Debates of 10 Jun 2021

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:45 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Table Office, please always try to include on the Order Paper, “Communication from the President” as an item. The communication may not only be a message on the state of the nation, so please take note.
Hon Members, I have a number of messages from the President. I would have to go through them with you since they are directed to you through me. The first message, dated the 8th of June, 2021 goes as follows:
COMMUNICATION FROM THE PRESIDENT 11:45 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Hon Members, we now have the members of the Cabinet, which is in accordance with the provisions of the 1992 Constitution particularly, Article 76 (1). Out of the 19 members, 12 of them are Hon Members of Parliament and that satisfies the constitutional provision. [Pause]
Hon Members, this is to remind you that the President has marked the 11th of June, 2021 as “Green Ghana Day'' and it is expected that we would all participate in that national exercise. I want to take this opportunity to entreat all Hon Members of Parliament to participate in the tree planting exercise across the country. All parliamentarians are encouraged to plant trees in their constituencies.
As a result of that, today would be a short day. Parliament would adjourn Sitting by 2.00 p.m. to allow Hon Members to travel to their constituencies to lead the tree planting exercise. The Clerk to Parliament is hereby directed to provide the cost of travel in and out for Hon Members to participate in the exercise.
I want to, on behalf of Parliament and on my part, pledge our collective support for the “Green Ghana Day''. I personally would lead the team in Parliament to plant trees in the
precincts of Parliament tomorrow. [Hear! Hear1] Since my Constituency is the whole of Ghana, I would lead the exercise to green the enclave of Parliament. [Hear! Hear!] Hon Members, “Green Ghana, let us go planting”.
God bequeathed to us the Garden of Eden and we all recall the green flora and fauna; the beauty of the Garden of Eden, but by our actions and inactions we have plundered the whole Garden of Eden. Please, it behoves on us to at least, recapture that Garden of Eden if not for today's generation, but at least, for generations unborn. Once again, “Green Ghana, let us go planting''.
Hon Members, we would move to item numbered 3 -- Correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:45 a.m.
rose
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr T. Nyarko 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, my name is Bismark Tetteh Nyarko. I cannot find my name which normally appears on page 5. I have also observed that pages 5 and 6 are omitted.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Hon Members, please wait until we get to the end. If your name is not found anywhere, then you draw our attention. It is not always the case that you would find your name at page 5.
Mr T. Nyarko 12:05 p.m.
Very well, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Page 6, 7 —
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, yesterday, I passed through very briefly before reclining to engage in some other businesses. It looks like I did not register on the radar of the Table Officers and so I have been marked absent. That certainly is inaccurate.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Well, let us end and see. You said you have been marked absent? We are still at page 6.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I said page 8.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
I have not reached page 8.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, then I am leading you to page 8. [Laughter.]
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Page 7 … 8 --
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, just to restate the point I made which has relevance for page
8.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Yes. So Table Office, kindly take note of the Hon Majority Leader and the Hon Tetteh Nyarko. [Pause] --
Page 9 -- [Interruption] --
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Samuel Atta-Mills 12:05 p.m.
I thank you, Mr Speaker. I was here yesterday but I have been marked absent on page 8 and the name is Atta-Mills.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Sorry?
Mr Atta-Mills 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I said I was here yesterday but I have been marked absent on page 8, item numbered 11.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Item numbered 11, Hon Atta-Mills Samuel?
Mr Atta-Mills 12:05 p.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Yes, I could not identify you because of your mask and you are also not at your seat and so, a different name appeared on the consul.
Page 9 -- [Interruption] --
Sorry, the Hon Deputy Majority Whip?
Mr Habib Iddrisu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 8, item numbered 15, the Hon Member for Nandom, Ambrose Dery was here yesterday but he has been marked absent.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Page 8, item numbered 15, the Hon Member for Nandom Constituency was present yesterday. Please, Table Office take note.
Page 9 -- 13?
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Paul Apreku Twum- Barimah 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, page 13, item numbered 2, Mr Bryan Acheampong's name appears twice in the attendance; numbers (i) and (iii).
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Yes, Table Office, kindly take note.
Sorry, Hon Member, we did not get your name.
Mr Twum-Barimah 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, Hon Paul Twum-Barima, MP for Dormaa-East.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
You would have to supply your portrait. It is not in the IT system.
Mr Twum-Barimah 12:05 p.m.
I thank you very much, Mr Speaker, I will do that.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Page 14 -- 18
Hon Members, in the absence of any further corrections, the Votes and Proceedings of the Tenth Sitting of the Second Meeting of the First Session held on Wednesday, 9th June, 2021 as corrected be hereby adopted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, item numbered 4, Business Statement for the Fourth Week by the Chairman of the Business Committee.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I am still working on the Business Statement for the ensuing week, so, on account of that, I would want to seek your leave to alter the order of Business for the day in order
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Leave granted.
So, if I heard you right, we would move to Public Business.
Hon Members, at the Commencement of Public Business, item numbered 8, Presentation of Papers. The following Papers are to be presented;
Item 8 (a) (i) by the Hon Majority Leader.
PAPERS 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 8 (b) by the Minister for Energy?
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
Mr Speaker, if I may have your leave to present the Paper on behalf of the Minister for Energy?
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Yes.
By the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) on behalf of (the Minister for Energy).
Budget Performance Report in Respect of the Ministry of Energy for the period January to December 2020.
Referred to the Committee on Mines and Energy.
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Item numbered 8 (c) (i) by the Hon Minister for Finance.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I would like to seek your leave to present the Paper on behalf of the Hon Minister for Finance.
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Leave granted.
rose
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Sorry, Hon Deputy Minority Leader?
Mr James K. Avedzi 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader is seeking your leave to lay the Paper on behalf of the Minister for Finance without briefing the House why the Minister who is to present about four Agreements is not here. We know that at the moment, he has no deputy Minister but we must be told why he is not here. At least, that will satisfy Hon Members than to seek your leave without telling the House where the Hon Minister is.
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Well, you realised that I had already granted the leave. This is because in the case of the Hon Minister for Energy, there was no objection even though he did not state any reasons for the Minister's unavailability.
So, I took it that the Minority has no objection, but taking note of the fact that the Hon Majority Leader is also the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, and is now part of Cabinet, the list I just read this morning clearly shows that he is part of the 19- member Cabinet. So, he will be
seized with all matters coming from the various Ministries. However, if we want him to give reasons why the Minister for Finance is not available, why not?
Hon Majority Leader, any good reason why the Hon Minister for Finance is not available, then can we go on?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is engaged in a very crucial meeting which began this morning at 9.30 a.m. that is the reason he is not able to be here.
Having said so, these are requests for waiver of import duties and they are not Agreements as the Hon Deputy Minority Leader sought to indicate that I am presenting Agreements on his behalf.
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Hon Deputy Minority Leader, are you satisfied?
Mr Avedzi 12:15 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I could not hear the Hon Majority Leader when he was explaining because he was not very audible. Usually, when he speaks, we find it difficult to hear him but I am okay.
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Even though you have not heard him?
Mr Speaker 12:15 p.m.
Thank you so much. It is really a common complain that Hon Members have been complaining to me that they find it difficult to hear the Hon Majority Leader when he is on his feet and we have reported this to the technical people to work on his microphone.
However, today, as we discussed it, my attention was drawn to the echoing effect of some of the microphones which are some of the challenges we face in using a Chamber like this and so, we will still work to improve it. I have been praying that the roof does not collapse on us one day because of the expansion that we have done which has affected the structural integrity of the building.
So, even though some of you are behind the pillars, we still have to go gingerly because the structure is now very fragile. We have been working on the information communication technology (ICT) and you would realise that even the internet system is very bad and it is because of the nature of the structure we have. We should not forget that this building was constructed for an international conference and not for a Chamber.
However, in the meantime, this is the state the country has reached and we have to make do with it. After all, when one rents a chamber and hall facility, he or she uses his veranda as a kitchen and so that is still a kitchen. When we get to the state that the people of Ghana will be happy with our performance and the economy will be in a state to support the construction of a new Chamber, that generation will do that and maybe, not ours.
So, Hon Members, we will now take item numbered 8 (c) (i) to be taken by the Hon Minister for Parliamentary Affairs on behalf of the Minister for Finance.
By the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu) on behalf of (the Minister for Finance).
(i) Request for waiver on Import Duties, GETFund Levy, NHIL, Import VAT, and EXIM Levy amounting to the Ghana cedi equivalent of fourteen million, seven hundred and eighteen thousand, four hundred and seventy-nine United States dollars sixteen cents (US$14,718,479.16) on materials, plants, machinery
and equipment or parts to be imported by B5 Plus Limited under the implementation of the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.
(ii)Request for waiver on Import Duties, GETFund Levy, NHIL, Import VAT, and EXIM Levy amounting to the Ghana cedi equivalent of eight million, nine hundred and eighty three thousand, seven hundred and nine United States dollars (US$8,983,709.00) on materials, plants, machinery and equipment or parts to be imported by Ferro Fabrik Limited under the imple- mentation of the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.
(iii) Request for waiver on Import Duties, GETFund Levy, NHIL, Import VAT, and EXIM Levy amounting to the Ghana cedi equivalent of one million, seven hundred and twenty-four thousand, one hundred and thirty-two United States dollars fifty-two cents (US$1,724,132.52) on materials, plants, machinery
and equipment or parts to be imported by Everpure Holdings Limited under the implementation of the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.
(iv) Request for waiver on Import Duties, GETFund Levy, NHIL, Import VAT, and EXIM Levy amounting to the Ghana cedi equivalent of one million, three hundred and eighty-nine thousand, and eighteen United States dollars ninety cents (US$1,389,018.90) on materials, plants, machinery and equipment or parts to be imported by Miro Forestry Ghana Limited under the implementation of the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.
Referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mr Speaker 12:25 p.m.
Hon Members, item numbered 8 (d) to be laid by the Hon Chairman of the Committee.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, may I request that we stand down item numbered 8 (d) as well as the subsequent Motions listed as items (9), (10), (11) and (12)?
Mr Speaker 12:25 p.m.
Hon Members, the items are accordingly stood down so we would move to item numbered 5 on page 2 of the Order Paper -- Urgent Questions.
The Hon Second Deputy Speaker would take the Chair because I am to participate in a virtual conference right now.
Hon Members, item numbered 5 (a); an Urgent Question in the name of Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Hon Member for Tamale South and the Hon Minority Leader.
Mr Avedzi 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader is engaged in the Appointments Committee and he has directed me to ask the Urgent Question on his behalf.
Mr Speaker 12:25 p.m.
Very well. You may proceed.
URGENT QUESTIONS 12:25 p.m.
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT 12:25 p.m.
Minister for Transport (Mr Kweku Ofori Asiamah) 12:25 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the concession agreement between the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) and Frontiers Healthcare Services for the conduct of COVID-19 Testing at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) started on 1st September, 2020. The
measure was taken to curtail the importation of Coronavirus into the country through the Kotoka International Airport, which is the foremost entry point by air passengers from various countries.
Mr Speaker, the strategy was to test and isolate infected persons for treatment at various designated health facilities and vaccination centres.
Mr Speaker, per the concession agreement, GACL was supposed to receive US$10 as royalties per each test done and Frontiers Healthcare Services was to keep the rest as their service charge and the total cost for one test was US$150. So, Frontiers Healthcare Services had a share of US$140 while the GACL received
US$10.
Mr Speaker, it is in truth to inform this august House that between September and December, 2020, the total amount realised from the COVID-19 Testing at the KIA was US$17,359,500. As per the concession agreement stated earlier. Frontiers Healthcare Services retained US$16,202,200 for its services from September to December, 2020.
The GACL on the other hand received US$1,157,300 for the same period as royalties accrued from the COVID-19 Testing. Mr Speaker, during the period under consideration, a total number of 117,187 persons came through the KIA and out of this number 115,730 passengers paid for the test while 1,150 consisting children between the ages of five and 12 years were exempted from paying for the test.
Mr Speaker, according to information obtained from the GACL, a total of 704 persons tested positive for the Coronavirus from 1st September to 31st December, 2020 while those who tested negative for the same period were 116,483 persons and a detailed breakdown is available for the information of this House. Mr Speaker, it is worthy to mention that the only parties of the concession were the Frontiers Healthcare Services and the GACL.
Mr Speaker, I wish to conclude that but for this intervention at the KIA, 704 positive cases that were detected would have infected a good number of Ghanaians, if they had found themselves in the various parts of the country.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
  • [MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER IN THE CHAIR.]
    • Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:32 p.m.
    Hon Member, any supplementary question?
    Mr Avedzi 12:32 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister in his Answer said that out of US$150 per test the GACL received US$10 while the Frontiers Healthcare Services received US$140. I would want to find out from the Hon Minister that apart from the equipment used by the Frontiers Healthcare Services, are there other facilities being used not for the GACL? If they are, does the Hon Minister think that the US$10 can cover the cost of the usage of these facilities?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:32 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the agreement was that the GACL would only provide a space for the Frontier Healthcare Services which they paid for and the rest of the cost was also incurred by them. The rental of the space cost them US$153,430 for each year and they paid this, but for the royalties, it was supposed to be US$10. All the cost of setting up the place was borne by Frontier Healthcare Services.
    Mr Avedzi 12:32 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I want to know if the cost borne by Frontiers Healthcare Services include the cost of electricity that they used for their equipment?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:32 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my understanding was that they paid for all the expenses they incurred so as far as I am concerned, the concession agreement was for only the space.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:32 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minority Leader, you may ask a last supplementary question?
    Mr Avedzi 12:32 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Hon Minister if the Frontiers Healthcare Services is still doing the COVID-19 Testing? If yes, are they still charging US$150 per testing, if not, what is the new rate and sharing ratio?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, since February 8, 2021, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has come out with the directive that all citizens of ECOWAS Member countries are supposed to pay US$50 while all other nationals are paying the
    US$150.
    Mr Speaker, they are still paying a royalty of US$10 to Ghana Airport Company Limited.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for South Dayi?
    Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister in his initial Answer to the House said his Ministry provided only space to Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited at the airport for purposes of the activities they are carrying out.
    Mr Speaker, I am aware that the space at the airport is given out in square metre prices. And so I would want to find out from the Hon Minister how many square metres is Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited occupying at the airport for which they are paid US$10 per transaction and they take US$140?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, it is true that the Ghana Airport Company Limited rents their space in square metres to their clients which is exactly what they did. However, in terms of the actual space in square metres, I would not be able to provide. I would cross check. This is a house of records, and I would not mention any figure that Hon Members would find out tomorrow that it is not
    true. If permission is granted, I would come back to the House to give the actual square metres that was given to Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for Ayawaso North?
    Mr Yussif Issaka Jajah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to confirm from the Hon Minister if indeed he said by way of choosing the company, because of the urgent nature of it, they did not follow the normal contracting awarding process but rather chose the company to do the job.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Members, it appears the Hon Minister did not hear your question, if you could repeat?
    Mr Jajah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was asking this because he said something similar and since we do not have the text of his Answer.
    I am finding out from the Hon Minister if he indeed said because of the urgent nature of the situation, the process of awarding a contract were not duly followed and for that matter the company was selected as part of the process.
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the nature of the agreement was a concession of a space that Ghana Airport Company rented to Frontier Healthcare Services Limited. Indeed, we followed the procurement process for the renting of the space to Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, for supplementary question, you have only one chance. Let me give the opportunity to the Hon Member for --
    Mr Jajah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is the same question I am asking. He did not answer my question. My question was not about renting of a space. It was about the choice of the company to do the work. He answered a different question.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Minister, are you minded to answer the Question?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the process of funding a health provider to provide healthcare services is not in the remit of the Ministry of Transport or the Ghana Airports Company Limited. So the nature was granting of space to them to operate.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for Ellembele?
    Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer, he indicated that all Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited did was to rent a space. However, Mr Speaker, it is very clear when you get to the setup, that the Ghana Health Service, Port Health and Immigration Service are all playing a role in the process of testing. How are they compensated?
    The Hon Minister indicated that out of the US$17 million in the first three months, Frontiers Healthcare Services took US$16 million and gave US$1 million to the Ghana Airport Company Limited as rent. How are the Port Health, the Ministry of Health and officials who support the Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited paid?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the nature of the question was what the engagement between the Ghana Airport Company Limited and Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited was? If Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited has any other arrangement with any public institution, he might find out from them. This is because the Question directed to me was to come and account for the relationship between Ghana Airports Company Limited and Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited.
    Mr Kwabena Mensah Woyome 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, will the Hon Minister consider a call for a review of the Agreement and or for possible abrogation in view of the ratio that does not sound so well in terms of the distribution of the proceeds so that they re-engage other companies that are very capable of doing this same thing at a more cost effective manner?
    Mr K. O. Asiamah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, with the nature of the arrangement that the Ghana Airports Company Limited have with our clients at the airport, we have a range of royalties we charge our clients which is between five to 10 per cent, and we are within the same rate. I do not think anything untoward has happened in terms of the arrangement about the royalties that our clients paid to us to warrant any termination. If anything of that nature comes up, we would consider it.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Minister for Transport, the House thanks you for attending upon the House to answer this Urgent Question. We are grateful to you. You are discharged.
    Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Minister responsible for Youth and Sports gave a
    communication and indicated to us that he has not yet been able to assemble all the facts in respect of the Urgent Questions asked by Hon Kwabena Mensah Woyome.
    So we would stand that Question down and move to the other Urgent Questions; 5(c) and 5(d).
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Very well. Is the Hon Member for Akatsi North around? Hon Member, you may take the Floor and ask your Question.
    MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Peter Nortsu-Kotoe (NDC -- Akatsi North) 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Education when the Ministry of Education will fulfil the pledge made by the former Minister for Education for the new classroom block for Breman Gyamera Methodist Basic School in the Asikuma -- Odoben -- Brakwa District, following the collapse of a dilapidated block in which six pupils lost their lives in February, 2017.
    Minister for Education (Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum) (MP) 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry in 2017 visited Breman Gyamera Methodist Basic School in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District as part of steps to fulfil the pledge to construct a new classroom block for the school. The team that visited the school realised that the District Assembly had collaborated with Goldkey Properties Limited to construct a new classroom block for the school after the incident. The classroom block has been completed and is in use by the school.
    Mr Speaker, the District Assembly is putting up a 6-unit classroom block for the school and the project is currently at the gable level. The Ministry therefore, channelled the resources for the benefit of other schools in need of infrastructure.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the Hon Minister if he is saying that the District Assembly is constructing a six unit classroom block. Is it in fulfilment of the Minister's promise or pledge or the Assembly is building it from its own resources?
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Dr Adutwum 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, classrooms are built for the benefit of our schools. Whether it is put up by the Ministry or by the district, the most important factor is that provision is being made for students to have access to classrooms so that they can study. So this classroom block is being built from the resources of the District Assembly for the benefit of the students.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, although I am not satisfied with the answer, I would move forward.
    Mr Speaker, he indicated in his Answer that Government collaborated with an NGO to construct a classroom block to replace the collapsed one. Per the Daily Graphic Report of 13 th September, 2017, there is no indication that there was a collaboration between the Government or the Ministry of Education and Goldkey Properties Limited. When was this collaborated and negotiated?
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Dr Adutwum 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in my Answer, I did not indicate that the Ministry collaborated. It says, “The District Assembly collaborated with
    Goldkey properties…” That is what I reported on. I never said that the Ministry collaborated with Goldkey Properties.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, so in the event of all these, what is the Ministry doing for the school at Breman Gyamera?
    Dr Adutwum 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I indicated that classrooms are built for the benefit of schools. If the first classroom has been built and students are using it and another one is being built for the students, why should we go back and build another classroom block there? There would be no student to use those facilities. So if their needs have been met, we are grateful to Goldkey Properties Limited and the District Assembly. We need to move on to another community and put up another block there.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Dr Apaak 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Question that was posed was, “What else was being done”. So I would want the Hon Minister to respond to that.
    Dr Adutwum 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not sure if my Hon Colleague has received a request from the school. If he makes it available to me, I would
    be very happy to take a look at it. As I stand here, I have not received any request from the school so if they ask what else, I do not know what else. The school has a building, they have furniture and they are studying.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
    We now move to item numbered 5(d). Question by Mr Cletus Seidu Dapilah, the Hon Member for Jirapa.
    Provision of Desks to Pupils -- Jirapa Municipality
    Mr Cletus Seidu Dapilah 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Education when the over-10,000 pupils who do not have desks in the Jirapa Municipality would be provided with desks or furniture to make studying and classroom work effective.
    Dr Adutwum 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry is poised to make the conditions of our schools conducive for effective teaching and learning. The provision of furniture contributes to attaining this goal.
    The Ministry has programmed to supply various types of furniture to schools across the country in phases and has currently placed an advert in the Ghanaian Times for the supply of furniture.
    Mr Emmanuel A. Buah 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer, he said that the Ministry would be supplying the furniture in phases and there has been adverts in the papers. What we did not hear was the specifics. What is the quantity of the first phase of supply in the advert?
    Dr Adutwum 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, what I can disclose to my Hon Colleague is that we have GH¢25 million worth of furniture being procured. In terms of the pieces, I do not have the numbers. I would supply that to the House later but I know we are spending GH¢25 million in the procurement process to get furniture for the first phase.
    Mr Dapilah 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Question I asked the Minister is necessary because we have around 24,686 pupils from kindergarten to junior high school in the Municipality. We have 10080 of them writing on the bare floor and here is the case, parents are not supposed to pay money for these things. So the teachers just watch these pupils.
    A child is bathed nicely and he goes to school to lie on the floor to write. This cannot enhance learning. So I think that the Hon Minister should be able to give us some specifics like Hon Buah just asked. It is a dire situation. It is not a good situation at all and considering the bureaucracy in our system, when would the procurement be done? Half of the population not having desks means that no effective learning is taking place in the Muncipality.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, is it a question?
    What is your question?
    Mr Dapilah 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister's Answer is open. He has not given any specific time regarding when the procurement and delivery would be done so that if it does not happen, maybe I can come back to ask him again.

    What he said is too open. He said adverts have been made. When would these project be awarded for delivery? So, the question is specific - from which period to which period can we expect that the furniture would be delivered?
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I do not have the details of the advert in the newspapers in terms of timelines for the procurements, but one thing that I would like to tell him is that this is the phase one, and I do not know how much of it would go to that particular district, but all that I can assure him is that there is procurement, and when distribution is being done, the right numbers would be sent to the right districts.
    Mr Sulemana Yusif 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to find this out from the Hon Minister. My Hon Colleague in asking him, the Question said that there is a policy in place that does not allow parents to support in the provision of furniture. Can the Hon Minister confirm to me that there is a policy in place that debar parents from supporting in the provision of furniture?
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have been an Hon Deputy Minister for Education for four years, and I am now the Hon Minister for Education, but I have not come across any policy that says that parents cannot support the schools of their wards.
    Mr Andrew Dari Chiwitey 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister just answered that there was no policy like that in place. So, can parents now buy furniture for their wards, and at what level?
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague was making a statement as to a policy that he believed exists, and I was emphatic that I had not seen any such policy.
    Mr Edward A. Bawa 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, under the Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), we are supposed to have our kids at the basic level go to school free of cost. My question specifically is this; is it the case that under that Programme, parents still have a shared responsibility of providing furniture for the basic schools?
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is not the case.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the question seems to be constituency specific, but I could see that it is a general problem. Your Committee, when we were touring the country and we got to East Gonja, we saw that a lot of furniture were packed in front of the Assembly for months, and some were being destroyed. Hon Members of the Committee were very worried, and I thought of drawing the Hon Minister's attention to it after we had returned from that trip.
    Based upon that, would the Hon Minister send circular to almost all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that those with similar furniture packed in front of their offices should distribute them immediately? This is because here is the case that some people lacked furniture, but some are packed somewhere. My witness is the Hon Alalzuuga.
    He was with me when we went to East Gonja and Salaga North or so to witness the same thing. In fact, they were many, and you could see that they had been packed there, and were beaten by the rain, and some were being destroyed. We were worried because Government used to procure them, and they must be distributed and utilised accordingly. I wish the Hon Minister takes notice of that.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    I guess this is not a question. You are just contributing?
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is not a question, it is just for the Hon Minister's attention, so that he would send the circular to those places.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Hon Members, we would jump to the Question numbered 6, which stands in the name of the Hon Member for Amenfi West, the Hon Eric Afful.
    Hon Member, you may take the Floor and ask your Question.
    Completion and Commissioning of the Community Day School
    (E-Block) situated in Tanokrom of Samreboi
    Mr Eric Afful (NDC -- Amenfi West) 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Education when construction of the Community Day School (E-Block) situated in Tanokrom of Samreboi would be completed and commissioned.
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the project in question is part of the phase One of Community Day Senior High School Projects funded by the
    Government of Ghana and awarded in 2014 to Messrs Kasmos Company Limited. The Ministry of Education (MoE) is committed to complete and make use of these projects and has facilitated since 2017 to date the completion and commissioning of 30No. E-Blocks across the country.
    Mr Speaker, the overall progress of the project at Samreboi in the Amenfi West District is 67 per cent complete and the breakdown of work done is as follows:
    E- Block roofed;
    Blockwork completed for Blocks A, B, C and 85 per cent completed for Block D;
    Fixing of Doors and Window Frames is 90 per cent; and
    Wall Plastering is 50 per cent done.
    The Contractor, Messrs Kasmos Company Limited has abandoned site and as such, the project has come to a halt. The Ministry is engaging the contractor and GETFund to revise the cost of the project to reflect the approved current contract rates to enable the contractor move back to site.
    Mr Speaker, the contract agreement will be reviewed with new dates to enable the contractor complete the project for the community of Samreboi by the close of this year 2021. I wish to state again that; the Ministry is committed to facilitate the completion of all ongoing Community Day Senior High School Projects.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Thank you, Hon Minister.
    Hon Member, any supplementary question?
    Mr Afful 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this would not be a question. I would like to remind the Hon Minster to keep the promise that he has made to the people of Amenfi West, and the community of Samreboi for that matter.
    Mr Adama Sulemana 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in answering the Question, the Hon Minister said that the contractor has left site. I would want to find out what happened for the contractor to leave the site, and whether the Ministry has done something about it?
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague from Amenfi West seems to be satisfied with my Answer. I have given details and timelines as
    Dr Adutwum 12:55 p.m.


    to how the whole process would be facilitated. All that I know is that the contractor has abandoned site, and we are working with him to engage him to get back to site. That is what I can say for now.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's Answer, he mentioned that since 2017 till date, 30No of E-Blocks across the country have been completed and commissioned. I would like to find out from the Hon Minister, the state of the first phase of the community based senior high school projects. How many have been completed, and how many are yet to be completed?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Ranking Member, can you file a special Question for that so that the Hon Minister would brief the entire House with respect to all of them?
    Mr A. Ibrahim 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this House approved a facility of US$1.5 billion for the completion of those E- Blocks. The list was given to us as an appendix to the facility, and my witnesses are the then Hon Deputy Minister who currently is the Hon Minister for Education, the Hon Ranking Member and the Hon Leader of the House. I remember all
    those schools were listed. The E- Block in my community and the one in Samreboi were part, but listening to the Answer --
    Mr Speaker, this is a House of record. If we should go back and bring the loan documents, including the list of all ongoing projects that were attached to it, everybody would bear with me that I am speaking the truth.
    The Hon Minister said in his Answer, and I quote:
    “I wish to state again that the Ministry is committed to facilitate the completion of all ongoing Community Day Senior High School Projects.”
    Based on this, I would want to ask this question. Having approved that facility, I would want to know from the Hon Minister if we have finished using the facility and the projects have still not been completed, or part of the money is there waiting for the completion of this project?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Leader, respectfully, I will ask you to also file a special Question.
    We will jump to Question numbered 38 which stands in the name of the Hon Member for Akatsi North.
    Provision of Textbooks in Basic Schools
    Mr Peter Nortsu-Kotoe (NDC -- A katsi Nor th) 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister for Education what plans the Ministry has to provide all Basic Schools in the country with state-owned published textbooks on the new curriculum out- doored about two years ago.
    Dr Adutwum 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the procurement process for the supply of published textbooks to basic schools is currently ongoing. The Ministry placed an advert in the Ghanaian Times on 1st June, 2020,where various publishers approved by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) submitted their books and relevant documents to be taken through a pre-qualification procurement process.
    The Ministry constituted a team of experts to evaluate the submissions and make appropriate recommenda- tions for engagement. The evaluation process has been completed and recommended books have been shortlisted.
    The shortlisted publishers have been invited to the Ministry for a
    negotiation meeting by mid-June, 2021 to agree on a price for the supply of the various selected books.
    The successful negotiation of price would lead to the award of contracts to the publishers to supply the textbooks to all public basic schools.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the absence of textbooks in our basic schools has a dire consequence on the quality of education in the country. Outdooring a curriculum for two years and no textbooks to match it is very serious and we need to do something about it as quickly as possible because many Ghanaians depend on the public education system for the education of their children.
    Mr Speaker, if you ask how many of us have our children in our public basic schools, I do not think anybody would show up that he has his ward there.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Hon Minister if there is any budgetary allocation for the publication and distribution of textbooks for basic schools in the 2021 Budget Statement presented to this House?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague, who just resumed his seat asking the question must be aware of the provisions of Standing Order 67(1) (b) which provides:
    “(1) Questions must comply with the following conditions-
    (b) a Question shall not contain any arguments, expression of opinion, inferences, imputations, epithets or controversial, ironical or offensive expre- ssions or hypothetical cases;”
    Mr Speaker, instead of the Hon Member asking the question coming clean on it, he engaged in his own argument and offends the provisions of our Standing Orders. He must ask his question. Mr Speaker, if you may allow him to go back and do what is compliant with our Standing Orders?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, please take a cue and ask a direct question.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I only gave a background to the
    question depending on the Answer given by the Hon Minister that the absence of textbooks in our basic schools is not good -- for two years, based on a new curriculum. Hon Minister, was there any budgetary allocation for 2021 for the purchase and distribution of textbooks to our basic schools? That is the question.
    Dr Adutwum 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague want to know if we are ready, and I have said we are. The process has begun, and the books would be procured, and they would go to the classrooms.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister did not answer the question fully. I asked if there was any budgetary allocation for this year in the Budget Statement presented by the Hon Minister for Finance? In any case, what would be the ratio of textbooks to be supplied in the schools, and would it be core subjects or all subjects taught at the basic level?
    Dr Adutwum 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I heard my Hon Colleague right. He talked about the ratio. We are procuring textbooks for all courses at the basic level so, the ratio would not apply in this. It would be one pupil to one textbook in terms of all courses that are offered at the basic level. If you have 500,000 students in primary
    5, everybody would get the full complement of textbooks so, I do not understand the issue of ratio in this situation. Ratio only applies if everybody would not get every subject in which case we would talk about -- if six books are needed and we get three then, we have 3:6 ratio. The ratio would not apply in this instance.
    Mr Speaker, I believe I have stated here that the commitment has been made for textbooks to be procured for all students across the length and breadth of this country, and we are going through the process. Where there are no lined items as we understand, my Hon Colleague understands that provision is made through the midyear budget review.
    I would want to assure him that we are going through the process, and books would be procured for all students at the basic level. I believe that is what my Hon Colleague is interested in?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, your last supple- mentary question.
    Mr Nortsu-Kotoe 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is running away from the question on budgetary allocation. I would like to find out from the Hon
    Minister if the textbooks to be published would be uniform as used to be the case where if you picked a class 1 child reading a textbook in English in the Bono Region, it would be the same in the Volta Region?
    I would like to find out from the Hon Minister if the textbooks would be uniform because of events that happened recently where they had to recall some textbooks that were published by some publishers in the country?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minister?
    Dr Adutwum 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if by uniform, my Hon Colleague is referring to the fact that one publisher would publish all books for let us say, English language, across the length and breadth of the country, I would say no but since books are written with a certain standard in place irrespective of the publisher, they all meet the same standards.
    Consequently, the idea of uniformity if it is explained within the context of one publisher, is not what normally happens when we are publishing books for any country. We may not have one publisher publishing all books for the entire county. We

    may have several publishers but they all write with certain standards approved by NACCA. Conse- quently, if the people of a region gets a book to be distinct from another region, it does not in any way hurt them in terms of the educational outcomes that we strive towards.
    Mr Abambire Bawah 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the understanding is that this was a new curriculum that was introduced about two years ago. In the intervening period, the students had no access to textbooks for their studies as part of their learning materials. What was the Ministry's policy direction in how teachers were supposed to conduct these instructions in the various classes for the students to be able to follow the content of the new curriculum that had been given?
    Dr Adutwum 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, what is done under these circumstances is that when we are introducing new textbooks and we are waiting for publishers to get their books read, we publish what is called teaching and learning materials that are distributed to teachers. And this was what was done. Ghana Education Service received teaching and learning materials from NACCA and
    distributed them to all teachers across the country with sample lesson plans and this is what has been used in the intervening years as my Hon Colleague referred to.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    I am taking two more questions: one from the Hon Member for Sene West.
    Mr Kwame Twumasi Ampofo 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I heard the Hon Minister this afternoon in the news that they are going to examine all Class Four pupils across the nation. There are no textbooks; there are no materials and so what criterion are they going to use for this examination that they would conduct?
    Dr Adutwum 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in my answer to the last question that was posed to me, I indicated that teaching guides and materials were provided to teachers in alignment with the standards on the new curriculum that is being deployed in the classroom. So, teachers have been teaching, and if teachers have been teaching, we can assess the students based on what the teachers have taught.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon Members, we will take the final supplementary question from the Hon Deputy Ranking Member.
    Dr Clement A. Apaak 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you. Textbooks support a curriculum by providing a standard and framework for a systematic and integrated study of a particular subject area. Can the Minister tell Ghanaians when the textbooks would be available to our public basic schools? Two years after the introduction of the new curriculum, we need timelines.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon Minister, are you minded to answer the question?
    Dr Adutwum 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have indicated that the procurement is ongoing. As I speak with you, publishers have been called to submit prices of their books so that the procurement process would continue. I know that procurement follows certain processes but within the period of three months, I am sure we would have had the textbooks being distributed to various schools in the country.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:15 p.m.
    Hon Members, we would like to thank the Hon Minister for Education for attending upon the House to respond to some Urgent Questions.
    Hon Minister, thank you very much, and you are discharged.
    Hon Members, we would like to go to the item listed 4 on the Order Paper; that is the Business Statement for the Fourth Week. Respectfully, Hon Majority Leader?
    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 1:15 p.m.
    Introduction:
    Mr Speaker, the Committee met today, Thursday, 10th June, 2021 and arranged Business of the House for the Fourth Week ending Friday, 18th June, 2021.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 1:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 1:15 p.m.
    Arrangement of Business
    Formal Communications by the Speaker
    Mr Speaker, you may read any available communication to the House.
    Question(s)
    MrSpeaker, the Business Committee has scheduled the following Ministers to respond to Questions asked of them during the week:
    No. of Question(s)
    i. Minister for Works and Housing -- 2
    ii. Minister for Communications -- 4
    iii. Minister for Defence -- 1
    iv. Minister for Food and Agriculture -- 2
    v. Minister for Energy -- 2
    vi. Minister for Finance -- 4
    vii. Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources -- 6
    Total Number of Questions -- 21
    Mr Speaker, in all, seven (7) Ministers are expected to attend upon the House to respond to twenty-one (21) Questions during the week. The questions are of the following types:
    i. Urgent -- 4;
    ii. Oral -- 17
    Statements
    Mr Speaker, pursuant to Order 70(2), Ministers of State may be permitted to make Statements of Government policy. Statements duly admitted by Mr Speaker may be made in the House by Hon Members in accordance with Order 72.
    Bills, Papers and Reports
    Mr Speaker, Bills may be presented to the House for First Reading in accordance with Order 120. However, those of urgent nature may be taken through the various stages in one day in accordance with Order 119.
    Pursuant to Order 75, Papers for presentation to the House may be placed on the Order Paper for laying. Committee reports may also be presented to the House for consideration.
    Motions and Resolutions
    Mr Speaker, Motions may be debated and their consequential Resolutions, if any, taken during the week.
    Outstanding Statutory Formulae
    Mr Speaker, the Committee of the Whole would endeavour to complete its consideration of the GETFund Formula and report to plenary by Tuesday, 15 th June, 2021. The Committee of the Whole is expected to consider the formulae for disbursing the District Assemblies' Common Fund and the National Health Insurance Fund when they are presented to the House in due course.
    Light Business on Friday, 18th June, 2021
    Mr Speaker, having regard to the exigencies of the schedules of Hon Members for Friday, 18th June, 2021, the Business Committee proposes that business for Friday be light and expedited for early adjournment of the House, to enable Hon Members travel to their respective Constituencies to attend to those equally important responsibilities.
    Conclusion
    Mr Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 160(2) and subject to Standing Order 53, the Committee submits to this honourable House the order in which Business of the House shall be taken during the week.

    Questions --

    *10. Ms Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (Dadekotopon): To ask the Minister for Works and Housing what plans the Ministry has towards the dredging of the Kpeshie Lagoon in the Dadekotopon Constituency.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 1:15 p.m.
    11. Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie (Ketu South): To ask the Minister for Works and Housing what urgent steps the Ministry is taking to permanently address the devastating effect of the tidal waves on the Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutsinu communities in the Ketu South Constituency.
    15. Mr Abed-Nego Azumah Bandim (Bunkpurugu): To ask the Minister for Commu- nications and Digitalisation when Ghana will fully migrate from analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).
    16. Mr Abed-Nego Azumah Bandim (Bunkpurugu): To ask the Minister for Commu- nications and Digitalisation how many communities are to benefit from the rural telephony project in 2021.
    17. Mr Adam Mohammed Sukparu (Sissala West): To ask the Minister for Commu- nications and Digitalisation what steps will be taken to improve mobile telephony reception in the following communities in the
    Sissala West Constituency: (i) Fatchu (ii) Duwie (iii) Zini (iv) Gbal (v) Kupulma (vi) Bouti (vii) Kusali (viii) Kandia (ix) Kunkorku (x) Puzane (xi) Bukpal.
    40. Mr Yusif Sulemana (Bole/ Bamboi): To ask the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation when the following communities will be connected to mobile network: (i) Sakpa (ii) Seripe (iii) Sonyo (iv) Charche (v) Babato (vi) Chibrinyo (vii) Maluwe (viii) Tesilima.
    Statements --
    Presentation of Papers --
    (a)Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (acting through the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation) and the Swiss Confederation (acting through the Federal Department for the Environ- ment, Transport, Energy and Communications) towards the Implementation of the Article Six (6) of the Paris Climate Change Agreement;
    (b)Budget Performance Report in respect of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development for the Period January to December, 2020;
    (c)Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for the Distribution of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for the Year
    2021;
    (d) Fifth Report of the Appointments Committee on the President's nominations for Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial Appointments.
    Motions --
    Committee sittings.

    Urgent Questions

    (a) Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (North Tongu): To ask the Minister for Defence whether the Presidential Jet (Dassault Falcon-9G-EXE) is in good condition and is considered air-worthy.

    (b) Mr Iddie Kofi Adams (Buem): To ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture when COCOBOD will release outstanding funds to Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies for cocoa beans purchased in the 2020/2021 Crop Season.

    Questions --

    8. Mr Adam Mohammed Sukparu (Sissala West): To ask the Minister for Energy when the following communities in the Sissala West Constituency will be connected to the national grid: (i) Paana (ii) Sangbaka (iii) Kuni (iv) Gbele.

    39. Mr Yusif Sulemana (Bole/ Bamboi): To ask the Minister for Energy when the following communities will be connected to the national grid: (i) Chibrinyo (ii) Babato (iii) Dogli (iv) Noryiri (v) Bekwaikura (vi) Gbagda (vii) Nsunia.

    82. Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza (Adaklu): To ask the Minister for Food and Agriculture how many cocoa road contracts were awarded since 2017, which method of procurement was used in
    Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 1:15 p.m.
    selecting the contractors, and how the Ministry intends to pay for these projects.
    Statements --
    Presentation of Papers --
    (a)Sixth Report of the Appointments Committee on the President's nominations for Deputy Ministerial Appointments.
    (b) Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for Distributing the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) for the Year
    2021.
    (c)Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for the Disbursement of the National Health Insurance Fund for the year 2021.
    Motions --
    (a)Adoption of the Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for the Distribution of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for the Year
    2021.
    (b) Adoption of the Fifth Report of the Appointments Commi- ttee on the President's nominations for Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial Appointments.
    Committee sittings.

    Urgent Questions

    (a) Mr Haruna Iddrisu (Tamale South): To ask the Minister for Finance the total amount of temporary advances from the Bank of Ghana to the Government of Ghana for the 2020 Financial Year.

    (b) Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (North Tongu): To ask the Minister for Finance how much the President's recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa in May this year cost the Ghanaian taxpayer.

    Questions --

    3. Mr Suhuyini Alhassan Sayibu (Tamale North): To ask the Minister for Finance which independent power producing companies have received

    payment from the Government of Ghana for excess capacity charges and how much was paid to each company in the last four years.

    9. Mr Suhuyini Alhassan Sayibu (Tamale North): To ask the Minister for Finance why McKinsey & Company Inc. Ghana and Ghana Revenue Authority mutually agreed to suspend a June 2018 contract, which was aimed to increase tax revenue collection.

    12. Mr Daniel Nsala Wakpal (Kpandai): To ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources whether there are plans to initiate a town water system project in Kpandai, which is now a municipality.

    13. Mr Daniel Nsala Wakpal (Kpandai): To ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources whether there are plans to provide borehole facilities or alternative water systems for the following communities in the Kpandai Constituency: (i) Samboli (ii) Chakori (iii) Nyumbo (iv) Lambado (v) Binagmado (vi) Kujo (vii) Bubari (viii) Kwatape (ix) Kapui (x) Takinado (xi)

    Sungwa (xii) Legee (xiii) Ochiripe (xiv) Nijero (xv) Dalando (xvi) Kpakpa (xvii) Kachinke.

    14. Mr Daniel Nsala Wakpal (Kpandai): To ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources if there are plans to extend small water systems to the following communities in the Kpandai Constituency, to solve the perennial water scarcity: (i) Kabonwute (ii) Sholoto (iii) Blajai (iv) Kojobone (v) Wiae (vi) Lonto (vii) Kabeso (viii) Kpadjai (ix) Gulibi Quarters (x) Binagmado (xi) Tanglento (xii) Balai (xiii) Kitari (xiv) Kakpani (xv) Nkachina (xvi) Kumdi (xvii) Katiejeli (xviii) Buya.

    42. Mr Yusif Sulemana (Bole/ Bamboi): To ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources when Bamboi will be provided with pipe-borne water.

    48. Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem (Asuogyaman): To ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources what plans the Government has to connect the following communities in the Asuogyaman District to the Ghana Water pipelines: (i) Nnudu (ii) Aboasa (iii) Apeguso (iv) Mpakadan (v)
    Mr Speaker, the Committee accordingly submits its report as follows 1:15 p.m.
    Anyensu (vi) Abomayaw (vii) Frankadua (viii) Fintey (ix) Osiabura.
    68. Mr James Klutse Avedzi (Ketu North): To ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources what the Ministry is doing to solve the acute water shortage in Dzodze, which according to the Community Water Board, was due to the inability of Government to pay for free water supplied to the people under the Government's COVID-19 Free Water programme.
    Statements --
    Presentation of Papers --
    Seventh Report of the Appointments Committee on the President's nominations for Deputy Ministerial Appointments.
    Motions --
    (a)Adoption of the Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for Distributing the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) for the Year 2021.
    (b) Adoption of the Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for the Disbursement of the National Health Insurance Fund for the year 2021.
    (c) Adoption of the Sixth Report of the Appointments Committee on the President's nominations for Deputy Ministerial Appointments.
    Committee sittings.

    Statements

    Motions --

    Adoption of the Seventh Report of the Appointments Committee on the President's nominations for Deputy Ministerial Appointments.

    Committee sittings.
    Mr Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Hon Member for Ho Central?
    Mr Benjamin Komla Kpodo 1:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am worried about this issue of light business. Is it that we do not have work to do or we are
    only --? I do not understand. If you would recall, when we do not work fully these days, towards the end of the Meeting, we would pile work to do. Sometimes, we would stay here up to 10 p. m. and midnight, spilling over into the following day. I think that we should work now.
    I want to find out, we have been slating these three Funds: the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF), National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for discussion. Is it that the managers of these Funds have not presented the Reports or we are not ready to work on them? I think that these are very important.
    If you look at the Assemblies, they are not functioning because we have to approve the formula before moneys can be released to them. Even our own projects are stuck because we have not worked on these things, so what exactly is happening? Could the Hon Majority Leader explain why we have to hold on to these and do light business at the beginning of the Meeting?
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:25 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader, I thought that you would take a number of them --
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:25 p.m.
    Yes, Mr Speaker, but I must give him a light response to the question asked. If my Hon Colleague listened to me, at the Business Committee, it was considered that on Friday, we should not prolong Sitting because Hon Members expressed the desire to travel to their constituencies to engage in constituency business. So, this is in direct response to requests from Hon Members.
    Secondly, if he would look at Friday's business, it also seeks to adopt the Seventh Report of the Appointments Committee on the President's nominations for Deputy Ministerial Appointments. It is expected that about 15 or so of the nominees would be involved and the House would want to go through these one after the other.
    If you would remember, at the very outset, an indication was given that the President would want to swear in these Members, assuming that nothing untoward was found on any of them, on Friday, the evening of that same day. So, that is the reason I referred to the exigencies of the time in respect of next week Friday.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague raised these issues again on the DACF, the NHIL and GETFund. Again, if he followed me on the
    Mr Samuel Nartey George 1:25 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, in reading the Business Statement for the week, I would want some clarity from the Hon Majority Leader on what time we start Sitting? This is because we have
    realised over the past three weeks, a disparity in Sitting times. Is it 10 a. m. or 2 p. m? We would want some certainty on what time Sitting would begin?
    Again, I also just want to draw the attention of the leader of the House to the fact that this House, in the last Parliament, raised the issue of the security of Members of Parliament (MP), after the unfortunate demise of one of our Colleagues. This led to the allocation of police bodyguards to MPs. Let it be known that more than half of MPs who have police guards have these guards who are largely ushers. This is because even though they have been trained, they have not been issued the requisite side arms to offer protection for the job they are doing. So, we do not have police bodyguards, but ushers.
    The last issue is one which the Hon Majority Leader is very passionate about. It is on the Annual Reports of State Agencies and Ministries. Since we have been told today that thankfully, he is part of the Cabinet, he should whisper to the President to ask his Ministers to bring their Reports. Some of the Agencies are in default, as far back as 2015, which is six years in arrears. We need those Reports. If those Reports were before
    the House, once there is no Government Business for us to do now and we are having light Sittings, the Committees would sit heavily to work on those Reports.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Edward Abambire Bawa 1:25 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    I just need some clarity here, particularly item numbered 3 on the outstanding statutory formula. My understanding has been that all Boards of Corporations and Government institutions had been dissolved. That was the understanding I got. I also know that these particular formulae would have to be presented to Parliament through the approval of those various Boards.
    I see that the Hon Majority Leader is indicating that they want them to work on these Reports and present them to plenary by Tuesday, 15th June. My question is, if we do not have Boards of these statutory bodies, that is GETFund and NHIL, on what basis is this formula before Parliament, for us to even consider approving them? I just want some clarity on that because I have not heard any announcement of Boards and their approvals.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 1:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you admitted Questions for this week and so the Minister for Roads and Highways would have been here tomorrow to answer those Questions. We are however, told that we would not Sit tomorrow and I have not seen the Questions reflect in next week's Business Statement. I would want to draw the Hon Majority Leader's attention, so that Questions that would have been answered tomorrow, could find space in this Business Statement.
    Thank you.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:35 p.m.
    Respectfully, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think it is most appropriate, the request by the Hon Member for Bole Bamboi, to have the Questions programmed for tomorrow offloaded to some other day in the ensuing week. I guess it must have been an oversight, so we would accordingly programme them for a particular day in the course of the week.
    Mr Speaker, Hon Bawa says that the Boards of the various Funds are not in place, so he does not know how the proposed formulae could be considered by those entities and be submitted to the House. I agree with
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:35 p.m.
    him that those formulae are policy driven and the policy would be outlined by those Boards.
    He is right but wrong in the sense that he stated categorically that the Boards are not in place. I am sure my Hon Colleague in that regard is a “yesterday man'' because the Boards are in place. [Interruption] -- The Boards have been inaugurated. He is simply not current and that was why I said he is a “yesterday man''. [Laughter.]

    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague, Mr Samuel George says he does not know and that I should tell him but I would refer him to Standing Order 67(1)(h) which says and I quote with your permission:

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member also asked questions about police guards which is very important,

    except he said that we agreed in the last Parliament that Hon Members would be provided security. I do not know of the previous Parliament as being the last Parliament of the 4th Republic. [Interruption.] He should describe it appropriately and I shall answer him appropriately. The Hon Member for Ablekuma South, Mr Okoe Vanderpuije, would offer him the appropriate diction in this and I would respond to him appropriately.

    Mr Speaker, I appreciate the principle but I was told that some Hon Members as of yet, have not submitted the names of the police that they want. If we want to be accompanied by police guards, certainly, it should be one that we could trust and have confidence in. That is why we have been given the opportunity to submit names of those people that we could trust. Some have not as yet submitted those names and it is important that we do so immediately.

    Mr Speaker, I also agree with the Hon Member that we should go forward to request that we should be given the side arms that he asked for. Not only that but we require to have in addition to the pistols even some other gadgets like handcuffs, tear gas et cetera, because they are necessary to ward off threats to Hon Members. We are in discussion with the Hon

    Minister for the Interior and I believe the appropriate thing would be done in the fullness of time.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member also asked for the submission of annual reports of the various MMDAs. He is also right but if he has been following, so many of them have come on stream increasingly these days and we shall insist that they bring them, especially those of them that really ought to have come to this House earlier than the time is now. So, we shall continue to insist that they do that.

    Mr Speaker, with regard to the time of Sitting, we are in discussion with the Rt Hon Speaker to really settle on that. We indicated to ourselves that the first three days; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, we could Sit between either 2.00 p.m. or 4.00 p.m. but we have not firmed our thoughts on that because we are still in discussions.

    We want to believe that given what our Moslem brothers would do on Fridays, perhaps on those days, we would be expected to Sit early at 10.00 a.m. so that when we adjourn, they would be able to recline to their respective abodes of worship. That

    is the indication that I could give him. I would not be able to conclude on that because we have not concluded on that yet.
    Mr Kofi Iddie Adams 1:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the issue with regard to our research assistants has been raised a number of times whenever the Business Statement is presented. Up till now, we do not have a concrete response from the leadership, so a lot of Hon Members have offices that do not function fully or have research assistants that are not so sure whether they would stay or go. We really want clarity on this matter.
    It cannot continue to hang and be postponed every other time, whether Hon Members should go with what they have -- that is research assistants with first degree or leadership still insists on a second degree or masters' holders. This has restricted a lot of Hon Members because they struggle to get people they could trust.
    As the Hon Majority Leader said on the issue of security, that we have to bring somebody we could trust to provide us with security, it is the same with the research assistants who perform many other responsibilities that are so close to us, so we need people that we could trust. If the threshold is raised, we would be
    Mr Daniel Ohene Darko 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my issue has to do with the Job 600 Annex. Those of us there do not have access to the internet because the WiFi system does not work. I want to find out from the Hon Majority Leader whether there is any such plan to make sure that the place is fixed with an internet service. For the others, I do not know, but the Job 600 Annex is what I know of.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member for South Dayi?
    Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have observed that a lot of Questions have been filed and admitted but are not captured as I expected, considering that we do not have much Business these days. I was hoping this would be the time for those Questions to be taken.
    My second observation is that when Statements are submitted and admitted by the Speaker, they are not captured in the Business Statement as is done for Questions in order to put Hon Members on the alert. I would like to suggest to the Hon Majority Leader if we could indicate the number of Statements that have been admitted for a certain week to alert Hon Members?
    This is because sometimes, Hon Members are unaware that Statements they have submitted are admitted and they are caught unawares when called upon to read them. This is a suggestion I wish to make to Leadership or Members of the Business Committee to consider in order for it to become a practice so that when the Business Statement is read, there is an indication regarding to the number of Statements from Hon Members that will be taken the following week.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, I think the Ministers are answering Questions. You recall on Tuesday that the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways answered about 11 Questions. I do not think it is wholly right that they are not answering Questions.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, on the Business Statement for next week, there would be presentation of Papers. Included in those Papers for presentation are Budget Performance Reports.

    Mr Speaker, I just noted he is a member of Cabinet, and I am so happy. This is why I am signalling him. At Cabinet, he should tell the Ministers to bring these Budget Performance Reports.

    Mr Speaker, for the Papers which are yet to be laid, I do not want to litigate the laying of Papers. Standing Order 75 is clear that there must be sufficient Papers for distribution before the Papers are laid. It should not be a custom that we lay Papers

    and even as a Leader sitting here, he has not even set eyes on any of the Papers that have been laid from the beginning of this meeting till date, which should not happen. I confronted the Table Office and was told it would be looked at.

    Mr Speaker, this is not fair. Oversight is the core function of Parliament, so if Papers are laid and Hon Members are not given copies to read, then somebody could lay hands on them and question that something was in the Papers and Parliament did not do anything about it.

    We do not want to be glossing over serious issues, and we should not be taken for granted. When Papers are laid, at least, copies must be distributed. If there are no copies to distribute, there is no need bringing those Papers on the Order Paper or Business Statement.

    Mr Speaker, this is just my humble appeal.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Let me give the final opportunity to the Hon Member for Builsa North?
    Dr Clement Abas Apaak 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, please indulge me to re- emphasise an earlier comment made which has to do with the research assistants.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, Hon Kofi Adams raised an issue about research assistants. We have spoken on this matter on a couple of occasions. The final decision is theirs. It was really made by the Parliamentary Service Board. Because we have a new Board, we have to revisit the matter at the Board. I guess the next two weeks, the
    Board would be having another meeting. We informed the Clerk to Parliament to put it as one of the items to be placed before the Board. This is because once a decision comes from the Board, it cannot be varied by Leadership. This is why we are still not conclusive on that.
    Mr Speaker, but it relates to the fact that we need the research assistants to be in charge of other responsibilities. I guess when we finish, I would have to see him in order for him to make further disclosures about those other responsibilities that we would want to submit this research assistants to.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon Leader, respectfully, the Hon Members are signalling that they cannot hear you.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in response to the issue raised by the Hon Kofi Adams, the matter relating to the research assistants is a decision taken by the Board. Not until the Board has reconsideration to reverse the decision of the Board, Leadership cannot reverse or amend it in any way.
    But I related to an aspect of his own inquisition when he said to us that we need to have them in place because the research assistants are required to
    submit to other responsibilities. I am telling him that when we leave here, I would consult them to have him provide further and better particulars about the other responsibilities that he wants the research assistant to submit themselves to.
    Mr Speaker, I see that the Hon Member is very hilarious in his seat, and I know he knows what I am talking about.

    Mr Speaker, my colleague, Hon Daniel Ohene Darko raised issues about access to internet in the Job 600 Annex. I would be in consultation with the ICT Department. There are few challenges even in the main block.

    So we have called their attention and they are providing boosters. I think they are piloting the devices. Pretty soon, we would have new boosters which would even allow a person, whenever he goes outside the precincts of Parliament, he would be able to still access these facilities.

    They are new devices that have come on-stream and Hon Members are going to be served but they are at the piloting stage.

    Mr Speaker, the Hon Rockson- Nelson Dafeamekpor is making a proposal to us about programming Statements so that Members would know on which day Statements would be delivered just as is done to Questions.

    Unfortunately, the Speakers have never availed Statements to us, the more gracious ones would be submitted when we have pre-Sitting meetings with them. I am not too sure that we are seeing those ones these days but I think it is a very useful suggestion that when Statements are made, Hon Members who contribute are supposed to make informed contributions to them.

    However, oftentimes, we also require policy makers with respect to Hon Ministers to be here to respond. So, we would want the Speakers to avail these Statements to, at least, the Leaders so that we communicate same to the appropriate persons to be in the Chamber to respond in equal measure to these Statements.

    Mr Speaker, unfortunately, many of the Speakers do not respond appropriately to Leadership in this regard but we will see what to do. I think it is a very useful suggestion and we will take it up with the Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Members, we have come to the end of the Business Statement. The Business Statement as presented is hereby adopted.
    Hon Majority Leader, any indication?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,we have already done public Business that has been slated and so, I believe we can take an adjournment now to enable the Appointments Committee to continue the transaction of their Business and also for other
    Hon Members to be able to travel to their various constituencies to do the needful tomorrow.
    In that regard, by my watch, it is just about a minute to 2 o'clock and in which case, we may not even require a formal motion but if I should move, I would want to move that this House takes an adjournment until Tuesday, 15th June, 2021, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:55 p.m.
    On a point of information.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to amend the motion that we rather Sit on Tuesday, 15th June, 2021, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
    Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 1:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the motion except to say that we may have to get the buy-in of the Speaker for 2 o'clock.
    Question put and Motion agreed to.
    Resolved Accordingly.
    ADJOURNMENT 1:55 p.m.
  • The House was adjourned at 2.00 p.m. till Tuesday, 15th June, 2021 at 2.00 pm.