisen due to rapid population increase in Kumasi City and its suburban areas.
Therefore, an improvement of urban infrastructure, such as road networks, water supply and sewage systems and solid waste management have become a pressing issue, which
requires concerted actions for not only Kumasi but also its surrounding districts.
For sustainable development of a key centre of the economy, a transport hub and logistics corridor for the Ashanti Region and beyond, mid-term and long-term comprehensive development plans are required for Greater Kumasi Sub-Region.
Kumasi City however suffers from traffic congestion in its central area, similar to what pertains in most large urban areas. Heavy traffic congestion has also been observed in the Inner Ring Road, which was constructed as a bypass.
To sustain its role as a gateway and a transport/logistics corridor, it is necessary for the Greater Kumasi Sub-Region to enhance and requalify these roads. Furthermore, it is again important to utilise and strengthen the bypass transport function, to promote the development of urban centres and residential areas.
The city's minor arterials and collector roads within some communities in the Greater Kumasi City have deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. The surface condition of the roads is in a fair to poor condition. Some of the roads have lots of
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Ayeh-Paye) 12:27 p.m.
potholes and others have not had any periodic maintenance activity on them over long periods of time. Pothole patching has not been able to address the maintenance challenges that are encountered on the roads. Rapid development of potholes and sectional deterioration of minor arterials and collector roads are evident after every rainy season.
The rehabilitation of strategically selected urban roads in relation to the provision of alternative routes will have a tremendous impact in connecting the surrounding districts and make them more accessible.
The road sections have been strategically selected considering the opportunities and possibilities for future expansion. The intervention being envisaged will in the long run enhance the functionality of the road network by eliminating transit traffic through the urban areas of Kumasi and dispersing incoming traffic towards the urban centres.
Project scope
The project scope comprises the design, rehabilitation and execution of roads and auxiliary infrastructure of about 100km in selected communities in Kumasi.
Some of the communities that require urgent attention to preserve the existing paved network comprises nine sub-metros and include Subin, Oforikrom, Asokwa, Nhyiaeso, Manhyia, Tafo Pankrono, Suame, Bantama and Kwadaso.
The first Phase of the Project would cover 100km of local road networks and 42.6km of related drainage structures within the Metropolis. The Project components would include:
i) Earthworks involving the removal of existing pavement and excavation of the base, average excavation of 0.20 meters per square meter of the road.
ii) A stabilised basewith 150mm thickness with 40 per cent crushed rock and 60 per cent laterite natural gravel.
iii) Double surface dressing with binder, aggregates with 10- 20mm on the first layer and 6-10mm on the second layer.
iv) Resealing with Double SurfaceDressing pavement.
v) U-drains and culverts.
vi) Construction of outfall drains.
vii) Construction of critical cul- verts to reduce the flooding being experienced on those sections of the road.
viii) Road markings/signs comprising continuous line at the centre, at the edge, intermittent marking dividing the lanes, vertical signs (stop, roundabout, give-way, speeded hump, directional signs).
ix) Relocation of utilities
Objective of the Project
The objective of the Project is the rehabilitation and construction of selected roads in Kumasi by:
i) Improving traffic circulation by enhancing the capacity of the road network and by removing bottleneck sections of the road network.
ii) Supporting socio-economic development of Kumasi and surrounding communities by improving the movement of people and goods.
iii) Develop and strengthen the functions and amenities of Kumasi City Centre as the primary Centre of Greater Kumasi Sub-Region.
iv) Disperse traffic coming into the urban centre.
Benefits of the Project
The main benefits of the Project are:
Increase level of service and improve traffic flow considerably.
Provide a better class auxiliary infrastructure for Kumasi City Centre by rehabilitating the selected urban roads.
Financial Impact
The total cost of the Project is to be financed through the Financing Agreement between Government of Ghana and Deutsche Bank AG, London. Under the arrangement, the total cost of the Project is €55.0 million.The agreed indicative terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement for the Project are summarised below:
Loan Amount -- €55,000,000.00
Interest rate -- 6M Libor + 5.70% p.a

Commitment fee -- 1.00% p.a

Arrangement fee -- 1.25% flat

Structuring fee -- 0.50% flat

Grace Period -- 1.5 year

Repayment Period -- 5 years

Tenor -- 6.5 years
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:27 p.m.
Hon Chairman, how is that related to the loan Agreement?
Mr Ayeh-Paye 12:27 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we were looking at the supervision of this project and in discussing this -- because I am not reading the entire Report, while considering the supervision of the Project --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:27 p.m.
I have read your comments and I am at pains to find out how making the Department of Urban Roads an Authority, would make any difference in the application for the loan.
The concern you raised that the supervision of the agency is not sufficient is out of the question because whether they are made an Authority or not, it is still at a cost to Government.
If Government is not able to employ engineers as a Department, it cannot employ them as an Authority. We would be adding on, but the truth of
the matter is that we do not have sufficient resources to employ the people we need to work.
Probably, if this Project came with a consultant from outside, we would find the money to pay the consultant. So, we should probably look at how we fund the activities of the Department of Urban Roads as part of the project funding.
Mr Ayeh-Paye 12:27 p.m.
Mr Speaker, you are right. That has been considered in the Report but we also need a proper legal framework to assist the Department of Urban Roads to have a stronger push now that we are going to introduce the National Road Safety Authority Bill which is going to regulate some of the road agencies. It is very important that we position these agencies to be able to go by the Regulations of the National Road Safety Authority Bill.
Conclusion
The Committee having carefully examined the Contract Agreement and satisfied that the project will give a facelift to the Inner Ring Road and Streets of Kumasi, ease congestion and facilitate better movement of goods and services, the Committee unanimously recommends to the House to adopt its Report and approve the Commercial Contract
Agreement between the Republic of Ghana acting through the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Contracta Construction UK Limited for an amount of fifty-five million euros (€55,000,000.00) for the Rehabilitation and Auxiliary infras- tructures of Kumasi Inner Ring Road and Adjacent Streets Project in accordance with Article 181 (5) of the Constitution.
Respectfully submitted.
Mr Kwame Govers Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 12:27 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion for the approval of €55,000,000.00 for the reha-bilitation of some selected roads within the Kumasi Metropolis.
Mr Speaker, your Committee was briefed on the criteria for the selection of the specific roads. You will notice that this is an amount of €55,000,000.00 to rehabilitate 100km of existing roads and the scope of work is varied on each and every section of the road.
There are concerns as you have rightly said that we have serious challenges with funding of roads in this country. The previous Parliament took a decision here to increase the fuel component going into the Road Fund which gives us GH¢1.2billion
instead of the GH¢250million it used to give us. That is a sustainable funding that the Ministry can rely on, but that money is still not enough to be able to do all the things we need to do.
We have time and again encouraged the Hon Minister that he should think of other ways of sustainably funding roads in this country.
As a person, Sinohydro is not a solution to sustainably funding roads in this country, because it is still based on assumptions that once an element of the jigsaw gets out, the money is not here.
Mr Speaker, there were also concerns --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:27 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation?
Dr A. A. Osei 12:27 p.m.
On a point of order.
Mr Speaker, my good Friend got up to support the Motion for the approval of €55,000,000.00 for Inner City roads in Kumasi, then he is talking about Sinohydro. It is nowhere in the Report, so what is the relevance? We have to follow him so that we can follow the Report.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:27 p.m.
Hon Member, at your Committee, you have the opportunity to discuss all your challenges but here, we are discussing the Report. So, please, stay in the Report.
Mr Amoako-Attah — rose —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:27 p.m.
Hon Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation, just a moment, let me listen to the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways.
Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah 12:37 p.m.
I wanted to add to what Dr Akoto Osei said. It seems as if my Hon Colleague was even contradicting himself.
Mr Speaker, he made a statement earlier to urge Government to find alternative ways to fund the road sector projects which by all intents and purposes might have come from good faith. Then, with his following statements he tried to put some spokes into the Sinohydro facilty, but is that facility not a unique way of
finding means to finance the road sector?
Mr Speaker, I want to draw his attention that he is contradicting himself.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Minister, your point is well made.
Hon Ranking Member, kindly stay within the Report.
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thought that the Hon Minister would provide information to say that he has the Sinohydro funds and so I should not worry about it.
Mr Speaker, I think that my point is well-grounded and I started by laying the preamble that the reason we are taking this loan is because we do not have our own ways of funding road projects in the country. I also said that the moneys that were borrowed is very small.
We have received concerns from some Hon Members of Parliament from Kumasi who have said that in times past, when interventions were being made on roads in Kumasi, it went as far as Dr Osei's Constituency, but this facility does not reach other constituencies simply because the money is not enough. And so I think that they should take note of that --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Member, but Dr Osei's Constituency is part of Kumasi.
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with the asphaltic overlay and so on, his constituency benefitted, but with this particular facility --
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation.
Dr A. A. Osei 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I just want to remind my Hon Colleague that we are debating a Report and not what he has in his head that we do not know about. [Laughter]
Mr Speaker, I live in Tafo Pankronom in Kumasi and I am receiving about 10 kilometres of this road, and for him to say that my community would not benefit - Mr Speaker, maybe it would not benefit his community because he does not live in Kumasi.
Mr Speaker, he should please stay in the context of the Report so that we can follow. If he has any challenges he should raise them at the Committee, but we want to follow him on the contents of the Report.
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I hope that communities such as Sepe, Sepe Afoaja --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Member, where is that?
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, they are in Asawase Constituency.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
They are not in Asawase Constituency.
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he was trying to say that there were no other communities that would not benefit -- the root of what I am saying is that with the €55,000,000, we have 16 regions in this country and all we are doing today is just a section in Kumasi. The reason we are not mentioning everywhere including Bekwai is simply because the money is not enough and so the Hon Minister --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Member, your Report is on the inner city of Kumasi. If we have a project at Bekwai I would know how to get the funding, so leave Bekwai and Adansi Asokwa out and stay in inner city of Kumasi.
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the erratic expression by my Hon Colleagues on the other Side when I
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Member, the Hon Chairman is insisting on raising a point of order.
Mr Ayeh-Paye 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member for Adaklu who is also the Hon Ranking Member for the Committee on Roads and Transport seems to be contradicting himself. At the Committee level, we were made to understand that the Project would be in Phase 1 and Phase 2 and so what we are debating now is the phase 1.
Even at the Committee level, he said that the sponsors of this Agreement should not wait until the phase 1 is completed before phase 2 is started, and this was agreed. This is even in paragraph 8.0 of the Report by the Committee, so I do not understand him.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Hon Chairman, it is alright. Your point is well made.
Hon Member, if you stay within the Report you would not get into trouble with your Hon Chairman.
Mr Agbodza 12:37 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I do not have a problem with that at all, but my recommendation to the Hon Minister is that indeed we need more funding to construct roads in this country.
This is for rehabilitation and I do not know where Mr Speaker lives, but generally, the condition of existing roads in this country is deteriorating.
We may need more of this funding to be able to address these issues across the country. Phase 2 of this project is still in Kumasi, but we need this in Takoradi, Ho and other places, so it goes back to the Hon Minister. We need other sustainable ways to fund roads in this country.
Mr Speaker, if you go to page 7, an issue of adequate supervision was raised, as you rightly said, when the Hon Chairman was proposing a solution by turning the Department of Urban Roads into an Authority -- obviously that cannot be a solution.
In fact, I even believe that we could actually disband the Department of Urban Roads and place them under another agency because it is of very little use without funding.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:37 p.m.
Did they not see the topography before they put up their houses? Many of those houses are not certified and I am terribly angry at the way we have permitted indiscipline in land use. We should not put our moneys in those areas.
Please go on.
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am completely with you. You do not go and build a house on your farm and expect the State to necessarily bring you electricity, water and everything, but we have more or less accepted that as a way of development in this country.
So, Mr Speaker, I believe this facility is good, however, I believe it is a drop in the ocean. We need more funding to be committed to rehabilitation and construction of new roads, and I would repeat to the Hon Minister to come to this House just as his other colleagues have done in the past. He should bring something that would provide sustainable --
Dr A. A. Osei 12:47 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, the Hon Ranking Member -- [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker, I just would want to correct him. We are not approving a facility. We are approving a motion for a contract agreement. There is a difference. He, as the Ranking Member, should keep us straight.
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I have not added anything. I mentioned the figure for this Agreement. We are approving an Agreement, but it is a facility to build roads. I said the facility
is what would facilitate the building of the contract. So he has not added any new thing. I never said you should approve the facility.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Hon Kwame Agbodza, address me and conclude your contribution.
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, you should protect me a bit from Dr A. A. Osei. We, the younger ones are learning something in this House. Dr A. A. Osei was a “professional heckler” when he was on this Side, but he cannot take any criticism today. He was a “professional heckler” here. That is his seat.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Are you finished?
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Sorry, Mr Speaker.
In conclusion, I think every Minister of Roads and Highways has got a task not only to spend money available to him. That is why I said that, including yourself, in the previous Parliament, we managed to increase the fuel levy in the Road Fund. It gives us some money.
This Minister should also think of something with the support of this House which is a sustainable way of funding roads in this country. I hope when that day comes, we would all support that position.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Will you? Where is the former Minister?
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he is in a Committee Meeting.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Where is what he promised?
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we cannot discuss that one here.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
We should.
Mr Agbodza 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, but I think it is something that we should all look at because if you check, the largest Questions asked by Hon Members of Parliament to a Minister is to the Minister for Roads and Highways. It is simply because everybody, including our colleagues in Accra need roads. The only way he comes here and answers the Questions --
Many times when he is answering the Questions, you would know that it is the same Questions Hon Fuseini answered, only that the dates changed, all because they do not have the money. So, when they answer, you would know that they would not do it because they do not have the money. The day they would do it is when we give them the money.
So, we are committed to supporting the Hon Minister to improve roads in this country, but I repeat that Sinohydro is not a sustainable way of funding roads.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
You are out of order.
Yes, Hon K. T. Hammond?
Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond (NPP -- Adansi Asokwa) 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was actually thinking of making a subsidiary point to the main points I will make. It is to this effect; I was suggesting that you order that the first part of Hon Agbodza's contribution and the latter part of it is expunged from the records then we keep the middle part, which really was to the core of the debate.
Mr Speaker, the middle part is when he talked about contractors, insurance and the way they go about their construction work as well as the potholes that are developed in these roads almost immediately after constructions.
That seems quite to the point. But if our Hon Colleague starts talking about 50km road, Asawase — Asawase might not well have made a grade, but in a similar token, Asokwa did not make the grade.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Hon K. T. Hammond, are you speaking to the Report or -- [Interruption.] Are you speaking to the Report now or you are responding to him? He is done.
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am making my contribution.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Then stay within the Report.
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
I am going on. Airport to Ho, there was not a similar one to Asokwa. You realise that the national cake --
He is getting it confused. There is Adanse Asokwa. There is a difference between Asokwa and AsOkwa.
Mr Speaker, we must all accept the national cake is not that big. It is infinitesimal. So, the system has to break it down and make sure that there is a kind of equitable distribution throughout the country. He keeps talking about Asawase.
Mr Speaker, the last time I went through Asawase, I got shocked, during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Administration.
What is it? They told me of our cocoa roads. Have you seen one cocoa plant in Asawase?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Hon K. T. Hammond, please, speak to the Report.
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would speak to you. There is not one cocoa plant in Asawase, yet the roads were supposed to have been constructed under the scheme that go by cocoa roads.
Go to Asokwa and see; Abodwesango, Pipinso, Aboabo, Mampamhwe, there is cocoa everywhere but we do not have one cocoa road. You have some at Asawase and --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Hon K. T. Hammond, cocoa roads is not in the Report. Are you done?
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, cocoa roads are not in here, but I am told the second phase of the project would be cocoa roads.
Mr Speaker, I think we should all help --
Mr Abdul-Rauf Tanko Ibrahim 12:47 p.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, I am up on point of correction. My Colleague, the Hon Member, is
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Hon Members, he was correcting him that there is a cocoa tree in Asawase. Let us proceed.
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am prepared to make that admission that some people might well not have cocoa farms but might have one or two plants in their gardens.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
They are flowers.
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
But my under- standing is that my Hon Colleague actually does not come anywhere from Kumasi or from around. So where did he have the cocoa tree? He is a “Kramo Alhassan”, and by Kramo Alhassan, I know where he comes from.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
Hon Member, are you done? I am taking the microphone from you.
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not done, but I think he has a point of order. I am prepared to give grounds so that he can make his point of order.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:47 p.m.
No. I am not recognising him again. It is either you conclude or --
Mr Hammond 12:47 p.m.
Mr Speaker, you say I should not give grounds; thank you very much.
Mr Speaker, we should all try and give our maximum support to our Colleague. To scout round the whole world, if that is what has to be done, there is a need for our roads to be brought up. It is a big deal, if you go round the whole country, for those of us particularly in the rural commu- nities.

It is all of us, not only me. Get money, go out there, and source wherever; if it is China, Mongolia, America, and Britain. Go anywhere, get the money and we would approve it so that we sort out our cocoa roads. As I talk, please, when the cocoa roads come up, do not forget Asokwa. It is close to Obuasi.

Mr Speaker, I think it must be enough, or do you want me to continue?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Member, you have finished.
Thank you very much.
Yes, Hon Kpodo, I would give you the last chance.
Mr Benjamin Komla Kpodo (NDC -- Ho Central) 12:57 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I would want to speak in favour of this contract for us to do rehabilitation work in the Kumasi inner city areas. I believe that it is a good plan because Kumasi is our second largest city, popularly referred to as the “Garden City”. Therefore, if these roads would make the city even more beautiful, then why not? I am all for it.
Mr Speaker, we have been talking about funding road networks in the country. It is important to realise that these efforts must be extended to all the regional capitals.
Koforidua is there, Dambai is there, and Ho is also there. The various sources that we have often gotten funds from include the Ghana Government own Consolidated Fund, the Road Fund, the Cocoa Fund --
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Member, you should hold on.
Yes, Hon Minister for Education?
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh 12:57 p.m.
Mr Speaker, even though I side with the trajectory of debate of the Hon Member, the Hon Member should recognise the fact in the last Parliament, the Hon Minister for Roads tried to get this House to support the regional capitals for this asphalting programme to commence. Ho was done, but Dambai was not a regional capital then.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Minister, what is your objection?
Dr Prempeh 12:57 p.m.
Mr Speaker, he said that we should extend what the Hon Minister for Roads and
Highways is doing for other regional capitals to regional capitals like Ho and Dambai. So, I say that this House has already passed a Loan Agreement in the last Parliament for the regional asphalt roads, and Ho was done. So, why then does he come again to say this?
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Member, your point is well made.
Mr Kpodo 12:57 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I have not said that they are not doing road works in the region. I say that the effort should be extended to the other regional capitals, and I named a few of them.
I would continue to name the various sources of funding for these works, which include the Ghana Government Consolidated Fund, the Road Fund, the loans that we contract, and recently, the Sinohydro Project.
Mr Speaker, what I would want to emphasise is that a dedicated source like the one we are contracting, this credit facility for Kumasi, is the best. It is therefore, only best that we ensure that the work is funded properly and completed in a good enough time. However, with what my Hon Colleague refers to, it is not what we have in Ho.
Mr Speaker, like the Hon Ranking Member said, we have all passed a law to increase the size of the Road Fund, but we have turned round to cut the Road Fund such that it does not have all the full amount that goes in that pot to be able to carry out the rehabilitation work.
Mr Speaker, yesterday, I raised this issue about the roads in Ho, and the Hon Deputy Minister said that Ho has a high percentage rate of roads being very good, however, he has not gone round Ho.
In fact, where I live is far from Ho. The Ho Town is expanding so much that one cannot go within the small space of Bankoe, Hliha, Dome, and Ahoe and say that he has gone to Ho. Ho has expanded and is very close to Adaklu.
Mr Speaker, through you, I would want the Hon Minister to know that this kind of contract which has been secured for the Kumasi Inner City Roads, same should be secured for the Ho town roads as well. It is either they get some €80 million to go and do the roads in Ho just as they have got the €55 million for this Project — that is the only way the road works in Ho could be completed. These include the roads from Sokode to Civic Centre, which he himself has gone to --
Mr Kpodo 12:57 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would do that but currently, I would want to support the Kumasi road. This is because when I actively worked in the university -- I have a campus in Kumasi which I visit. I am fascinated about the works in Kumasi, but that does not mean that I should not talk about my Constituency in Ho.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Not in this Report.
Mr Kpodo 12:57 p.m.
That is why I would want to tell the Hon Minister to get a contract like this one for us to approve to complete the dual-carriage way from Sokode-Etue through to the University of Health and Allied Sciences to Kitrimu on the Aflao Road. That is why I would want him to --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member.
You have finished your submission on the Report because you take us to Sokode and so on.
Hon Member, please conclude.
Mr Kpodo 12:57 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would want to finish.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I support this Report, and I pray that there would not be any time wasting in the execution of the Project, so that when I get to Kumasi I would freely drive around, just as when he also comes to Ho, he would also drive freely around.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Members, we are ad idem, so I would put the Question for us to move on.
rose
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Vice Chairman, you had all your chance at the Committee.
All right, Hon Vice Chairman, you may give your contribution.
Mr Collins Owusu Amankwah (NPP -- Manhyia North) 12:57 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I rise to contribute to the Motion numbered 10 on the Order Paper, on the Report being presented by the Committee on Roads and Transport.
Mr Speaker, Kumasi is the second largest city of this country. Kumasi has very lucrative tourists attraction centres. Originally, the whole city was designed for only 250,000 people, but as we speak now, Kumasi has over two million people as residents. This tells us how big the city has become.
Mr Speaker, Kumasi has suffered as a result of poor drainage system over the years, and also as a result of the poor nature of their roads. It is therefore only fair that the current Administration is doing everything possible to make sure that we fix roads within the city.
Mr Speaker, it is sad to witness that after the assessment of the surface conditions of the Kumasi roads, it ranges from fair to poor. Therefore, Kumasi cannot boast of a first class road. This is very pathetic.
I am therefore very grateful to the Hon Minister responsible for Roads and Highways for bringing this big project to the good people of Kumasi. I am sure that the people of Kumasi would be very grateful to this current administration.
Mr Speaker, if we look at the map of Kumasi critically, we could clearly see that the north-eastern part of the
city was neglected in terms of road distribution. It is very sad to see that from Krofrom through Moshie Zongo, Yenyanso, Boukrom -- Mr Speaker, you are my constituent because it covers where you even live, the Boukrom Estate.
Mr Speaker, for eight good years under the watch of the National Democratic Congress's (NDC) Government, we --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:57 p.m.
Hon Member, you are out of order.
Mr Amankwah 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I do not want to politicise the distribution of roads but the fact of the matter is that we were neglected significantly and I must say that we are very grateful once again to the current Administration that they are doing justice to our roads as we speak.
We once again thank this Government for helping us to redress the issue of poor nature of our roads.
Mr Agbodza 1:07 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr Speaker, you advised my Hon Colleague but he is not following. The fact is that as of the time the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) built asphalt roads in Kumasi, there was none in Kumasi.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Hon Member, I ruled him out of order and I truly would advise that we stay out of this.
Mr Agbodza 1:07 a.m.
Thank you very much.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Let us speak to the Report.
Mr Amankwah 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would have sought your leave to ask him for the source of his information. But Mr Speaker, let me put it on record that Asokore-Mampong is not part of Kumasi. Yes! But the money that was meant for Kumasi roads was diverted to Asawase Constituency.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Please, let us move out of that and let us work on this Report.
Mr Amankwah 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I was emphatic on eight years under the previous Administration that not even
a single kilometre of road was constructed.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Hon Member, where in the Report are you referring to? That is why I wanted to bring the debate to a conclusion.
Mr Amankwah 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if we look at the Project in itself, all my communities have been captured and my people would be very happy to see a coal-tarred road in Mosshie Zongo, Yenyanso, Dote Buokrom and Buokrom Estate. -- [Laughter.] So, I am surprised —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Hon Member for Manhyia North, wind up or I would take your microphone off.
Mr Amankwah 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, he does not know what we are going through.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Wind up!
Mr Amankwah 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I deliberately mentioned coal-tarred because for many years, people of Dontekware have not witnessed ‘black road' as somebody would put it -- bitumen. So, Mr Speaker, he does not understand what we are going through; we know how we feel.
If we look at Kumasi — so, Mr Speaker, we are happy that for the first time we are going to witness —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Hon Members, I would give the last one to Hon Richard Acheampong.
Mr Richard Acheampong (NDC -- Bia East) 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
I rise to contribute to the Motion moved.
Mr Speaker, I have a very small observation to make on the Report. If we turn to item 3.0 -- The Project Scope, the last time, we would see re-location of utilities. So, in this case, we are talking about the Power Distribution Service, Ghana Water Company Limited and the telecommunication companies because these are some of the challenges contractors face when they are constructing roads.
If we ask them to move their cables, sometimes, even it could take a year meanwhile, this project has only one year, six months which is eighteen months' project. So, if proper consultations have not been done, certainly, the contractors would face some challenges.
And if we turn to item 8.0 under the Observation (iii) -- Smooth Stakeholder Consultations, they name
other stakeholders; the chiefs, transport unions but they left out these utility companies.
The Committee should have informed the House if the contractor or the employer has done some consultations with the utility companies in order to pave way for the work to be done. So, if the Committee is not telling us that they have done these consultations, certainly—
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Hon Member, do you think that among key governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, they would not cover the utility agencies?
Mr R. Acheampong 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is broad but one would have wished that at least, they would mention the utility companies because they are key stakeholders. They have properties worth millions of dollars. And with them, they cannot be removed overnight. If we want to pull down —
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
And there is a ‘property affected persons' in the same paragraph. Transport unions and property affected persons along with the selected road sections.
Mr R. Acheampong 1:07 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I have read it; “persons” could be interpreted to mean an entity which I
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:07 a.m.
Does the Hon Minister like to wind up? If not, I would put the Question.
Mr Amoako-Attah 1:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, while thanking all my Hon Colleagues for their various and respectful submissions, I would like to say that the Government of President Akufo- Addo is tackling the road network in
our country with speed and all seriousness.
Mr Speaker, concern is being shown and demonstrated that we should even extend this facility to other regional capitals. I would like to put on record that this suggestion is already in currency.
Mr Speaker, what we are doing in Kumasi is not in isolation and as was suggested the Hon Member for Adaklu, who is also the Hon Ranking Member for Roads and Transport Select Committee for my Ministry.
We have been looking at various sources of funding; we are looking at multilateral sources, bilateral sources and facilities coming from commercial sources to us is being considered and even internally.
Mr Speaker, between 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, Accra and Tema, taken together, had been given an asphalt overlay covering almost hundred kilometres. And people in Accra and Tema could testify to this.
Mr Speaker, as we speak, a contract for Kumasi roads as is being considered, would be taking place pretty soon to bring Kumasi roads, which are very terrible as we speak now, to an acceptable standard and
for Kumasi to befit its status as the second city in our country.

The Hon Member for Ho Central was also talking about Ho and I am happy that he is the MP there. He is here and knows what is going on. At the moment, we are tackling Ho roads and the Ho bypass road has been given on contract.

If you even take the Ho dualisation from Sokode to Ho which was awarded and stopped in 2016 by China Railway Number Five, we have brought them to site. It is going on in earnest.

It is all aimed at improving the inner cities of our regional capitals and I want to assure this Honourable House and the people of this country that all regional capitals would be tackled one after the other.

Mr Speaker, I thank my Hon Colleagues for their useful contributions and to put it on record, that all roads in Ghana, one after the other, would be tackled. We cannot work on all roads in the country simultaneously, because of the terrible nature of roads before 2017, but we are doing a lot and all roads would be tackled.

I was happy when the Hon Member for Adaklu stated the fact that I am asked the same Questions every Friday that were put to my predecessor. It means that those roads --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:17 a.m.
Hon Minister, thank you very much.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:17 a.m.
Item numbered 11, Resolution -- Minister for Roads and Highways?
RESOLUTIONS 1:17 a.m.
Minister for Roads and Highways (Mr Kwasi Amoako- Attah) 1:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that
WHEREAS BY THE PRO- 1:17 a.m.
PURSUANT TO THE 1:17 a.m.
THIS HONORABLE HOUSE 1:17 a.m.
HEREBY RESOLVES AS 1:17 a.m.
Chairman of the Committee (Mr Ayeh-Paye) 1:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
Resolved accordingly.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:17 a.m.
Hon Deputy Majority Leader, that is all on my Order Paper but it is 1.22 p. m. What is your pleasure?
Ms Safo 1:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, there are some Motions that stand in the name of the Hon Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee but they are currently sitting. So, he has indicated that they cannot take it today but tomorrow.
That brings us to the end of proceedings as we have exhausted the items on the Order Paper. There are some Committee meetings thereafter and without much ado, I move that the House do now adjourn
Mr Agbodza 1:17 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 1:17 a.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 1.24 p. m. till Friday, 14th June, 2019 at 10.00 a. m.