Debates of 28 Oct 2020

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
It has been noted that some of our guests are not keeping social distance. There is plenty of room up there. They better do so before they are approached by the Marshal. If there is anyone who is not wearing a mask, please be advised to advise yourself speedily.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Members, Correction of the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 27 th October, 2020.
Page 1 … 11
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 10, paragraph (b) of the amendment reads:
“murder, grievous bodily harm, armed robbery or stealing where there are predicate offences for a serious offence;”
What is the meaning of “where there are predicate offences”? There is something wrong there. I do not know what is missing, but when one says “where there are predicate offences” -- If you said predicated, it conveys a certain sense, but when you just say “where there are predicate offences” for a “serious offence”, there is something wrong so, if the Clerks-at-the-Table can take note?
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, as we indicated yesterday, these are clauses that have been borrowed from the Palermo Convention; we have adopted those. So I guess, what we need to do is to consult with the Convention which this House adopted and see how to sanitise the construct in paragraph (b). I believe saying it in that manner smacks of some mix-up in the wording so, we would have to look at it.
I guess in the same way, we also have to look at the other law that we passed in the House. I think the same words have been imported so, we would have to look at it. I agree with him.
Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader is right. The provision “there” should be “these” to read:
“murder, grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, stealing where these are predicate offences for a serious offence”.
They are offences in their own right, but you would have to commit them to be able --
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Kindly go back to the page and line so that everyone would be id idem.
Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 11:53 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it says that serious offence includes:
“murder, grievous bodily harm, armed robbery or stealing where there are predicate offences for a serious offence”
It should however read:
“murder, grievous bodily harm, armed robbery or stealing where these are predicate offences for a serious offence”.
These are serious offences under the Real Estate Agency Act. Mr Speaker, my own amendment is to paragraph (c). It is not an amendment.
Mr Speaker 11:53 a.m.
Hon Fuseini, are you moving away or you are reinforcing the point made by the Hon Minority Leader? Are you still on enforcing that point? Please proceed.
Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 12:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am reinforcing the point made by the Hon Minority Leader that the sentence cannot be “where there are”; it cannot be. The letter “r” can only be “s”.

We are defining these to constitute predicate offences for a serious offence under the Real Estate Agency Act. This is because those offences are serious offences standing on their own, but to commit a serious offence under the Real Estate Agency Act, these must be predicate offences. That is what it means.

Mr Speaker, yesterday, in addition to an amendment that was proffered, I see paragraph (c), which reads:
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, as I said, this is part of the amendment convention which was imported into the Mutual Legal Assistance Act, 2010 (Act 807). It
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 12:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yesterday, the Hon Majority Leader drew our attention -- and the Table Office shared the Mutual Legal Assistance Act, 2010 (Act 807) with us. However, that does not tie our hands as an institution and as a Parliament. As he himself observed yesterday, for instance, in the (Act 807), the word “theft” was used, but there is no criminal offence called “theft”; we rather have “stealing.” We sought to improve upon it, so, I agree with him that we direct the draftspersons to take note of the -- [Interruption] -- absolutely!
Mr Speaker, when we come to page 11 -- I just want to be guided
An Hon Member 12:03 p.m.
It reads: “Real Agency Estate Practice”.
Mr Iddrisu 12:03 p.m.
All right, thank you. I appreciate it.
Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
Have you abandoned the pathway? [Interruption] -- Therefore should we proceed?
Yes, Hon Minister?
Dr Anthony Akoto Osei 12:03 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am a bit confused. On page 10, it is written that the extensions of the amendments are proposed by Hon Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Hon Haruna Iddrisu, and the Hon Alhaji Fuseini. This is supposed to be the exact recording of what happened. We have already had a debate on what the true amendment should be. Therefore I think that we should rather have what actually occurred, rather than have a debate on whether we should use “these”, “the” and so on and so forth; otherwise, we would be making a mistake. If this was what
occurred, then that was what we voted on. The people who proffered the amendments are not now debating on what it should have been - they are not. I think that we should not change it to “these”.
Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
Yesterday, in the rather elongated debate, I did advise all concerned that they should consider a Second Consideration Stage at the appropriate time, if they seriously felt a certain way.
Page 12...22
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of 27th October, 2020 as presented is hereby admitted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, we have the Official Report of 15th October, 2020 for correction.
Hon Members, any corrections?
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of 15th October, 2020].
    • Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
    Hon Members, we also have the Official Report of 16th October, 2020 for correction.
    Hon Members, any corrections?
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of 16th October, 2020].
    • Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
    Again, we have the Official Report of 20th October for correction.
    Hon Members, any corrections?
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of Tuesday, 20th October, 2020].
    • Mr Speaker 12:03 p.m.
    Hon Members, at the Commencement of Public Business, the item listed as 4 -- Presentation of Papers. [Interruption]
    Hon Members, order!
    Hon Members, the following Papers are to be presented. The first Paper, numbered as 4 (a), is to be presented by the Hon Minister for Finance, but I do not see the Minister here. The Paper numbered 4 (b) is to be presented by the Chairman of the Committee on subsidiary Legislation.
    PAPERS 12:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Hon Members, the item listed (ii)?
    By the Chairman —
    Report of the Committee on Health on the National Blood Service Bill, 2020.
    Report of the Committee on Health on the National Ambulance Service Bill, 2020.
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader, are we in a position to take the item listed as 4 (d) or we proceed to the item listed as 5; Motion?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I believe we could deal with the item numbered 9.
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Hon Members, the item listed as 9; Motion, Hon Chairman of the Committee?
    MOTIONS 12:13 p.m.
    Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 12:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the period January to December, 2019.
    And in so doing, I present your Committee's Report:
    1.0 Introduction
    1.1 The 2015 Annual Report of the Forestry Commission (FC) was presented to Parliament on 6th June 2020 in accordance with the Forestry Commission Act of 1999 (Act 571).
    1.2 Pursuant to Order 177 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana, the Report was referred to the Lands and Forestry Committee by the Rt. Hon. Speaker for examination and report.
    1.3 The Committee met with the Hon Deputy Minister, Mr Benito Owusu- Bio, and other officials from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission to deliberate on the report. The Committee is grateful to them for their input.
    2.0 Reference
    The Committee referred to the following documents during its deliberations: --
    i. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
    ii. The Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
    iii. The Forestry Commission Act of 1999 (Act 571).
    iv. Section 38 (LI 1649) of 1998 Timber Resources Manage- ment Regulations (TRMR).
    v. The Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of the Republic of Ghana for the 2015 Financial Year; and
    vi. The 2015 Annual Report of the Forestry Commission.
    3.0 Establishment And Mandate of the Forestry Commission
    3.1 The FC's establishment is provided for under Section 1 of article 269 of the 1992 Constitution and the Forestry Commission Act, of 1999 (Act 571).
    3.2 Section 1 of article 269 of the Constitution and section 2 of the FC Act provides that the FC shall be responsible for the regulation of the utilisation of forest and wildlife resources, the conservation and management of those resources, and the coordination of policies related to them.
    4.0 Functions
    The functions of the FC are as follows:
    (a) regulate the utilisation of forest and timber resources by
    (i) vetting and the registration of contracts to market timber and such other forest and wildlife products as the Commission may determine;
    (ii)the establishment of proce- dures to track the movement of timber, wood, and wildlife products;
    (iii) monitoring the harvesting, marketing of forest and wildlife products and related contracts;
    (iv) promoting the development and dissemination of appro- priate industrial standards and trade guidelines for
    Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 12:13 p.m.


    timber, wood, and wildlife products;

    (v)the conduct of pre-shipment inspection and examination of timber, wood, and wildlife products;

    (vi) advising on approvals to establish new timber industries and the registration of approved timber proce- ssors and traders in forest and wildlife products;

    (b) manage the nation's forest reserves and protected areas by

    (i) proper planning for the protection, harvesting, and development of forest and wildlife resources in a sustainable manner;

    (ii)monitoring the condition and the extent of the nation's forest and wildlife resources;

    (iii) controlling the harvesting of forest and wildlife products;

    (iv) making recommendations to the Minister on the grant of timber rights and wildlife licenses;
    Mr Bernard Ahiafor (NDC -- Akatsi South) 12:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and ask the House to adopt the Report of the Committee.
    Mr Speaker, the functions of the Forestry Commission as stated in the Report are very valuable. The Forestry Commission's activities can really improve the nation's economic performance, therefore attention must be given to the Forestry Commission.
    Mr Speaker, it is sad to note that the Forestry Commission usually has inadequate release of funds. Funds must be released adequately to the Forestry Commission to enable them perform their functions creditably.
    Mr Speaker, it is observable from the Report that there was an expenditure overrun, and I find it very difficult to reconcile the expenditure overrun with the inadequate release of funds. If funds are not released adequately, how come there was an expenditure overrun? Where did they get the funds to spend? Today, an expenditure overrun is an offence under the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 so, institutions must pay attention to their
    budgetary allocation so that we could avoid this issue of expenditure overrun.
    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I am done.
    Mr Speaker 12:13 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Member.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu (NDC -- Tamale South) 12:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, let me thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion. There are two observations; one is to refer the Chairman to page 2, paragraph 3.1 of the Report when he says, section 1 of article 269, do we have sections in the Constitution? I know of articles and clauses of the Constitution. It says with permission:
    “The Forestry Commission, established and provided for under section 1 of article 269”.
    Mr Speaker, the Constitution does not have sections. If he wants to refer to the Forestry Commission Act of 1999 (Act 571) section 1, I have no difficulty in accepting that.
    Mr Speaker, then, the introduction -- [Interruption]- the introduction; paragraph 1.1 -- “Forestry Commission Act, 1999 (Act 571). Is that what we have? So, the Chairman
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu (NDC -- Tamale South) 12:23 p.m.
    should take note of that and do the necessary corrections as appropriate.
    Mr Speaker, Mole National Park -- I ran into the Majority Leader when he was trying to have holidays around that area; it is important that we develop it as a major tourism site in our country. When we go to Zambia and you visit the Victoria Waterfalls and the water facility around that area, you would appreciate what we can do in terms of enhanced revenue for wildlife. So, with best practice, the Forestry Commission, the Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry and the entire Committee should go to Zambia, study best practice and come and improve the wildlife regime.
    Mr Speaker, I support the initiative which is captured in paragraph 523 - Lending and Auto-lending Ghana Limited trying to use public-private partnership (PPP) in trying to develop the Mole airstrip. That would make visitors arrive there timeously because many a times, they fly to Tamale and then a vehicle would pick them on that dangerous road. Last week, we saw what happened on the Buipe-Tamale- Datongo road.

    So, an airstrip can, apart from enabling timely arrival, also save lives we lose from road accidents.

    Mr Speaker, my conclusion would be to come to page 7 of your Committee's Report and ask the Hon Chairman to explain how there can be this variance with internally generated funds (IGF)? The actual is GH¢50 million, and the budget is GH¢34 million and then there is a variance of GH¢15 million. He should explain to us because that is almost 40 per cent to 50 per cent of IGF.

    What authorisation did they have and from whom did they get it to utilise IGF because the IGF is capped under the Fees and Charges Act of the Ministry of Finance. We cannot accept that the Forestry Commission can just come as they wish, particularly with their IGF, so we are demanding some explanation in terms of the IGF expenditure. Did they have full authorisation from the Ministry of Finance? They must show us the warrant from the Minister for Finance to have expended that money in the name of IGF.

    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, on page 7, I quote from the Committee's Report. “The Committee observed the budget overrun in respect of

    compensation”. That is not acceptable. We cannot have a budget overrun in respect of compensation. So we demand to know the full staff strength of the Forestry Commission, to explain this budget overrun in terms of compensation which is about 17 per cent.

    Also, many of the institutions are recruiting more than they require. Productivity as a measure of labour contribution has been thrown to the dogs. For instance, in 2017, Forestry Commission could have inherited a staff strength of 500, then over a two year period, they added 100 staff. What is the justification for it?

    We should not just recruit for the sake of recruiting but should employ because we are making meaningful contributions to productivity. It is not just about numbers. In Ghana, as former President Kufuor observed in those days, between 2005 and 2008, we just pay workers for doing nothing. Why do we have these numbers for the Forestry Commission and why have they overrun their compensation budget?

    Mr Speaker, I support the Motion but the Hon Chairman must assure us that he will come with the full complements. What was the staff strength of the Forestry Commission

    as at January 2017? What was the staff strength as at January 2020? This would help us understand this compensation overrun. With these few words, I support the Motion and think that we should do more for the Mole Game Reserve.
    Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation (Dr Anthony Akoto Osei) 12:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to bring my good Hon Friend's attention to the fact that the Report we are looking at is from 2015, so he should not expect the Committee to tell us the staff strength at 2017. We would come to that. I just want to remind him that this is about 2015. Perhaps, since he was in Government then, he might be in a better position to explain why the IGF was used. However, I agree with him that it should not be that way. A variance of GH¢15 million?
    If they had 100 per cent retention -- If you read the Report, the Committee is saying that the Ministry of Finance was not releasing moneys to them on time, so I can see why they would use their IGF to make it up. If you look at the difference between compensation and IGF, you would realise that there is only a GH¢2 million variance.
    Mr Speaker, in the meantime, they are saying that many people retired in
    Mr Speaker 12:23 p.m.
    Thank you very much Hon Minister for your contribution.
    Hon Fuseini?
    Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 12:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just have a few comments on this matter. The first is that the
    Report relates to the year 2015 and it appears to me that it is a flagrant violation of the law of Section 27 of the Public Financial Management Act
    (PFMA).
    It requires that within the first few months of the year, a Report on the utilisation of the resources of the Ministry or any Government department in the following year must be forwarded to Parliament. We are five years away from 2015. I thought that the Hon Chairman would have clearly indicated why the Report is now coming. It is very important.
    Secondly, I see in the conclusion of the Report, particularly paragraph 9.9, a very important item, that is item numbered 5 and I am not aware of that item. This is because my official vehicle was one of the three vehicles relocated to the Flagstaff House. We want to know when Parliament recommended that action be taken on these matters that appear on page 14 of the Report.
    Dr A. A. Osei 12:23 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, my Hon good Friend started by talking about a possible violation of the PFMA. In 2015, the PFMA was not in existence, so there is no reason the Chairman of the Committee should be
    asked to explain why they are in violation. The Act did not exist in 2015, so I am surprised that he is saying that they are in violation of it. I do not know where that is coming from. It is not fair to the Chairman to be asked to explain something that he has nothing to do with. We have to be fair to the Chairmen of our Committees.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 12:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is the Minister who said that this Report is for 2015 and if there was no law in 2015, it begs the question, what is the basis of this Report? If the law was not there in 2015, then there was no obligation to present a Report to Parliament. The Hon Minister is totally wrong. I thought that the Hon Chairman would have told me that paragraph 1.0 says and I beg to read:
    “Pursuant to section 27 (1) of the Public Financial Manage- ment Act, 2016, Act 921, the performance report of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the period, January to December, 2019 was made in Parliament on the 10th of December”
    Mr Speaker 12:33 p.m.
    Hon Minister? Hon Members, Order! Whatever it is, let us go about it.
    Mr Owusu-Bio 12:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member has jumped the gun. We are dealing with the 2015 Report of the Forestry Commission but the Hon Member has jumped to the 2019 Annual Report, which is Motion 11 on the Order Paper and has made reference to a vehicle.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 12:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have jumped the gun because I have a lot of issues with the 2019 Annual Report but I would hold my horses until we get to that Motion.
    Mr Speaker 12:33 p.m.
    Hon Members, let us take clear notice of the fact that Motions 9, 10 and 11 all relate to the same Forestry Commission, so that we do not confuse ourselves any further.
    Hon Majority Leader, do you have any conclusive remarks to make?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:33 p.m.
    No, Mr Speaker.
    Question put and Motion agreed to
    Mr Speaker 12:33 p.m.
    Hon Members, item numbered 10?
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 12:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Annual Report of the Lands Commission for the Year 2016.
    Mr Speaker, in so doing I present your Committee's Report.
    1.0 Introduction
    1.1 The 2016 Annual Report of the Lands Commission (LC) was presented to Parliament in accordance with the Lands Commission Act 2008 (Act 767) and Order 177 of the Standing Orders of Parliament. Mr. Speaker referred the Report to the Lands and Forestry Committee for consideration and report.
    1.2 Subsequently, the Committee met with officials from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the technical team from the Lands Commission on Wednesday, 19th August 2020, and deliberated on the report. The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio led the team. The
    Committee is grateful to the Hon. Deputy Minister and the team from the Ministry and Lands Commission for their assistance.
    2.0 Reference
    2.1 The Committee referred to the following documents during its deliberations: -
    i. The 1992 Constitution;
    ii. The Standing Orders;
    iii. The Lands Commission Act 2008 (Act 767);
    iv. Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of the Republic of Ghana for the 2016 Financial Year; and
    v. The 2016 Annual Report of the Lands Commission.
    3.0 Establishment and Mandate of Lands Commission
    3.1 The establishment of the Lands Commission is provided for by Section 1 of articles 258 of the 1992 Constitution and the Lands Commission Act 2008 (Act 767).
    3.2 Pursuant to Section 1 of article 258 of the Constitution and Section
    5 of the Lands Commission Act of 2008 (Act 767), the Lands Commission is mandated to promote effective and efficient land admini- stration for national development.
    The Commission operates through its corporate headquarters and four (4) divisional offices namely, the Survey and Mapping Division, Land Registration Division, Land Valuation Division, and the Public and Vested Lands Management Division in Accra as well as Regional Offices. It also operates at the local level through a limited number of district offices for the Land Valuation Division and Survey and Mapping Division.
    4.0 Functions
    4.1 To achieve its objectives, the Lands Commission is mandated under the Constitution to perform the following functions:
    i. manage public lands and any other lands vested in the President by the Constitution or by any other law and any lands vested in the Commi- ssion;
    ii. advise the Government, local authorities, and traditional authorities on the policy framework for the
    development of particular areas of the country by ensuring that the development of individual pieces of land is coordinated with the relevant development plan for the area concerned;
    iii. formulate and submit to Government recommenda- tions on national policy with respect to land use suitability or capability;
    iv. advise on, and assist in the execution of, a compre- hensive programme for the registration of title to land throughout the country;
    v. register deeds and instruments that affect land throughout the country;
    vi. facilitate the acquisition of land on behalf of Govern- ment;
    vii.establish standards for and regulate survey and mapping in the country;
    viii. provide surveying and mapping services where necessary;
    ix. license practitioners of a cadastral survey;

    x. provide land and land-related valuation services;

    xi. ensure that through sound, sustainable land use planning, socio-economic activities are consistent with sound land use through sustainable land use planning in the long term national development goals;

    xii.instil order and discipline into the land market through curbing the incidence of land encroachment, unapproved development schemes, multiple or illegal land sales, land speculation, and other forms of land racketeering;

    xiii. minimise or eliminate, where possible, the sources of protracted land boundary disputes, conflicts, and litigations to bring their associated economic costs and socio-political upheavals under control;

    xiv. promote community partici- pation and public awareness at all levels in sustainable land management and develop- ment practices to ensure the highest and best use of land;

    xv. impose and collect levies, fees, charges for services rendered;

    xvi. establish and maintain a comprehensive land information system; and

    xvii. perform other functions the Minister may assign to it.

    5.0 Performance and Achievements

    During the year under review, the LC undertook the following:

    5.1 Strategic Goal 1: Enhanced Financial Sustainability

    5.1.1 Under this goal, the Commission seeks to widen its revenue base. Total revenue generated by the Survey and Mapping Division increased from GH¢4,015,594.78 in 2015 to GH¢5,527,070.15, representing 37.8 per cent increase. The increment in performance is largely attributable to the increase in charges.

    5.1.2 The LVD undertook a rigorous campaign to retrieve outstanding unpaid Administrative Charges. A total of GH¢2,435,780.45 was collected representing an increment of 60.5 per cent of the 2015 figure of GH¢962,034.00. The Division generated GH¢58,358,985.42

    from stamp duty assessments, representing a 5.4 per cent increment over the 2015 figure of GH¢55,173,696.77, and 37 per cent more than the 2014 figure of GH¢36,711,533.13. Revenues collected either directly by Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) staff or on its behalf by the Division's staff are paid into a designated GRA account.

    5.1.3 The Land Registration Division also generated GH¢3,257,674.10 revenue in 2016 representing 15.1 per cent increase over the 2015 figure of

    2,830,427.85.

    5.1.4 The Land Registration Division generated GH¢3,257,674.10 revenue in 2016 representing 15.1 per cent increase over the 2015 figure of

    2,830,427.85.

    Public and Vested Land Management Division (PVLAMD) embarked on an extensive revenue drive to retrieve outstanding ground rent from recalcitrant lessees. Strategies employed included door- to-door service of rent demand notices and the creation of an electronic database for the 13 estate portfolios in Accra.

    A total ground rent of GH¢5,978,468.23 was collected in 2016, a little below the 2015 figure of GH¢6,901,493.99 over the 2014 figure of GH¢6,015,186.63. The Division generated GH¢46,859,163.35 as non-tax revenue representing a shortfall of 59 per cent of the 2015 figure of GH¢74,598,174.46. Table 1 presents the breakdown of revenue collection by the Divisions of the Commission.
    Mr Bernard Ahiafor (NDC -- Akatsi South) 12:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
    Mr Speaker, the Lands Commission is a constitutional creature which was established by article 258 of the Constitution with very clear and elaborate functions and with your permission, I beg to quote article 258 (1) of the Constitution which says:
    (1) “There shall be established a Lands Commission which shall, in co-ordination with the relevant public agencies and governmental bodies, perform the following functions --
    (a) on behalf of the Government, manage public lands and any lands vested in the President by
    Mr Bernard Ahiafor (NDC -- Akatsi South) 12:43 p.m.
    this Constitution or by any other law or any lands vested in the Commission;
    (b) advise the Government, local authorities and traditional authorities on the policy framework for the development of particular areas of Ghana to ensure that the development of individual pieces of land is co-ordinated with the relevant development plan for the area concerned;''
    Mr Speaker, the functions of the Lands Commission to the socio- economic development of this country, cannot be over emphasised. The Lands Commission has various divisions which include, Land Variation Division, the Survey and Mapping Division and the Land Registration Division which is popularly called “Land Title Registration Division''.
    Mr Speaker, if the Lands Commission does not function effectively, problems associated with land which are the highest cases in the courts, there would be no reductions in them. The functions of the Lands Commission is an important constitutional one that should not be whittled down at all.
    Mr Speaker, in paragraph 6.2 of the Report, it is good to note that in the year 2016, there was an integrated land administration service with enhanced service delivery process. These are what we want as a country to improve in our land issues.
    Mr Speaker, it is also worthy of note that 2016, digitisation and automation of land services delivery process took place and this would go a long way to help the Lands Commission in the delivery of their functions.
    There was also an improved working environment for the lands Commission under the year of review and there was staffing challenge as a result of the attrition rate. The human resource system of the Lands Commission was also improved under the year of review.

    Mr Speaker, with what we have seen in the Report, if every successive Government should continue to improve the facilities of the Lands Commission, I believe strongly that the Lands Commission would perform creditably and reliably to the expectation of all Ghanaians.

    Mr Speaker, on this note, I urge the House to adopt the Committee's Report.
    Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Member. May I put the Question? Yes, Hon Member?
    Mr Ebenezer Nii Narh Nartey (NPP -- Ablekuma Central) 12:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee of Lands and Forestry received the 2016 Report of the Lands Commission on the 19th of August, 2020. We are talking about 2016 Report. Meanwhile, this Report was brought to the Committee in 2020 -- four good years down the line.
    Mr Speaker, when we asked the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon Benito Owusu-Bio, about the delay in bringing the Report, it was clear that most of the time, the delay did not come from the Ministry but the Agencies. They are supposed to furnish the Ministry with the Reports for them to forward same to the Committees of Parliament. When the Report gets to the Ministry, then the Audit Department at the Ministry also goes through. But the challenge is that, from my investigations as a Member of the Committee on Lands and Forestry, many of the Members of the
    Sixth Parliament are no longer Members of the Committee, so, it would be difficult for most of us to know what exactly transpired in 2016 if the Report is being brought four good years later.
    Mr Speaker, this House has to task the Ministries to ensure that Reports of their respective Ministries are brought to the House on time. If we are to discuss four year old Reports --
    My colleague, Hon Rockson, says that there are records. I agree that there are records but four years - [Interruption] There is the need for us to deal with this issue. Other than that, we would have Reports that Hon Members of Parliament who have not been to this House would be the ones to review them. It would not help the House.
    Mr Speaker, one thing that I can say for sure is that there has been a total improvement at the Lands Commission in the new system that they have brought; the Customer Service and Access Unit (CSAU). Currently, when one goes to the Lands Commission to submit a document for registration, one is given alerts as to the stage one's document has reached. That is an improvement.
    Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
    Hon Members, I have been advising that when there is no real division on any matter in the House, let us not introduce one by all means, especially by the Hon Members on my right.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Resolved accordingly.
    Mr Speaker 12:43 p.m.
    Hon Chairman of the Committee, item numbered 11?
    Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of Lands and
    Natural Resources for January to December, 2019
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Francis Manu-Adabor) 12:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Lands and Forestry on the Budget Performance Report in respect of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the period January to December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, in so doing and with your permission, I present your Committee's Report.
    1.0 Introduction
    Pursuant to Section 27(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), the Performance Report of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the Period, January to December 2019 was laid in Parliament on the 10th of June,
    2020.
    The Performance Report was subsequently referred by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to the Committee on Lands
    and Forestry for consideration and report pursuant to Orders 140 (4), 177 and 188 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
    2.0 Deliberations
    The Committee met on 7th August 2020 and considered the Report. Present at the meeting were the two Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio and Hon. Naana Eyiah and Heads of Agencies under the Ministry.
    The Committee is grateful for their inputs and clarifications.
    3.0 Reference Documents
    In considering the Performance Reports, the Committee referred to the under-listed documents:
    i. The 1992 Constitution;
    ii. The Standing Orders of Parliament;
    iii. The Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of the Republic of Ghana for the 2018 and 2019 Financial Years;
    Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 12:53 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and to make a few comments on the Committee's Report.
    This Report relates to the performance of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and not the Ministry of Lands and Forestry for the period January to December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, it is significant to observe that the Reports of the years 2017 and 2018 are not yet before this House. In the Report under discussion, there are some worrying developments which have been captured by the Hon Chairman.
    In the year 2019, the Ministry programmed to produce 30 per cent of auto photo maps and they are very important for determining the spread and availability of minerals in this country. The mineralisation of the country is seen from the auto photo maps that are produced. Mr Speaker, for the whole year, the Ministry was able to do only 4.8 per cent and in fact that was an abysmal failure because they had programmed to do
    30 per cent and they achieved only 4.8 per cent.
    Indeed, it is important to note that without the auto photo maps produced, it has a direct correlation with galamsey. The people will now be going on to the land to search for minerals when in fact, those areas do not have minerals. So that is probably why we see a spate in galamsey activities.
    Mr Speaker, land conflicts are very serious in this country and so, the Ministry, as part of its programmes, started establishing Customary Land Secretariats. So that the Secretariat will document all the lands sprawling within the customary area of the various traditional jurisdictions.
    On page 6, the Ministry had programmed to establish eight Customary Land Secretariats and for the year 2019, they established three. Why did they only establish three when in fact, they have issues with land and because traditional areas are not able to determine exactly which area is their land.
    Mr Speaker, when it comes to timber utilisation, the Ministry said they were going to issue only 170 surveyed permits that have been vetted and processed. By the end of
    the year, they had issued, 385. I am worried because the harvesting of rosewood is on the increase and most of these timber surveyed permits issued could be used for the purposes of harvesting rosewood. All of us know the devastating effect of harvesting rosewood and the fragile ecological zone of the northern Region and parts of the Volta Region.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry has said that they were going to permit to harvest only 50,000 metric tonnes of timber but 447,000 metric tonnes were harvested. That is catastrophic because we have to regulate the harvesting of the timber and say that for a year, we can only permit 50,000 cubic metric tonnes of timber to be harvested but at the end of the year, we do not only exceed the 50,000 cubic metric tonnes, we permit to be harvested, 447,000 cubic metric tonnes. This is unacceptable and the Report does not tell us why that was the case.
    Ghana has got a problem and it was inherited from our colonial masters; our land boundaries were not clearly demarcated. So indeed, when we go to Bui, it is not the end of our boundary but behind it, we have land there as a country. Today, that area is gradually being taken over by La Cote D'Ivoire.

    Mr Speaker, so, the Ministry has said that they are going to plant trees to demarcate our boundaries by planting 200 miles of trees at the Ghana-Togo Maritime Boundary area. By the end of the year, they planted nothing.

    In the international buffer zone, they said they were going to plant six trees. This tree planting technology is of German origin that they used carpet but we are now using different trees to demarcate our boundaries.

    Mr Speaker, in the international land demarcation area, they planted nothing. Indeed, internally, regional boundaries are an issue and so, the Ministry has consciously said that as part of the work of the Ghana Boundary Commission which falls under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, regional boundaries should be established by the planting of trees.

    In the year 2019, nothing was planted, neither regionally nor in the Districts. I thought that the Report would have indicated why these laudable objectives were not accomplished. Was it as a result of the fact that the Ministry of Finance failed to release funds or was it that the Hon Minister was just sleeping on

    his job? We are not told but this is a Report of the Committee --
    Mr Speaker 12:53 p.m.
    Hon Members, Order!
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 12:53 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, so paragraph 9.9 is very important --
    Hon Members -- rose --
    Mr Speaker 12:53 p.m.
    Hon Members, which one of you stood up first?
    Mr Henry Quartey 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague on the Other side has been an Hon Minister before and I think it is highly un- parliamentary for him to use the words that he just used. I pray that he withdraws. Thank you.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I do not know the words that he is complaining about. Mr Speaker, on paragraph --
    Mr Quartey 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, he said that the Hon Minister was sleeping on his job. Can he please retract?
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Member, it is accusatory to say that a Hon Minister was sleeping on his job. If anyone said that about you I would seriously object.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I did not say that the Hon Minister was sleeping on his job. I said that they did not provide a reason. I chose my words carefully --
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Members, order! When we go out of our way and we are corrected let us take it in good faith and proceed.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister was not sleeping on his job. I just wanted to know why the Hon Minister did not do this. I wish to know.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    That is very different from talking about someone sleeping on his job.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I withdraw those words and I apologise to the Hon Minister.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Thank you and please conclude.
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, we are told at paragraph 9.9 that a whopping GH¢244,431.032 was used for the construction of a one-storey reception at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources which was not planned.
    Mr Speaker, this was expenditure which was not budgeted for and it
    infringes on the Public Financial Management Act. So I thought the Committee would have told us exactly why and what was the treatment. This Report also does not tell us what happened to the excavators that were seized from a small-scale mining sector. The Report should have captured exactly what happened to the excavators. Mr Speaker, with these few words, I support the Motion and I hope that the 2020 Report would deal with those matters decisively.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Thank you very much.
    Hon Deputy Minister you may conclude on behalf of the Majority side.
    Mr Owusu-Bio 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would start from where the Hon Member just ended and state that the one-storey reception he made reference to was done under his watch and we came to meet it. So, if that amount is in the Report, then it means that he was the one who officially supervised it.
    Also, we thank all the Hon Members who contributed to this Report, especially the Hon Chairman and the members of the Committee on Lands and Forestry. Mr Speaker, there was an issue of budget overruns
    rose
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minister, hold on.
    Hon Fuseini, do you rise on a point of correction or point of order?
    Alhaji I. A. B. Fuseini 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister has grossly misled this House by saying that the one-storey building that was put up was under my watch. This is a palpable falsehood and I would request him to withdraw or prove it.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minister, do the right thing.
    Mr Owusu-Bio 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would withdraw and end by saying that --
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Do not qualify your withdrawal before it detracts from
    your withdrawal. If you have withdrawn then I have heard you, and you may conclude.
    Mr Owusu-Bio 1:03 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member in making reference to the issuance of salvage permits mentioned that the salvaged permits that were issued were more than what was projected for.
    Mr Speaker, that is correct but I would also state that salvaged permits are issued when they are requested. For instance, salvage permits are issued when roads are being constructed and there is the need for us to salvage all the timber that lies along the corridor. Also, if Volta River Authority (VRA) or Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCO) wants to erect pylons and there is the need for salvaging trees along the route the permits are issued. In that particular year, more requests were made to the Ministry regarding salvaging such woods due to ongoing infrastructural developments.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member also mentioned that the Ministry, especially the Forestry Commission went beyond their projections for harvesting timber with regard to plantation forestry. Yes, it is true that we budgeted for 50,000 metric cubes and we went beyond 450,000. Mr Speaker, most of the plantation timber
    is usually private driven and as a result, if there is a request from the private sector -- those who have planted their own trees -- that they intend harvesting the trees, we accede to that and allow them to harvest. That is the reason for this occurrence.
    Mr Speaker, I would conclude by saying that the Lands Commission has done very well so far except to say that, God willing, we would map the entire country next year and this would help us to improve on our land administrative system. Mapping is not done just straightforward; we have just two weather windows every year to be able to do the mapping. It is during the early part of the year and during the harmattan period. Once we miss these two periods, then we have to wait till the ensuing year. Mr Speaker, I thank the entire House and hope that you continue to support us.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Mr Speaker 1:03 p.m.
    Hon Members, we shall be brief in our remarks because as you can see, we are receiving Addendum Order Papers. I am advised that more Addendum Papers are being brought. Hon Members, we would take the Order Paper Addendum before us. Item numbered 1 - Presentation of Papers. Hon
    Chairman of the Committee on Roads and Transport.
    PAPERS 1:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
    Item listed 2 -- Procedural motion.
    MOTIONS 1:13 p.m.
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye) 1:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which requires that no Motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the adoption of the Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the Determination of the Urgency of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 may be moved today.
    Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
    Chairman of the Committee, the substantive Motion? Item listed 3?
    Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the
    Determination of the Urgency of the Air Navigation Services
    Agency Bill, 2020
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye) 1:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the Determination of the Urgency of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020.
    Mr Speaker, in doing so, I seek your leave and the indulgence of the House to present the Committee's Report.
    1. Introduction
    The Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 was laid in
    Parliament by the Minister for Aviation on Tuesday, 20th October, 2020 in accordance with article 106 of the 1992 Constitution.
    The Rt Hon Speaker referred the Bill to the Committee on Roads and Transport to determine the urgency or otherwise of the Bill and report pursuant to article 106(13) of the Constitution and Order 189 of the Standing Orders of the House.
    Following the referral to the Committee to decide whether the Bill should be treated under a certificate of urgency, the Committee on Roads and Transport held a meeting to determine the urgency or otherwise of the Bill in accordance with article 106(13) of the Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.
    2. Deliberations
    The Committee met with the Hon Minister for Aviation, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda and his technical team to discuss the urgency or otherwise of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020.
    The Committee is grateful to the Hon Minister and his team for assisting the Committee in its deliberations.
    3. Reference Documents
    The following documents were referred to during the deliberations:
    i. The 1992 Constitution;
    ii. The Standing Orders of Parliament and;
    iii. Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020.
    4. Observations
    The Committee made the following observations during its deliberation:
    Urgency of the Bill
    The Committee noted that air transport is one of the important modes of transport worldwide. The industry generates huge sums of revenue for the country which aids in national development. That not- withstanding, the achievements in the industry are attained by existing strong institutions with the capacity to deliver world class standards and the consistency of this competence must be solidified by continuous auditing and revision of systems, structures and institutions in line with contemporary expectations and international obligations.
    Ghana has experienced its fair share of air traffic volumes in freight and passenger cargoes. An auto- nomous institution (Air Navigation Services) would provide not only air navigation safety but support holistic drive of promoting the national image of Ghana in the global airspace. This has hastened calls for the decoupling and the strengthening of infrastructure and its inherent institutions to meet both national and international obligations and best practices.
    Though the country has an administrative Air Navigation structure under the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority for the conduct of air navigation, it is not functionally independent and does not meet all the standards of ICAO recommended practices.
    The Committee took cognisance of the impending ICAO Audit Review which is due to be conducted early in 2021 and requires the Act to be in place for Ghana to fully meet the criteria for safety and security standards in the Aviation industry.
    Furthermore, the Parliamentary calendar at the moment does not lend to a timely passage of the Bill which is so critical for Air Navigation best practices in the country. Further to that the exigency of the electoral timetable

    and meeting the ICAO audit necessi- tates this bill to be taken under a certificate of urgency.

    Ghana urgently needs an autonomous Air Navigation Agency architecture, well-structured on international standards to deal with the challenges inherent in the Aviation industry.

    The Committee has duly considered the urgency or otherwise of the Bill and determines by consensus that the Bill is of an urgent nature and may be taken through all the stages of passage in accordance with article 106(13) of the Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.

    Given the merit of the Bill and the need to engage a number of stakeholders, the Bill need not be taken through all the stages of the passage in one day except to allow for the waiver of the 14-day gazette period before it is presented to the House for first reading. The Committee further took note of the concerns raised by Hon Members of the Committee and has decided to deliberate on those issues during the consideration of the Bill.

    Treatment of Bill as Urgent

    In accordance with article 106(13) of the 1992 Constitution and Orders 119 and 124 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, the Committee has determined and hereby certifies that the Bill is of an urgent nature.

    5. Recommendation and Conclusion

    The Committee therefore by consensus, recommends to the House to adopt this report and pass the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 under a certificate of urgency in accordance with article 106(13) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of the House.

    Respectfully submitted.
    Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (NDC -- Adaklu) 1:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion moved by the Hon Chairman and to make few comments on my own.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, the Committee in the consideration of article 106(13) of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Order 119 determined that this Bill be taken under a certificate of urgency. The Hon Chairman of the Committee has already enumerated some of the reasons. Indeed, Ghana is doing very well in terms of aviation. The investments made in the past few years
    have become an envy of the region. Kotoka International Airport is rated as the most improved airport in Africa in the year 2019. It did not just happen in a vacuum. It means that our country is on the right path.
    Mr Speaker, it is also clear that the traffic volume in Ghana is increasing. The Ghana Airports Company Limited tells us that international passenger throughput is in excess of 2.2 million in 2019. This is a good information as well.
    Mr Speaker, significantly, Ghana would have the International Civil Aviation Organisation Agreement review in the early part of 2021. It is important for us to prepare for this review because the last review was very favourable. The ICAO would expect us to have an independent air navigation authority which would be different from what we are doing now. It is all in line with best practice in the world, and I think our country should not lose the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker, secondly, the parliamentary window is shutting. I am sure we only have next week to be able to do this. If we are unable to do this, we would lose the opportunity which would mean that the review panel would come and we would not be able to meet them.
    Mr Speaker, I believe this is in order. I was not at the meeting, but I am fully aware this has got to be done and done properly and quickly.
    Mr Speaker, in these few words, I encourage colleagues to support the Motion and approve this so that the Bill would be taken under a certificate of urgency. Issues about the real Bill would be dealt with when we get to the Consideration Stage.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker 1:13 p.m.
    Hon Member for Tamale Central, a few concluding remarks.
    Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 1:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise to comment on the Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the determination of the urgency or otherwise of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill.
    Mr Speaker, particularly, I would refer to what your committee said on page 3, paragraph 2, may I read? The Committee said:
    “Giving the merit of the Bill and the need to engage a number of stakeholders, the Bill needs not be taken through all the stages of the passage in a day except
    Alhaji Inusah A. B. Fuseini (NDC -- Tamale Central) 1:23 p.m.
    to allow for the waiver of the 14 day gazette period before it is presented to the House for First Reading.
    Mr Speaker, that 14 day gazette period is captured in the Constitution of this Republic and particularly article 106(b). It says no Bill other than such a Bill as referred to in paragraph (a) of article 108 of this Constitution shall be introduced in Parliament unless it is published in the gazette for at least 14 days before the date of its introduction in Parliament.
    Mr Speaker, the 14-day period is specifically made for a Bill of urgent nature. The determination of whether a Bill is of an urgent nature is when it is expected to be passed by this House. When do we expect to pass the Bill?

    Mr Speaker, as we speak now, we are left with seven Sitting days to adjourn sine die.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Committee Chairman is saying that this Bill is of an urgent nature but it needs not be taken in a day and there is the need to engage stakeholders. It means that the engagement of the potential stakeholders would exhaust the seven

    days. That clearly should lead you to the conclusion that this Bill cannot be treated as urgent. After the seven days, we would rise and come back after the elections, clearly, more than 14 days. I think the proper thing to have advised the Hon Minister to do was to gazette; otherwise, we would not get the 14 days. In the engagement with stakeholders, we must exhaust the seven days. So the Bill definitely cannot be of an urgent nature. The fourteen days would have been lost.

    Mr Speaker, secondly, just when the Bill was laid in the House, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority wrote to Hon Members of Parliament and cautioned that we should hasten slowly on the passage of this Bill. Now, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority is a critical stakeholder in this matter. [Interruption] -- The letter was put in our pigeon holes. So if the Civil Aviation Authority is a critical stakeholder and is cautioning that we tarry slowly in the passage of this Bill, do you not think that there is the need to engage them? How long would the engagement take?

    Mr Speaker, as a matter of principle, I have no objection. I was briefed by the Hon Deputy Minister on the need for this Bill. I have no doubt that this Bill is important but I just think that we have seven days after which we would rise for probably one

    month, which is about 21 sitting days. So the 14 days waiver to all intents and purposes would have been spent. If we took advantage of the days and advertised, they would still meet the requirement under article 106(2) of the Constitution. That is just my humble opinion but I support that this Bill is a very important Bill for this country.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Ayeh-Paye 1:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, paragraph 3 of page 3 that the Hon Member just referred to was captured in the Report to give space -- [Interruption] if anything happens and it comes to the fact that we would not be able to pass the Bill same day, it would therefore give us the opportunity to the second day to let us pass it. But in terms of the consultation of the stakeholders, it has been done. Mr Speaker, at a point in time, the Ministry even gave us the report indicating the engagement and the formation of a Committee to look into the expectation or decoupling of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Navigation Services of which that Committee Report had been submitted to the Hon Minister.
    So Mr Speaker, that consultation has been made. We captured that
    paragraph so that we have space. If for the activities of the work in the Chamber, we would not be able to do it for one day, we would be able to go for second or third day to get it done. It is not that consultation has not been done.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 1:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in principle, I support the Motion but just for the purposes of the record, there was a petition for the suspension of the proposed Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 which was addressed to the Speaker. I copied it to the Hon Majority Leader and the Hon Minority Leader and I would just quote a paragraph to urge the Hon Minister to do further consultation with the stakeholders. It is signed by Rely Yao Mensah, Secretary Ghana Air Traffic Controllers Association (GHATCA) and Fred Opoku, President of GHATSEA and Gideon Adjei of GHAISA.
    “One of the main Terms of Reference of the Decoupling Committee was to ensure the sustainability of both critical aviation entities (i.e. the GCAA and the ANS Provider)”.
    Petition
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 1:23 p.m.


    Mr Speaker, as representatives of the people, we want to find out from the Committee Chairman whether he invited these groups: Ghana Traffic Controllers Association and another one which is not too legible for my eyes?

    Mr Speaker, yes in principle, we support the Chairman but as Parliament, we are obliged to give them a hearing and the hearing must be at the level of the Committee to listen to their grievances. Mr Speaker, you may have to direct the Committee on Transport to listen to the grievances of the concerned workers and see how we address them as we work to improve the Bill.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) 1:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if a Bill has been presented to Parliament and referred to the appropriate Committee, Parliament takes possession and ownership of the process from the time it is introduced in Parliament. It no longer lies with the Hon Minister. So if space should be created to have further engagement, it is Parliament's duty to do so.
    Indeed, when a Bill is certified as urgent, what it entails is waiving the 114 days gazette notification. All others could be done. So Mr
    Speaker, it is introduced and the Committee has recommended that it should be taken under a certificate of urgency. It does not necessarily mean that it should be taken within a day or 24 hours.
    So with the issues that have been raised by the Hon Minority Leader, the Committee could be advised to tarry a while and create space to meet the other petitioners and factor their concerns into the legislation. That is all that is required. It cannot stall legislation but as representatives of the people, space must be created to listen to them and see how far we can go with their petitions. That is what is required of us.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Suspension of Order 80(1)
    Minister for Aviation (Mr Joseph K. Adda) 1:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 80(1) which requires that no Motion shall be debated until at least forty-eight hours have elapsed between the date on which notice of the Motion is given and the date on which the Motion is moved, the Motion for the second reading of the Air Navigation Services
    Mr Speaker 1:23 p.m.
    Hon Minister, which Motion are you moving?
    Mr Adda 1:23 p.m.
    Motion listed as item
    21.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, Motion listed 21; it is a procedural Motion. [Pause]
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Member, item listed 21?
    Mr Iddrisu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I can see that we are navigating with usual Business. As you are aware, this year is an election year and we had to direct the Whips to call in Hon Members to attend upon this House, so that we hear the Hon Minister for Finance. We have been waiting, and some Hon Members have to return back to their constituencies. Therefore when is the Hon Minister for Finance is appearing to give us his mini budget or vote on account? It is now 1.30 p.m. We are serious people, so he should be here for us to see what he has.
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Member, we have been waiting.
    Mr Iddrisu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we cannot wait for long.
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    We have been doing other Businesses, including the determination of matters of legislative urgency. Please, let us proceed with our work. The Hon Minister will appear.
    Mr Iddrisu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, rightly so, but the Hon Majority Leader must assure me. Where is the Hon Minister for Finance? He said Hon Members should come and hear him.
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Member, I am interested in his appearance than you --
    Mr Iddrisu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want him to demonstrate that he is fully in charge. Where is the Hon Minister for Finance?
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader, your counterpart is very much interested in the present location of the Hon Minister. If you may satisfy him, we may move on with speed, not on that matter, but on the other matters ahead of us. We have not come to him, but out of curiosity, you may want to advise him on where the Hon Minister for Finance is currently located. [Laughter]
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Members, the two Leaders are aware.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if we are ready, the Hon Minister is also ready.
    entered that we had
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Member, let me call item numbered 21 and let us proceed.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we have just dealt with item numbered 21, which is a procedural
    Motion. Unless maybe, you want to deal with item numbered 22.
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Leader, where do you want to go at this stage? [Pause]
    Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise to --
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Member, just a moment.
    Hon Leader, where are we moving to?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as I was saying, I just left the House midstream and mentioned item listed as 21 -- a Motion which has been moved by the Hon Minister for Aviation. If we want to take a second leg of the Motion, it could be done. When it is done, we would suspend further action on that and then the Hon Minister would come and deliver his paper to the House. So, after the Hon Minister of Finance finishes, we can then continue with the rest of the items.
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Hon Leader, what is your agenda?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, so let us listen to the Hon Member who would second the
    Motion in terms of item numbered 21, and then the Hon Minister of Finance will come in.
    Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye (NPP -- Ayensuano) 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise to second the Motion. [Pause]
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Mr Speaker 1:33 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader, where do we go from here?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:33 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as I said, the natural flow would have been to attend to item listed 22, but given the highlight of today's activities, I would want to implore the House to vary the order of Business and go back to item listed as 5 for the Hon Minister for Finance to come and move the Motion.
    Mr Speaker 1:43 p.m.
    Hon Members, item listed 5 -- Hon Minister for Finance? [Pause]
    Hon Minister for Finance, you are welcome to the House. You are expected to move the Motion numbered 6 on the Order Paper.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Motion to be moved is rather the Motion numbered 5, not the Motion numbered 6.
    Mr Speaker 1:43 p.m.
    All right, so, he is to move the Motion numbered 5 on the Order Paper.
    Yes, Hon Finance Minister?

    [Pause] --
    MOTIONS 1:43 p.m.
    Minister for Finance (Mr Ken Ofori-Atta) 1:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House approves by resolution, the withdrawal of the sum of twenty- seven billion, four hundred and thirty- four million, one hundred and eighty thousand, five hundred and twenty Ghana cedis (GH¢27,434,180,520.00) from the Consolidated Fund for the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the Government in respect of the period expiring three months from the beginning of the financial year or on the coming into operation of the
    Mr Speaker 1:43 p.m.
    Hon Minister, just a moment, Hon Members, in view of the time and in view of the business ahead of us, I direct that our business proceeds beyond the prescribed hours. Thank you.
    Hon Minister, you may please proceed.
    Mr Ofori Atta 1:43 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we offered strategic support in income increases and life insurance in excess of GH¢ 320 million to incentivise health workers and allied professionals; Supporting households
    and businesses with electricity and water subsidies in excess of GH¢1.3 billion; and Funding the provision of cooked food to 1.83 million and 917,000 vulnerable persons within Accra & Kumasi metropolis, respectively. This is the compassion Ghanaians deserve, which we promised.
    Mr Speaker, Leadership is best tested in times of crisis. Whether it is to do with the crisis of Dumsor, the crisis of home grown economic mismanagement or the imported crisis of a global pandemic like the novel Coronavirus; it is when crises hit, that the people see and feel who a real leader is and who is not.
    Earlier in March, President Akufo- Addo told the nation ‘we know how to bring the economy back to life. What we do not know is how to bring people back to life. We will therefore protect people's lives, then their livelihoods'.
    Mr Speaker, those words were truly profound and true to his character, the president has put his leadership skills just where his mouth is. Government set out to protect people's lives, and then their livelihoods as well. The whole world and more importantly, the vast majority of Ghanaians know that the President and his team have managed the Covid 19 crisis far better than most
    countries in the world. Indeed, our efforts have been adjudged as among the best three in the world.
    Mr Speaker, the robustness of our macro-economic fundamentals and the efficacy of Government's COVID mitigation measures have been borne- out by recent indicators. According to the Bank of Ghana's surveys in August 2020, consumer confidence is bouncing back strongly and is currently above pre COVID-19 lockdown levels. Business confidence has also increased, although below pre-lockdown levels. About 95 per cent of businesses surveyed showed strong optimism, reflecting the improving macroeconomic conditions, stability in the exchange rate, lower input prices, moderation in lending rates, and positive industry prospects.
    Accordingly, the projected GDP growth rate of 2020 reported in July has been revised from 0.9 per cent to 1.9 per cent to reflect these dynamics. As the Bank of Ghana stated ‘the green shoots of rebound in economic activity' are already with us. We must be thankful to God for these encouraging developments.
    This and other assessments provoked a degree of optimism and reveals that the swift, bold, and effective measures implemented by
    Government have been key in quickening the pace of economic recovery. This is the competent leadership we promised under President Akufo-Addo. Indeed, the President's decisive and com- passionate leadership in these challenging times have been internationally acknowledged and has added to our reputation as the Black Star of Africa.
    Mr Speaker, our efforts to protect lives and preserve livelihoods, coupled with the impact of the pandemic on revenues and expenditures resulted in fiscal deficit of 11.4per cent of GDP. As already indicated in the presentation to this august House in July, we have a well-thought out Ghana Cares Obaatanpa plan and strategy to return this economy to a more sustainable fiscal path in the medium-term.
    Mr Speaker, the 2020 Fiscal Framework increased the fiscal deficit from 4.7 per cent of GDP to 11.4 per cent in the 2020 Mid-Year Review. The fiscal operations of the economy for the January to September, 2020 period shows that, on provisional basis both revenues and expenditures exceeded their respective targets resulting in the fiscal deficit of 9.0 per cent of GDP, against a programmed deficit of 8.9 per cent of GDP. More specifically, total revenues and grants for the period which totalled
    Mr Ofori Atta 2:03 p.m.
    GH¢36.7 billion exceeded the target of GH¢35.7 billion by GH¢972.7 million or 2.7 per cent. Total expenditures, including arrears clearance, on the other hand, amounted to GH¢71.3 billion against a target of GH¢70.0 billion showing a deviation of GH¢1.3 billion or 1.8 per cent from target.
    The overall fiscal deficit resulting from the revenues and expenditure performance for the period through to September 2020 is GH¢34.6 billion or 9.0 per cent of GDP against a target of GH¢34.3 billion or 8.9 per cent of GDP. The corresponding primary balance was a deficit of GH¢15.7 billion or 4.1 per cent of GDP against the target of GH¢15.4 billion or 4.0 per cent of GDP.

    Mr Speaker, this means that we can now approach the next financial year with increased optimism, largely because we already have a plan, and may I say, a track-record. We expect growth to rebound strongly in 2021 at 5.7 per cent as a result of our implementation of the Transformation and Revitalisation phase of the Ghana CARES (Obaatanpa) Programme.

    In addition, we have also scaled down the projected 2021 Fiscal

    Deficit from 9.6 per cent of GDP as reported in the Mid-Year Review to 8.3 per cent of GDP, reflecting the improved revenues from the anticipated pick-up of economic activities and a more rationalised public expenditure programme. With this path, we expect a return to the fiscal responsibility threshold of 5.0 per cent of GDP fiscal deficit and a positive primary balance earlier than the 2024 fiscal year previously announced.

    Mr Speaker, I would want to assure this House that we will recover, we will revitalise, and we will transform the economy. We shall pivot off the AFCFTA headquarters in Accra for Ghana to become a dynamic regional hub. We have planted the seeds for a fast-paced and more inclusive recovery. Recognising the role of capital and credit, we are certain that the cleaned-up and revitalised financial sector will support our recovery efforts and sustain growth.

    Mr Speaker, let me give you a glimpse of our new strengthened financial ecosystem which will facilitate credit and investment to the private sector. We have established the Ghana Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) to facilitate lending to the Agricultural sector, the

    Ghana Amalgamated Trust (GAT) to support indigenous participation in the banking sector, the Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX) to modernise Agricultural transactions and provide security for our farmers, the Ghana Deposit Scheme (GDS) to protect depositors funds, the National Housing and Mortgage Finance Scheme (NHMFS) to provide mortgages to our working class and middle class citizens, the 2 billion Ghana cedi Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) to support large businesses, and the CAPBUSS scheme run by NBSSI to support MSME's amongst others, in order to sustain and complement these reforms.

    Mr Speaker, we have also established a National Development Bank which already has commitments of over US$500 million as a wholesale bank to further support these financial institutions.

    Mr Speaker, in 2021, we will see significant investment in infrastructure, especially affordable housing. These interventions will create more jobs and enhance artisanal skills. A few days ago, my Hon Colleague, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea and I joined H. E. President Akufo-Addo to commission 204 new houses at Tema Community 22. These houses were largely

    constructed and supervised by local contractors and consultants under the National Mortgage and Housing Fund Scheme (NMHFS). This project was completed in nine-months, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and created over 1,500 jobs. We will replicate this housing model across the country and alongside the agenda 111 district hospitals programme.

    Mr Speaker, we expect that our digitalisation programme in the public sector will improve efficiency and enhance the delivery of service. Government introduced the Digital Addressing System and the National ID programmes to ensure that all Ghanaians and their dwellings, as well as business locations, are uniquely identified. All these efforts have been made to formalise the economy and improve its global competitiveness.

    Mr Speaker, we took the necessary and bold steps to stabilise the economy, ensure food security, protect businesses and worker incomes, strengthen the health system, attract private investments, and support Ghanaian businesses. We will preserve the gains as we continue to protect lives and livelihoods from the COVID-19 pandemic. The collective successes we have achieved so far demonstrates our dedication and commitment towards a transformed Ghana and its people beyond aid.
    Mr Speaker, the details of the expenditure are as follows 2:03 p.m.
    # EXPENDITURE AMOUNT (GH¢)
    1 Compensation of Employees -- 7,708,960,148
    2 Use of Goods and Services -- 1,595,571,683
    3 Interest Payments -- 7,002,221,941
    4 Subsidies -- 259,087,194
    5 Grants to Other Government Units -- 4,340,216,517
    6 Social Benefits -- 41,271,000
    Mr Speaker, the details of the expenditure are as follows 2:13 p.m.
    7 Other Expenditure -- 813,610,025
    8 Capital Expenditure -- 1,903,658,408
    TOTAL EXPENDITURE -- 23,664,596,915
    9 Arrears Clearance -- 350,000,000
    10 Amortisation -- 3,419,583,605
    APPROPRIATION 27,434,180,520
    Mr Speaker, this Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation forms part of the projected Revenue and Expenditure Estimates and Financing for 2021 attached as Appendices 1A to 1C. The breakdown of allocations to MDAs for January to March 2021 are also attached as Appendices 2A to 2D.
    Mr Speaker, the Controller and Accountant-General will ensure that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies operate strictly within the levels set in the Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation to be approved by this august House.

    Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Finance will submit a more detailed 2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government to this august House by March 2021.

    Mr Speaker, we are confident that because of God's guidance and support, the President's leadership, and our performance, Ghanaians will return the NPP government to power for 4 more years for President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo -- [Uproar] -- to do even more and to also continue with our economic revitalisation and transformation programmes; to improve the quality of life for the Ghanaian people who, at the end of every decision, are the ones who matter and should reap the dividends from the transparent and democratic governance that the NPP is offering.

    Mr Speaker, specifically, we will continue to implement measures that will result in significant improvements in business regulations and their implementation, digitisation to improve quality and transparency of public service delivery, expanding access to

    finance for Ghanaian businesses, skills training, and energy sector reform when Ghanaians give us another mandate to ensure that Ghana goes beyond aid.

    Mr Speaker, I feel truly blessed and have such gratitude to God for the opportunity to have been here in these past four years to work for President Akufo-Addo and to present the President's remarkable, destiny- changing, economic regenerating, institutional renewing policies and programmes. I am thankful particularly for the help and support I have received from this august House.

    Together with this Parliament, the Ministry of Finance alone has passed more than 50 bills into law in the last four years. I, and all of the team at the Ministry of Finance, humbly thank you, Mr Speaker and Honourable Members.

    Mr Speaker, let me, in the spirit of the Nkosuo and Nkabom Budget, leave us with psalm 133; “How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in Unity for then the hand bestows His blessings''. We are a chosen people; we perceive what He is doing and we must be obedient to His call and be joyful and grateful, for the battle remains the Lord's.

    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I humbly request this august House by resolution to approve an amount of GH¢27,434,180,520 (twenty-seven billion, four hundred and thirty-four million, one hundred and eighty thousand, five hundred and twenty Ghana cedis) as Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation to carry on the services of Government until the expiration of three months from the beginning of the 2021 Financial Year. We also request approval for the issuance of sovereign bonds of US$3 billion with the option to increase it to US$5 billion should market conditions prove favourable.
    Mr Speaker 2:13 p.m.
    Hon Members, rebates of the relevant Financial Statement have been duly tabled and as in the presentation of the substantive Budget Statement, no comment is allowed after the presentation by Hon Minister at this stage.
    Referred to the Finance Committee.
    Mr Speaker 2:13 p.m.
    Hon Minister, we thank you for appearing before the House to present the Financial
    Mr Speaker 2:13 p.m.
    Hon Members, as seen in item numbered 4 (a), the Hon Minister for Finance has laid the Expenditure in Appropriation for January to March 2021.
    Hon Minister, thank you for attending to the House and carrying out your constitutional duty. You may depart.
    Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, by what the Hon Minister has done, he has entreated us to resolve to approve his request and he has presented his Paper to us as captured under item numbered 4 (a) in the Order Paper.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to entreat the Finance Committee, to work on the referral as urgently as it is required possibly tomorrow, and report to the House on Friday, in order for us to consider that Report and pass the Resolution; that is if we so determine to resolve to approve of the request.
    Mr Speaker, having said so, I would want us to suspend Sitting for an hour and then when we come back, we would attempt the remaining of the agenda set out on the Order Paper and in particular, to continue from item numbered 22.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you very much.
    Mr Iddrisu 2:13 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I support the Hon Majority Leader's call for the suspension of Sitting, having listened to the Hon Minister for Finance, whose hope against 2021, wants to borrow and who cannot report on the first, second and third quarter performance of 2020.
    Mr Speaker, we look forward to Friday to debate the matter. So, you may suspend Sitting for a while.
    I thank you.
    Mr Speaker 2:23 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader, how long would the suspension take?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we would suspend Sitting for an hour, so, we would come back at 3.30 p.m. to continue.
    Mr Speaker 2:23 p.m.
    Hon Members, while thanking the Hon Minister for Finance, this honourable House would stand suspended for one hour after which the Hon First Deputy Speaker would take the Chair.
    I thank you very much.
    2.25 p.m. -- Sitting suspended
    4.31 p.m. -- Sitting Resumed
    FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:23 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip, are we ready to take Motion numbered 22?
    Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh 2:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we may take the item numbered 22 -- Second Reading of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:23 p.m.
    Very well.
    BILLS -- SECOND READING 2:23 p.m.
    Mr Joseph Kofi Adda (Minister for Aviation) 2:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 be now read a Second time.
    Mr Speaker, the fundamental principle governing this Bill and the de-coupling of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority into an Agency as well as a navigation service provider is basically one that is founded on the fact that we cannot keep the regulator and service provider together.
    This practice globally prescribes that we separate these functions and ensure that they are able to deliver their functions very effectively without any conflict of interest.
    Mr Speaker, the issue of Ghana is that for a long time, the Civil Aviation function was established under one entity namely, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Even though it was prescribed that we should separate those functions, it took a while for us to get to that level.
    What has been provided in the memorandum clearly states all the key things that need to be addressed. Again, going back to the issue, from the year 2006 when Ghana woke up to it, we decided that we will de-link the commercial service from the regulation side and so, the Ghana Airport Company was established. However, it still lacked some functions that combine regulation with service provision with what remained of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority.
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye) 2:23 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to support the Motion moved by the Hon Minister and in doing so, I present your Committee's Report.
    The Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 was presented to Parliament and read the First Time on Tuesday, 20th October 2020.
    APPENDIX A 2:23 p.m.
    AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES 2:23 p.m.
    PROPOSED AMENDMENTS 2:23 p.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:23 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minority Leader?
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 4:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would make brief comments in support of the Motion. Mr Speaker, from my office,
    I observed you as you took the seat and I was obliged to come to the Chamber for this Motion.
    Mr Speaker, in principle, I support what the Hon Chairman reported that as far back as 2008, there was a working paper delivered at the International Civil Aviation Organi- sation (ICAO) Conference on the Economics of Airports and Air Navigation Services held in Montreal, 2008, and the emphasis on the separation of the regulator from service providers. So, in principle, I support this Motion but my difficulty is that this is not one of such Bills that must be rushed through a certificate of urgency. I say this because article 106 of the 1992 Constitution provides that the Bill must be gazetted. The essence of this is that the Ghanaian public we represent would follow through and be able to make an input as a contribution to the legislation. Even though the power to make laws is vested in Parliament, it does not mean that we would do as it pleases us but serve the Ghanaian public.
    So, I understand that we would take this Bill through a certificate of urgency but I object to that.
    Mr Speaker, there is a petition that has been referred to the office of the Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament and my office has been recipient to a copy.
    This petition has been signed by Ronnie Yaw Mensah of GRAB CARD, Fred Opoku of GACEAM and Gideon Adjei. Mr Speaker, it is significant because they say that there is a decoupling committee in-house which was set up by the former Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority in 2016.
    The Hon Minister should apprise us of the report of that committee. I know that subsequent to the year 2016, the Hon Minister set up a ministerial committee and so he should apprise Parliament of that committee's report; findings and recommen- dations.
    Mr Speaker, what is worrying - I am a former Hon Minister for Communications and the Hon Minister would know what I am about to say -- the Ghana Meteorological Agency, I recalled that I had to threaten the then Hon Minister for Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffour, in a Cabinet meeting that if he did not provide money, they should not hold me responsible as the then Hon Minister for Communications if there was an air accident arising out of weather.
    Mr Speaker, it is because the Ghana Airports Company Limited would take all the money and they
    were not ready to even give a farthing to the Ghana Meteorological Agency to provide for our safety.
    At the time, the office in Kumasi was reading less than 200 kilometres radius in terms of weather and Tamale was reading less than 600 kilometres radius yet we just depended on international organisations. It was at the time that one of the foreign countries and one of the institutions ran to my aid to help the Ghana Meteorological Agency put that structure of a meteorological services.
    Mr Speaker, sharing of revenue at the airport -- if we read the Committee's Report you would know why I am saying that we should navigate cautiously. The Hon Minister and the Committee must engage these committees; the Ghana Air Traffic Controllers Association, and others.
    Mr Speaker, if you look at the Committee's Report you would see that they have attached the sharing of the revenue and this is also in the Bill. Mr Speaker, I would take you to the Bill and the consequential amendments because it has financial implications. On airport tax like Terminal 3, the NDC Government and former Hon Minister for Finance, Mr Seth Terkper, built Terminal 3 to rely on airport tax and not put on public debt so that a percentage of the amount of money government gets
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu) 4:41 p.m.
    from airport tax would be used to service the debt at the airport. Now, with this sharing, they should tell us how much Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Ghana Airport Company Limited would earn?
    Also, the concerns of the workers as well as how much the Ghana Meteorological Agency would also earn? We need all these assurances before I would be convinced to support it. I support the principle of decoupling but consultation with stakeholders is important and not when the stakeholders petition.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Committee must come clear on whether they have engaged this group during the Committee's hearing? When we run under a certificate of urgency we deny the public an input into law-making and that is what is contemplated within the meaning of article 106 of the 1992 Constitution. The provision is for gazetting so that the public would know about the express intention to make the law.

    Mr Speaker, with these words, I thank you.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    Hon Ranking Member?
    Ranking Member (Mr Kwame G. Agbodza): Mr Speaker, I rise to support the Motion on the Floor.
    Mr Speaker, as previously discussed, this is inevitable and this is the next step in our efforts to make Ghana a truly sustainable aviation hub. Indeed, the Report did point out some of these issues. I was not at the last meeting but I was told that the petition came short of the meeting. In other words, the petition came after the meeting. However, it is a very genuine concern and we have had these discussions before.
    Mr Speaker, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the revenues from Ghana Airport Company Limited was looking good but we are aware that one of the major hindrances to the revenue staying with the Company was the cost of the infrastructural development that the Company undertook; Terminal 3, part of Tamale Airport, Ho Airport and so on. So it is already very challenging and now that we want to separate this, we need to be assured that this would not affect the revenues.
    Firstly, that we would not defer the commitment made because of the cost of borrowing for Terminal 3 and others. Secondly, when this is done, how would the little revenue that comes be shared? Mr Speaker, we do not expect the aviation industry to bounce back until the next two or three years. Recently, we are told that on the continent, it is only Ethiopian Airlines that made some profit whereas all others made a loss. Only God knows how they were able to make a profit, but they are quite diverse and that is why they made profits.

    Mr Speaker, people are con- cerned about the real revenue to the Ghana Airport Company Limited and how that would be shared to make those two new agencies sustainable is a genuine case.

    Mr Speaker, that notwithstanding, it would be good for the Minister to assure the House that we can do this to comply with our ICAO's recommendations and we can still make these organisations sustainable to make sure that we have a safer air over Ghana and the oceanic areas.

    Mr Speaker, I do not feel we are on the wrong path in principle. Luckily, the Hon Minister is here. I think he can take on board the

    concerns raised, and once he addresses that, I am sure we might be able to make this law and separate air navigation services from what we have now to make Ghana a far better place in terms of aviation and to keep our enviable record in the sub- Region.

    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you for the opportunity.
    Mr Patrick Y. Boamah (NPP -- Okaikoi Central) 4:51 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I commend the Hon Minister and the Government for this wonderful initiative. The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the National Communications Authority (NCA) are all regulators that are performing particular roles in terms of regulating agencies or organs within that space. The Ghana Civil Aviation has been made a pure regulator in the aviation space.
    Why do I say so? In modern trends and in line with what the Minister recently brought to us which was approved by this House, which is the Accident Bureau Unit, it was an agency under the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. Secondly, the Ghana Airports Company Limited was hitherto not part of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. Now, they have
    Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor (NDC -- South Dayi) 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to add my voice for the House to adopt this Report. In doing so, I have a few comments.
    The Bill seeks to grant autonomy to the new Agency that is being set up not only financially but in terms of operations.
    It is very important that we do that because looking at the content of the Executive Summary that the Ministry prepared and forwarded to Cabinet for approval, the background information is that the Ministry had two options in setting up the Agency; one that would operate as a unit under the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the first one being an autonomous Agency that would be decoupled from the existing institution.
    So the Ministry is advising that we proceed in respect of option which is to establish an autonomous agency that would operate efficiently and effectively.
    Mr Speaker, again, in a very important way, the Bills seek to grant an essential services status to the agency, which is very critical. This is because you might have travelled to Abuja on an official duty and you are returning home, and we hear that staff of the Air Navigation Services are on strike and no aircraft could land. You might have to land in another country.
    So the Committee critically looked at this and came to the agreement that it is indeed good that we grant an essential services status pursuant to the relevant provisions in the Labour Act.
    However, the further advice is that we might have to liaise with the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations to bring a consequential Bill to the House to amend the relevant provisions of the Labour Act which would then enlarge the category of institutions that are classified as essential services to include this agency that we are setting up under the Bill.
    Mr Speaker, the other issue that caught the attention of the Committee is the one that my brother mentioned,
    Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor (NDC -- South Dayi) 5:01 p.m.


    which is that, by the nature of the Bill, we are saying that, even though the hand of the courts are not ousted in a litigation involving the Agency, when it comes to execution, we only proceed to execution when the institution becomes intransigent. You are a judgement debtor and by your conduct, you are most unwilling to pay your judged debt. And so the judgement creditor proceeds to court to levy execution on a judgement obtained against the Agency, and we are saying that by an enactment by this House, you cannot attach immovable properties of the agency except the bank account which is the garnishee proceedings.

    For me, this operates as a form of an ouster. I raised it at the Committee level, and I am very happy that my brother also spotted it. We might have to redraft it to give a very strong suggestion that it is not as though we are not amenable to the orders of the court, but being an essential service provider, anytime there is a litigation of this nature, the agency has the power to go back to court quickly and say that even though they are liable under this judgement, they would want to take steps to defray their indebtedness. It would not have come to execution. So I think it is an area

    that we have to look at carefully when we get to the Consideration Stage.

    Mr Speaker, if I may conclude with paragraph 4, subparagraph 1 on page 3 of the Report which says with permission and I quote :

    “The establishment of the Agency will ensure Ghana's compliance with international regulations, the avoidance of compromises in operations, improve decision-making and prevent the publication of the flight information region as unsafe. It will also enable Ghana to have an upper hand over its peers as it will not only enhance the air navigation service delivery within the Accra Flight Information Region but will also build capacity for consultancy within the sub-region and other jurisdictions. This will provide a great opportunity of rendering air navigation operation support across the world, which will lead to increased revenue and the advancement of Ghana's reputation.”

    Mr Speaker, in essence, this is all that we seek to do -- to become better and earn more revenue for the country.

    On this note, I thank you for the opportunity and call on the House to quickly have this Motion approved.

    Question put and Motion agreed to.

    The Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 accordingly read a Second time.
    MOTIONS 5:01 p.m.
    Minister for Aviation (Mr Joseph K. Adda) 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 128(1) which requires that when a bill has been read a second time it shall pass through a consideration stage which shall not be taken until at least forty- eight hours have elapsed, the consideration stage of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 may be taken today.
    Mr Ayeh-Paye 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    BILLS -- CONSIDERATION 5:01 p.m.
    STAGE 5:01 p.m.
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Samuel Ayeh-Paye) 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 1(3), line 2, delete “Air Navigation”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 1 as amended ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 2 -- Object of the Agency
    Mr Ayeh-Paye 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 2 line 2, delete “within” and insert “under”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Clause 2 as amended is ordered to stand part of the Bill.
    Clause 3 -- Functions of the Agency
    Mr Ayeh-Paye 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 3 paragraph (b), line 2, before “party”, insert “a”.
    Mr Speaker, the new rendition would read 5:01 p.m.
    “Facilitate the implementation of a treaty or agreement in respect
    Mr Ayeh-Paye 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, paragraph (h), line 2, after “military”, insert “air”.
    Mr Speaker, the new rendition reads 5:01 p.m.
    “Ensure operational and technical interoperability between civilian and military air operations.”
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Ayeh-Paye 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, clause 3 paragraph (m), subparagraph (iv), line 3, delete “within” and insert “under”.
    Question put and amendment agreed to.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, unfortunately, I could not have time to apply myself to this but I am just looking at clause 1 and clause 2 and I am seeing some challenges.
    I do not want us to go on this path only to come back and re-engineer
    the entire Bill. Mr Speaker, I would plead we stand it down.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:11 p.m.
    Hon Leader, I cannot hear you.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 5:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I said I really could not have time to apply myself to this Bill. I just looked at it and there are many difficulties. If you look at the formation in clause 1(2), “…in the performance of the agency…” we have developed a template for this that the subject should precede, so that in clause 1 (2) for instance, it should have been “the agency may for the performance and functions of the agency acquire…” The template is there. Yet, we are having these challenges. I have not even looked at it.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:11 p.m.
    Yes, Minority Leadership, the suggestion is that we defer the consideration for now.
    Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza 5:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have no objection to the request of the Hon Majority Leader.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:11 p.m.
    Very well, that will bring us to the end of Consideration Stage of the Air Navigation Services Agency Bill, 2020 for today.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:11 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 5:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we would take an
    adjournment and then I would request the Hon Chairman, the Hon Minister for Aviation and the usual assistants to be with us. I guess within one hour, we should be able to provide the necessary reorientation of this Bill; it is in bad shape.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 5:11 p.m.
    Very well.
    ADJOURNMENT 5:11 p.m.