Debates of 4 Dec 2019

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:26 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:26 a.m.
Mr Speaker 10:26 a.m.
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 3rd December, 2019.
Page 1 … 10
rose
Mr Speaker 10:26 a.m.
Hon Ablakwa?
Mr Ablakwa 10:26 a.m.
I am most grateful, Mr Speaker.
In the second line of item numbered 10 on page 10, the first word should be “requires” (sic).
Mr Speaker 10:26 a.m.
Thank you very much.
Page 11 … 21.
STATEMENTS 10:52 a.m.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP -- Nsawam/Adoagyiri) 10:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to make this Statement to proclaim the great works our country is recently recording, specifically in sports infrastructure. Our nation in time past has chalked up successes in the world of football from the period in 1963, when the national team was led by Aggrey Fyn, and also the time of football maestro, Abedi Pele in 1992, the era of CK Akornor, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour and Stephen Appiah, also known as “Capito” who is also the icon for Wembley Sports Construction Company Limited (WSCCL).
Mr Speaker, it is true that many of these great players including Michael
Essien and Asamoah Gyan began their world-recognised careers under somewhat unfavourable conditions, in terms of infrastructure and govern- mental support.
Mr Speaker, in recent times, Ghana appears to be struggling to maintain a success story in football and even many others believed all hope is lost. This has come as a result of our inadequate performances in interna- tional tournaments and I believe it is important to tackle fundamental issues that have brought us to this fate.
Among those issues were the under-resourced local league; the lack of wider search for football talents; and a prominent issue of scarce football arenas, though football is played in almost every corner of the country.
As far back as I can recall, playing football on the street was common and there is a high possibility that many Ghanaian football legends started this way. Even though this practice is common, we cannot hide the fact that playing on the street is actually dangerous. In effect, it boils down to the availability of football parks or pitches that meet standards of safety and convenience.
Our youth make use of undeveloped football pitches, popularly referred to as ‘Sakora'
parks. As a nation, I believe we should go beyond having only regional sports facilities started by the National Youth Authority and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and also develop the sport at the level of the districts where colts football can be revived.
Considering the advanced nature of the sport today in all its technicalities, it is unfitting for Ghanaians to continue to play on ‘sakora' parks and expect world class talents which would sufficiently compensate inefficiencies in Ghana's football performances.
The President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday, 2nd December, 2019 visited the Madina Zongo Sports Complex and commended the facility stating that ‘‘... it is a good facility, ... it will be well looked after and maintained and be allowed to be a place we can discover more and more Ghanaian talents”.
Mr Speaker, I was also privileged to witness the training sessions of the Black Stars at Madina Zongo Artificial Football Park ahead of their game in Sao Tome. I was pleased that the facility was constructed by a Ghanaian company - Wembley Sports Construction. I did some research about the company to find out that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Robert Coleman, flew some of his

equals to receive training from HATKO; a Turkey- based artificial turf producing company. This has made Wembley Sports Construction experts in the construction of artificial football turfs and its management. They are highly sought after in other African countries like Liberia.

Mr Speaker, in keeping up with new modifications, they have started producing ‘granules', a component that makes the pitches much safer to play on. The provision of such playing facilities does not mean a complete departure from the natural grass turf.

Mr Speaker Wembley Sports Complex is the first to receive FIFA's certificate as having met the quality standards in West Africa and Ghana. If Ghana proceeds in this line and gets such artificial pitches in our districts and some selected schools, Wembley Sports Construction would not only be putting Ghana up as a well- represented nation in terms of sports infrastructure, but will also be reviving the love for sports, not forgetting that talents will also be unearthed to positively impact the sport at the international stage.

Mr Speaker another compelling case for the support and promotion of the construction of these artificial turfs is the deteriorating nature in the

standard of football being played at both national and local levels. Ghana's prime team, the Black Stars, has for some time now struggled to exhibit their prowess in African international tournaments not to mention the World Cup.

According to Football Database for African Club Ranking, Mr Speaker, only 2 Ghanaian club teams can be found in the top 50 clubs, with only a few appearing sparingly in the list beyond the 100th position. This is dispiriting in context, since the rankings reveal Tunisia, Egypt and Cameroon, featuring severally in the top 30 teams.

Mr Speaker, kindly permit me to briefly outline some benefits of this artificial football parks:

a) With the availability of these sports facilities, the frequent act of blocking roads during funerals will be curbed as the spaces can be rented out.

b) It is also a common practice of institutions to organise health walks and related events and this will be aided with the availability of sporting grounds to also prevent people from using the roads at dawn, in most cases, without reflectors.
Mr Benson Tongo Baba (NDC -- Talensi) 10:52 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by my very good Friend and Hon Member of Parliament, because I reside in his Constituency.
Mr Speaker, sports infrastructure has become one of the major concerns in this country. As a result of the absence of sports infrastructure,
Mr Benson Tongo Baba (NDC -- Talensi) 11:02 a.m.
Physical Education lessons in our schools are gradually being relegated to the background. Even in areas where new developments are taking place, estate developers do not consider the provision of playing fields for the residents in the area.
During the time of the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the playing fields committee was established and a law was passed to ensure that certain areas are earmarked for sports infrastructure. Currently, the Abeka Olympic Sports Complex has been seriously encroached upon to the extent that even in our quest to host the 2023 All Africa Games in Ghana, we would find it difficult to site all the facilities in that location.
Mr Speaker, when the Dansoman Estate was being constructed, provision was made for sports infrastructure. But for that foresight, I believe that Liberty Professionals Football Club would not have had a facility in that vicinity to play their league matches.
Mr Speaker, as I speak, in Nungua, an area was demarcated for an Olympics Sports Stadium with all the facilities, but it has also been encroached upon. This means that our country lacks the good will and
the will power to implement laws that would help us to preserve these lands for future sports development.
Mr Speaker, sports is not just for the fun of it. It has health related issues, and because we do not give sports the needed attention, currently, there are so many diseases which formerly affected adults, now affecting school- going children.
Mr Speaker, I would like to suggest that in addition to what Wembley Sports Constructions Company Limited is doing, the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports are well-resourced to be able to acquire the lands that, hitherto have been demarcated for sports infrastructure for this country to develop them to international standards.
Ghana has not got an Olympic Sports Hall and this makes the development of hand games difficult especially: basketball, handball and volley ball. Also, with some of the indoor sports like judo, taekwondo and karate et cetera because we lacked the needed facilities we are not able to compete at the international level to win medals.
Mr Speaker, sports infrastructure alone would not bring about the needed excellence in sports. The Hon Member who made the Statement
mentioned C. K. Akonnor and others. There are more of them who can come through good coaching. Coaching facilities and coaches are absent as we used to have them in the past. We do not have the physical education teachers being encouraged to undertake coaching.

The Sports College in Winneba is gradually becoming a residential place for teams that want to camp their players, but it does not perform its statutory role as a college for training coaches and administrators.

Even in the teaching of physical education at the University of Education, Winneba, University of Cape Coast and the University of Ghana, are all done theoretically without the practical approach to get the best out of them to become coaches in the various sporting disciplines? Mr Speaker, if we do not take care, we would produce mediocre sportsmen and women coaches as well as sports administrators because we lacked facilities.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I would want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Statement.
Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah (NPP -- Okaikoi Central) 11:02 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I must commend the Hon Member who made the Statement and bring the mind of the House to such important players that this country has developed -- Michael Osei, the late Shamo Quaye, Yaw Preko, Joe Debrah, Rahman, Abedi Pele and Charles Taylor.
Mr Speaker, they all developed their talents on sakora parks in Accra and Kumasi namely, Asem Park and Heroes Park within the Subin Constituency, Sakasaka Park, Theroes Park in Alajo, Police Depot Park and Kotobabi Park. Ndafa Park now has buildings on it.
Mr Speaker, the question is, since 1982, the national team, the Black Stars, has not won anything for us. In 1992 in Spain, we got our only bronze in soccer, but that period and now, the kind of investment that has gone into football is way too much. I support Hon Annoh-Dompreh, but we must develop a multi-purpose infrastructure within those defined areas.
For example, we used to pride ourselves with a good police volleyball team. I used to go and watch them at Lebanon House. Now, one does not even get to know when the league is ongoing. Basketball, table tennis,
Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 11:02 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by our Hon Colleague, the Hon Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament.
Mr Speaker, he raised very important issues that should get the attention of this House and the country. He raised issues about the state of our facilities which does not look very good these days. The Hon Member who spoke last also raised an issue as well -- that at the time Ghana did not even have the quality of what we have today, we produced very good sportsmen and women. So it could not only be the fact that we do not have cutting-edge sports facilities and that is why we do not produce a lot more sportsmen and women.
Mr Speaker, we can all agree that when people like myself and my Hon Colleagues were younger, we played more outside. The smallest space between two buildings in one's area could provide opportunity to play whether socks ball -- I remember we even plucked oranges and used them as football, and played until it burst. So the reason we are not able to produce more sportsmen today could not only be the result of non- availability of good sports facilities.
I am sure the majority of young kids today who should play outdoor probably sit indoors to play with their electronic gadgets. They would rather play football on their computers and handheld gadgets than to actually play real football on the field. I believe that it is upon all of us to encourage our kids to go out a bit under supervision and play.
Mr Speaker, I would want to make a comment in reaction to the proposal by my Hon Colleague in terms of how we should accept what is called the synthetic field. Mr Speaker, there is nothing wrong with it. In the past, synthetic fields were used mainly indoors, and they were used for sports like field hockey where the ball is very small, but is on a grass and because of that, the rolling of the ball could be affected if the grass was not well cut. These days, many communities encourage others to install synthetic grass.
Mr Speaker, there are environ- mental issues that we must be concerned about when it comes to synthetic grasses. We should never replace the original environmentally friendly field grasses with synthetic ones. While it is alright to say that it would be good to have AstroTurf or synthetic grass in communities, that should not replace natural grasses.
Mr Speaker, we all know that when AstroTurf or synthetic grass is installed, automatically, it is a death sentence to living organisms which live in the areas covered by the synthetic grass because it serves as an ecosystem for some of these organisms. When we were growing and we went to a football field, we could see insects jumping around. They are also supposed to be part of the ecosystem that makes our planet much more humane.
So we should never accept the fact that once we can afford synthetic grass, we should just go and roll out bales of them everywhere. We should combine that effectively with real grass because if we fail to do that, this planet, we are told, is getting warm. And one of the properties of the synthetic grass is the fact that it generates a lot of heat, and everything which is a living organism below it might not survive.
I believe that the concern of our Hon Colleague is much placed. We should try as much as possible, to encourage each other to procure this on a limited basis, but not on a wholesale basis. I am an environmentalist, and I do not think that I would like to see the field of the Accra Sports Stadium replaced with synthetic grass. We need a combination of this. In some areas, it would be better to have synthetic
Mr Speaker 11:02 a.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member.
Ms Freda A. O. Prempeh (NPP -- Tano North) 11:02 a.m.
Thank you very much Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Statement on the Floor.
Mr Speaker, football is indeed the passion of our nation as we always say, but what is happening to our football these days?
When it is time for European Leagues, we see how most of us crave to get home and watch European Leagues. What has happened to our football? My Hon Colleague rightly said that since 1982, the Black Stars have not brought anything home to Ghana because we are not building the base. If we do not start from the base, it would be difficult for us to sustain and maintain the Black Starts. We have the colts; the Black Starlets -- the Under 17; the Black Satellites and the Black Meteors. How are we grooming these people? How are we building the colts right from the base? What is happening in our constituencies and districts?
Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank the President for his visionary leadership into sports and
for making provision for ten regional sports complexes in all the former ten regional capitals. And let me also commend the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC); my Hon Colleague mentioned GHAPOHA and McDan Group but I would also like to mention that GNPC is also doing very well in the area of provision of Astro turf across the country. I would also commend the young man, Mr Robert Coleman who, through his singular initiative, we have a lot of Astro turfs springing up.
Mr Speaker, we are not saying that we want to do away with the traditional pitches but we could have a blend of the traditional pitches and the Astro turf. If we want to unearth the hidden talents in our communities and districts, then, we could have some of these Astro turfs even in the secondary schools and in the communities. The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies could also come on board; they have a component and a percentage of the District Assemblies Common Fund for the provision of sports facilities in the constituencies and districts. So I think this is a clarion call on all of us to ensure that we build our sports infrastructure.
Mr Speaker, during the 2008 African Cup of Nations, (CAN
2008), we built new sports infrastructure -- two new stadia. We built one at Essipong in Sekondi and one was built in Tamale to augment the existing ones in Kumasi and Accra. However, when last year, for the first time that Ghana hosted the All African Women's Championship, we had problems with sports infrastructure; we had problems with changing facilities; and we had problems with our training facilities. So the issue is not just about building more infrastructure but also maintaining the existing ones that we have.
Are we maintaining our existing infrastructure? When Ghana hosted AFCON 2008, we had difficulty in securing training pitches for the eight participating countries. So if we were to host 16 countries, it would have been more difficult for us. We have the El-Walk Sports Stadium; we have the Paa Joe Sports Stadium; we have the Essipong Sports Stadium and we have the Cape Coast Stadium. However, if we start introducing these Astro turfs in our regional capitals, districts and communities, it would go a long way to augment the existing ones.
Recently, the Black Stars trained at Madina. I personally took a tour of the Madina facility because I love sports and I am very much interested in women sports. We have our
Mr Speaker 11:02 a.m.
Minority Leadership?
Alhaji Inusah Abdulai B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 11:22 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this very important Statement and to commend the Hon Member who made the Statement, my Good Friend the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for bringing attention to the new development in the Ministry of Youth and Sports and youth development in general.
Mr Speaker, I live in your former Constituency and when you get to Boye Town off Abokobi, you would see that the young men are planting grass on an open field trying to green it to make it conducive for playing and I think it is very commendable.
Mr Speaker, there is no doubt that putting Astro turf on open, dusty, rugged fields secures the conditions of the field such that it could enhance the safety of those who use those fields. Astro turf pitches would also attract young men to those fields for the purposes of training. And it is believed that when the attraction occurs, young men who patronise these fields could enhance their skills.
Mr Moses Anim (NPP -- Trobu) 11:22 a.m.
Mr Speaker, sports is so important that the framers of our Constitution found space under the social objective of the directive principle of state policy and under article 37 (5). With your permission, I read:
“The State shall ensure that adequate facilities for sports are provided throughout Ghana and that sports are promoted as a means of fostering national integration, health and self- discipline as well as international friendship and understanding.”
Mr Speaker, that is the extent to which sports is important; and
Mr Moses Anim (NPP -- Trobu) 11:22 a.m.


because it would foster national integration, health, self-discipline and even create international friendship, it is incumbent on every successive Government, which of course has been done, to plant the facilities that would enhance sporting activities across-board. This would prevent us from narrowing ourselves to football only but sports in general.

Mr Speaker, you would bear with me that there were times that we even played “gutter to gutter” where the youth, not finding enough space to play football, would do so from one end of the road to the other. Those were the days where colts soccer was so prominent that a community would gather at a football park and watch the youth play.

I know that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo talks about his playing time with former President Mills at the University of Ghana, Legon, when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was a striker and former President Mills was a midfielder in the university team.

I know Hon Members may have also tried to play football and other sporting activities.

Mr Speaker, the challenge we have is to plan our communities and
Mr Speaker 11:22 a.m.
This Statement is referred to the Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture for further consideration.
I direct that the Acting Clerk to Parliament should kindly submit the Statement made to the new football authorities for their attention and consideration. Furthermore, the House congratulates them for assumption of duty. They paid a courtesy call on Parliament last week and we congratulate them. This should be put on record, and a letter should be sent to them to that effect together with this invaluable Statement made this morning.
Hon Members, we have a tall order, so we would take another Statement that is pending tomorrow morning. This brings us to the end of Statement time.
At the Commencement of Public Business, item listed 4 -- Presentation of Papers.
Mr Anim 11:22 a.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 4(a) (i), (ii) and (iii) are not ready, so we could take item numbered 4(b).
Mr Speaker 11:22 a.m.
Items numbered 4(b) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi) by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee.
PAPERS 11:22 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:22 a.m.
Item listed as number 5, Motion.
Mr Anim 11:22 a.m.
Mr Speaker, item listed 5 is not ready, and all the Motions on the Order Paper are also not ready.
Mr Speaker 11:22 a.m.
Hon Member, why do we have this difficulty? We have decided on extended Sitting, and
there must be extended provision of documents. We must be extendedly on alert.
Hon Member, how do you explain these difficulties?
Mr Nyindam 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we made provision for extended Sitting but you would recall that our Estimates for the Budget Statement delayed and we have almost all the copies available. The Committees have programmed to work on these Estimates such that we could get the Reports as early as possible.

That is why we would want to make an application that if there are no Statements or any other Business, we should adjourn so that all Committees could have enough time to work on the Annual Estimates, so that from tomorrow or next week, we could get a lot of Reports to work on.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
What about the item listed number 8 -- Narcotics Control Commission Bill, 2019 at the Consideration Stage?
Mr Nyindam 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it still boils down to the same explanation because the same Committee
members who are to work on the Bill are supposed to work on the Annual Estimates for the Ministry of the Interior and on other Reports. So we would still want to appeal to you and the House to adjourn so that we get enough time to work on the Reports at the Committee level.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Very well. Your Hon Colleagues on the other Side would want to comment.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is a worthy call. We have no objection. That is the more reason we always insist on the Annual Estimates to come in early so that Committees would have the opportunity to consider and present Reports to the House. As it stands now, Friday would be a public holiday. Before 21st December, 2019, there would be other holidays, so we are constrained by time. If the call is that we adjourn for Committees to sit, the most appropriate thing is for the Committees to really go and work. The Annual Estimates that are not available must also be made available before the close of tomorrow.
Mr Speaker, by now, we should be presenting Reports of Estimates for approval. As it stands now, not even a single Committee has been able to consider an Annual Estimate and present the Report to the Plenary.
rose
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Hon Chairman, I saw you standing, and I even gave you a hand indication. Why did you talk? Whether you have a point of order or whatever, I decide that you wait and make your contribution after he has spoken. Go on now.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member said this Friday would be a holiday, and there would be other holidays before 21st December, 2019. This is what I wanted to correct. Is he now the Hon Minister for the Interior? Mr Speaker, there are students here, and he is giving indication that before 21st December, 2019, there would be other holidays. The records should not reflect this.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Is that your concern? You have made your point.
Dr Assibey-Yeboah 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, furthermore, he said none of the Committees have submitted Reports. Only this morning, I have submitted six Reports that were for distribution
to Hon Members. I am sure they are in our pigeonholes as I speak.
Mr A. Ibrahim 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, he should even take opportunity from this call for Committees to sit. The Business Committee made it clear on this Floor that as the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee, he has 47 referrals on which he has not submitted Reports to this House. By our Standing Orders, Committees must present their Reports in the form of recommendations.
He has not done that. So there is a call that the Committees go, follow up, expedite action and present Reports to the House. What happens to his 47 referrals they have referred to on which they have been unable to present Reports to this House?
Mr Speaker, I belong to the Business Committee. As part of the memorandum that accompanied the Business Statement of the Committee, they stated that before 21st December, 2019, we are likely to have two holidays. One would be tomorrow. So we would not be able to work every day. That is why I am giving the signal; I have not mentioned the date.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Hon Member, beyond Friday, what holiday is in sight?
Mr A. Ibrahim 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we are not sitting on Monday, 16th and Tuesday, 17 th December, 2019 because of the District level elections. The Business Committee, in presenting their Report at Plenary, made mention of this. So it is an indication that I am making to remind us of what the Business Committee said, which we must take a cue from.
Mr Speaker, I do not see why we should belabour this point because the bench that is in charge of Government Business is proposing that Committees sit and present Reports. Not even a single Report on an Annual Estimate is in the Chamber, and this is a fact.
Mr Alexander K. Afenyo- Markin 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, may I humbly refer you to Standing Order 40(2)? With your leave, I read:
“The House shall sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Sittings shall, subject to the direction of Mr. Speaker …”
Mr Speaker, the emphasis is on “Mr Speaker”, and somebody says we would not Sit.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Say “and the Hon Member on the other Side says” and
not “somebody”. This is parliamentary language.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, very well. I am correcting him, and I should not make mistakes. I stand corrected.
Hon Ahmed Ibrahim, the Hon Second Deputy Minority Whip [Interruption.] But he is a deputy -- Mr Speaker, he is a Minority Whip.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Hon Member, proceed in decorum; otherwise, you would assume your seat.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:42 a.m.
Very well, Mr Speaker, I would proceed.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Hon Member, withdraw that statement because I would not want you to belittle a Whip position in this honourable House.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I withdraw. I said it lightly.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Please proceed with decorum.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, for him to have contended that this honourable House would not Sit on certain days when he knows that it is
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:42 a.m.
only you who has that mandate, and not even the Business Committee has that mandate -- The rule is clear that it is only you and you alone. As a matter of fact, you can direct that we should even Sit on Saturdays and Sundays. Mr Speaker, this is what the Standing Order says:
“Sittings shall, subject to the direction of Mr. Speaker, ordinarily commence at ten o'clock in the forenoon and shall ordinarily conclude at two o'clock in the afternoon.”

Mr Speaker, I should be allowed to make my point in peace without being subjected to any intimidation by the Minority. It is my right to speak. Mr Speaker, you have granted such right, and I deserve protection from you.
rose
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:42 a.m.
Mr Speaker, my Hon leader is up, and I yield in obedience and respect. He would want to save me.
Mr Speaker 11:42 a.m.
Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe -- [Interruption.] -- No, he said Minority Whip -- [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Muntaka 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague just said he is very regular in this Chamber. He is exposing himself. The Business Statement for this week indicated clearly to all of us that on 16th and 17th of December, 2019, Parliament would not Sit. Hon Members would travel to their constituencies to cast their votes; therefore Sitting would resume on Wednesday, 18 th December, 2019. That was the reference Hon Ahmed made. He said that apart from Friday, 6th December, 2019, which is a public holiday, this House would miss two more days -- Monday and Tuesday of the ensuing week. That was why we agreed with the Majority Leadership to adjourn
now to enable the Committees put more effort in finishing the Estimates, so that from tomorrow and next week, we would have ample time to deal with them.
Mr Speaker, if Hon Afenyo- Markin was regular, as he said, he would have known the content of the Business Statement
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I did not object on the basis of general purpose; I did so fortified by the rules.
Mr Speaker, I was clear. One, he said we would have two holidays. If there is a direction that we should not Sit, it does not mean that there is a holiday. Holiday is defined by law, so it is not a holiday.
Mr Speaker, two, you have not directed. I want the records to reflect that if the Business Committee said on the Floor of the House that there would not be Sitting, per Order 40(2), Mr Speaker would have to so direct. Mr Speaker, you have not directed.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Hon Member, may you end here? I am the Chairman of the Business Committee.
Mr Afenyo-Markin 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, that is true.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Just for the sake of putting things clear.
Yes, Hon Minority Leader? [Interruption.] -- Order!
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:52 a.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I believe the Hon Minority Chief Whip's application for adjournment is important for two reasons. We have agreed that tomorrow morning, the Leadership would engage you, so that we agree to a time table and framework. We have had experiences where Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that are invited by your Committees and they have been unable to proceed on time because Hon Members were still at plenary. Therefore we would have to engage you to take a decision.
Probably from next week, either we come in and start at 10.00 a.m., and work for an hour and 30 minutes and then recline to Committees, so that they could consider the Estimates for the Ministries; or at best, we Sit at 2.00 p.m. You directed that Committees should work from 10 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. I am yet to confer with the Hon Majority Leader because his Whips stood in for him when the Business Committee met.
Mr Speaker, I therefore support the Motion for adjournment so that

we could go and consider the various Estimates that have been submitted.

Mr Speaker, even tomorrow, we make an application for you to further direct Hon Chairmen and Hon Ranking Members of Committees to make their Reports available for us to proceed on those matters.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
So, could you formally ask for an adjournment?
Mr Nyindam 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, before I move for the adjournment of the House, for us not to go through this experience tomorrow, I would wish to apply and seek the leave of Hon Colleagues that Sitting should start at 12 o'clock, so that the Committees would have enough time for them to put their Reports together.
On that note, Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this House stands adjourned till tomorrow Thursday, 5th December, 2019 at 12 noon.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Leadership?
Mr A. Ibrahim 11:52 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion. I would
add that Committees must sit in the morning tomorrow.
Mr Speaker 11:52 a.m.
Hon Members, it is imperative that we should have the Reports. Majority Leadership, kindly remind all the appropriate persons to bring these Reports. I have made it known to all the appropriate quarters. It is your duty to whip it up, so that we have the Reports. If we do not have them, we shall get into difficulty.
Those two days for the Referen- dum, the reference to them were very legitimate. So please, let us take it very seriously, and then have the work going and concluded before Christmas. We may compel ourselves to Sit on Christmas day; we do not want to do that.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 11:52 a.m.