Debates of 30 Apr 2020

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:03 p.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker 11:03 p.m.
Hon Members, you are all welcome from our rather long Suspension of Sitting and thank you all very much for returning timeously for us to do the work of the House.
Hon Members, we have the Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 17th April, 2020 for correction. Page 1
…30.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 11:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered (xi) on page 30, the appropriate title should be “Dr”. So it should read “Dr Alhassan Iddrisu” and not “Mr Alhassan Iddrisu”.
Mr Speaker 11:03 p.m.
Thank you very much.
Any further corrections? Hon Members, in the absence of any further corrections, the Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 17th April, 2020 as corrected, is hereby admitted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, page 27 of the Votes and Proceedings says the Motion for the adoption of the Resolution captured as item numbered 13 was moved by the Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta and was seconded by the Hon Member for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu.
However, our Standing Orders provides in Order 86 (3) that Members shall be referred to by the names of the offices they hold.
Hon Haruna Iddrisu is indeed the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, but the office that he occupies is the Minority Leader, so that is how it should be captured and not just as “Hon Member for Tamale South“.
Mr Speaker 11:03 p.m.
Thank you very much. It should be corrected accordingly.
Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 11:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my correction is on page 30. If he is the gentleman I know, then “Mr Alhassan Iddrisu” should read “Dr Alhassan Iddrisu”.
Mr Speaker 11:03 p.m.
It has been corrected. The Votes and Proceedings of Friday, 17th April, 2020 as further corrected is hereby admitted as the true record of the proceedings.The Hon Majority Leader and Chairman of the Business Committee would kindly present the Business of the House.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 11:13 a.m.
Chairman of the Business Committee/Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 11:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker,
Introduction
Per notice issued under the hand of Mr Speaker and dated 28th April, 2020, he directed that Parliament resumes Sittings of the First Meeting of the Fourth Session today, Thursday, 30th April, 2020.
Mr Speaker, the Business Committee accordingly met yesterday, Wednesday, 29th April 2020 and arranged Business of the House for today, Thursday, 30th April
2020.
Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 11:13 a.m.
Arrangement of Business
Formal Communication by the Speaker
Mr Speaker, you may read any available communication to the House.
Statements
Mr Speaker, pursuant to Order 70(2), Ministers of State may be permitted to make Statements of Government policy. Statements duly admitted by Mr Speaker may also be made in the House by Hon Members, in accordance with Order 72.
Mr Speaker, Bills may be presented to the House for First Reading in accordance with Order 120. However, those of urgent nature may be taken through the various stages in one day in accordance with Order 119.
Pursuant to Order 75, Papers for presentation to the House may be placed on the Order Paper for laying. Committee reports may also be presented to the House for consideration.
Motions and Resolutions
Mr Speaker, Motions may be debated and their consequential Resolutions, if any, taken during the day.
Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 11:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Business Committee sincerely commends all Honourable Members for dutifully responding to the number of recall notices and devoting themselves to business of the House in this COVID- 19 period, despite having to attend to other pressing obligations relating to their office as Members of Parliament. The Business Committee expresses its profound gratitude to the Hon Members who have demonstrated selfless attention to national duty.
Mr Speaker, upon completion of the determined agenda, the Business Committee urges you to adjourn the Meeting indefinitely to enable Hon Members enjoy a well-deserved rest from the recent tiring Parliamentary duties.
Mr Speaker, while taking cognisance of the tall order of referrals for the attention of the Finance Committee, the Business Committee implores the Finance Committee and the Committee on Roads & Transport to expedite work on their referrals to enable the House complete the scheduled business for the day.
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 160(2) and subject to Standing Order 53, the Committee
submits to this Honourable House the order in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the day under consideration.

Formal Communication by Mr Speaker

Statements --

Presentation of Papers --

(a) Report of the Auditor- General on the Nationwide Payroll and Personnel Verification Audit as at June

2018.

(b) Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Office of Government Machinery for the Period January to December, 2019.

(c) Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of the Interior for the Period January to December, 2019.

(d) Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of Trade and Industry for the Period January to December,

2019.

(e) Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of Roads and Highways for the Period January to December,

2019.

(f) Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of Planning for the Period January to December, 2019.

(g) Request for waiver of VAT, GETFund Levy, and NHIL amounting to the Ghana Cedi equivalent of Eighteen and a Half per cent (18.5 per cent) of the cost of Donations of Stocks of Equipment and Goods as Relief Supplies for fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(h) Request for waiver of Income Taxes on personal emoluments of Health Workers for the months of April 2020, May 2020, and June 2020.

(i) Request for waiver of Income Taxes on additional allowances paid to Frontline Health Personnel for the months of March 2020, April 2020, May 2020, and June

2020.

(j) Medium - Term Loan Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic

of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and ECOBANK Ghana Limited (acting through ECOBANK Development Corporation) for an amount of ninety-five million United States dollars (US$95,000,000.00) to finance the construction and completion of Lots 5 and 6 of the Eastern Corridor Road Project.

(k) Supplementary Contract Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, acting through Ghana Highways Authority) and the Joint Venture made up of Construtora Andrade Gutierrez Engenharia S.A. and Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A. for an amount of eighty-eight million, nine hundred and thirty-nine thousand, eight hundred and twelve United States dollars and fifty-three cents (US$88,939,812.53) for the construction and completion of Lots 5 and 6 of the Eastern Corridor Road Project.

(l) Export Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana
- 11:13 a.m.
- 11:13 a.m.
THE HOUSE IS EXPECTED 11:13 a.m.
Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor 11:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker, pursuant to your notice of summon, I filed an Urgent Question yesterday, directed at the Hon Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, with regard to the basis upon which certain State and public institutions pay moneys into the COVID-19 National Trust Fund. I had hoped that that Urgent Question would feature on today's Business to enable the Hon Minister address the House in respect of that, but that Question did not feature on the Order Paper. So I would want to find out from the Hon Majority Leader because I have seen a lot of issues in the Order Paper in respect of COVID-19 activities.
Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah 11:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I have seen a lot of COVID-19 - related issues on the Order Paper and I have also seen a lot of issues in relation to loan agreements on road projects and others. I want to plead with the Hon Majority Leader that this Sitting must be focused on the issues related to COVID-19 -- [Interruption] -- He has said so; I rest my case.
Mr Speaker, more so, we should also focus on issues that are not on the Order Paper, in relation to COVID-19, like issues that have to do with our efforts to make sure we have more test centres, strategies for testing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and a lot of things that the front liners in the health sector yearn for.
Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh 11:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I want to ask the Hon Majority Leader, whether he would consider inviting the Administrator of the Common Fund to come and brief the House on moneys that have been paid to the district assemblies and why those moneys were not paid directly to the district health directorates?
Mr Ablakwa 11:23 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I commend the Hon Majority Leader and the Hon Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and the Hon
Chairman of the Business Committee, for the presentation. I wish to draw his attention that it has been on our agenda for some time now, for the Hon Minister for Health to come to the House to apprise us on the latest developments with regard to the fight against COVID-19. The House has met a number of times, where we expected him. Unfortunately, he could not make himself available to brief us.
Mr Speaker, I want to find out from the Hon Majority Leader, if there is some hope for that today, for the Hon Minister for Health, to brief this House on the latest efforts to combat COVID-19 and the latest efforts to also address the Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) epidemic in the Upper West Region? It is the region of my beloved in-laws, so it is a matter that is very dear to my heart.

Mr Speaker, having said that, the second issue relates to a matter that I have raised a couple of times; the fulfilment of section 11 of the Presidential Office Act 1993, Act

463.

I have gone through the list of papers and Reports to be presented and seen that there is a budget performance report in respect of the Office of Government Machinery for the period of January to December,
Mr Speaker 11:23 a.m.
Thank you very much.
Mr Benjamin Komla Kpodo 11:23 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Hon Majority Leader when the Business Committee met to draw up today's agenda? This morning, a television station was discussing what we are to do here today and I wonder whether someone leaked our Business to the television station even before the Business Committee met. So they can address that issue for us
to assess the security of information from the House.
Mr Speaker 11:23 a.m.
Hon Minority Leadership?
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:23 a.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I believe that the Business Committee met yesterday at 4.30 p.m. and the Leader of Government Business and Hon Majority Leader has presented the Report as was discussed and adopted at the level of the Committee.
Mr Speaker, one worrying issue was raised at the Business Committee. I am not on social media but I understand that there is a Report that Hon Members of Parliament have been paid some amount of money for the purpose of the COVID-19 pandemic; that is GH¢120,000 -- [Interruption] Mr Speaker, that must stand in denial. It is inaccurate, misleading, erroneous and only meant to open Hon Members of Parliament to ridicule and to all kinds of demand by our constituents. We know that the Executive is working with the District Assemblies and not Hon Members of Parliament in the disbursement and expenditure of money. So probably, the Hon Majority Leader would have to respond to that?
My second issue is a difficult one but if you so direct, the Dagombas say that; ‘if one says that their mother should not cook because of a parasite, they are likely to go hungry themselves.' The Constitution provides that presidential and parliamentary elections will be held this year. Even as we struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, the independent Electoral Commission (EC) created under article 45 of this Constitution owes this country and Hon Members of Parliament a duty. They would have to be summoned to give us their road map of their preparedness in view of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Our democracy will evolve and survive the pandemic and they need to apprise this House on their level of preparedness for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Mr Speaker, if we cannot get them to brief the Committee of the Whole, at least, they must come before the Special Budget Committee. The last time I saw officials of the EC, they were walking in the corridor between the clinic and the National Investment Bank (NIB). We need to know from them, what their preparedness is.
Finally, as we met on the CSM development in the Upper West
region, the Hon Majority Leader led the way on that and we will need to know what is being done to contain the CSM outbreak in the region and what urgent actions are being taken.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:23 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the first question came from the Hon Dafeamekpor. He gives an indication that he has filed an Urgent Question and it has not been programmed.
Mr Speaker, I do not know of any Urgent Question filed by the Hon Member, it is the Speaker who is solely responsible for the admissibility of Questions and of course, that includes Motions and so on.
The Business Committee is not aware of the Speaker having admitted any Question. So I am not able to respond to it. I believe that the Hon Member knows the route to follow to update himself about the status that he has filed and of course, I think it must be emphasised that one cannot take it for granted that immediately a Question is filed then it is assumed that the Question has been admitted. That will be quite erroneous on the Hon Member's part and so he may use the usual process to embark on tracing and tracking the status of that Question.
Mr Speaker, Hon Armah-Kofi Buah rose up to relate to what
Mr Kwabena Akandoh 11:23 a.m.
Mr Speaker, what I meant was that some amount of money had been paid to the District Assemblies from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to fight COVID-19. As Hon Members of Parliament, we would want to have a full briefing on that. I hear that 166 has been released -- [Interruption] -- The current figure is about 20,000 to the District Assemblies.
Therefore we would want the Administrator to brief us on that development.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:33 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I do not know whether the Hon Member would want to reduce the presentation of the Business
Statement to Question time? [Laughter] -- This enquiry has nothing to do with the Business Statement and if he wants to ask a Question, he knows the appropriate thing to do pursue it. I do not know of what he is even talking about but if it is indeed true, he may use the usual vehicles open to you to have the issue addressed. We cannot be somersaulting on the Business Statement at the time that it is being laid. The diligent Hon Member of Parliament will know what is required of him.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Ablakwa would want to have some briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic and the CSM outbreak, and the Hon Minister has given indication to do just that. I believe that it would be done after the Papers have been presented and the necessary referrals are made.

Mr Speaker, in respect of the COVID-19 and CSM, especially the incidence of same in the Upper West Region, I guess Hon Ablakwa could be rest assured that his spouse and in-laws are safe and sound.

Mr Speaker, the other question that was raised was in respect of the report on Presidential Staffers. The Hon Member said that it should come from the Flagstaff House to

Parliament, but I do not know of the existence of any Flagstaff House. If he positively identifies the location then I may respond to that.

Mr Speaker, the other issue raised by Hon Kpodo was to know when the Business Committee met. I believe that the Hon Minority Leader has responded that we met yesterday because we did not want to hold the House down this morning. So we advertised to have the meeting yesterday and we did just that. So if the Hon Member heard excerpts of what we agreed on then perhaps it might have emanated from yesterday's meeting.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader raised an issue that is in social media but he has responded to that already that there is no iota of truth in that.

Mr Speaker, no Hon Member of Parliament has been paid GH¢120,000 to confront the epidemic in their constituencies. No such amount has come from anywhere; either from the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund or from any quarters.

Mr Speaker, nobody has been given any such amount and I am stating this for the avoidance of doubt and to also give credence to what has already been stated by the

Hon Minority Leader. Again and for the avoidance of doubt, no amount and not even a GH¢1,000 has been paid to any Hon Member of Parliament in that regard.

Mr Speaker, the other issue that he raised relates to the CSM and that was also raised by Hon Ablakwa, but which I have assured that the Hon Minister would submit a Statement to the House today.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader also raised another matter concerning the preparedness of the Electoral Commission to hold the General Elections this year as prescribed by the Constitution. I believe that in the fullness of time, the Electoral Commission would brief the House or at least the Special Budget Committee on where they are in respect of their state of preparedness.

However, suffice it to say that the President of the Republic has at various fora given strong indication that he does not intend to stay one day beyond the constitutional mandate given to him which is up to midnight of January 6, 2020. Mr Speaker, the President has urged strongly that whatever must be done in the current circumstances, and we hope to God that the situation in the country would not deteriorate or degenerate. We also hope to God that we shall witness some improvement in the system, and
Mr Speaker 11:33 a.m.
Hon Majority Leader, thank you very much. Hon Members, the Business Statement as presented is hereby accordingly admitted.
Item numbered 5 -- Statements.
Hon Members, we would take a Statement by the Hon Minister for Health on the current situation on CSM and COVID-19 in the Upper West Region. The Statement would be read by the Hon Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye.

Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, respectfully, I want to plead that we vary the order of business and have some of the Papers listed under item the numbered 6 laid in Parliament and the relevant referrals made. Then we would come back to the Statements.
Mr Speaker 11:43 a.m.
Very well. Then we shall move to the commencement of
Public Business. Presentation of Papers, item listed 6(a).
Hon Majority Leader?
PAPERS 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:43 a.m.
Hon Members, for the item numbered 6(b) on the original Order Paper, we would move on to the Order Paper Addendum because of the absence of positive figures on the original which is now complete on the Addendum. Therefore we shall take item 1(a) on the Order Paper Addendum. This is in place of the item numbered 6(b) on the original Order Paper.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Finance is in a very serious meeting now. So the Hon Minister for Planning who regularly holds the fort for the Hon Minister for Finance would present the Papers on behalf of the Hon Minister for Finance.
By the Minister for Planning (Prof. George Yaw Gyan-Baffour) (on behalf of the Minister for Finance) --
Request for waiver of Income Taxes amounting to two hundred and eighty-eight million, six hundred and forty-four thousand, and three Ghana cedis thirty-four pesewas (GH¢288,644,003.34) on the personal emoluments of Health Workers for the months of April 2020, May 2020, and June 2020 and on additional allowances paid to Frontline Health Personnel for the months of March 2020, April 2020, May 2020 and June 2020.
Referred to the Finance Committee.
Mr Speaker 11:43 a.m.
Hon Members, item 1(b) on the Order Paper Addendum.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 1(b) on the Order Paper Addendum could only be taken after the Committee has worked on item numbered 1(a).
So we would go to the original Order Paper and take item numbered 6(b)(i).
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I rose to indicate that we stand the item numbered 2 on the Order Paper Addendum down for the time being. It would be done later. [Pause.]
Mr Speaker, now, we could take item 2 on the Order Paper Addendum. It has been announced. I thought we were going to withdraw it. So let us maintain the status quo as has been made. I am talking about the First Reading of the Revenue
Administration (Amendment) Bill,
2020.
Mr Speaker 11:43 a.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we are following keenly. The Hon Leader of Government Business has requested you to vary the order of Business which you have done. At this stage, my understanding would be the Presentation and First Reading of Bills.
In the Business Statement, we have Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020. However, we know the right thing is the Revenue Administration (Amend- ment) Bill, 2020 and not the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as has been captured.
So let the Hon Minister bow and do what is legally appropriate.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, indeed, that is what he did. The Hon Minister rose and bowed to present the First Reading of the Revenue Administration Amend- ment) Bill, 2020. I wanted to have it stood down, but when I checked, it has been done. However, for the avoidance of doubt, if he wants it to be repeated, it could be done. [Interruption.]
Nobody mentioned Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020. He is not listening to me. In fact, I said the
Revenue Administration (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Mr Speaker, for the avoidance of doubt, the item captured as item numbered 2 on the Order Paper Addendum could be repeated. Let us just go over for the avoidance of doubt.
Mr Speaker 11:43 a.m.
Hon Majority Leader, any indication?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:43 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we can now take the Statement from the Ministry of Health.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I think that other one that must be done before we go to the Statement which is the item numbered 7 in the original Order Paper.
BILLS - FIRST READING 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, items listed 6 (d), (e), (f) and (g), all of them on page 4 of the original Order Paper.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Members, items listed 6 (d) to 6 (g). Item listed
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Planning would do those presentations on behalf of the Office of the President and the Hon Minister for the Interior would also do the presentation on behalf of the Hon Minister for Trade and Industry.
By the Minister for Planning (Prof George Gyan-Baffour) (on behalf of the Minister of State at the Office of the President) --
Budget Performance Report in respect of the Office of Government Machinery for the Period January to December,
2019.
Referred to the Finance Committee.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 6 (e).
By the Minister for the Interior --
Budget Performance Report in respect of the Ministry of Interior for the Period January to December, 2019.
Referred to the Committee on Defence and the Interior.
By the Minister for Planning (Prof George Gyan-Baffour) (on behalf of the Minister for Trade and Industry) --
Budget Performance Report in respect of the Ministry of Trade and Industry for the Period January to December, 2019.
Referred to the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 6 (g)?
By the Minister for Planning --
Budget Performance Report in respect of the Ministry of Planning for the Period January to December, 2019.
Referred to Committee on Finance.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we can now take the Statement from the Ministry of Health.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Members, we are on Statements. A Statement by the Hon Minister for Health on the current situation on Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) and COVID-19 in the Upper
West Region to be read by the Hon Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye.
STATEMENTS 11:53 a.m.
BECAUSE WE ARE DEALING 11:53 a.m.
WITH A NOVEL BACTERIUM 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Deputy Minister for this very informative Statement to the House. We shall have a Hon Colleague from each Side plus Leadership and then, we would move on to other matters -[Pause] - Very well, I am advised we take two from each Side plus the Leaders making a total of three.
Dr Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare (NDC -- Dafiama, Bussie, Issa) 12:03 p.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to comment on the Statement made by the Hon Minister for Health, presented by the Hon Deputy Minister for Health, Hon Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, on the current situation on CSM and COVID-19 in the Upper West Region.
Mr Speaker, I thank the Hon Minister for the Statement and I would like to commend all health workers in the Upper West Region for the hard work in battling these two epidemic conditions.
Mr Speaker, before I go on, permit me to use this opportunity to educate the House and by that, the entire public including my own Hon Colleague Doctor, the Deputy Minister for Health on CSM.
Mr Speaker, I have carefully looked at the title and the definition of CSM coming from the Ministry of Health, read by my Hon Colleague Doctor, and it says: “CSM is an infection of the meninges covering of the brain and the spinal cord. The infection can be caused by a virus, fungus or bacteria.”
Mr Speaker, let it be known from today onwards that CSM is a subset of a meningitis. A meningitis is the inflammation of the lining of the spinal cord; the meninges of the spinal cord and the brain. Mr Speaker, when we say CSM, we are talking about the type of meningitis that is caused by meningococcal or Neisseria Meningitides. This is because since the outbreak of meningitis, it has been reported as CSM and even today in the House, an Hon Colleague Doctor is also calling the meningitis CSM, and I would just like to put it on record that these two should be clearly distinguished for the media and for the Ministry and for my own colleague doctors so that they would no more refer to CSM when they mean meningitis.
Mr Speaker, proceeding, we have an outbreak of meningitis in the Upper West of which CSM was a subset. If we look at the analysis the Minister has presented, it says: “Mr Speaker, we have 273 cases of CSM”. And
that buttresses my point. The Upper West Region has had 273 cases of meningitis, not CSM. He goes on to give the breakdown using 63 -- Mr Speaker, I know you, and before coming to Parliament, I respect you a lot when it comes to analysis, 273 cases of meningitis, and they said they have sampled 63; meaning about 210 of meningitis cases in the Upper West Region, we do not know what cases they are.
And my Hon Colleague Doctor who travelled to the Upper West Region and had a better understanding of the situation, decided to give analysis for only 63 cases. Mr Speaker, this cannot be, and this Ministry cannot distort the analysis of the epidemiological data.
Mr Speaker, if we use 63 cases, what conclusion would we make that would bring meaningful interventions to help the people of the Upper West Region? So the people of Upper West Region are not surprised because even the Ministry of Health does not understand the burden of meningitis in the Upper West Region.
How could we use 63 cases to make a conclusion when we have 273 cases out of which about 43 died? Mr Speaker, I do not want to say that this Statement is misleading, but it needs further and better particulars for
us to really understand the situation in the Upper West Region.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister also calls one of the sub-types of the Neisseria Meningitides a novel bacterium. Mr Speaker, the fact that we have COVID-19 which is referred to as novel, does not mean that anything that we do not understand, is novel.
Mr Speaker, when it comes to sub- types of Neisseria Meningitides, we have from a, b, c, up to s. And let us take any medical textbooks, we would find type ‘s' there. So, since when has type ‘s' become novel?
Mr Speaker, to conclude, to say that the meningitis in the Upper West Region started in December, 2019 - Mr Speaker, naturally, in the meningitis belt, the meningitis starts around December and goes on to the following year, and by April or May with the raining seasons, then, it starts going down. So if the Hon Deputy Minister for Health has visited the Upper West Region at almost the end of April and gathered data and came here to say that the situation, as he is talking, there are only four cases, it is because we are in April, and by May, those who would have died, the system would have killed them anyway. So naturally, he visited there
Dr Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare (NDC -- Dafiama, Bussie, Issa) 12:23 p.m.
during the period that the meningitis naturally has declined.
Mr Speaker, that is another point for the Ministry to take note of. Also, to say that what is really killing the people is strange is strepmuno munococcus, in some cases, of Neisseria Meningitides sub type ‘s'.
Mr Speaker, it is true that we do not have vaccines for the sub type ‘s' of Neisseria Meningitides but if it comes to strepmuno, if we go to the vaccines that we give to the children, that is why the system has created that children would be catered for the strepmuno. So, we find that it is adults who are suffering. But to say that the main way to tackle what is happening is early reporting, the case management is very key and I therefore expected the Hon Minister to have told us what interventions he gave apart from visiting the Upper West.

What drugs and logistics were given? The reference laboratories needed to identify the causative organism very early, so that the treatments and drugs would be given sight early. Because with meningitis, once you report early and are given drugs early, a patient has a higher

chance of recovery. However, if one delays, one would not know what is happening and might mistake meningitis caused by another strain for CSM. So one may be given a drug for CSM but the cause is not neisseria meningitides.
Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture (Ms Barbara Oteng- Gyasi)(MP) 12:23 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to contribute to the Statement made by the Hon Deputy Minister for Health.
I am glad to state that when the Hon Deputy Minister was speaking, he said that the vaccines that are given to people in the meningitis belt including Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso et cetera, protect the people from getting CSM caused by the various bacteria, except the Neisseria Meningitides Sero X. The Sero X has
no vaccine and that plays a key role in the fatalities recorded.
Mr Speaker, when the Hon Member who spoke before me was speaking, he laid emphasis on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government not doing anything about it and that is the reason we are recording so many deaths. The Hon Deputy Minister also said that the epidemic is also not because vaccination was not done but because we are dealing with a novel bacteria. This one is new and this Government has taken so many measures concerning this illness. Previously, we have had these issues and they have been dealt with. As I speak, per his Statement, we are dealing with one case in Nadowli and three cases at Nandom.
Mr Speaker, when it comes to the covid-19 issue, immediately this illness arose, measures were put in place to ensure that we all deal with it. It is not about one person and should not be associated with a political party. It is something we all have to get involved in.
Mr Speaker, look at me, I have covered my nose and mouth but previously, it was not like that. Nobody is happy to go on with this. Measures were put in place, ‘veronica
buckets' were distributed, all the municipalities were educated and speakers were put at various places to educate the market women on how to wash their hands and use hand sanitizers. Soaps were distributed by this same Government, even to the extent that tissue papers were distributed.
Various municipal assemblies were educated on how to get to their people and items were given to them. These are some of the measures we had to abide by. It is about the immune system and we have no medicine for it now, so these are the measures we need to put in place. We should all get involved. We do not have to blame any political party for this disease.
Mr Speaker, with what the Hon Deputy Minister just read, his emphasis was on meningitis. What do we do now and how do we come together as a nation to put measures in place? What are we doing in our various constituencies? Collectively, we come to one constituency and that is Ghana, so I feel this Statement is for us to rise up, so that we do not record any more cases. When a Member sees anything in his/her constituency, what should they do? That is what we are talking about. There should be no blame game.
Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture (Ms Barbara Oteng- Gyasi)(MP) 12:33 p.m.
Many of us have complained, and I recall that I came to this House and with Mr Speaker's kind permission, made a Statement, seeking Government's intervention and immediate efforts to tackle the problem of this CSM. This is because the deaths that occurred at that time were alarming, compared to the deaths occurring as a result of
COVID-19.
Mr Speaker, when I made my Statement, there were about 37 deaths. Today, there are about 47 deaths. I can see that the Hon Deputy Minister has not updated his statistics. The challenge we are facing is worse than it has been seen and presented to the public. The grave situation can be recognised by the fact that as at now, in the Wa Municipal Hospital, there are only three doctors. I just spoke to the Medical Director and out of the three doctors, one is in the theatre and would be busy throughout the day. One is in the gynaecological ward and would be busy throughout. Only one is seeing patients in the whole of the municipality.
Mr Speaker, one major problem we are facing is misdiagnosis of the problem and difficulty of patients accessing a doctor to know whether they are affected by the disease. The first point of call for any such disease is often the clinics which are managed by Physician Assistants.

They are not doctors, so they do not diagnose the problem well. By the time many people recognise that it is CSM, it might have gone too far and that is why even when people recover, it leaves damages on their brains, spinal cord and they are maimed for life. It is a serious problem.

Mr Speaker, I heard the Hon Deputy Minister talk about a situation of fait accompli -- that the situation is under control but I do not think the situation is under control. I would be happy if the Ministry heeds to the advice by the Hon Member for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa, Dr Sandaare that the Ministry should go back to the Region to do more thorough analysis of the problem. This is very important because the under estimation of the danger posed by this disease could cause more devastating deaths in the coming years. We need to nip it in the bud. It should not just be a solution which would be provided for only this year but we

need to have a comprehensive solution which could cover a period so that at any point in time when it occurs, there would be a situational management to prevent the unnecessary deaths that has been recorded now.

Mr Speaker, I would want to call on the Ministry not to look at the problem as being under control because there are no doctors in the Region. There are also not enough facilities available because I know the immediate past regional director invited many of us to contribute and when I asked him what he wanted to buy, he mentioned drugs, drips and other facilities which were needed but were not available in the hospital. That is why we need to do more than we have done.

Mr Speaker, with the number of infections, I saw 200 plus in the Statement. However, two weeks ago, about 404 cases were reported by the regional director, so I do not know why the number has reduced to 263. My fear is that we have subsumed the dangers posed by the CSM under the challenges we face under COVID- 19, which is unacceptable. Deaths have occurred in the Upper West Region and people who even recover do not even become normal human beings because they are still sick even in their recovery.

The CSM is a terrible disease which is more dangerous than the COVID-19 because when a person recovers from COVID-19, that person is likely to be fully recovered and could be a normal person in the next two weeks but in the case of CSM, a recovery is still not full recovery. So I would want to call on the Government through the Ministry, to work harder and to commit more resources in the Upper West Region to demonstrate to them that they are not neglected and not seen to be second rated.

Mr Speaker, it is important for the government to raise the concern to the national level just as COVID-19 has been raised to the national level. The people have been left on their own. People who are sick in the villages, do not know what to do because there are no adequate facilities and physicians - medical personnel. This is a situation that could have warranted doctors to be sent to that region, if even for a period of a month to arrest the situation, to do comprehensive diagnosis and sort out those who are sick with the diseases, so that they could be treated just as has been done with the COVID-19.

I would be happy if the Hon Deputy Minister, could take our concerns into consideration and work towards it. Those of us in the Upper
Dr Kwabena Twum-Nuamah (NPP -- Berekum East) 12:43 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement which was ably made by the Hon Deputy Minister for Health, on behalf of the Hon Minister.
Mr Speaker, as was indicated in the Statement, meningitis is an endemic condition in Ghana. We get meningitis cases every year, everywhere in the country. Routinely, we diagnose meningitis cases and treat them, but periodically, we get epidemics or outbreaks in the country. However, as it was indicated in the Statement, there is an epidemic meningitis zone in West Africa that includes part of
the country. We have had outbreaks of meningitis for some time now over the years.
Mr Speaker, apart from this outbreak, the last time there was an extensive outbreak was in December, 2015 to February, 2016. By the time the epidemic ended in late February 2016, there was 448 reported cases of meningitis with 93 deaths.
As was indicated in the Statement, the period for most of the epidemics is between October and April and as I speak, today is the last day of April, so we are getting to the end of the epidemic. If we compare what we got this year, to what we had in 2015 to 2016, the numbers would speak for themselves.
All deaths are important but just as we know that this is science - and sometimes, no matter what we do because of where we are located, we would have some of these conditions, what is important is the steps that the policy makers would put in place to help ameliorate this situation.
Mr Speaker, as the Hon Deputy Minister indicated, when the outbreak started, the Ministry of Health sent experts to the Region. The visit by the Hon Minister for Health was not the first time people had visited the Region. Experts were sent from the Disease Control Unit from the Ghana Health Service to go and support the personnel in that region to manage the
epidemic. That is the reason why the cases are not more like what we had in 2015. I believe what made it difficult was the fact that most of the cases were from extremes that there were no vaccines. There are antibiotics for the treatment of meningitis but in an outbreak situation, we could always augment our interventions with vaccines, which would help to reduce the cases drastically.
However, in this situation there are no vaccines and so we could only resort to the use of the usual antibiotics and in that case, until the person gets the condition, the person cannot be treated. We all know the challenges we face in the hinterlands. The patient has to report to the hospital very early because with meningitis, if the treatment is not started very early, the patient might die. As an Hon Member also said, if the person does not die, he or she would have very bad complications like loss of sight, sometimes loss of speech and even loss of hearing.
We all have to put our hands on the wheel to support the system. We should educate our constituents to report to the hospital early when they have any signs and symptoms of meningitis like headache, dizziness and irritability, because sometimes the symptoms mimic malaria which is very
common and you may think it is a routine malaria but by the time it becomes worse, no matter the intervention, we may lose the patient.

If we do not start treatment very early, it is not possible to treat the patient successfully.

Mr Speaker, so I believe that the Government has worked very tirelessly to arrest this epidemic and we believe that we have to increase whatever effort that has already started.

As for the epidemics, because of where we are located, we are obviously at risk but what is needed to be done is for us to prepare ourselves so that whenever, the epidemic strikes, we can arrest it. I believe that where we are now, there are very few cases that should be handled and I think that in no time, we will be able to say that we have successfully treated this epidemic.

Thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member. Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (NDC -- Asawase) 12:43 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to commend the
Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Minority Chief Whip. Hon Majority Leader, where do we go to, by way of Dr Kwaku Afriyie and Dr Nana Ayew Afriye?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:43 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Dr Kwaku Afriyie would speak in my place.
Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
Very well.
Dr Kwaku Afriyie (NPP - Sefwi Wiawso) 12:53 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you and the Hon Majority Leader for the opportunity.

Mr Speaker, since I am speaking in place of the Hon Majority Leader, I would first of all make some corrections to the earlier discourse. First of all and in a broad sense, CSM refers to the inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. It has been noted to be caused by five agents; bacteria, virus, fungus, parasites and even non- infectious agents. The non-infectious agents can even be disease conditions such as lupus erythematosus and paradoxically the intake of medication for cancer management can even cause meningitis.

Mr Speaker, however, CSM in normal parlance refers to the Cerebrospinal Meningitis and it is specifically caused by Citricoccus and Meningococcus. The Meningococcus is caused by Neisseria bacteria. The epidemic are mostly confined to the Meningococcus bacteria.

Mr Speaker, having said this, I have noticed some differences and parallels between COVID-19 and this epidemic. First of all, COVID-19 is caused by a virus and I do not think that in a normal description of a COVID-19 infection, it has been cited to cause meningitis, but I would not be surprised if it could do so.

However, I stand to be corrected but with regard to symptomatology and infection, they are both the same because they are all transmitted by droplets. Another similarity is that both are transmitted through close contacts; CSM is caused when people aggregate together especially in the night. Mr Speaker, in the north, the weather is very hot in the afternoon but very cold in the evening from October to April so people aggregate and through coughing and sneezing the CSM is transmitted. Also, it is not lost on me that this is also the way through which people are infected with

COVID-19.

Again, with CSM, some of the symptoms are fever, general malaise,
Mr Speaker 12:53 p.m.
Hon Member, thank you very much for your insightful contribution.
Hon Deputy Minister, you may make a few concluding remarks if you would be brief.
Dr Boye 1:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is very unfortunate and sad that my Hon Colleague, Dr Sandaare, actually said that he was going to educate me.

First of all, how he put it was quite offensive and unfortunately he ended up more or less misinforming the public. I am happy that we have a very senior colleague in the person of Dr Kwaku Afriyie who has put the records straight.

Mr Speaker, when we say meningitis, we are saying that the meningitis is a disease, but because it has to do with the brain, we say it is cerebrum, which is part of the brain involved and we say “spinal” to refer to the spinal cord. It is just saying brain and spinal cord meningitis. So I do not know why we started forcefully by saying that I have confused the two.
Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
Hon Minister, we thank you very much for attending to the House to brief the House thoroughly and competently particularly, in making clear matters arising during contributions. We appreciate that. You are respectfully discharged.
Hon Majority Leader, any indication at this stage?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, there was a little challenge in respect of items numbered 6(b) (iv), (v) and (vi) this morning for which reason we took item numbered 6(c). For that reason, we did not lay those documents. The coast is now clear and so we could lay those documents. Items numbered 6(b) (iv), (v) and (vi) would be laid by the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance and the Hon Minister himself would take those ones in respect of the item numbered 6(c).
Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, I would be glad we suspend
Sitting at this stage. Could you indicate what time we could conveniently resume Sitting?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, laying the documents is just about a minute, then we could take the suspension of Sitting. We would do the laying and after doing the referrals --
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
I would be grateful if you can oblige, so that we would take the remaining soon after the Suspended Sitting.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, with respect, they need to be laid and then be referred to the appropriate committee before we take the suspension because the suspension would last not less than three or four hours.
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Very well.
Hon First Deputy, could you please take the Chair?

Hon Majority, very well. I get you. Shall we present the item numbered 6 (b) (IV)?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, item numbered 6 (b) (iv) on page 3 of the original Order Paper.
Mr Speaker, as I said, the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance would do the presentation on behalf of the Hon Minister.
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Very well. Hon Deputy Minister, proceed.
By the Deputy Minister for Finance (Mrs Abena Osei-Asare) on behalf of the Minister for Finance --
(i) Term Loan Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH for an amount of sixty million, two hundred fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and twenty-one euros fifty-eight cents (€60,257,921.58) for the Upgrading of the Eastern Corridor Road—Lot 1: Tema - Akosombo Junction (63.6km)
(ii) Export Credit Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and KfW IPEX-
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways will do the presentation of item numbered 6 (c) (i), (ii) and (iii).
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Minister, you may present the Papers.
By the Minister for Roads and Highways
(i) Supplementary Contract Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, acting through the Ghana Highway Authority) and the Joint Venture made up of Construtora Andrade Gutierrez Engenharia S.A. and Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A. for an amount of eighty-eight million, nine hundred and thirty-nine thousand, eight hundred and twelve United States dollars fifty-three cents (US$88,939,812.53) for the construction and completion of Lots 5 and 6 of the Eastern Corridor Road Project.
(ii)Commercial Contract Agree- ment between the Govern- ment of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways) and INZAG Germany GmbH for an amount two hundred and
fifty-six million, eight thousand, seven hundred and ninety-six euros (€256, 008,796.00) for the Upgrading of the Eastern Corridor Road—Lot 1: Tema - Akosombo Junction (63.6kms).
(iii) Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of Roads and Highways for the Period January to December,
2019.
Referred to the Committee on Roads and Transport.
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe at this stage, we can take a suspension, but because the Finance Committee is involved in this second tranche of referrals, I would suggest that we resume at --
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Member, suspend Sitting till what time? Give us an approximation.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, it is 1.20 p.m. now, so let us programme to come back at 5.00 p.m.
rose
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Muntaka 1:13 p.m.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
When the Hon Majority Leader read the Business Statement, I heard him reiterate that he would restrict to referrals that would be needed for report on COVID-19.
Mr Speaker, if that is the only thing that we would be waiting for, then I am sure that we should come at 4.00 p.m. He should remember that some of us are fasting, so we should come at 4.00 p.m. so that we can finish early.
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, can we cite 4 o'clock?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I just spoke to the issue that I related to in the morning. I thought the Hon Minority Whip heard me. I said that even though we agreed at the Business Committee sitting yesterday to take the Ministry of Roads and Highways programmes, we had to do away with it, and I
Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Members, if the work is finished by 4 o'clock, the bell would be tolled. Otherwise, definitely by 5 o'clock. Hon Members, the House therefore stands
suspended till the time aforesaid. Thank you.
1.22 p.m. -- Sitting suspended.
6.53 p.m. -- Sitting Resumed.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, please your guidance?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we suspended sitting in the hope that the Finance and the Roads Committees could finish their referrals in good time. We thought that together they could finish in good time for us to resume at 5.00 p.m. Even with respect to this plea, people said that we should rather resume at 3.00 p.m. With where we are, it does not appear that they would be able to finish anytime soon. The indication to me is that the earliest time that the Roads Committee could finish theirs would be around 10.00 p. m. or 11. 00 p.m.
Mr Speaker, that being the case, I think that we may have to take an adjournment and come tomorrow at 9.00 a. m. When we come, we believe that within two hours, we should be able to finish with the tax - related matters and anything else. Mr Speaker, at this stage, with tomorrow being May Day and Workers Day, we may have to grant some space to the
Hon Minister responsible for Employment and Labour Relations to make a Statement on the May Day, after which we would take a well- deserved adjournment and come early tomorrow morning to complete Business before some of us depart to our constituencies. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Alhaji I.A.B. Fuseini 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, there are serious legal matters raised by the submission of the Hon Majority Leader.
First, tomorrow is a public holiday, and because it is a public holiday, public duties are not supposed to be conducted during that day. I see the Hon Majority Leader seeking refuge in the Standing Orders. I do not know what he is trying to do but it is a public holiday. Mr Speaker, the second thing is that because we are a Parliament, anytime that we are meeting for the first time; be it during normal times or abnormal times, there is an agenda. The agenda is what is captured as the Business Statement. The Business Statement of today states clearly that the Business of the House would end today. I do not know the arrangement by which we would Sit tomorrow? There is no agenda for tomorrow; the Business Statement did not contemplate tomorrow.
Mr Speaker, we should not give an impression to people outside Parliament that we can conduct ourselves with impunity or hold in abeyance the laws of this country. If it becomes binding on us to come, then Saturday could be the most appropriate time.
Mr Speaker, you know as a matter of fact that we are not supposed to transact businesses on public holidays. I know that in the past it was an offence, and one could be arrested and prosecuted for conducting business on that day.
Apart from that, because we have not concluded the Business of the day, we do not really have any objection to come in to conclude the Business that we have started, except that tomorrow appears to be out of the way. Mr Speaker, I thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, I would have wished that we finished the Statement so that we could devote more time to discussing when we should adjourn and come back to complete the Business of the day.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I agree with you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:13 p.m.
Hon Members, I would therefore invite the Hon Minister for Employment and
STATEMENTS 1:13 p.m.
Minister for Employment and Labour Relations (Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah) 1:13 p.m.
Mr Speaker, tomorrow, the 1st of May marks May Day, a day set aside all over the world to commemorate the efforts of workers. It is a day full of history and symbolism for workers' solidarity and the struggle for decent working conditions. I therefore make this statement in honour of workers all over th`e world and Ghana in particular.
The celebration of the day which was originally steeped in religious traditions subsequently developed into a secular celebration centred on labour, farmers and cycle of seasons. It continued to be a civic celebration and developed further into a festival for labourers and farmers. This has metamorphosed over the centuries to include in the celebration of the day.all workers of formal and informal institutions.
Over time, this day has been associated with the call for social justice with the adoption of the ILO
Declaration on l0th May, 1944 in Philadephia which defines a set of principles with human rights at the centre of aspirations i.e. showing labour as not being a commodity, and freedom of expression and association being essential for sustained progress, while creating awareness that poverty anywhere constitutes danger to prosperity everywhere amongst others.
Mr. Speaker, in Ghana, since independence, May Day has been celebrated as a statutory holiday with special significance for workers in the World of Work. The importance of workers in the development of every nation cannot be underestimated. Labour's contribution to the growth of every nation cannot be overlooked because it remains the single most important resource to the nations' development and has always been acknowledged by Government after Government.
The day is meant to celebrate workers for their immense contribution to the development of the country. It is a day on which workers would usually congregate en masse to express their view s on a number of issues which affect them directly and indirectly and the nation at large. Unfortunately for us, the excitement that accompanies the celebration has been dampened by the outbreak of the COVID-l 9 and the consequent
need to implement measures aimed at mitigating its effects on the populace.
Nonetheless, it is important that the significance of the day is not lost on us. This is crucial because various categories of workers are even more exposed to the disease.
Of particular mention are our gallant health workers in the forefront of the fight, some of whom have already paid the price and we need to appreciate them on a day like this.
We must also commend Government and the general populace for the moderate successes achieved so far in containing the spread of the virus. We are grateful to Government for instituting the measures, and the general populace for enduring them in our common effort to defeat the disease.
Mr. Speaker, unlike previous years, this year's May Day celebration cannot take the usual form of parades which are characterised by pomp and pageantry by workers due to the restrictions imposed by Government on social gatherings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Speaker, in spite of the ban on social gatherings organised Labour together with Government in
collaboration with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation will create a platform that will enable H.E. the President and the leadership of Organised Labour to address Ghanaian workers through the use of television and other media networks.
Mr Speaker, I therefore on behalf of H.E. the President take this singular opportunity to congratulate the gallant workers of Ghana whose toil and sacrifice have brought us this far.
Mr Speaker, I would want at this juncture to single out our hardworking frontline workers who have availed themselves to life-saving measures as the nation fights COVID-19 and its related issues. I also want to acknowledge a number of our citizens and institutions who have been very innovative in providing home-grown solutions to the fight against the novel virus.
Mr. Speaker, the impact of COVID-19 on work and workers in general cannot be underestimated. My Ministry together with its Social Partners is in the process of assessing the full impact of the pandemic on the employment sector. However, even until such reports are made available it is common knowledge that globally, some sectors of the world economy including Ghana have already experienced job losses i.e. operators within the aviation and hospitality
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:03 a.m.
I see; I did not know we had ‘workers' in the Chamber.
Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, you submitted a Statement but I do not intend that you read another Statement so; I will give you the opportunity to comment on the Minister's first, after that, I will allow other Hon Members. So Hon Kwabena Donkor, kindly wait, I will recognise Hon Okudzeto Ablakwa and after that I will get to you.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC -- North Tongu) 7:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity to comment on the Statement that has been ably delivered by the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations. I would do so guided by the Statement I submitted; I would just be very brief.
Mr Speaker, we do know that tomorrow marks the International Workers' Day of Solidarity, also known as May Day or Labour Day. And this year's celebration has rather sadly been muted by the COVID-19 Pandemic which has ravaged nations.
Mr Speaker, it is instructive that for the first time in a very long time -- I do not recall when the Trades Union
Congress (TUC) issued a statement in solidarity certainly, with the imposition of restrictions by His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that there would be no parades and there would be public manifestations of the May Day Celebrations, obviously, to maintain social distancing rules and observe the social gathering protocols that we are told that the health experts would help us contain and limit the spread.
Mr Speaker, so as the Hon Minister has said, it is only appropriate that we dedicate this year's May Day Celebrations in honouring and celebrating our frontline health workers and in celebrating our frontline security personnel, utility workers and media personnel who are all at the forefront of combating the pandemic.
Mr Speaker, we do so for good reasons because despite the fact that as we speak, there are more than 3.2 million people the world over who have contracted the novel Coronavirus leading to the loss of lives of some 228,026 people, we know that frontline health workers in particular, have borne the brunt and Mr Speaker, there are few statistics here; in the United States of America (USA), we are told that at least, 27 frontline health workers and doctors have died; 9,000 of them have
contracted the virus. In Italy, 2,629 health workers have, at the beginning of this month, been infected; 101 doctors have died. In the United Kingdom (UK), we are told that 106 health workers on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have died. In Ghana, the Ghana Medical Association has reported that 13 of their colleagues have been infected. And we know that one of them, the celebrated Professor Plange-Rhule has lost his life despite very desperate efforts to save his life.
Mr Speaker, so we are confronted with a situation where our frontline health workers are really putting themselves at risk to protect us and to keep all of us safe, so it is only fit and proper that we salute them for the courage and for the sacrifices that they are exhibiting. Mr Speaker, as we do that, I believe that we should also urge government to support them with all the protective gears they need; all the logistics and all the protection.
We commend Government for some of the steps taken so far, particularly the insurance package for frontline health workers. That is a commendable move and we encourage government to do more to protect these gallant frontline health workers.

Mr Speaker, as we do that, I would also want to single out some scientists; some medical professionals; some innovators who have really placed Ghana on the map. They are also workers who must be celebrated. And here, I refer to the Noguchi Memorial Institute, the researchers at KCCR and those at the laboratory at Korle-bu who beyond the enormous pressure they have been under, have been able to conduct tests. We know the limited capacity in this country; the contact tracing they have done; they also deserve very high praise.

Mr Speaker, but the University of Ghana Noguchi Memorial Research Institute and the Centre for Infectious Pathogens must be singled out for praise for successfully sequencing the genome for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) which has brought a lot of recognition to our country.

We must also salute the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Incas Diagnostics who have also developed a rapid test kit and also the Engineering Department of
KNUST -- 7:13 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:13 a.m.
Hon Ablakwa, you are reading your Statement even though I declined that. Kindly conclude.
Mr Ablakwa 7:13 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the point is to celebrate the innovators and researchers who have also offered some fine light and glimmer of hope in these dark times. Following your cue to conclude, I believe that as we commemorate this very important day tomorrow, we should remember that these are very tough times for workers generally and we should appeal to them to bear with stoicism, all the difficulties.
We are already seeing statistics of job losses, job cuts, layoffs, salary cuts among others and we stand in solidarity with them. We should assure them that very quickly, we would put together an economic recovery programme that would restore the damages that COVID-19 has brought upon them.
We salute all workers, viva organised labour and we pray that the good Lord would help us defeat COVID-19 and restore the pride of place of all workers of the world.
Thank you very much Mr Speaker.
Mr Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi (NPP -- Asante Akim Central) 7:13 a.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, but for COVID-19, May Day celebrations are supposed to take place all over the world but now the world is hit by a pandemic. I believe that most workers cannot celebrate the day as it ought to be celebrated. As human beings, it is not every year that we can celebrate our birthdays. In some years we would be in a good mood to celebrate and in other years, we would not be in the mood to celebrate.
We cannot celebrate May Day because of COVID-19 which does not permit us as a country and the entire world. Nevertheless, with the media houses and through television and radio sets, we would be able to hear much about the celebration.
The Hon Minister has already indicated that tomorrow, the President of the nation would broadcast to the nation on the celebration of workers. The Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations also told us about the history of this May Day celebration.
Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to wish all workers ayekoo and also congratulate
employers for employing a lot of people, even as we go through this pandemic. We celebrate workers and would have to as well celebrate the employers who keep them in employment. In particular, we have to celebrate Government which is able to mediate between workers and employers.
Over the years, we have had a very peaceful co-existence as a nation and I am talking about workers and employers. They have coexisted effectively in relation to demonstrations and strike actions among others. I would further commend the Government that almost all payments that are due employees have been paid.
Mr Speaker, I also congratulate the Government for what they have done ever since the outbreak of this pandemic. I wish to particularly commend the frontline health workers who have actually proven their worth during this pandemic.
Mr Speaker, it is very disheartening that some workers, even though they are scared to contract this disease, have no option but to work and they do so with joy. To these people and other related employees who are helping to curb the situation in the country, we say ayekoo.
Mr Richard Mawuli Kwaku Quashigah (NDC -- Keta) 7:23 p.m.
Thank you Mr Speaker for the opportunity. I commend the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations for the Statement he has made which in itself is critical, especially in these times which have been alluded to as not normal times.
This year's May Day Celebration is going to be a novel one because throughout my lifetime, I have not heard that May Day was not celebrated the way it ought to be celebrated with pomp and pageantry. That is obviously understood and it is a situation that would cut across our entire globe.
Mr Speaker, as was indicated, Government has taken the necessary steps to protect not just Ghanaians but workers in general. One must commend Government and all stakeholders who made recom- mendations and suggestions to Government to give some packages
to frontline health workers and who have kept faith with workers in certain respects.
This is specially so with some policy interventions that have been rolled out, such as the GH¢600 million which is intended to be a soft loan for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), with a one year moratorium for them to repay in two years. That in itself is good as we all know too well that these are very difficult and trying times for employees.
Many have lost their jobs, some are going on half salaries and some have lost their salaries completely especially hawkers along our streets and those in very small businesses. They have all lost their jobs and there must be great concern about that.
Mr Speaker, we share in the challenges that Government itself is confronted with in trying to address this problem. Going forward, I think that we need to also commend the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and some allied bodies that have taken up the role of gathering data on businesses, especially those in the informal sector, so that when this whole pandemic is over, we would have some realistic data in order to be able to assist effectively those who ought to be assisted.
This is because as we speak, we are all aware that data is a challenge. We do not have credible data on the number of people working in the informal sector among others, so that if there should be some support to these groups of people, we must think through how we could structure it such that those who really need those benefits, would get that support at the end of the day,

Mr Speaker, GH¢600 million is not deep enough. We know that some tax relieves have been given here and there but there must be a holistic approach going forward, to find measures to meet the expectation of workers and to protect jobs as well as to keep people in their employment.

Mr Speaker, as I speak today, some teachers who teach in private schools have taken one third of their salaries and some would not take anything at all. So, the question is, how do these people survive? Do we have data on all private schools such that if there is some reach out we would be able to support them? These things are very critical. So as we celebrate May Day tomorrow, we need to reflect on them because we are obviously not in normal times and we must take steps that are also out of

the norm to deal with the challenges that confront us - [Interruption] - Mr Speaker, I could hear the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations telling me from the other Side that we should sacrifice our salaries. He should take the lead and we would follow.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you for the opportunity.
Minister of State (Alhaji Abu- Bakar Saddique Boniface) (MP) 7:23 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I rise to contribute to the Statement.
May Day is a day of recognition. It is a day set aside for workers to recognise the efforts of themselves - the role they play in an economy. It is a day when they come together to exhibit solidarity. It is a day when workers come together from various sectors of the economy to express their views and to also put before the whole world their feelings, demands and requests to the Government of the day and also issue either warning or advice to the Government as to how the economy could be improved.
The fact is that workers are one of the critical resources of the economy who play a very critical role in its growth. However, unfortunately, tomorrow being 1st May, a day which is supposed to be celebrated by
Dr Kwabena Donkor (NDC -- Pru East) 7:33 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Labour Day is a very special day as it recognises the contribution of labour, which in the 21st Century could be said to be the contribution of intellectual or human
capital. Human capital development, as we celebrate this special day, must become the mainstream in our national planning efforts. The nature, contribution and clothe of labour, cannot be as it were 100 years ago. Labour itself has evolved into high value and high intellectual input and as a developing country, we cannot even separate labour from employers because both provide intellectual capital for the economy.
Mr Speaker, as we celebrate May Day tomorrow, I would call for an increase role in manpower planning in our economy. A number of economies that have made progress have done so as a result of deliberative efforts to clave new areas of the emerging global economy to occupy. This could be successfully done with planning - national priority, nation planning and a sense of willingness to go into unchartered territories which would lead to greater goals.
Mr Speaker, the rise of labour must be the bedrock of our national human rights agenda. Invariably, we are all workers and therefore our rights should be synonymous with the rights of the Ghanaian citizenry.
Mr Speaker, it is unfortunate that during periods of a country's
development, labour rights become subsumed in some other agendas but I believe that as we mark this very special Labour Day, the rights of workers must be paramount in our human rights agenda.

The effects of COVID-19 cannot be ignored; frontline workers, our security services have all been challenged. Mr Speaker, in this challenge, the need for the state of Ghana to provide adequate equipment in the form of personal protection equipment (PPE) to our workers must be prioritised.

The sacrifice of the lives of workers in working for the greater cause must not necessarily result in deaths especially where such things are preventable. Therefore as we celebrate workers day, I will plead that we emphasise on the need to provide tools for workers especially our frontline workers during this pandemic.

Mr Speaker, let me celebrate our health workers, security forces, sanitary workers, staff of NADMO and all other workers who have been called to duty in this very unusual times that we live in.
Mr Ebenezar Nii Narh Nartey (NPP -- Ablekuma Central) 7:33 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for this opportunity. I wish to use this opportunity to thank the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations for this Statement.
Mr Speaker, as earlier contributors have rightly said, had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, we would be celebrating the hard working people of this country for the good work being done for the betterment of this country.
Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has identified the importance of the institutions that we have and I would
use this opportunity to single out teachers. This is because most of us would bear witness that for the past two months that our children have been home with us, we can experience how difficult it has been. Even for those undergoing online tuition, when they are asked for certain answers, we realise how well our teachers are doing in this regard.
Mr Speaker, for those who have younger children like some of us, we pray that this COVID-19 pandemic would cease so that they can go back to school. This is because when you ask them to sit down, before you know it, they are doing something else altogether and this tells us what are going through.
When we consider the security agencies such as the Police, Military, Fire and Immigration Services and the key roles they have played within this short time -- some workers, in the course of their duties, as earlier mentioned by an Hon Member, lost their lives. The question is, if workers start talking about salary increment, it becomes an issue. However, what we ask ourselves is that are we really being paid according to the work we are doing?
Mr Speaker, sometimes, when you consider your salary compared to how much has been spent at the
end of the week, one asks if there is any magic being played on his or her accounts. This is because we earn little but we spend so much.
I would state as a fact that workers have really sacrificed for this nation and are still working for the betterment of all of us and there is the need for us -- I would urge the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations to take a second look at the conditions of service for workers irrespective of where that person is working and see how best something can be done to help.
Mr Speaker, we cannot leave the media out of this. I must state that they are doing so well, especially, during this pandemic -- yesterday, I visited the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where we have some of our patients and I was scared to get close to the door. However, some of our media personnel will go to the extreme to search for information and for others, in the course of this, they get beaten but despite all this, they sacrifice for this nation.
In conclusion, I must say that this Statement cannot be ended without congratulating ourselves as Hon Members of Parliament. This is because in these difficult times, we
have spent a lot for the betterment of our people.
Mr Speaker, as the Hon Majority Leader rightly said, tomorrow, we may be coming to work because of this country despite all allegations levelled against Hon Members of Parliament and the difficulties we go through, we still sacrifice for our constituents and for this country of ours. This is because anytime we are called for duty, we are prepared as Hon Members of Parliament to come to this Chamber and transact Business for the betterment of this country.
Finally, I would like to congratulate my Hon Colleagues and to urge them to continue in the good work for mother Ghana. They should also let Ghanaians know that Hon Members of Parliament are doing so well but have not been given GH¢120,000 to buy any Veronica buckets for our constituents. We are doing it for the betterment of this country and all of us.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 7:33 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make some brief comments on the Statement ably presented by the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations on May Day which is tomorrow and has
Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 7:43 p.m.
been traditionally observed and declared a statutory public holiday to honour the achievements, contributions and sacrifices of labour to the social and economic development of different countries.
Mr Speaker, historically, it dates back to 5th September, 1882, and subsequently adopted in the year 1887 and we have all other countries observe Labour Day as a statutory public holiday.

Mr Speaker, while commending the Hon Minister for this Statement, I think that it is fair and appropriate that we dedicate the Labour Day this year to all the health workers, in particular the frontline health workers; nurses, doctors and security agencies who are sacrificing their lives to help us contain the ferocious Coronavirus.

Mr Speaker, there are global threats and concerns about COVID- 19 and its implications on employment and unemployment. Indeed, the ILO estimates that 25 million jobs have already been lost. As at yesterday evening, CNN reported that 30 million people in the United States of America have filed for unemployment benefits. This means that as we observe the Labour Day we should concern

ourselves with the impact of COVID- 19 on productivity and those who would lose their jobs.

Mr Speaker, particularly those working in the private sector in Ghana; for instance a person is employed by a hotel but the hotel is now closed and the person is now home. I have maintained that the best measure of living standard is employment, but the economists would not agree with me because they would want to use Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per capita income and so on to measure living standards. However, my view is that employment could deal with this.

Mr Speaker, in observing the Labour Day, the traditional parade and the usual jama associated with the Day as people dance and sing with joy, is the most significant learning curve for the President of the Republic.

Mr Speaker, indeed, on Labour Day, if you are conscious of the placards you would go home noting the concerns of organised labour; whether they are not well motivated, there is abuse and corruption in government, whether maternal leave and matters of pensions are not being handled properly and so on. All these would be conveyed.

Mr Speaker, even regarding the engagements of government in some

of the things being done, organised labour would find a polite way and in a firm manner through a placard to convey to the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations or through the Hon Minister to the President that they are not happy with a policy or initiative of government. This can form the basis of some discussions and negotiations.

Mr Speaker, there are unresolved issues and we should not just look at COVID-19 because whether there is COVID-19 or not there are matters relating to pensions that have not been significantly and holistically resolved. Regarding the unification of pensions, we still have Act 766 which deals with the National Pensions Act and it co- exists with CAP 30. Mr Speaker, this is not possible because Parliament has passed a law and it has been 10 years now. The law must take effect but for it to take effect there must be unification. For instance, the Ghana Prisons Service - as we speak today the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Police Service have all found some improved pension regime which is not comparable to what pertains in the Ghana Prisons Service. We need to reach out the Ghana Prisons Service by way of pensions.

Mr Speaker, on matters of maternity protection, the ILO passed the Maternity Protection Convention. Ghana has ratified but we need to domesticate it so that mothers who give birth would have longer periods of leave and this would be legitimate and lawful. Normally, they are given some months, but maybe by the ILO practice it may be extended and they would have more time for purposes of breastfeeding and other related issues.

Mr Speaker, the matter concerning domestic workers in Ghana is unresolved. We have even started to export labour particularly to Arab Gulf but there is no legislation that governs domestic workers in Ghana. The young girls are just sent to homes, they are treated any how and given salaries that are not acceptable and not even comparable to the acceptable minimum wage. This same abuse is meted out to them when they travel to the Arab Gulf. I know the Hon Minister did put a ban on these travels; it is about time the ban is lifted, but to lift it the Hon Minister must come to Parliament to get the Domestic Workers Regulations passed so that we can at least, give them some assurance.

Mr Speaker, concerning the security agencies, we have listened to the President over the weeks and
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:43 p.m.
Majority Leadership?
Hon Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu): Mr Speaker, article 34(2) of the Constitution guarantees the right to work. We all subscribe to the Constitution and so let nobody attempt to appropriate the workers interest to any particular party. [Interruption] Mr Speaker, who
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:43 p.m.
Hon Member for Wa West?
Mr Chireh 7:53 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader knows that he has kept us here. When he is to make a contribution, he first provokes everybody and calls some people “Champaign Socialists”. And he is saying we cannot appropriate labour to a party? Is he running away from his own Party? [Interruption] That is why he is calling us socialists.
Anywhere in the world, the socialist parties are the ones that cater for labour. Please, if he has nothing to tell labour, he should not insult us.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:53 p.m.
Hon Chireh, the socialists of Ghana started differently from the socialist of today. Today, they have changed from socialists to social democrats. They have combined the traits of the two, and so do not get offended.
Hon Majority Leader, they do not like to be called “Champaign Drinking Socialists”. They are social democrats.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7:53 p.m.
Mr Speaker, they are Laissez-faire social democrats, and we know where they really belong to. We should all remove debris in our eyes, and we would see well.
Mr Speaker, there are real issues confronting labour; forced labour, child labour among others. These are matters that we should be relating to.
Mr Speaker, workers day, really is not the prerogative of organised labour. It is for all the workers in the country. We talk of organised labour because of their structured way of their own administration. They would usually be at the forefront, but Workers' Day is a day set aside for all workers and not only organised labour. We should get that understanding.
Mr Speaker, having said this, as I said, there are critical matters that
confront labour such as the issue of living wages, and we all know that in the passing of the years, even the living wages keep eroding. We must be realistic, yet we all acknowledge that the economy of the Republic is not in the best of shapes. Even though we are struggling to come out strongly, now we are a lower middle-income country, but we need to aspire higher. There are difficulties. Unfortunately, when we were striving to measure up over the past three years, we have been brought down again by this COVID-19 pandemic. How to climb up again is going to be a difficulty for us.
That is why it is important to begin negotiations with organised labour at this stage for us to know realistically what is ahead of us as a country. We should resist any attempt to stoke any embers to make it appear as though one group of people have the interest of workers at heart and another group does not. Mr Speaker, this would be suicidal.
We all need to put together as a country in this difficult days. Let nobody try to take advantage of anything. We are in it together, and if we bond together, we would be able to rise up together.
Mr Speaker, we are not in good times, and as the Hon Minority
Leader alluded to when he said that I am appealing to us to come to work tomorrow morning, maybe, early enough so that latest by 11.00 a.m. we would have finished our Business for all of us to depart. I know of the imperatives of the Public Holidays (Amendment) Act, 2019, of (Act 986); the imperatives of the Labour Act of 2003 (Act 651) and the imperatives of our own Rules of Procedure, the Standing Orders. Under difficult circumstances, even though we are required to Sit from Tuesdays to Fridays, we have been Sitting on Mondays and even Saturdays. Saturdays are holidays for workers in general and at least organised labour.
However, Mr Speaker, because we want the best for our country. [Interruption] Our Standing Orders provide that ordinarily, we should not Sit on public holidays, but we must recognise that we are not in normal times. The fact of the spill over and the work that the committees of this House are doing for us, we could maybe meet early tomorrow morning if we agree by say 8.00 a.m. If we are able to meet at 8.00 a.m., I believe by 10.00 a.m. we would have finished with everything. However, if 8.00 a.m. is too early, we could meet at 9.00 a.m., and I believe we cannot travel
beyond 12.00 noon. We could even adjourn by 11:00 a.m. if we Sit at 9.00 a.m. prompt.
Mr Speaker, so I thank Hon colleagues for their tolerance and forbearance. I believe we would always do what is right for the workers of this country.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:53 p.m.
I thank the Hon Minister for his Statement and to wish all workers a happy Labour Day.
Hon Majority Leader and Hon Minority Leader, what did you agree on?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 7:53 p.m.
Mr Speaker, they are difficult decisions. We were informed by the two Committees handling the referrals that it would be most difficult for them to keep holding us down. The earliest time they could come with their reports may be in the region of about 11.00 p.m. And we cannot sit up to 11.00 p.m. today, which is why I have asked them to tidy up and have everything printed out so that tomorrow morning when we meet at whatever time we agree on, whether 8.00 a.m. or 9.00 a.m., we should be able to finish the transaction of
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:53 p.m.
I was looking at the Public Holidays (Amendment) Act, 2019, of (Act 986).
Mr Iddrisu 7:53 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thought --
Mr First Deputy Speaker 7:53 p.m.
Sorry.
Mr Iddrisu 8:03 p.m.
You had said leaders. So before you refer to your Public Hol idays (Amendment) Act, 2019, Act 986, I should respect even the process of consultation. That is what ought to be in this House. If it were my Colleague, the Hon Majority Leader, [Interruption] Sometimes, he is legalistic; he walks with Standing Orders and the Constitution. If I rise here as the Minority Leader and say that the Business Statement was adopted, he would say that it should come properly by a motion for recession. Where is his motion for recession?
Mr Speaker, flexibility is important, and reaching out is important. Ideally, I would have preferred that we Sit on Saturday. Adding one more day has become inevitable and compelling. We have to get the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020 through and the motion on the Road transaction through.
Mr Speaker, he should understand me too. I have been former Minister for Labour and it is difficult for me on Labour Day not to solidarise with them. So it is not about a party taking ownership. They are very sensitive, and I am sure the Hon Minister knows that. So to add an additional day, I am all for it, but I would have preferred Saturday. However, it appears my colleague says that -- [Interruption] --
When you see a pregnant goat in the market, it means that there is a pregnant problem at home. So tomorrow we can bring that pregnant goat here and deal with it because in this extraordinary time, maybe, Labour would have to forgive us, that under the circumstances we are compelled to do so. So if you so rule, we would oblige ourselves. But ideally, given the fact that I have been Minister for Labour before, I would not have preferred or wanted us to Sit on Friday, 1st May, 2020.

But it appears that today, he did not come by Motion for rescission, so there will be compromises; he will not suffer to get it, Mr Speaker. So you can grant it. Thank you.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 8:03 p.m.
Very well. I am glad there is agreement and consensus.
Hon Member, did we also agree on the time to start? It is 9.00 a.m. or 10.00 a. m.?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 8:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I believe we can start at 9.00 a.m.
Mr First Deputy Speaker 8:03 p.m.
Very well, Hon Members, in that circumstance, the House stands adjourned still tomorrow the 1st of May, 2020 at 9.00 a.m.
ADJOURNMENT 8:03 p.m.