Debates of 1 Jul 2021

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 2:51 p.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Hon Members, I have received Communication from the President which is addressed to the Rt Hon Speaker and the House.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
Hon Members, I think that it is proper for us to observe a minute's silence in honour of the departed former President Kaunda, for good reason. Apart from the fact that he is partly a product of this country, he was also our son in-law for a long time. I do not know of a precedent but I feel that we should observe a minute's silence in his honour.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
May the soul of His Excellency, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda, the first President of the Republic of Zambia, and the souls of all departed rest in perfect peace. Amen.
Hon Members, item numbered 4 -- Correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker 2:51 p.m.
We would start with the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 30th June, 2021.
Page 1, 2, 3, … 7 --
Mr Samuel O. Ablakwa 2:51 p.m.
Mr Speaker, on page 7 the item numbered 42, I have been declared absent. I was not only present but very active yesterday.
So, Mr Speaker, I would be grateful if it could be corrected accordingly?
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Yes, Table Office, kindly take note. I do not know how you got it wrong because so far as the correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report are concerned, he is a professor.
Page 8?
Yes, Hon Ablakwa?
Mr Ablakwa 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the submissions at page 8, under the item numbered (iv), (a), (b) and (c), would have to move to page 10; because they are not at the right place.
Mr Speaker, if you notice, the first paragraph of page 9 which reads “The Votes and Proceedings as corrected was adopted as the true record of proceedings” should have come right beneath the item numbered (iv). So the Papers presented that have been listed on this page do not belong here. We would have to send them somewhere to page 10. It is a wrong insertion.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Yes, Table Office, there has to be a lot of rearrangement there. Please capture them at the appropriate places.
Mr Ablakwa 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, when that is done, on item numbered (c) on page 8, which reads “By of the Chairman of the Committee” should also read “Chairman of the Commi ttee” . We have to delete “Chairman of the...”.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Table Office, I am sure you located it?
Page 9, 10 --
Mr Ablakwa 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, at page 10, the first word should be “Games”. It is the “All African Games,
2023”.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
So there should be the addition of “s”. It is not “Game”.
Page 11 -- 15 …
rose
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Yes, Hon Ablakwa?
Mr Ablakwa 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, please, at page 15, item numbered 40, in the column under “Public Health
and Preventive Care”, 4.14, it should read “Blood Collection”. The “Collection” is not captured accurately. Also, “reagents” is not captured correctly. It should read “Blood Collection, Bags and Reagents”.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Table Office, take note.
Page 16 - 22 -
Mr Ablakwa 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, page 20, the last but one line of the first paragraph should read, “The Middle Belt Development Authority who briefed the Committee on the Authority's mandate”. The word “on” is omitted. They should kindly insert “on”.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Hon Member, what did you say under item numbered 3 in attendance? Is that where the correction is or it is in the opening of item numbered 1? Where is the correction to be made?
Mr Ablakwa 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, please, it is at the opening of the item numbered 1. It should read: “The Committee met on Wednesday, 30th June, 2021 at 11.45 a.m. with officials of the Middle Belt Development Authority who briefed the Committee
on...”. The word “on” should be inserted after “Committee”.
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
Yes, Table Office, kindly take note.
Page 21 - 24 -
Mr Bismark Tetteh Nyarko 3:01 p.m.
Mr Speaker, please permit me to take you back to page 7?
Mr Speaker 3:01 p.m.
I should permit you to take me back to page 7? I would not permit you to do so. If you have any correction to make, see the Table Office.
Usually, when we go beyond a page and you have a correction to make, just communicate it to the Table Office.
Hon Members, in the absence of any further correction, the Votes and Proceedings of the Twentieth Sitting of the Second Meeting of the First Session held on Wednesday, 30th June, 2021, as corrected is adopted as the true record of proceedings.
I have a copy of the Official Report of Tuesday, 1st June, 2021. I hope Hon Members have their copes.
  • [No correction was made to the Official Report of Tuesday, 1st June, 2021.]
    • Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
    Hon Members, I was guided by Leadership to let us move to the Commencement of Public Business and to take the presentation of some Papers, particularly, the Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for Distributing the District Assemblies' Common Fund for the year 2021.
    So, we would proceed to vary the order of Business and move to the Commencement of Public Business, item numbered 7(c), by the Chairman of the Committee.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think we are getting it wrong. It is rather item numbered 7(e).
    Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
    Very well.
    PAPERS 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
    Is there any other Paper to be laid or we go back to --? [Interruption]
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think we can go back to Questions and as agreed, we would take Question numbered 131.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, understandably, the Hon Majority Whip can only be guided by you. We have Questions numbered 91 to 135 which stand in the name of Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome, Mr Richard Gyan-Mensah, and Ms Theresa Lardi Awuni.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture is unable to appear before this august House and has requested - this was conveyed to me by the Hon Majority Leader at the Business Committee meeting. So the Whip is seeking your leave to proceed to Question numbered 131. I just invited Hon Kobena Woyome to let him appreciate that the Hon Minister would avail himself to answer the Question at a day to be scheduled by the Business Committee as you may so direct.
    But probably, while we are still laying Papers, you could as well just complete the task of laying all the Papers that ought to be laid including the one by the Hon Minister for
    Finance, probably with Mr Speaker's leave, by the Deputy Minister for Finance. Let us exhaust that and then we can come to only the Questions to the Ministry of Railways Development.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I heard the Hon Minority Leader but what I am doing is that I am conferring with the Hon Deputy Minister, and as of the last time I engaged her, the items were not ready and so I could not vouch for the laying. But Mr Speaker, if you indulge me, we may have to get back to the presentation of Papers and also lay item numbered 7(d) before we go back to Questions.
    Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman is not in the Chamber. Can we just go back to the order of the Business, hoping that by the time we come back, he would be here so that we do not continue to waste time?
    Mr Speaker 3:11 p.m.
    Hon Members, we take the item numbered 5, Questions. Question numbered 131 standing in the name of the Hon Member for Klottey Korley, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.
    Hon Member, you may now ask your Question.
    ORAL ANSWERS TO 3:11 p.m.
    QUESTIONS 3:11 p.m.
    MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS 3:11 p.m.
    DEVELOPMENT 3:11 p.m.
    Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey Korle) 3:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to ask the Minister for Railways Development the status of the land in and around the Abuja/ CMB Market and whether any portion of the said land had been sold and if so, to whom, having regard to the developments in the area.
    Minister for Railways Develop- ment (Mr John-Peter Amewu) (MP) 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is the vision of the Ministry of Railways Development to develop a modern, robust and integrated railway system as well as associated infrastructure to serve as catalyst and backbone for the transformation of the economy.
    To achieve this vision, the Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA) was established by the Railways Act of 2008 (Act 779) to provide for the operation of railways and to also provide a sound legislative framework for the management of all railway matters. One of the objects for the establishment of the GRDA is
    to hold, administer and improve railway assets across the country.
    Mr Speaker, since assuming office as the Minister, I have found that one of the major challenges affecting the development of the railway sector is encroachment on railway lands. For a long time, the neglect of the railway sector made people to believe that the railway operations were never going to be revived again. This was aided by the weak administrative and institutional oversight responsibilities. All these contributed to create a fertile ground for the wanton encroachment on railway lands across the country. Private individuals and corporate entities have encroached on lands within and outside the right-of-way and thus making government's commitment to revamp the sector difficult and costly.
    Mr Speaker, it is important to note that lands acquired purposely for railway development cannot be sold and have never been sold. The land around Abuja/CMB Market remains railway land.

    Land in the stated area has only been leased by the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) to the following entities:
    Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to enquire from the Hon Minister what the plans are for the Railways Police Barracks that located on the piece of land that we are referring to?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, could I ask the Hon Member to repeat the Question?
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Member, kindly repeat the Question.
    Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, if I may perhaps give a bit of an explanation before the Question?
    Mr Speaker, about a year and a half ago, a private developer encroached on the residences of the police officers and that became quite a huge problem. What are the Hon
    Minister's plans with regard to the land on which the railways barracks is located?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it has come to our notice and the whole of last week and even yesterday, I visited the site in question. The Ministry has put in measures to invite the developer to go through the processes of certification in terms of permit and lease. The difficulty we have had over the period which continues to exit is that some of these leases have been granted for 20, 30 or 40 years. But the leases were granted not with the intention to establish a permanent, but a temporary one.
    Mr Speaker, what the Ministry has done is to constitute a team headed by the Deputy Minister to go through all the leases and see how we can, as a matter of urgency, take away those that have temporary structures and ensure that we get the right of way for the construction of our railway lines throughout the country.
    Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to enquire from the Hon Minister whether he is aware that his predecessor on a previous Question on the Floor mentioned that accommodation for railway staff would be built on the premises and to date, that has not happened. What does the Ministry intend to do about that?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it was the strategy of my predecessor to put up affordable housing for the railway workers. It is an elaborate programme which stretches over a period of fifteen (15) years. We are still in discussion with a prospective private sector to see how we can engage them to be in line with the new Public Procurement Act to begin with some of those properties. The difficulty that we have as we are all aware is funding, and that is why we are taking our time through the legislative instrument to ensure that we get it done once and for all.
    Dr Agyeman-Rawlings 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the Hon Minister's response, at no point did he mention the retailers and women who engage in trading activities on the premises of the CMB Abuja Market. Their complaint is that they are constantly being evicted from the land and their structures demolished. How do they feature in the plan on the use of the land, as there is a huge market that contributes to the livelihoods of a lot of people in the constituency?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the challenges that the Ministry faces are that the occupants move illegally unto the right of way of our infrastructure. Yes, we have taken notice of several petty traders who are currently occupying the right of way.
    Yesterday, we begun engagement to see how we can facilitate their businesses. We do not intend to displace anybody, but the danger is that if they are on the right of way of a railway line, the possibility of safety is very difficult. So those that we found to be within that allowable distance outside the right of way, we will allow them, but if they are in the right of way, Mr Speaker, I am sorry, we would have to take them out.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Dafeamekpor?
    Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you. On page 23, paragraph 2 of the Answer, with your permission, I read:
    “The land around Abuja/CMB Market remains railway land. Land in the stated area has only been leased by the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) to…”
    Mr Speaker, he failed to tell us the respective duration of these leaseholds, which are very important. Could the Minister be kind enough to indicate to the House whether the leases are for 15 years or 50 years?
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Minister, can you recollect the duration of the leases to the ten (10) entities you have listed?
    Mr Amevu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, with regard to the specificity of the durations, I would provide it to this august House. But as I stated earlier, it is between 20 to 50 years.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Chief Whip?
    Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you. In the Hon Minister's Answer on page 24 of the Order Paper, he said and with your permission, I beg to read:
    3. 31 p.m.
    “…Mr Speaker, one disturbing development regarding encroach- ment on railway land is that some of these encroachers through whatever means are able to regularise their illegal activity at the Lands Commission and in the process attempt to secure good title to land belonging to the Ghana Railway Develop- ment Authority. This was a common practice and that threatens the existence and
    sustainability of the railway sector”.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to find out from the Hon Minister, what he intends to do about this because if people have secured titles to lands that belong to them, then how would he be able to retrieve them?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is a very great question.
    In my earlier remarks, I had mentioned that we have put a committee together, headed by my Deputy, who of course is one of the best brains when it comes to land administration in the country, to see how we would go through the lease one after the other.
    Some of the leases that I happened to go through myself had a clause that stated that they should only be “temporary structures”. When the lease states categorically that it should be temporary structures and that either party can respond within a period of three months to take back its property, it gives us a leeway to reclaim those lands. So, we have some of these clauses in some of the leases that give the mandate to the Ministry to go back and take the lands.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is very interesting to see an illegality being regularised. Perhaps, it has to do with the choice of words, but the leases that were granted to these prospective developers stated categorically that one does not have to go beyond putting up a permanent structure.
    Now, they take that lease and go through the Municipal and Metropolitan Areas within which jurisdiction of the land is allocated, and that municipality grants the prospective developer the permit, and the permit that is granted is subject to the design instrument.
    So, the developer submits a complete drawing without attachment to the lease to the jurisdictions of the local government. So, the local government grants the permit, but when we come back to the lease, it says that one does not have to go and put up a permanent structure, and that is how the confusion comes about.
    However, if they are confronted, they say that they have gotten their lease and have gotten a permit from the local Assembly, but the local
    Assembly does not take the trouble to find out what the terms of the lease states, whether it should be a permanent structure or not. So, they get the permit to put up a permanent structure, but the lease says that one must only have a temporary structure. So, these are the challenges that we have.
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    That should not be a challenge because you know it very well that one cannot put something on nothing - it will fall. So, whatever happened after the illegality is itself an illegality, so, it cannot be regularised. Well, it is not for me to ask those questions.
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Members, are there more supplementary questions? I can see the Hon Della Sowah on her feet.
    Mrs Della Adjoa Sowah 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister in his Answer to creating a better place for the traders in the Abuja Market said that those in the right of way of the railway structure will be evicted. I would want to find out if the Hon Minister has been to the Abuja Market before? The railway structure does not extend there. Also, I would want to find out what the Hon
    Minister's answer is on this? Is he aware that his predecessor said that he was going to create a better place for traders in the Abuja Market to carry on their activities?
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have to choose one of the questions. You cannot ask both. You should ask one supplementary question at a time.
    Mrs D. A. Sowah 3:21 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, I would want to find out if the Hon Minister is aware that his predecessor said that he was going to create a better environment for the traders in the Abuja Market to carry on their activities, and whether he has done anything about it.
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have not seen anything on paper upon my assumption of office. I am not aware, but I would take the trouble to look through if there is any policy direction towards that development.
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Hon Minister, you do not need to see everything on paper before you become aware? As for being aware, your attention can be drawn to it, or somebody can just orally or verbally inform you. So, should not premise it by saying that you have not seen anything on paper
    and so you are not aware. It presupposes that you have other information, but it is not on paper.
    Hon Minister, am I right?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am sorry, but I am not aware. I do not think that there is any other information.
    Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am most grateful.
    Mr Speaker, my supplementary question is grounded in the last paragraph on page 24, where the Hon Minister says, and I quote:
    “Mr Speaker, let me use this opportunity to appeal to my colleague Members of Parlia- ment to support the Ministry of Railway Development as we move to reclaim and protect railway lands and other assets as we strive to provide a comprehensive rail inter- connectivity in line with the National Railway Master Plan”.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister does not give us an indication of where these railway lines are. He wants us to help and support him, we are willing to do that but he should give us an indication, so that if there are some in my constituency, then I can
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Well, Hon Member, it is not a question, it is a statement.
    Hon Minister, it is a clear statement. If you want to ask the Hon Minister whether he could make available to you the evidence of where the railway lands are, then yes, but you have just given him a statement of -
    Mr Ablakwa 3:21 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, can the Hon Minister, flowing from the last paragraph on page 24, give us an indication of where the railway lands that they are going to reclaim are located? Could he provide this House with the list?
    Mr Speaker 3:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Minister?
    Mr Amewu 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, majority of these lands are located along the railway corridor. On a certain Eastern Corridor railway lines, for instance, we have assets right down from Tema through the Hon Minister's Constituency to Mpakadan. With the
    Western Corridor, we have railway lines along that corridor right down to Kumasi. We have properties distributed across this country, and I would provide detailed positions of these properties across the country.
    Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh 3:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, part of the Hon Minister's Answer says, and I quote:
    “…Encroachers through what- ever means are able to regularise their illegal activity at the Lands Commission and in the process attempt to secure good title to land belonging to the Ghana Railways Develop- ment Authority”.
    Mr Speaker, I find this quite revealing. I am aware of the Hon Minister's passion and good effort at reaching the Lands Commission. Is he able to apprise this House on some of the success stories that you can tell Ghanaians on raking in a collaborative effort from the Lands Commission, particularly to deal with the problem of encroachers?
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    I did not get your supplementary question. I think what you want to do is to solicit a brief to the House from the Hon Minister on the efforts that he has made in
    reclaiming some of these lands. That would involve a lot; it cannot be a supplementary question.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 3:41 p.m.
    I am guided, but I thought that was an important question to ask. I would defer it to you.
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    It is because it is important that I am talking about a whole brief; it means that it is so important that it cannot be covered by an answer to a supplementary question. However, we can create space for the Hon Minister to come and give a brief on how he has succeeded so far in trying to reclaim some of those lands through collaboration with the Lands Commission, but not in the supplementary question. That would be asking for too much from the Hon Minister.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am guided.
    Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just want the Hon Minister to apprise this House. In his Answer, he said he was collaborating with his colleague the Hon Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to stop encroachers. Can he tell this House the number of parcels of land that have so far been encroached?
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    Hon Member, we are talking about supplementary questions; this is not supplementary to the main Question. This is actually a main question by itself, and it would need a lot of details.
    Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, because this particular issue affects my constituency a lot, I wish that you would give me some laxity in this regard. My supplementary question is premised on the Answer the Hon Minister has given, but then, I am worried that because it is a supplementary question, I would not get the opportunity to ask more questions.
    Mr Speaker, the issue is that the Hon Minister said that they want to claim lands. Is he aware that part of the parcel of land that he mentioned belongs to the Ghana National Bottling Company and not the Ghana Railways Development Authority?
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    The question is quite supplementary. He wants to know whether you are aware that part of the land belongs to the Ghana National Bottling Company? One advice I would give you is that, if you fear, do not do, and if you do, do not fear.
    Mr Amewu 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not aware. [Laughter]
    Mr Kobena Mensah Woyome 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to ask the Hon Minister whether, once again, he is aware that some of these encroachers and the eventual registration of these parcels of lands at the Lands Commission for titles have the involvement of some of the allodial land owners? Has he come across this, and how is he handling those original owners of the land?
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    Well, he is a lawyer, but talking about allodial title holders now is something else.
    Mr Amewu 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not aware. [Laughter]
    Mr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister in his answer has consistently said he is not aware. I would want to find out from him when he would be aware?
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    Aware of what? [Laughter]
    Mr Amewu 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, when it gets to my office or the information is gathered, I would be made aware, but as I stand before this House, I say it on authority and on the oath I swore to the House, that I am not aware that the original owners of the land are in collusion with those people who perfect the title to the land. Mr
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    Hon Minister, I do not know whether you like the phrase, “I am not aware”. The question is open ended, but you love the phrase, “I am not aware”. I do not want Hon Members to start referring to you as “I am not aware” after this. [Laughter]
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I have observed that the Ministry is demolishing some bungalows behind the Accra Brewery Limited, and giving the land to private people to build warehouses. This is a Ministry that wants to revamp the industry, but at the same time, they are demolishing bungalows where their staff stay and they are giving it to the private sector. How can this happen when they say they are revamping the sector? Can the Hon Minister reconcile this?
    Mr Speaker 3:41 p.m.
    What is the supplementary question?
    Mr Y. Sulemana 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the supplementary question is: How does he reconcile a situation where the Ministry wants to revamp an industry and at the same time, collapsing bungalows where the staff of that ministry would stay and work?
    Mr Amewu 3:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I stated in my earlier remarks that on assumption of office, I wrote to the Hon Minister for Lands and Natural Resources asking the Ministry to collaborate and instruct the Lands Commission to halt all processes leading to perfecting of titles that are emanating from the properties of the Ghana Railways Company Limited. That is already a check from the Ministry to the Lands Commission so, this is one of the measures that we have put in place.
    I stated that most of the titles or leases that have been granted were done in the 1990s and early 2000s. On assumption of office, we have put a halt on the issuance of railway property lands to prospective developers. These are measures that we are putting in place to develop the railway infrastructure so there could be no conflict at all with our current regime and what has happened in the past.
    Mr Speaker 3:51 a.m.
    Hon Members, we will move on. On behalf of Hon Members and the House, I would want to thank you, Hon Minister, for attending upon the House and responding to the Questions of Hon Members. You are hereby discharged.

    Hon Members, we have a few Commemorative Statements and another Statement which is an attempt to brief the House on the implementation of the Right to Information Act that we passed.

    What I want to say goes to the

    Ministers: Please when you want to submit Statements to be administered by the Speaker, kindly process them through your Leaders. It would help all of us because they would have some information that you may not have and they may also share their experiences on the Floor with you because we have some constraints when you are dealing with our Standing Orders.

    Standing Order 70 (2) talks about the Minister making a Statement or an announcement of Government policy. Then, Standing Order 71 deals with ceremonial speeches, which also comes in the form of Statements to commemorate special events or occasions of death of distinguished persons. Then, the third one is Order 72 which deals with general Statements; and there are only two types: one, to explain a matter of personal nature and the other to make a Statement on a matter of urgent
    STATEMENTS 3:51 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 4:01 a.m.
    Hon Members, as I stated earlier, this is a brief. We have the annual Report to be laid and it is on the Order Paper. I think that when the Report is laid and referred to the Committee, they would come back with the Report and then we can now debate and exhaust all these things.
    This is actually one of the hybrids I was talking about on how to brief the House. That is why we create opportunities for them; either through the Annual Reports or space for them to brief us and then we discuss. However, I cannot permit comments on a Statement of this nature. The Report is available on the Order Paper and it is to be laid. We would go through it and then it would be programmed for discussion and comments.
    Let us move to the next Statement which stands in the name of the Minister for Works and Housing, Hon Francis Asenso-Boakye. It is in a similar vein, addressing the increasing risk of flooding across the country.
    Increasing Risk of Flooding Across the Country
    Minister for Works and Housing (Mr Francis Asenso- Boakye) 4:01 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement.
    Perennial flooding across the country poses a significant threat to Government's accelerated socio- economic development agenda. Lives have been lost, properties destroyed, people displaced, transport links disconnected, economic activities disrupted and livelihoods uprooted because of flooding. Flooding also impacts adversely on the mental health of victims and undermines their ability to contribute meaningfully to economic growth.
    Ghana ranks highly among African countries most exposed to risks from multiple weather-related hazards. In the past three decades, the country has experienced seven major floods. The devastating flood event in the Odaw Drainage Catchment on 3rd June, 2015 led to an unfortunate loss
    of about 150 lives -- may their souls rest in perfect peace -- and about 50,000 people were directly affected at varying degrees.
    Mr Speaker, the World Bank estimates that US$3.2 billion (4.45 per cent of GDP) worth of economic assets are at risk of flooding in the Greater Accra Region alone and this figure is expected to quadruple by 2050 without urgent action, (World Bank Press Release, 29 May 2019). One can only imagine the value of assets that are at risk to flooding across the country.
    The causes of flooding in the country are multi-faceted. They include inefficient drains, undersised culverts and uncontrolled development in flood plains, wetlands and waterways. Additionally, indiscriminate dumping of solid waste into our drains by households contribute significantly to urban flooding. Across the country, we see new developments and buildings springing up in waterways and flood plains (buffer zones) blocking the flow of storm water and worsening the risk of flooding.
    Mr Speaker, on 24th and 25th June, 2021, several areas in Kumasi experienced severe and devastating flooding. This affected commercial
    areas such as the new Kejetia Market, Central Market, Asafo Market and Bantama High Street. Several shops and homes experienced flooding and goods worth millions of Ghana cedis were destroyed.
    Similar reports have been received from Koforidua and Takoradi and indeed from other parts of the country. Following my visit to the affected areas in Kumasi on Monday 28th June, 2021, the increasing risk of flooding associated with climate change is clear and we as a nation need to take bold steps to tackle this challenge holistically.
    Mr Speaker, since taking office in January 2017, the Government of President Akufo-Addo has invested about GH¢450 million in the National Flood Control and Priority Drainage Programme as compared to the GH¢88 million invested by the previous Government between 2011 and 2016. Clearly, this level of commitment to tackling the problem which has resulted in a reduction of flooding incidents in the past few years is unprecedented and commendable.
    The Government is also collaborating with the World Bank to invest more than US$200 million to address solid waste and flood risk challenges in the Odaw Drainage

    Basin. The project will also see the development and implementation of a Flood Early Warning System to enhance community safety and resilience.

    Mr Speaker, while the Govern- ment is making every effort to ensure that flood risk is minimised, it is also important to highlight that Govern- ment alone cannot do this; it must be a shared responsibility. It is therefore incumbent on every citizen to complement the efforts of Government, take their own safety seriously and be more mindful of the manner in which solid waste is disposed.

    Additionally, individual home- builders need to avoid paving all of their compounds and make room for storm water infiltration by introducing vegetation. I further wish to call on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA) to strictly enforce planning laws and building codes to prevent development on waterways, floodplains and wetlands. Where these are flouted, the MMDAs need to take decisive action to rectify the situation urgently in the interest of protecting the good people of Ghana.

    Mr Speaker, Cabinet at its sitting on Thursday, 24 th June, 2021

    approved for the consideration of Parliament, the Bill for the establishment of the Ghana Hydrological Authority. The Authority will undertake hydraulic modelling to inform housing and infrastructural development planning across the country to ensure that they are steered away from flood prone areas. The Authority will also develop and promote higher drainage standards, including the use of nature-based drainage solutions.

    Moreover, the Authority will ensure that flood risk assessments are undertaken for all major infrastructural developments, so they are resilient to both current and future flood risks. The proposed Hydrological Authority Bill will include a National Hydrology Fund which will facilitate the effective functioning of the Authority, including attracting private sector participation in drainage provision.

    It is my earnest expectation, Mr Speaker, that in view of the enormous advantages of setting up the Ghana Hydrological Authority, Parliament will lend its full support when the Bill comes before this august House for approval.

    Mr Speaker, on that note, I wish to thank you for this opportunity.
    Mr Speaker 4:11 p.m.
    Hon Members, I did state early on that these kinds of Statements do not come for comments and they are not also couched like policy Statements. I had difficulty in admitting them and that was why I advised the Hon Ministers to pass them through their leaders for advice before they came to me. The proper reports would come to the House where Hon Members would get the opportunity to debate them. So for now, it would be difficult for me to allow comments on such Statements.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 4:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I take your informed guidance on the Statements by the Hon Ministers for Information and Works and Housing and trust that Hon Members would respect your admonishing and directives because many of us take for granted the provisions of Order 70 (2).
    However, as we would be guided by your ruling because this is Parliament and because the media would report timeously even though we are bound by your ruling, it would deny us an input. For instance, if the Hon Minister for Works and Housing stands before this House to say that GH¢450 million was invested against GH¢88 million and I have a
    contradictory position on it, must I wait at a time that the public would not hear me to correct him if probably he was not accurate on the facts?
    Mr Speaker, we would respect your ruling but we would want to say that, that is why Parliament has opposite aisles. When we look at it from this perspective, we could wait. However, in respect of the Hon Minister for Works and Housing, we may have to wait for a budget report and that would put us in a difficulty. So we would relook at the Standing Orders on this matter probably, to make an application to you that you could limit the comments only to the Hon Ranking Members and leadership in order that you could hear the other side on this matter.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr Speaker 4:11 p.m.
    Hon Minority Leader, I thank you for your input and guidance. The difficulty I have is that these were Statements officially communicated to me from the Ministries. They are not Statements made by Hon Members of Parliament but by Hon Ministers of State and the Standing Orders are very clear on this that they could make Statements on Government policy. As you rightly observed, some of the issues that they raised are debatable but in Order 70 (2), which deals with such Statements
    Mr Speaker 4:21 p.m.
    from Hon Ministers of State, it says that:
    “A Minister of State may make an announcement or a statement of government policy. Any such announcement or statement should be limited to facts which it is deemed necessary to make known to the House and should not be designed to provoke debate at this stage. Any Member may comment briefly subject to the same limitation.''
    That is the difficulty I have and that was why I admonished the Ministers to pass these Statements through their leaders for guidance. Unfortunately, whiles I talk, the Hon Ministers are conversing they are not listening. If I allow Hon Members to comment, it could turn into debates because debatable issues have been raised. These are also not policy Statements because policy Statements are policies of the Government and not just of the one who made the Statement or of the Ministry, but of Government.
    I keep on telling Ghanaians including some of you that our Cabinet does not have any power of approval. That is the concept we have. Cabinets are advisory; they advise the President and he determines. Ratifications and approvals are for this House and that
    is the concept we opted for. So when you make a Statement and you tell me that “Cabinet at its sitting on Thursday, 24th June, 2021, approved for the consideration of Parliament...” those are terms that we wrongly repeat from our experience in the 1957 to 1960 Parliament and then the 1969 to 1972 Parliament where Cabinet had the power to approve.

    Since we adopted this Executive Presidency in the 1992 Constitution, our Cabinets do not have the power of approval.

    Please, if it is the wish of Hon Members to comment, I cannot prevent the House from expressing their opinions. We will open it up and let hon Members express their views.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 4:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think in this House, the practice has always been that we are led and guided by your wisdom and directives. Right from the onset, you had advised the Hon Ministers in question on what they should have done and so, we do not need to belabour the point. Clearly, my Hon Colleague, the Minority Leader struggles to make his application because of the fact that - Mr Speaker, you are spot on and it should be as it
    is and in my view, the directives given are laced with wisdom and we have to respect them and make progress accordingly.
    So, I am in total agreement with you that we should not open it up, they have made their Statements, it should be on record and that should be it since there are other Businesses that need attention.
    Mr Speaker 4:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Leadership, can I move on or you would want to make a comment? We move on. There is a Statement in the name of Hon Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah on World Drug Day.
    Hon Member, you may make your Statement now.
    World Drug Day
    Mrs Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah (NDC -- Ada) 4:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to deliver this Statement on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking also known as World Drug Day.
    Mr Speaker, 26th June is a day designated by the United General Assembly in 1987 as International
    Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to stimulate a sense of responsibility among people around the world especially, youngsters and teenagers. The day is also meant to commemorate Lin Zexu's efforts towards the strategic dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong in China right before the first opium war on Chinese mainland.
    The theme for this year 2021 - ‘‘Share Facts on Drugs; Save Lives'' emphasises the need to bring to light, the issues of drug or substance use especially, among our young adults and its ramifications for this country.
    Mr Speaker, the debate over what the abuse and subsequent addiction to psycho-active drugs, mind altering and mood changes is over and all of us are now in agreement that drug addiction now known as substance use disorders is a disease like any other disease. It is defined as chronic relaxing brain diseases characterised by the compulsive seeking and use of psycho-active drugs despite the negative consequences.
    The consequences of the above and the addiction to alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, pethidine injection, morphine and in recent times, cough mixtures and their derivatives and various combinations range from dysfunctional families, increase in acts
    Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (NDC -- Ellembele) 4:31 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity and to the Hon Member who made the Statement for a very well written Statement on the theme “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives” on World Drug Day.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member outlined the dangers of drug abuse and its impact on families. She traced drug abuse as one of the main causes of road accidents, suicide, home- lessness, medical complications and so on.
    Mr Speaker, one of the areas the Hon Member mentioned was alcoholism in homes and its impact, especially on children. We have all noted that in areas where families are addicted to these drugs that have been mentioned, the responsibility to raise children becomes a problem. More importantly, the Hon Member talked about the gaps we have in society in dealing with drug abuse and whether or not systems can be put in place to
    help those who are addicted to these drugs.
    Mr Speaker, I think that the call for drug abuse professionals in our medical system is a very important one, especially professionals in our schools. There are stories about young people who are addicted to all sorts of drugs and we know that this is very popular in many schools and it really affects their academic work. Unfortunately, in many of our senior high schools and the universities, we do not have a place for the students to receive counselling or support. So, the call for the support system for drug addicts, especially the students, is a very important one and a lot must be done to address the issue of drug abuse.
    Mr Speaker, more importantly, we must also deal with the issue of why people abuse drugs. Recently, we heard of the arrest of some people who were trying to smuggle cocaine and the reason for this is that there is demand for the substance. I think that it is important that the source of the substance must be addressed. This is because if it is not addressed, then people would continue to trade in some of these illicit drugs and this would help people to make millions of dollars by destroying so many lives. This is an area that must be addressed.
    Dr Mark K. Nawaane (NDC -- Nabdam) 4:31 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity, and I also thank the Hon Member who made the Statement because it is well- researched and very relevant to the health sector.
    Mr Speaker, I would want Hon Members to understand that the concept of drug or substance abuse is changing. Formerly, when we talk about drug abuse, I believe that the minds of everyone would go to marijuana, cocaine and the others.
    However, even with the drugs that we take every day, if they are not taken for the right purpose, in the right quantities and at the right time, then it would be classified as abuse of a drug or misuse of a drug. There are drugs
    such as Tramadol that can be taken every day and a dosage of 50mg or 100mg of Tramadol is excellent to treat pains. But a dosage of 250mg of Tramadol would be an abuse of it and this is destroying a lot of Ghanaians.
    Mr Speaker, this applies to most of the drugs that people take every day because paracetamol can also be abused and it can destroy the liver of a person. Similarly, some people also abuse the cough mixture that was mentioned because it contains such substances that give some feelings to people who abuse it.
    I would call on everyone to listen to the healthcare professionals by taking our drugs according to the dosages that have been prescribed. Currently, in this country, there is a lot of difficulty with regard to mental health management and all the complications that are reported eventually end up as mental health issues. It was supposed to be free but budgetary allocation to the sector is not enough and also not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme. So, the drugs that are used to treat people who report complications as a result of drug abuse are to be paid for at the hospitals because if a hospital is not a mental health facility but prescribes the drugs in the health referrals, it would not be
    paid for. Mr Speaker, so there are drugs such as lagactil, diazepam and so on that are used for some other health purposes, but when they are prescribed for patients on drug abuse or some other mental illness in a health facility that is not a mental health facility, the national health insurance scheme would not pay for it. This complicates the issue for people who abuse drugs because they would encounter these problems when they go to the nearest health facilities.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker 4:31 p.m.
    Hon Members, we have three more Statements but we also have to debate the proposed Formula for the distribution of the District Assemblies' Common Fund. So, I want us to take that item now and then return to Statement time after. There is one Statement from the Hon Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to commemorate a day that is passing.
    Hon Members, so we would now take item numbered 9 - Motion. Hon Chairman of the Committee?
    Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu 4:31 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, firstly, we may have to take
    item numbered 8 which is a procedural Motion.
    Mr Speaker 4:31 p.m.
    Very well, item numbered 8.
    MOTIONS 4:31 p.m.
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu) 4:31 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 of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for Distributing the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) for the Year 2021 may be moved today.
    Mr Speaker 4:41 p.m.
    Any seconder?
    Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 4:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
    Question put and Motion agreed.
    Resolved accordingly.
    Mr Speaker 4:41 p.m.
    We now move to item numbered 9, Motion - Chairman of the Committee?
    District Assemblies' Common Fund Distribution Formula, for
    2021
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu) 4:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that this honourable House adopts the Report of the Committee of the Whole on the Proposed Formula for Distributing the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) for the Year 2021.
    Mr Speaker, in doing so, I present the Committee's Report.
    1.0 Introduction
    The Proposed Formula for the Distribution of the District Assemblies' Common Fund was laid before Parliament on 10th June, 2021 by the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in accordance with article 252(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Sections 125(3) and 129(a) of the Local Governance Act of 2016 (Act 936).
    The Rt. Hon Speaker referred the Proposed Formula to the Committee of the Whole for consideration and report. The Committee met on 30th June, 2021 and considered the referral.
    The Committee met with the Administrator of the District Assemblies' Common Fund, Mrs Irene Naa Torshie Addo and officials from the District Assemblies' Common Fund and considered the Proposed Formula.
    The Committee extends its gratitude to the Administrator and the officials who attended upon the Committee to assist it deliberate on the Proposed Formula.
    2.0 References
    The Committee referred to the following statutes and documents:
    i. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana;
    ii. The Local Governance Act of 2016, of Act 936;
    iii. The Standing Orders of Parliament;
    iv. The Proposed Formula for the Sharing of the District Assemblies Common Fund for 2020;
    v. The Report of the Committee of the Whole House on the Formula for Distribution of the District Assemblies Common Fund, 2020.
    3.0 Background
    Parliament is mandated by article 252(2) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and Section 126(1) of the Local Governance Act of 2016 (Act 936) to make provision for the allocation of not less than five per cent of the total revenue of the country to the District Assemblies' Common Fund for the implementation of development programmes in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
    The allocation to the Fund for the 2021 fiscal year is 5 per cent of total tax revenue of the country as approved in the 2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government. Consequently, the Appropriation Act of 2021 (Act 1069) has allocated an amount of two billion, four hundred and two million, three hundred and thirty-one thousand nine hundred and ten Ghana cedis (Gh¢2,402,331,910.00) to the fund for the 2021 fiscal year.
    By the provision of Section 129(a) of the Local Governance Act of 2016 (Act 936), the Administrator of the Fund is to propose annually for the consideration and approval of
    Parliament, a formula for the distribution of the Fund to MMDAs.
    4.0 Principles Underlying the 2021 Formula
    The Administrator informed the Committee that there were no significant changes in the guiding principles of choosing the factors and corresponding indicators in developing the DACF Formula for 2021. The Formula is developed to allocate the Funds evenly to address the developmental gaps between the rural and urban Districts in the country.
    In developing the Formula, the ‘Basic Needs” approach to develop- ment was adopted and considered as a factor with the following as its indicators:
    Health Service;
    Education Service;
    Water Coverage; and
    Tarred Roads Coverage.
    Under the above factors, those who have more facilities/services receive less in order to bridge the development gap amongst the MMDAs.
    Additionally, the Formula also considered responsiveness, service
    Chairman of the Committee (Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu) 4:41 p.m.


    pressure and quality factors. The Committee was informed that when local authorities expect sizable grants from central government, they relax in their efforts to improve on their revenue collection. It has been argued that central government transfers such as the DACF serve as a disincentive to local revenue mobilisation efforts. The Responsiveness Factor is therefore used to serves as an incentive to MMDAs to double their efforts towards revenue generation.

    However, this year the Responsiveness Factor has been excluded from the factors considered in the Formula. The DPAT/DDF Secretariat instead will factor the responsiveness component as DACF Responsiveness Factor Grant (RFG) into their assessment.

    The Service Pressure Factor is to cater for the pressures put on facilities as a result of Rural/Urban migration in urban areas. The result from this factor is to assist the Assemblies to maintain the facilities.

    Finally, for the Equality Factor, a percentage of the Fund is shared equally among all the MMDAs before all the other factors are applied.

    5.0 Source of Data for the Formula

    The Committee was informed that data for the determination of the Formula was obtained from central sources. This is to prevent MMDAs from influencing the data used and also to prevent any possible falsification.

    5.1 Population

    Population data was obtained from the Statistical Service based on the projected data for 2020.

    5.2 Education

    Data on Education was obtained from the Ministry of Education. Data required included education facilities, pupil and trained teacher population. The data on education covered all the MMDAs in the country except the new Districts where data is shared with the old Districts.

    5.3 Health

    The Ministry of Health provided the data on Health. The data provided includes health facilities such as Public Hospitals, Clinics, Health Posts and CHPS compounds as well as Doctors and Nurses population.

    The health sector data continues to pose a great challenge to the development of the Formula due to

    the fluid nature of human resource professionals in that sector. The fluidity creates disparity between the data and the reality in some health facilities.

    5.4 Water Coverage

    The data on Water Coverage was sourced from the Community Water and Sanitation Agency and the Ghana Water Company. Whereas the Community Water and Sanitation Agency provided data on rural water coverage, the Ghana Water Company provided that of the urban water coverage.

    5.5 Tarred Roads Coverage

    The data on Tarred Roads was obtained from the Departments of Urban and Feeder Roads. Highways data was excluded as most of the MMDAs have highways passing through them. 6.0 Proposed Weighting Scenario

    The Administrator presented three different scenarios of weighting. It was noted that these scenarios were similar to that presented in 2020 with a minor variation on the needs for education as shown in Table 1 below.

    Table 1: 2021 Proposed Weighting

    Source: 2021 District Assemblies Common Fund Formula, p. 17

    6.1 Observation on the Scenarios

    The Administrator informed the Committee that the three (3) scenarios

    provide for an increase in revenue to most of the MMDAs. A critical examination of the scenarios indicates that Scenario A provides for a more
    Mr Speaker 4:41 p.m.
    Any seconder?
    Mr Benjamin K. Kpodo (NDC -- Ho Central) 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
    Mr Speaker, in doing so, I would want to draw the attention of the House to the fact that since the ruling of the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Finance, and even before then, has been striving hard to bring down the amount from which the 5 per cent would be calculated. They have used
    all sorts of tricks, and they have not been going according to the ruling of the Supreme Court. We have raised this matter at several fora but nothing is being done about it. This should not continue because we are governed by the rule of law.
    Mr Speaker, it is quite clear that when the Ministry decides to give money to the DACF, they do not indicate to the Administrator of the DACF the total amount of which they are allocating 5 per cent to the Fund. They allocate any amount they wish to the Fund. This has resulted in large shortfalls over the past few years.
    Mr Speaker, yesterday, when the Committee of the Whole met, it came out clear that there is the need to, alongside the proposals, furnish Parliament with the actual accruals over the previous years.
    We are now in June, so there cannot be any excuse that we cannot have actuals for the various line items. For instance, we would want to know that in 2020, out of an allocation of GH¢92,508,000 allocated to the National Youth Programme, how much was released to the National Youth Programme. There is no information on that in the presentation made to the House.
    Similarly, we allocated GH¢100 million for the construction of courts
    and residential buildings for judges. The issue is, as at the end of June 2021, how much has been spent for that purpose? This is why I remember the Hon Chief Whip of the Minority who re-emphasised the point that there should be some information to Parliament regarding how much was used. That would enable us to know whether the actual budgeted figure which was appropriated during the Budget approval was either given to the DACF or not. Without this information, we would not be able to make informed decision on how the new allocation should be made.
    Mr Speaker, following these discussions from last year and this year, I have developed a presentation format which we would give out to the DACF Administrator and request them to comply when they bring their proposals. I am ready to table it. We would request the DACF Administrator to follow when presenting its proposal the next time.
    Mr Speaker, one other issue about the formula for the distribution of the DACF is that we should make special direct efforts to ensure that most of the moneys go to the Districts. We have over centralised it. For instance, this year, something happened earlier; GH¢489 million was going to be taken away for the
    School Feeding Programme Secretariat. Who knows best which schools to extend the School Feeding Programme to? Is it not the Districts? We centralise the money here, and people are unable to do the right things in the various districts.

    In fact, I would even urge that since there is so much certainty that the portion that is given to Members of Parliament for projects would be used in the districts, that amount should be doubled so that MPs can have more projects done from the Common Fund. This is because the Common Fund is for the districts and we keep the money in Accra and the districts are suffering. Projects are not being done, health facilities are deteriorating, school buildings are dilapidated and normally when there is a disaster, the first person they call is the MP. The districts say they do not have any fund so I think that in the future, we have to reconsider using the project funds that go to MPs to do some of these things because there is certainty that MPs are going to do the projects in their various districts.

    Mr Speaker, we have already approved the distribution at the Committee of the Whole. I urged that you do so --
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    I am not hearing you now. You said that you have already approved it at the Committee of the Whole?
    Mr Kpodo 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Committee of the Whole has agreed to recommend to the House for approval of the formula as presented yesterday. [Laughter]
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    You are now talking. [Laughter]
    Mr Kpodo 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, maybe, because of my mask, you could not hear me well. [Laughter]
    Mr Speaker, I therefore, in seconding the Motion, call on the House to approve the proposal so that we can get back to work as quickly as possible.
    I thank you for the opportunity.
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    Hon Members, in debating it, he has raised some critical issues that we want to hear responses from either the Chairman or the Ranking Member of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development. The first point is that the Ministry of Finance and the District Assemblies' Common Fund Secretariat are not complying with the decision of the Supreme Court in the case he referred to: Kpodo and
    Another vs the Attorney-General. Secondly, there is an issue of presentation of formula which he is proposing for the consideration of this House. I am sure it is not only in his bosom but he has made it known to the Committee Members so that we ourselves are not complicit in the violation of the decision of the Supreme Court. If later we find it necessary, we would set up a special committee on these funds so that after approval, we are able to monitor and supervise the utilisation of the funds. It is very important.
    The District Assemblies' Common Fund is for convenience, not legal concept. It is not under the Ministry of Local Government, Decentrali- sation and Rural Development. It is a constitutional creation and there is good reason why these formula are brought to Parliament for us to take the responsibility. Once we approve them, we have taken responsibility to ensure that they are utilised according to the approval.
    So please, try and respond to these issues. If they become arguable, we cannot resolve it but if we all agree that that is what is happening, then we have to take a very serious measure to correct the violation of the Supreme Court's decision. We should
    not be seen tolerating or being complicit in such unlawful conducts.
    With this, I now invite the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    Hon former Deputy Minister for Finance?
    Mr Kwarteng 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was seeking your special leave to just make an observation in respect of compliance with the Supreme Court's ruling.
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    It would be in your contribution but let me listen to the Hon Chairman first. We would give you the opportunity. When you stand up that way, it means that we are out of Order so you are trying to draw our attention to come back in line.
    Mr Emmanuel A. Gyamfi (NPP -- Odotobri) 4:51 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion on the Floor for the approval of the Formula for the DACF for 2021.
    Mr Speaker, as has been captured by the Report, the Supreme Court ruling on the matter that was sent to
    Court by our own Colleague, Hon Kpodo, when the Committee met, we invited the Ministry of Finance and the representative, Hon Abena Osei- Asare who was at the meeting and she explained to the Committee that the ruling of the Supreme Court has been complied with by the Ministry of Finance and after that explanation by the Hon Deputy Minister, Hon Members of the Committee were all right. So I am just at a loss as to why our Hon Colleague is bringing that issue up.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    Your Hon Colleague is up.
    Yes, Hon Member?
    Mr Vanderpuye 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as the Hon Ranking Member, I am tempted to come in and say that on this particular issue, I am afraid to disagree with my Hon Chairman because he is misleading the House. The Committee was never all right with the answer provided by the Hon Deputy Minister for Finance. We made it clear to her that we have been asking this since the Sixth Parliament
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    I saw the repre- sentative of the Ministry of Finance in the person of the Hon Deputy Minister, Mrs Abena Osei-Asare on her feet.
    Mrs Abena Osei-Asare 4:51 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Chairman.
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    I became Chairman as far back as 1994. [Laughter]
    Mrs Osei-Asare 4:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, forgive me.
    Mr Speaker 4:51 p.m.
    Yes, you are sure that now I am Mr Speaker. [Laughter]
    Mrs Osei-Asare 5:01 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman said that I confirmed that we had complied with the Supreme Court's order. So, that is a fact and that was what I told the Committee and I again furnished the Committee with the breakdown on how we arrived at the total amount.

    And then my Colleague, Hon Kpodo asked that we give him the basis for arriving at the amount that we proposed for the DACF for 2021, but as to how we arrived at the total amount based on the Supreme Court's ruling, I presented it to Hon Kpodo. Mr Speaker, the Hon Member has a copy and so, he cannot deny that. I brought him a copy to that effect. I showed it to him and showed him how the ruling has affected the amount.

    Mr Speaker, I confirmed at the meeting that we had complied with the Supreme Court's order, and secondly, I also presented a sheet on how we arrived at the total amount. Hon Kpodo further requested that I

    provide him with the actual quarterly collections that come in. I confirmed that I would work on that and get it to him as and when we get the total collections for every quarter.
    Mr Speaker 5:01 p.m.
    Hon Member, this is a debatable issue. You disagree on what happened at the Committee level. I think that minutes of the Committee will guard us. In the meantime, let us proceed with the debate.
    Yes, Hon Chairman, you may continue?
    Mr Gyamfi 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as the Hon Deputy Finance Minister just said, when the question was posed, the response that the Hon Deputy Minister gave - the bone of contention was that after the five per cent, which would go to the District Assemblies has been determined, the whole amount should be transferred to the District Assemblies for them to undertake their programmes and activities.
    On the formula as captured by the Report, there is an allocation for institutional support, which includes the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and the National Youth Authority (NYA), which are not to benefit directly from the five per cent that has
    been allocated. So, that is where the Committee has issues with the proposal that the Administrator of the DACF presented to the Committee.
    Mr Speaker, about two months ago, your Committee on Local Government and Rural Development undertook a national tour of all projects that are being funded by the DACF under the national project and institutional support to have a first- hand information of the implementation of what is on paper.
    Mr Speaker, we went to almost all the regions in the country and the Committee saw the projects that are being supported. The problem that I, as the Hon Chairman of the Committee, have with the distribution is that, we have just about 50 per cent of the amount going to the District Assemblies. The other 50 per cent has been taken up by the national projects and institutional support denying the District Assemblies enough resources for development activities in the districts.
    Mr Speaker, I therefore recom- mend to the Ministry of Finance that those projects that are being funded from the DACF are equally good for strengthening local governance institutions, and that the Ministry of Finance should find money to support the Ministry of Local Government
    Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem (NDC -- Asuogyaman) 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much. I also support the Motion to approve the 2021 Formula for DACF.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to draw our attention to the fact that we have been making a simple request that over the years - I know that last year, we emphasised it, and this year, the same thing has been repeated. In 2020, we allocated 47.4 per cent of the Fund, as indicated on page 2 of the Report, as direct transfers to MMDAs and that amounted to over
    GH¢1,096,000,000.00.
    Mr Speaker, as we are approving the Formula for 2021, we do not know the actual amount that was transferred to the MMDAs. We have been requesting for this simple information, but we do not get it. So, on what basis are we repeating the allocation of the same percentage to
    the MMDAs this year? At least, a guide to us that 47 per cent was allocated, but in actual fact, so much was transferred. How much did we transfer to the MMDAs from January, 2020 to December 2020? It is an information that would have equipped us to be able to know that the allocation is actually good.
    5. 11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as we speak now, we have no means of determining if the Administrator actually complied with the formula that we gave her. We do not know that, but we are approving another one. In the year 2022, we will be here when she would bring the same formula that we approved, and bring another one also. We would have no means of knowing whether the approval that we gave was the actual thing that she followed in the transfer. So, I would want to emphasise that it is important that when we make requests, we are given the information to help us in making good decisions. It is very important.
    Mr Speaker, we have also seen that year on year, we keep introducing new line items. For instance, in the last couple of years, we have introduced this Distressed District Support, and the explanation is that an amount of
    money is being put aside for Districts that have some court cases and other things. Some accounts have been garnished, and in my view, all this explanation is sending an indication to Districts that they can mess up, but the District Assemblies' Common Fund would be there to bail them out. I do not think that it is something that we would need to encourage.
    If we look at that of the year 2020, we allocated 1.47 per cent, which amounted to GH¢34 million. This year, we have increased it to 2.08 per cent, and the amount is GH¢50 million. So, we seemed to be increasing the allocation to support distressed Districts, and who are the distressed districts? I think that it is important that we encourage them to be responsible, and that any action that they take that incurs some debt must be paid by them. They are to know that the District Assemblies' Common Fund would not be there to bail them out when they mess up.
    Mr Speaker, we are already late, we are in the month of July already, and we are all expecting that transfers should be made to the Assemblies for them to be able to operate. So, I would want us to take these considerations on board, and make sure that next year, we do not repeat the same issues.
    Mr Speaker 5:01 p.m.
    Hon Former Deputy Minister for Finance, you want to make an intervention?
    Mr Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng (NPP - Obuasi West) 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, yes, after the engagement, I thought that I would let it pass, but since you have given me the opportunity, I would make this simple point about whether or not we are in compliance with the ruling of the Supreme Court.
    It ought not to be a matter of controversy. If we take the last Budget Statement, we know what total revenue came to because it was reported. If we look at how much was assigned to the District Assemblies, that was also reported for the year gone by, and it is very easy to see whether the minimum five per cent required by the 1992 Constitution has been complied with. So, in my view, the discussion about whether or not we are in compliance with the decision of the Supreme Court is neither here nor there.
    Mr Speaker, the issue that the Hon Ampem raised that having determined in theory that this money must go to the District Assemblies, in practice, and that is the accumulation of arrears,
    to what extent are these funds in arrears? It is a legitimate one that we can all interrogate, but let us not give the impression that the Supreme Court gave a ruling, and somehow, the Ministry of Finance sat down, did the computations, and gave less than what the Supreme Court required. That is just not fair on Government.
    As I said and I conclude on this, if it is a matter of arrears, then let us say so, that this was how much that ought to have gone, but in practice, some are in arrears, so when will such arrears be cleared? However, let us not mix that discussion with whether or not we are in compliance with the Supreme Court's ruling.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Minority Leader (Mr Haruna Iddrisu ) 5:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion ably moved by the Hon Chairman of the Committee on the proposed formula for the sharing of the District Assemblies' Common Fund.
    Mr Speaker, in contributing to the debate, I would want to draw your attention to two issues. The Hon Chairman in his submission alluded to it, but rather in his speech, he says: “Kpodo and another”. I heard the Hon Chairman say so, but on page five of the Report, paragraph 8. 1, it says “Kpodo and Annor.”
    Mr Speaker, in the next paragraph, which is paragraph 8.2, it says 5:01 p.m.
    “… About 447 million…” If the amount is supposed to be captured in Ghana cedis (GH¢), then we should qualify it as being so for the records.
    Mr Speaker, I have carefully followed your guidance on this matter where you referred to the position that we should endeavour to treat the District Assemblies' Common Fund as a creation of the 1992 Constitution, and to strengthen its autonomy. But in doing so, respectfully, I would refer you to Chapter five, which talks about the decentralisation on local government provisions of the Constitution, which begins in article 240 and probably ends with an emphasis on article 252.
    I could not agree more with your ruling, but nonetheless, there must be harmony. That harmony is provided for, and I would want the Hansard Department to look at it. When we look at section 126 of Act 936 of 2016, there is the need to build harmony because local government and decentralisation is still within the ambit of the Fund, in order to be able to manage same.
    Mr Speaker, secondly, my strongest observation is that even as we approve the Formula today, Hon Members of Parliament are entitled
    to the fourth quarter of 2020, and that has not been paid. It has not been released, and that cannot reflect to an economy that is doing well, where we are half way into the year contemplating a mid-year review within the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, and yet, we are not able to settle our outstanding obligations in respect of the District Assemblies' Common Fund for the fourth quarter. So, the Ministry of Finance must endeavour to work with the Administrator of the Common Fund for an early release of the fourth quarter.
    Mr Speaker, it affects the functionality of our District Assemblies, and as you yourself have advised, again, this Parliament must rise up to the calling, and permit me to quote article 252(1) of the 1992 Constitution:
    “Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, Parliament shall annually make provision for the allocation of not less than five per cent of the total revenues of Ghana to the District Assemblies for development; and the amount shall be paid into the District Assemblies Common Fund in quarterly instalments.”
    Mr Speaker, nothing prevents us from increasing this to seven and a half per cent. It has happened before. If
    Mr Speaker, in the next paragraph, which is paragraph 8.2, it says 5:21 p.m.
    we are not satisfied with how much goes to District Assemblies as has been observed by the Hon Chairman of the Committee, then let this House take a strong position that we want the District Assemblies' Common Fund to be increased from five per cent to seven and a half per cent.
    Mr Speaker, I do not work at the Ministry of Finance, therefore, the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee may have fine details in terms of numbers than I do.
    However, I would refer him to page 210, appendix (b) of the 2021 Budget Statement, and again, we observed that on total revenue, while commending Kpodo and company for taking this matter to the Supreme Court, which is a settled matter, in it, we are to allocate not less than five per cent of total revenue. I did not study Economics like him, but total revenue would mean tax revenue, which was about an amount of GH¢55.8 billion, non-tax revenue, which was about an amount of GH¢10.3 billion, and other revenue, which was about an amount of GH¢4.2 billion.
    The total revenue as reported by you, was an amount of GH¢70.3 billion, and if we compute five per cent of it, we should not get less than an
    amount of GH¢3 billion. However, I have studied Economics too, and it should be less Stabilisation Fund, less Heritage Fund, and less tax exemptions.

    This is all that we would need to do to arrive at a figure. So, we should direct the Committee on Finance to thoroughly review these numbers in order that we are not short changed in terms of what represents five per cent of total national revenue. We know what to put it on, and the Committees on Finance and Local Government and Rural Development must accept the challenge of Mr Speaker to go into the numbers.

    We give too much powers to the Hon Minister for Finance. He cannot be above the Parliament of Ghana. So, let Parliament demonstrate some moral strength that its Committee would look into the numbers. You have provided the numbers in the Budget Statement and let us compute five per cent of it. If that is unsatisfactory, nothing prevents us from recommending strongly that we want this five per cent to be increased to 7.5 per cent. The Constitution did not tie our hands.

    Mr Speaker, secondly, I would talk about youth employment. I had the privilege to shepherd the passage of

    the Youth Employment Act with many of our Hon Colleagues supporting. Today, when they are recruiting in the constituencies and districts, it is discriminatory. If you are not a member of the ruling party, you will not get it. That is not right. It probably could have happened under the NDC Administration, but it is not right. Maybe, we should decentralise it to constituencies. Let me know in my constituency that five persons are entitled to --
    rose
    Mr Speaker 5:21 p.m.
    I will come back to you, but the Hon Majority Chief Whip is on his feet.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was enjoying the debate by my good Friend, and I am in total agreement of the highlights of his argument, but I take a strong exception to the explicit statement he made that for the NYEP, if one is not a member of the ruling party, he is not considered.
    This is a House of record. I put a direct challenge to the Hon Minority Leader that he should provide evidence to this, or retract this statement. [Interruption] This is an unfortunate statement to come from the leader of the Minority. I find this
    very offensive. I challenge the Hon Minority Leader to do the needful by providing evidence to the statement he just made or withdraw same.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 5:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I further added that even under the NDC Administration, this probably may have occurred. While looking for my evidence, I would ask my Hon Colleague to submit the names of employees of NYEP in the Nsawam- Adoagyiri Constituency to assist me.
    I would want to take data from the 275 constituencies, including his, to see how many members of the NDC and the NPP in his constituency are employed. I am simply saying that there is a national wrong; I did not tie it only to this Administration. Let us endeavour to correct it. We can correct it by saying that every Hon MP must recommend five persons. They said 45,000. Just multiply 275 by five then I know every constituency is represented. I would not belabour it, but I accepted his challenge and provided the list.
    Mr Speaker, I further have requested that the Auditor-General - I did so not because of today. You can check the record. If you have the Hon Minister for Employment and Labour Relations here, ask him. I wrote to the Auditor-General in 2016
    Mr Speaker 5:21 p.m.
    Just before you conclude. The Hon Majority Chief Whip wanted to say something again. You are insisting that he withdraw which of the statements?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I respectfully requested of you to direct the respected Hon Minority Leader, the Hon Haruna Iddrisu, to support the explicit statement he made to the effect that if one is not a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), -- [Interruption] -- he is not considered for employment under the Youth Employment Programme. He made that statement, and so, I would want him to support it or withdraw same. It is simple.
    Mr Speaker 5:21 p.m.
    I think that you did not get his statement right. He talked about a national wrong which is being practised now and which had also
    been practised before. He spoke about the ruling party; he did not actually mention the ruling NPP. What made me accept that is because of his reference to the former Government too. It has been identified as a practice that is wrong which we should do everything to discontinue.
    I am taking judicial notice of this, and I believe all of you know it that it has been like this for some time which is wrong. Party cards for employment, so-called protocol lists and all those things must stop. The very serious challenge we have now is youth unemployment and that is a national security threat. We must confront it frontally, and solve the problem.
    Hon Majority Chief Whip, do you still want to insist?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not a litigant, and in this House, we have always agreed to disagree. I would also not even call for report to be given to prove my case, but respectfully, the Hon Minority Leader went ahead to corroborate his earlier statement by saying that he accepts the challenge and he would produce that evidence. He said it. I would not want to litigate further or drag this matter. I would respectfully implore him --
    Mr Speaker 5:21 p.m.
    Hon Majority Chief Whip, where I disagree with you is you adding “NPP”. He did not; he said ruling party. There has not been one ruling party in Ghana. Please, you may have some prejudice or bias or as we usually say, people do not listen to understand, but they listen to ask questions, and to disagree. So, sometimes, you do not get it because you already have a predetermined mind. He referred to “ruling party”.
    I am very observant. I listened attentively because I know that from the process that has brought this Report, I am aware that there would be this kind of controversy. That is why, even though I have people waiting for me, I decided to preside over this debate. Please, let us go on.
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 5:31 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would conclude with one other observation which was raised yesterday, but I have not seen it captured in the Report. I have seen Hon Members of the Committee raised concerns about new itemised expenditure.
    Mr Speaker, for DACF to support the Judiciary or the court, is not something we should question. Even percentage wise, how much goes to the Judiciary as compared to how much goes to the Executive and the Legislature? It was supposed to
    correct a certain narrative. This is
    DACF.
    Administration and access to justice was a problem. That is why it is recommended that a certain portion be made available. What I understand is that many of the contractors working on a lot of these court buildings have not even been paid.

    The Government should endeavour to pay them. On the size of the houses, why would you build a five bedroom house where you could do a three-bedroom house for the purpose of a judge? These are all matters we should look into.

    Mr Speaker, then, yesterday, the matter of allocating some funds for the National Peace Council was mentioned, and we were assured that an allocation of GH¢5 million would be used to support the National Peace Council; a novelty in our country which has been hailed and praised. We remain an oasis of peace, and I think that there is justification for the DACF to make provision for it. Mr Speaker, indeed, the Majority Leader and I were in Ada to discuss post-election 2020 which was organised by the National Peace Council and sponsored by the ECOWAS Secretariat and the
    rose
    Mr Speaker 5:31 a.m.
    Well let me allow one of your able —
    Mr Vanderpuye 5:31 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I just want to make a point on what the Hon Minority Leader said --
    [Interruption] -- When the Administrator appeared before the Committee, we agreed that the amount of money needed for the construction of new offices for the National Peace Council was important but then, we could not capture it on a different cost line and so we decided to embed it in the construction of Regional Coordinating Councils, District Assemblies and other buildings. So, when we look at a particular line, we would see “Construction of RCC, District Assemblies and other buildings”. That is how we captured the amount voted for the construction of the offices of the National Peace Council.
    Mr Speaker 5:31 a.m.
    Well, Hon Chairman, I think we now understand why the DAFC is not common. You may conclude?
    Mr Osei-Owusu 5:31 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank Hon Colleagues for their contributions and suggestions. I endorsed the last statement made by the Hon Member for Odododiodio. Actually, the Administrator pointed to that particular line and said the money had been allocated under ‘Other buildings' and therefore, the National Peace Council would be covered.
    Mr Speaker, I have also taken note of the concern of the basis for
    determining the 5 per cent. I encourage members of the Committees on Finance and Local Government to collaborate and inform the House whether indeed, the 5 per cent is actually being allocated to the DACF or not. Mr Speaker, I recalled that upon a Statement in the last Parliament, I was then presiding and I directed that the Deputy Minister should provide the information to the House but nobody followed it up and so I am not sure the information has in fact, been provided. But I urge the Committee to follow it through and advise the House.
    Mr Speaker, lastly, the Hon Member for Ho Central, Hon Kpodo has proposed the formula for reporting on allocations and actuals. I encourage the Committee to work with the Administrator to provide that bit of reporting on how much was allocated and how much was in fact released to the DACF so that when the Report comes to the House we can know exactly whether they were getting the actual percentages as approved.
    Mr Speaker, on that note, I urge the House to vote for the proposal as presented.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr Speaker 5:31 a.m.
    Hon Members, all I can say is that we should try as much
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    as possible not to encourage national governance to abdicate from its responsibilities and push all to Local Governance. There is a difference; there is a good reason we adopted this form of decentralisation. If we think that it is not necessary, and we want re-concentration, let us say so. But the responsibility rests on this Parliament, not the Executive and not the DACF Administrator but this House.
    So, I will further support the call that the Committees on Finance and Local Government and Rural Development do follow up to the Administrator of the DACF and get the details on all these matters. It could be that the total revenue that was estimated, was not generated by Government and therefore, Government might not be able to give what was approved. So, we need to go further than that. If we got it that Government even got more, it means that the DACF should get more, not less.
    And then, the allocations; we do not keep every year approving moneys for institutions, agencies and the rest and the moneys are not released to them and we keep on doing the same things. And to be frank, I think that our system of decentralisation is collapsing. Since I
    took over, I have had so many delegations from District Assemblies, even the Caucus of Presiding Members of District Assemblies held a meeting with me. And the things that they presented, we are yet to discuss them. So, please do not allow DACF money to be now used at the national level and directives given as to how the money should be utilised. That is not decentralisation.
    So, it is enough information and notice to the DACF and the Administrator, our own, former Hon Colleague that we take a serious view of what is happening and we will now be looking more into her books and then the actions of Government.

    But let me emphasise that the DACF and the DACF Administrator are creatures of the 1992 Constitution. The Ministries are those of statutes and executive instruments. So, the Administrator is not under the Minister. I repeat, the Administrator is not under the Minister. They should collaborate and work together to make sure that the DACF is implemented. That is all I can say.

    Question put and Motion agreed to.

    Resolved Accordingly.
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Hon Members, I believe we can move to take the consequential Resolution. Is that the case or you want us to go back to Statements?
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we would go back to the presentation of Papers and take the item numbered 7.
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Hon Members, we would now take the item numbered 7 (f), that is, we are back to the presentation of Papers.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with the greatest of respect, we would take Presentation of Papers but with your leave, start with item 7 (d) and conclude with item 7 (f).
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Well, I was acting on your guidance, through the Table Office. So, we would go back to item 7 (d), Presentation of Papers, by the Minister for Information.
    PAPERS 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Item numbered 7 (f), by the Chairman of the Committee.
    By the Chairman of the Committee --
    Report of the Finance Committee on the Financing Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and the International Development Association for an amount of one hundred million United States dollars (US$100,000,000.00) to finance the Productive Safety Net Project-2.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Hon Member, sorry, we are laying Papers.
    Mr Ayariga 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, you referred the Report on the Right to Information Bill to the Committee on Communications. I thought that the matter is properly a subject of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs but I heard you say Committee on Communications.
    Mr Ayariga 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the commission under the Right to Information Act is overseen by the Constitutional, Legal and Parlia- mentary Affairs Committee. So, it would be an anomaly for the Report on them to be sent to the Committee on Communications instead of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Hon Member, this is an Annual Report coming from the Ministry. The Ministry is reporting to the House on the steps it has taken in trying to actualise the provisions of the Act. So, the appropriate subject matter Committee should be the one that should go through the Report.
    If there are other issues such as legal ones, then we could refer it to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee who deal with commissions among others. However, for this Report, I believe the appropriate Committee is the Committee on Communications. However, definitely - [Interruption] Hon Member, you are completely out of order.
    Hon Minority Leader?
    Mr Iddrisu 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I know that you are strict to the letter and spirit of our Standing Orders and as guardian and interpreter of our rules of procedure, I can understand you referring the Report on the Right to Information Act to the Committee on Communications. That is rightly so, but I would seek your leave to include the leadership of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Globally, as you have participated in many of the forums and discussions on the subject yourself, the right to information is an anti-corruption and anti-graft deepening transparency instrument.
    Therefore, beyond the Committee on Communications, the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs may have an interest in some of the matters. If you would have no objection to it, you may just add the leadership when the Committee on Communications is looking at the Report.
    Thank you.
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    Hon Members, there is a danger in extending these things because the right to information, which is interpreted by the Act itself, means the right assigned to access to information. So, if we are looking at
    that one, we are not really going into the legalities of the rights but the steps that the Minister has taken to implement the provisions and makes the right become a reality. People can now access information. It is not something into which we should bring in the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.
    Mr Iddrisu 5:41 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I abandon my proposal.
    Mr Speaker 5:41 a.m.
    I would not be tempted to cause confusion between Leaders and their Members, so please, let us leave it at that. It is for the attention of the Committee on Communications.
    We have finished with the item numbered 7 (f) (i). Is Item numbered 7 (f) (ii) ready? We would take item numbered 7 (f) (ii) on page 4 of the Order Paper.
    By the Chairman of the Committee --
    Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and the International Development Association for an amount of two hundred million United States dollars (US$200,000,000.00)
    as Additional Financing for the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project.
    Mr Annoh-Dompreh 5:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, with respect, I have conferred with my Hon Colleague and we have come to an agreement that we defer the relevant Motions till tomorrow and so with your guidance if you could adjourn the House?
    Mr Speaker 5:51 p.m.
    No! We would not adjourn. We have a lot of Statements and I have had serious pressures from Hon Members. I admitted some Statements as far back as January 2021 and Hon Members have not had the opportunity to make them on the Floor and they are very concerned. Some of them even think that I have not admitted the Statements but as I stated yesterday, we have over 70 Statements.
    I would call on the Hon Second Deputy Speaker, to take the Chair and at least, take three Statements. The first one is from the Hon Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the second one is from the Hon Member for Okaikoi North and the third one is from the Hon Member for Klottey Korle.
    MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
    STATEMENTS 5:53 p.m.
    Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (Dr Kwaku Afriyie) 5:53 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, yesterday marked the climax of the celebration of Africa Scientific Renaissance Day. It is a day set aside by the African Union (AU) to remind all African Governments and people about the critical role science and technology play in national development. The event which is observed annually across Africa on 30th June, is in remembrance of Africa's great contributions to the rise and development of modern science and technology.
    This year's event is hosted by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) with support from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI). The theme for the celebration is “Ghana's Readiness for Nuclear Power''.
    Mr Speaker, as the sector's Hon Minister, I had the opportunity to open the celebration on Monday, 28th June, 2021 through Webinar and experts from collaborating institutions such as the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Institute of Engineers (GhIE) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) among others all attended. They made various presentations on topical issues of national interest pertaining to nuclear power.
    Mr Speaker, this Statement is structured to highlight the country's historical efforts in our nuclear power programme through the prioritisation and application of science, technology and innovation for our socio- economic development. In particular, it is to underscore the continuity in the execution of critical national projects
    by successive governments which are crucial to achieving the aspirations we have set for ourselves as a country. It is also to remind this august House as a representative of the people to carry out our mandate effectively and efficiently, devoid of partisan considerations.
    Mr Speaker, in 1963, the Government of Ghana decided to undertake what was known as “The Ghana Nuclear Reactor Project''. This project was to introduce nuclear science and technology and explore its peaceful applications for accelerated national development. Ghana and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) (as it was then called), signed an agreement on the peaceful exploration of nuclear energy and the Soviet Union was to help Ghana build a Nuclear Reactor for research purposes and the radioisotope laboratory.
    The Ghana Nuclear Reactor Project was to have a 2MW reactor, designed for research, training and production of radioisotopes for our hospitals. The long-term goal was to employ the civil application of nuclear energy to generate electricity. The 2MW reactor was therefore, to be used for the training and development of the relevant manpower in preparation for the country's
    aspirations to generate electricity from nuclear power.
    Based on the nuclear ambitions, the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), was established in 1963 through Act 204. The immediate strategy of the Commission (as captured in the Act) was to implement the 2MW Research Reactor Project. Getting international support was not a major problem because Ghana had already joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in 1958. Unfortunately, after the event of Thursday, 24th February, 1966, the project was halted and the Commission was dissolved.
    Mr Speaker, perhaps, the National Liberation Council (NLC), had a basis for stopping the Project and dissolving the GAEC. The NLC invited one Sir Cockcroft, a British Physicist to assess the project and advise the government. Sir Cockcroft made the following conclusion:
    “In view of the capacity of the Volta Hydroelectric Project, for some 20 years to come, a Reactor is unlikely to be necessary for the purposes of producing power''.
    Mr Speaker, I suspect that the best interpretation for this statement at that time was that in view of the Volta
    Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (Dr Kwaku Afriyie) 6:01 p.m.
    Hydroelectric Project, Reactor for the purposes of producing power will be after 20 years. Indeed, the ultimate goal was to produce electricity from nuclear energy when the required manpower had been sufficiently trained and that was going to take some 20 years. In view of the foregoing, it was not surprising therefore that we had started having serious power challenges around the early 1980s.
    Mr Speaker, a second attempt at acquiring a Research Reactor was made in 1973. The then Government constituted a Technical Committee for the reactivation of the Ghana Reactor Project and a 1MW reactor belonging to the Frankfurt University, in the Federal Republic of Germany was acquired. All documentations associated with the acquisition of the reactor was signed, payments made towards the dismantling of the reactor in Germany, its shipment to Ghana and subsequent assembly at the project site in Ghana were all concluded.

    Mr Speaker, the shipment did not happen, and the reactor would stall once again due to what is popularly referred to as the palace coup d'etat on 5th July, 1978 following the

    overthrow of General Kutu Acheampong by Gen. F. W. K. Akuffo. It was the second reactor project attempt and another coup d'etat.

    We were however successful in our third attempt in 1995. A 30KW research reactor was acquired and has been in operation since then. It is significant to note that the initial plan was to acquire a 2MW reactor in the year 1963 and in the year 1973, it was a 1MW and 30KW in the year 1995. It appears our ambition declined with the evolution of time.

    Mr Speaker, the next concrete attempt and comprehensive plan to revisit our nuclear power programme was started in the year 2007 and here, a committee chaired by Prof Adzei- Bekoe was constituted to advice on the potential use of nuclear energy for power generation in Ghana.

    The Committee observed that a decision by Ghana to explore electricity generation from nuclear source would improve the country's generation mix and strengthen energy security.

    The Committee recommended the setting up of a presidential commission on nuclear power development to draft a nuclear power policy and to consider issues relating to technical and financial feasibility studies among

    others. As a result, nuclear was included in our energy generation mix.

    Mr Speaker, it is refreshing to acknowledge and in order to vigorously pursue the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO) under the auspices of the then Ministry of Energy and Petroleum was launched and through a series of works bordering on institutional framework and governance issues, the GNPPO has been successful in completing phase 1 of the project in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), National Disaster Manage- ment Organisation (NADMO), Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), among others.

    As part of requirements to commence the Phase 2 of the Project, the Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG), the owner operator was started in the year 2018 with seconded staff from the VRA, Bui Power Authority (BPA) and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).

    The NPG became a legal entity on July 4th, 2019 as a special purpose vehicle incorporated under the laws of Ghana with VRA, BPA as its

    shareholders. When IAEA first conducted a follow-up review mission in the year 2019, the owner-operator was already established and the review report concluded that Ghana had completed the studies needed for the Government to make a knowledgeable commitment to the nuclear power programme and was preparing for Phase 2.

    Mr Speaker, as we double our efforts to champion the cause of our power programme, the time has come for us to take bold step to operationalise the application of nuclear science for the generation of electricity. Indeed, if we had followed through the programme judiciously since the year 1963, nuclear power would have been Ghana's next power generation after hydro.

    At this point in the nuclear programme, we can confidently say that we have met the institutional requirement established by GNPPO, the NRA and ownership-operator, issues of integrated management system and safety were prioritised right from the beginning. We have ratified or acceded to several international legal instruments related to safety, security, safeguards and nuclear liability. Certain activities have been ongoing and some great studies have been undertaken such as public perception service and human
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:01 p.m.
    Thank you Hon Minister. Let me take the Hon Member for Klottey Korle.
    Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey Korle) 6:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by my Hon Colleague.
    Mr Speaker, mine is just a caution as regards the use of nuclear power as a source of energy in our country. As we know very well, Ghana suffers from a severe problem of lack of maintenance culture and in May, 2011, Angela Merkel, the then Chancellor of Germany mentioned that 17 of Germany's nuclear power stations were to be shut down by the year 2020 based on the accident that happened in Fukushima in Japan with their nuclear reactor.
    In the years 2019 and 2020 when the GAEC and the relevant agencies came before the Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, one of the concerns was the drive towards nuclear power, given the fact that as we sit today, we still have not had the Report on the
    three various accidents that happened at the petrol stations in Ghana so far to at least guide us with regard to the things we need to put in place to ensure that such accidents do not happen.
    Mr Speaker, clearly, if we have had three successive accidents at fuel stations and we were not able to prevent them one dreads the thought of what could happen in the event of poor maintenance when we actually start using nuclear power, given the threat that we now face with the surrounding violence extremists in the sub-region.
    At the time, the relevant agencies did commit to the Committee at the time that they would investigate further alternatives with regard to power generation since Ghana is going green, and clearly, nuclear power is not green. The concerns we raised at the Committee at the time were with regard to the safety, maintenance and subsequent disposal of nuclear material when the material is no longer usable for its purpose.
    Mr Speaker, so, as we discuss the movement of Ghana towards what appears to be an almost inevitable drag towards nuclear power, we must look at the alternatives.
    If a country like Germany has actually done a policy reversal with regard to shutting down nuclear power plants, then Ghana which suffers from a serious maintenance culture problem needs to look again at which cleaner forms of energy production we can look at which do not have the kind of fall out that the nuclear incidents could have, in the event of something going wrong.

    So, I would perhaps suggest that we look at green alternatives with regard to power generation for Ghana. We have sunshine and we have the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) that can look into some really good options of power generation and so we should consider them and not wait for something to happen before we can wish that we had known better historically.

    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:11 p.m.
    Hon Member for Oforikrom?
    Dr Emmanuel Marfo (NPP -- Oforikrom) 6:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:11 p.m.
    I would take one more contribution and then listen to the Leadership.
    Mr Hamza Adam (NDC -- Kumbungu) 6:11 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Hon Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
    Mr Speaker, I think that it is not out of place that we have decided to hold this year's celebration under the auspices of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission because nuclear energy has the potential to help us end the dumsor that we have been struggling with over the years. It is sad to note that we have made several attempts to add nuclear energy to our total
    Mr Hamza Adam (NDC -- Kumbungu) 6:21 p.m.
    power needs but we have unfortunately not been able to do so.
    Mr Speaker, in the submission by the Hon Minister, we would notice that our first attempt was in 1963 but we failed and again in 1973 we failed. It was until sometime in 1995 that we were able to procure about 30 kilowatts which was mainly for research purposes. So, as a country, we have to be serious with this because why should we fail in adding nuclear energy to our power energy source? However, I think it is good news that we have made some attempts to get some nuclear energy now.
    Mr Speaker, in Africa, only a few countries are attempting the usage of nuclear energy which include Egypt, Libya and South Africa which are doing well in terms of nuclear energy. Mr Speaker, the good news is that Ghana is trying its best because we are among the few countries that are serious with nuclear energy.

    Some of the challenges that are causing us not to make progress is the fact that we are always looking for immediate feedback but nuclear energy is quite an expensive project and it takes a long time; because the

    minimum period we can use to build nuclear energy would be about five years, and it is also tedious.

    Politicians look at where they would invest their money into and rake in returns immediately. I think we need to dedicate ourselves to it. With science and innovation, normally that takes a lot of time to start reaping the benefits. So to come out with an innovation in science, it can take a person about 10 years, and we do not have the patience to invest in this direction.

    As a country, we need to psyche our minds and invest more into science and technology development because it is important for the development of our country. We need to try and invest. We have to resource the CSIR, as my Colleague indicated, and also resource other agencies which are into science like the Atomic Energy Commission. When all these institutions are well-resourced and we commit ourselves and put more funds into them, we can make a headway.

    Mr Speaker, I must also mention that we are also not trying to demystify the mystery in science, as a country. When it comes to science discussions, a lot of people shy away, but science is the way to go. If we develop our scientific industry very well, it would help us develop the

    nation since national development hinges on science and technology.

    Mr Speaker, sensitisation of the public is key, and I urge all agencies who are into this science-related activities to sensitise the public well. If you do not do a lot of sensitisation, we scare a lot of people away from science. And there are a whole lot of local issues that could be interpreted with science to make sense for the development of our nation.

    In my view, taking this celebration to the atomic energy is the way to go, and I urge that we continue to pursue this until we are able to succeed in getting an atomic energy source to complement electricity deficits, as a country.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon available leader of the Minority?
    Mr Mahama Ayariga (NDC - Bawku Central) 6:21 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I think this Statement has been made by the Hon Minister for Environ- mental, Science, Technology and Innovation to commemorate the Africa Scientific Renaissance Day. This day was set aside by the African
    Union so that we can celebrate the contribution of Africa to world science.
    Very often, we forget that before western scientific knowledge came, there was indigenous scientific knowledge which we used to determine the seasons to plant, harvest and the science we used to assess our health conditions, diagnose diseases and determine what medication to administer, be it plant herbs or whatever. So there was science which we survived on until western scientific knowledge which also came to add to the indigenous science.
    Unfortunately, we Africans have tendered to ignore our own science, and we spend significant amount of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) buying science being developed by others. Increasingly, our scientific knowledge is being lost, yet we have not sufficiently mastered and developed the technology that accompanies western scientific knowledge.
    Mr Speaker, this is a very sad development. It is very sad because, if we really look at our economies, almost all of our resources are going to pay other economies for their scientific knowledge which they have used to invest and develop technologies that we are paying for. Just look at this Chamber, the
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:21 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority Chief Whip?
    Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP -- Nsawam-Adoagyiri) 6:31 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to speak in support of the Statement made by the Hon Minister and to begin by commending the Hon Minister for a well-thought out Statement.
    Mr Speaker, I have heard the earlier contributor -- Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings throwing in a quick caution which, in my view, is a very reasonable one to put out at this time in the context of where we are as a country and some of the challenges that are quite infantile in dealing with energy issues which we are still confronted with. Again, my
    good friend, Hon Mahama Ayariga also supports that. But fact be told, that does not mean that we should not think big as a country. I am sure that when Dr Kwame Nkrumah thought of the Akosombo Dam then it was seen as too much of a big dream or an audacious dream and so matters must be put in context.
    In getting overly cautious about nuclear energy, we need to recognise the fact that there are internationally acclaimed bodies [Interruption] -- We have the International Atomic Energy which have set out a clear and distinct template that prospective countries that want to enter into nuclear programmes or in the generation of nuclear energy would have to pass through these requirements before they are admitted. So these things are well-laid out and they are not controversial.
    Mr Speaker, a bit of history -- if we look at the development of nuclear energy, in the 1950s, when the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Russia set the tone on the world stage for the usage of nuclear [Interruption] So many years down the lane, our first President, during the commissioning of the Ghana Atomic Energy Project said:
    “We have therefore been compelled to enter the field of
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:31 p.m.
    Thank you, Hon Member.
    Hon Members, the second Statement is by the Hon Member for Okaikwei North, Hon Theresa Lardi Awuni on the importance of the 2021 National Population and Housing Census.
    Hon Member, you may take the Floor.
    Importance of the 2021 National Population and Housing
    Census
    Ms Theresa L. Awuni (NDC -- Okaikwei-North) 6:31 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make a Statement on the Floor of this august House in respect of the ongoing Population and Housing Census and to call on Ghanaians to embrace and partake in the census.
    Mr Speaker, the population and housing census, which is basically about enumerating the number of people in Ghana and the number of housing structures is in fulfilment of section 34 of the Statistical Services Act of 2019 (Act 1003).
    Mr Speaker, historically, the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) should have been conducted in 2020 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was re-scheduled for this year.
    The first census in the country was conducted in 1891 under the auspices of the then British Administration. Censuses were then carried out every ten years thereafter in 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931 when the Second World War disrupted the series, hence there was no census in 1941. After the war, a census was conducted in 1948, and that was the last to be
    Ms Theresa L. Awuni (NDC -- Okaikwei-North) 6:41 p.m.
    organised by the then British Administration. The earlier censuses were conducted in the same years as censuses in the United Kingdom. After independence in 1957, Ghana adopted the United Nations recommendation to conduct censuses in years ending in “zero” or close to “zero”.

    Thus the first post-independence census was conducted in 1960 and the second in 1970. There was no census in 1980 due to political instability, breaking the decennial census taking in the country. A census was eventually conducted in 1984, and then in 2000, breaking the expected decennial census taking in the country and presenting unusual intervals between the censuses - 14 years between 1970 and 1984, and 16 years between 1984 and 2000. The 2010 census has restored the decennial process of census taking.

    Mr Speaker, on the spatial distribution of population, the importance of population and housing exercise cannot be downplayed when one looks at it from different facets of society, not the least from develop- ment planning and its attendant demographic, socioeconomic, policymaking, resource allocation,

    and its scientific research benefits to the country.

    This is the reason every serious country undertakes census exercises periodically to ensure the availability of up to date and near-accurate data for use by policy makers, academics and researchers and development partners.

    Mr Speaker, I would highlight two fundamental significances of census data. One, it is imperative to the socio-economic planning and resource allocation for the collective good. This way, economic and social policy programmes can be effectively formulated to address the nuanced developmental challenges facing the country as a whole, and at the very base of our society, the different socio-linguistic groups and their immediate geographical zones.

    Two, politically, territorial demarcation hinges on census data and as such this exercise is key to help understand the political geography of the country. Issues germane to it for addressing by policy makers. As such allocation and re-demarcation of districts and constituencies come into play. It is on this basis that the quality of census data is vital and must be seen by all to be accurate and representative of the population. Admittedly, errors can do occur in

    census data in both developed and developing countries, but minimising such to the barest minimum is vital and must be seen as deliberate.

    Mr Speaker, it is of great importance for the collective good of our country and to ensure effective use of resources for this august House to take the appropriate steps to reach out to the Ghana Statistical Service to resolve the issues and complaints surrounding the conduct of the census. This is specially so when credible think tanks and organisations such as the Centre for Socio-economic Studies, (CSS) raised issues about the representativeness of the enumeration instrument.

    The Centre based on its research contends that there appears to be systematic attempts to under- represent some ethnic groups and their sub-sociolinguistic compositions. Similar claims have been made by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and other minority groups. These are major and serious issues that cannot be ignored if we are to come out with an accurate and representative data which is accepted by all and is fit for policy planning and implementation.

    Mr Speaker, the correction of these grievous errors or omissions should not escape the constitutional mandate of this august House. Same

    with the corrections that will ensue and the evidence of attestation to that effect.

    Mr Speaker, secondly, concerns have also been raised by a section of the public engaged with the census exercise. As a matter of public knowledge, demonstrations were held by some persons trained as enumerators, only for their names to be omitted and replaced by political activists and affiliates of the ruling New Patriotic Party government. Why is it the case that an important national exercise should be subjected to unwarranted political influence? One that threatens the quality of the data collection process which is at the very heart of data credibility and integrity is being sacrificed on the altar of political expediency and manipulation.

    The tendency to politicise activities that need not have political undertones should cease forthwith because it remains a hindrance to the completion and success of development initiatives meant to benefit the nation.

    Mr Speaker, it is equally important for the House to know what the plan is to capture the homeless and those with no permanent abode or place of residence. They are integral part of our population and if effective plans are to be put in place to change their plight, the starting point is to know their numbers and where they are mostly clustered.
    Mr Speaker, the slogan for the 2021 PHC says 6:41 p.m.
    “You Count, Get Counted”, which is most apt. This is because the census aims at ensuring a comprehensive and complete coverage of all Ghanaians, so that no one is left behind.
    What we must all bear in mind is the fact that data from the census will be used for decision-making and policy planning for the development of the nation.
    Mr Speaker, over the years, Ghana has been relying on projected figures to plan development projects and allocate the national cake, without verifiable data. And that is why I fully share former President Mahama's description of the census as timely because, from that exercise, the nation will benefit from reliable data, instead of depending on projections. The data will inform public policy and targeted interventions on poverty reduction and decisions on where to site public infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools.
    I fully trust that as the census officers begun their work to enumerate citizens on June 27, 2021, it would enable the country to have proper and accurate data on its population and housing. I therefore call on all Ghanaians to ensure that we participate in the exercise by ensuring that we are counted and encourage one another to fully participate in it when their time is due.
    We are one Ghana, one people with a common destiny and that must reflect in our conduct as the exercise begun. You count, get counted.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 6:41 p.m.
    Hon Members, I would invite two contributors from each Side including Leadership.
    Yes, Hon Member for Assin North?
    Mr James Gyakye Quayson (NDC -- Assin North) 6:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you. I appreciate the Hon Member for the Statement. I cannot sit next to her and not contribute to her Statement.
    Mr Speaker, we know that population census is essential to every
    nation state, because it is the fundamental basis for development. Without census, it is unfortunate that any country can develop its policies to formulate proper laws to develop the country. National development within every sector of the population in fact, goes to help both the private and the public sector.
    6. 51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in a country such as ours, we have diverse ethnic groups. In fact, data collection is essential for every nation if they would want everlasting peace in that nation. Typically of Africa, it is even more important because we have so much diversified ethnic groups. Whether it is to recruit our youth into the Armed Forces or into the Police Service, employment is so limited here. We are not industrialised, so, our employment is functionally based on most of the services provided to the nation, which include the law enforcement. When we want to maintain peace and order, it is important to make sure that these recruitments are affected within the various ethnic groups. One cannot choose one over the other.
    When we look at the example that happened in Rwanda some decades ago, because one group was dominating the other in the Armed
    Mr Adama Sulemana (NDC -- Tain) 6:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity. I would want to commend the Hon Member who made the Statement, and to state that our binding principle, which is the 1992 Constitution, states in article 36, and I quote:
    “The State shall take all the necessary action to ensure that the national economy is managed in such a manner as to maximise the rate of economic development and to ensure the maximum welfare, freedom and
    happiness of every person in Ghana and to provide adequate means of livelihood and suitable employment and public assistance to the needy”.
    Mr Speaker, this provision in our 1992 Constitution cannot be realised without adequate data. It calls into existence the importance of the census exercise. The credibility of the exercise would also be in jeopardy if the data collectors do not see the essence of the exercise to which they are put to. It also calls into importance the need for the Ghana Statistical Service to see the welfare of data collectors.
    Mr Speaker, I have been an enumerator before in 2010, and I tell you that none of the enumerators can be compensated for the work that would be done. It is important for the enumerators to see this exercise as sacrificial. During this week, after the census exercise had started, there were reports of an accident that involved two of the enumerators in the Upper East Region.
    Unfortunately, one person lost his life. Therefore, it also calls into existence what they are also asking the Ghana Statistical Service to do. They are asking the Statistical Service to provide them with insurance,
    especially against dog bites. It is important that the Statistical Service takes this on board because the enumerators would be entering into houses.
    Mr Speaker, the data from the Ghana Statistical Service is so elaborate that every aspect of our national life would be touched. We would collect data on the socio- economic status, on literacy, on household ownership, and on the nature of houses and building materials. There would be data on sanitation and waste disposal, and we would also collect data on fertility and child health issues.
    Mr Speaker, if these components of the data are collected accurately, they would form the basis for our forward march, and what happens to Ghana tomorrow. Therefore, I call on the Statistical Service to look at the remuneration of these enumerators, so that they would also be satisfied that the data that they are going to collect, and the credibility of the data that all of us are looking for, would be intact.
    Mr Kingsley Nyarko (NPP -- Kwadaso) 6:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you
    Mr Kingsley Nyarko (NPP -- Kwadaso) 7:01 p.m.
    for the opportunity to also add my voice to the Statement that was made on the population and housing census that is going on. The Hon Member who made the Statement made very important points, and I would want to commend her for that.
    Mr Speaker, in this country, we have done about five population censuses. The first one was done in 1960, the second one was done in 1970, the third one; 1984, the fourth one; 2000, and the fifth one was also in the year 2010. This is the sixth one, which is on-going, and interestingly, the last one was done in the year 2010 and this current one include housing. In my view, what is important is the credibility of the data, and that is why I would want to encourage the numerators to be mindful of the data that they are gathering. This is a national exercise that must be devoid of political considerations.
    I also want to make the point that as Hon Members of this House, we would need to be involved in the process, and make sure that we have an open mind while going into it. The fear of political manipulation must be discarded. If we get involve in it, I am sure that we would get a data that is reliable, which would help us in our planning and make sure that decisions
    are made according to population density in the respective areas.
    Mr Speaker, what I would also want to emphasise is that because of the cumbersome nature of the documentation, it is likely that some of the respondents might not be willing to spend time doing it.

    So, I would want to make the point that the enumerators must be patient, they must take their time and endure the process because some of them might decide not to do it, but the question is, what do you do to ensure that they supply the information that is needed? Patience is key, and they must also be meticulous, because if they are not, and there are gaps in the data they collect, it might undermine the whole exercise.

    Mr Speaker, this is a worthy exercise, the sixth in this country, and it is critical to guide us in planning our country properly to ensure that benefits are shared according to how proportional our respective districts and constituencies are.

    Mr Speaker, on that note, I would want to yield and thank you for the opportunity.
    Ms Zuwera Ibrahimah Mohammed (NDC -- Salaga South) 7:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I will start off by commending my comrade and Hon Colleague for that very elaborate and incisive Statement.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to start my contribution by taking us back to the very essence of census. Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would take us to the Holy Bible and read Luke 2:1- 20. It reads:
    “The Birth of Jesus
    In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son…”
    Mr Speaker, censuses have been identified and recognised as the very
    basis of human development and progress. With this in mind, I would want to crave your indulgence to point out a few issues that threaten the census that we are conducting this year.
    Mr Speaker, the tag line for this year's census is, “You Count, Get counted”. From where we sit, we have already defeated the first part of the tag, “You count”. Mr Speaker, why do I say so? In the run up to the selection and training of enumerators, we were all inundated with issues on how names had vanished, how people had been dropped, and how people had not been registered because they did not belong to a particular political party in this country.
    Mr Speaker, from the time of Jesus, censuses were conducted and so, if in Ghana we choose to reduce such an important exercise to political affiliations and lineages, it poses a danger of affecting the very fidelity of the data that would be collected. Many of my Hon Colleagues have already enumerated on what the data means. Mr Speaker, if the fidelity of the data is compromised, what we would get at the end of the exercise might not be what we desire for planning and budgeting purposes for this country.
    rose
    Mr Ahenkorah 7:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I do not know if what I heard from my Hon Lady is correct? Did she say that people who were selected to be enumerators were chosen on party lines? This is a House of record. If that is what she said, until she provides evidence to that effect, she has to withdraw and apologise. We cannot allow such a statement to go without evidence supporting it.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:01 p.m.
    Hon Member, I believe it is not just a mere saying or propaganda; you should speak on authority. If you know you do not have any basis for what you said, please, just withdraw and continue. You have made a very sound contribution, but only that portion is creating a challenge. So please, just do the needful and continue.
    Ms Ibrahimah Mohammed 7:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, there is a lot of evidence to adduce in support of the statement I made. During the training of the enumerators, in the Savannah Region for example, we threatened to boycott the entire exercise because names vanished from the list that had been presented, and new ones were inserted.
    Mr Speaker, on 17th or 18th June, I was in my constituency. The training session was ongoing at the Kpembe Nursing and Midwifery Training College. I paid them a visit to interact with trainers and enumerators, and the Co-ordinator of the census training told me that they were having challenges; a lot of people in the room could not read and write. I had been in the room and seen the booklet and other training materials that had been given to the prospective enumerators and I wondered how people could be in that room and not be able to read and write.
    He shared this difficulty with me, and he put the blame squarely at the doorstep of politicians. He said there was too much political interference in the selection of enumerators and told me as the Hon MP for the area so that I would be aware of the ongoing. This is on record. I am sure my Hon Colleagues on the other Side can check from the East Gonja Municipal Assembly, who the Census Coordinator is and whether he had this discussion with me?
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:01 p.m.
    Hon Member for Salaga South, hold on once again.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague for Salaga South has earned for herself respect because
    of how she goes about things, but I need to remind her that relying on a third party statement to ground her submission, which submission suggests that there is political interference is misplaced. She knows her worth in this House, and how we all respect her. She should stay away from that slippery path so that her comments would be in accord with Standing Order 72. I humbly crave her indulgence to take a cue.
    Mr Mahama Ayariga 7:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thought what I heard her say relates to matters that she personally experienced also. She testified to matters that she personally experienced in addition to what others have said and what I may also say. Mr Speaker, let us make progress. She will continue [Interruption] -- from here.
    An Hon Member 7:01 p.m.
    She should withdraw.
    Mr Ayariga 7:11 a.m.
    She should withdraw which aspect? Mr Speaker, there is no doubt that in many of these things, there is a tendency for either enumerators, polling agents and others to be chosen along party lines. So, if an Hon Member in the House is cautioning that for the integrity of
    the exercise, we should avoid partisanship, let that comment pass and we would move on. She is only admonishing the implementers of the census exercise that they should be cautious and not make it partisan. She said it was so bad that the Savannah Region threatened not to participate and it was in the news. We all do not want to recount our experiences in our various Constituencies. So, I think we should just let it pass. The Hon Member would be urged to continue and conclude but I do not think there is the need to withdraw that part of her statement.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:11 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Member, please avoid hearsay -- [Interruption]-- Please, just listen to me; I am just advising that please, just avoid the hearsay and do the needful.
    Ms I. Mohammed 7:11 a.m.
    Thank you very much Mr Speaker for the admonishing.
    I would like to reiterate and say to my Leader on the other Side that there is no hearsay in what I have said; I was told. As the Member of Parliament I went on visitation and this is what the Co-ordinator told me so; I stand by it and pray that—
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:11 a.m.
    Hon Member, what is the understanding of ‘hearsay'? Hon
    Ms Ibrahimah 7:11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the census has started and I am sure most of us got enumerated on the first day of the exercise but the enumeration continues. As I was indicating, the fidelity of this data that we are collecting, which would form the basis of our national development planning for the next ten years should not be compromised under any circum- stance. We should make sure, and indeed, the authorities -- the Ghana Statistical Service, must ensure that the data that is coming out is data that we can stand by.
    Mr Speaker, yesterday in the news, the census exercise was suspended in the Ejura area for a day due to the disturbances that occurred there between Monday and yesterday.
    Yesterday, again in the Upper East Region in the Zebila area, the census was put on hold for a while after two enumerators got involved in a motor accident in which one of the enumerators unfortunately lost her life.
    Mr Speaker, when we were all younger, we participated in this national exercise and we did them because it was a national call. Compensation for doing this sort of
    work, I do not think is the overriding consideration of the enumerators but we also want to be sure that the exercise would not end and there would be reports about non-payment of enumeration fees. We would like the Ghana Statistical Service to take a cue from the happenings in the Upper East Region to enable them in future planning that we can agree on a national broad framework for an exercise but we need to be sure that the exercise is distilled down to the Constituencies, looking at Consti- tuency specifics considerations.
    Mr Speaker, I said this because after the accident, the enumerators in the Upper East Region are asking for insurance packages and risk allowance against dog bite. One would wonder therefore, whether any sort of preliminary activities were undertaken to ensure that enumerators in this particular area of Ghana would be safe in undertaking the work of counting all of us.
    Mr Speaker, we need to add that as young people, when they sacrifice their lives to undertake this exercise that holds the future of this country, policy-makers must show interest in the everyday goings on. It would therefore, not be too late for the Ghana Statistical Service for example, to look again at the operational activities of the census officers in a
    place like the Upper East Region and any other areas in this country that poses danger to enumerators.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to conclude by asking all of us to join this exercise—
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:11 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader, anything again?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, yes. When you made your ruling, my expectation was that my respected Hon Colleague would abide by your ruling to withdraw the hearsay. When Mr Speaker rules that the Hon Member should stay on cause and be guided, it means that that which the Hon Member has put on record, which has tainted her submission must be withdrawn. That is the ruling. So, Mr Speaker, I beg to say by way of repeating my application to you that she must withdraw that aspect of her statement, which statement was to the effect that she was told that the enumerators were selected on partisan lines. It is important she withdraws that because that in itself, taints the very veritable Statement from the Hon Member for Okaikwei North. And I would plead with her
    that she abides by Mr Speaker's ruling unless she wants to challenge Mr Speaker.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:11 a.m.
    Hon Member for Salaga South, please just withdraw that portion.
    Ms Mohammed 7:11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you. I would like to withdraw any part of my statement that my Hon Colleague on the other Side feels is hearsay.
    Mr Speaker, in concluding my contribution, I would like to indulge all of us to take an active part in this exercise as the future of this country hinges on the quality of the data that would be gathered. And I would indulge our Hon Colleagues on the other Side to come on this template with all of us; no hearsay, let us do what is right for Ghana.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you very much
    .
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:11 a.m.
    Hon Members, we have the last -- [Pause]-- Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:11 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the space to make concluding comments on this Statement.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:21 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, let me commend highly, the Hon Member for taking the bold step to address us on this important national exercise. If we look at the Statement, clearly, industry went into the Statement and it is coming from a first-timer and it is encouraging. It tells us that our first- timers are poised to make their mark on this Floor, especially so when it is coming from a woman.

    I am so touched because our women are standing up to be counted and prove that they are in to make their mark. So, Mr Speaker I congratulate Hon Theresa Lardi Awuni from Okaikwei North. Mr Speaker, she used very veritable words. Although the pages of the Statement are not numbered, I would quote. This is what she says:

    “The President, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has graciously affirmed his unflinching support for the essential non-partisan exercise and two living former Presidents, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor and Mr John Dramani Mahama in separate meetings with GSS officials, pledged their unalloyed support for the exercise.”

    She went on to state that:

    “We must all bear in mind that this data from the census would be used for decision making and policy planning for the development of the nation.”
    Mr Speaker, what more could she have said? She concluded by saying 7:21 a.m.
    “I fully trust that as the census officers began their work to enumerate citizens on June 27, 2021, this would enable the country to have proper and accurate data on its population and housing. I therefore call on all Ghanaians to ensure that we participate in the exercise by ensuring that we are counted and encourage one another to participate in it when their time is due.”
    All she is saying is that those who would try to pass partisan comments, make unnecessary allegations and mislead people should stop. That is the call. It could not have been better said.
    Mr Speaker, we need reliable data to rely on for the purpose of taxation and our Hon Colleague is drawing our attention to that. It is not a partisan exercise. She is telling us that for those
    who would want to make this a partisan issue, we should resist them. That is her call on us. She is telling us that as MPs, when we are told stories, we should verify and validate before relying on them. So, Mr Speaker, I shall adopt this Statement and rely on same as though all of it came from me. Thank you.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:21 a.m.
    Hon Members, there is a last Statement that is also by a lady. It is on the rising levels of insecurity and violent crimes in Ghana by the Hon Member for Klottey-Korle Constituency, Hon Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings. Hon Member, you may take the Floor.
    Rising Levels of Insecurity and Violent Crimes in Ghana
    Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey-Korle) 7:21 a.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to make a Statement on the escalating levels of violent armed crime and insecurity in Ghana.
    On Monday, 14th June, 2021, in Accra, a bullion van was attacked and a police officer who was part of the security detail was shot in the head. Social media was flooded with pictures and videos of the dead
    policeman slumped in the front seat of the vehicle covered in blood.
    Mr Speaker, contrary to what people might think, the attack on this policeman is not an isolated incident. We have witnessed an increase in fatal attacks on members of our Security Personnel by armed persons (sometimes in robberies and at other crimes, one is not entirely sure what the objective of those attacks are). This in NO WAY is holding brief for the acts of violence and killings of our citizens by some security service personnel.
    Mr Speaker, the delivery of the State of the Nation Address under article 67 of the 1992 Constitution has become the best-known appearance of the President before the House of Parliament which is often comprised of achievements and compliments. However, with the number of incidents of grave national importance occurring, article 34(2) ought to come into play.
    Mr Speaker, the 1992 Constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy states that:
    “The President shall report to Parliament at least once a year all the steps taken to ensure the realization of the policy objectives contained in this
    Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings (NDC -- Klottey-Korle) 7:21 a.m.


    Thanks to the advent of social media and the depth of mobile phone penetration, the days of providing the people with skewed events that they swallow hook, line and sinker are no longer with us. The people of Ghana are not expecting a miracle, but we are expecting leadership with integrity, accountability and transparency.

    Furthermore, the right to free speech, which seems to be under threat is also of grave concern. The right to free speech (a pillar of good governance) also allows the citizens to play their role of oversight and to be able to criticise and offer suggestions, but perhaps an even more crucial one is its role as a pressure valve to allow people to feel heard.

    Mr Speaker, when the principles underpinning good governance are being undermined and misconstrued, they weaken the foundations of our democracy, thereby feeding into the idea that “democratic failure is a possibility that remains very much entrenched within the idea and ideal

    of democracy itself.” Chou, M. (2012). Sowing the Seeds of Its Own Destruction: Democracy and Democide in the Weimar Republic and Beyond. Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory, 59(133), 21-49. Retrieved June 15, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/

    41802532.

    Mr Speaker, we have been observing a frightening and escalating trend in violent crime in Ghana, specifically with small arms and light weapons. Ghana has a Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, that is resourced every year under the budget, so the irony of the 100 per cent increase in Gun crime from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021, cannot be lost on anyone. These statistics and more are available from the Police records.

    Another type of crime which is also increasing in significance in Ghana, is kidnapping. For the moment, the majority of recorded kidnappings have occurred within the communities of nomadic herdsmen with ransoms paid in the region of hundreds of thousands of Ghana cedis. These abductions are happening amidst clashes between herdsmen and the indigenes, creating increased tensions. Transhumance, unless managed within the context of our national security, threatens to undermine the relative

    peace and stability in our country as well as the good relations we have with our member states in the sub- region.

    The all too familiar illegal exploitation of our natural resources, of which galamsey is part, is yet another means by which criminality is being financed. Mr Speaker, arrests and identification of persons involved in galamsey has revealed the involvement of the Chinese, Nigeriens, Burkinabes and Beninois nationals amongst others. The porous borders of our country as well as the links between families across our various international borders, makes the control of such activity challenging; all made worse by collusion of youths and influential persons in our communities and body politic.

    The scramble for resource rich areas has fuelled the conflict in Burkina Faso, and Ghana ought to take a cue from that in appreciating the fact that proceeds from illegal mining in Ghana, could very well be financing violent extremism in the Sahel and the rest of the sub-region. This of course does not augur well for our reputation as a Country, nor does it help in our own National Security given the downward drift of these extremists and the rise in maritime criminal activity which have made the

    Gulf of Guinea one of the most dangerous maritime zones.

    Mr Speaker, another phenomenon that has reached disturbing proportions is the youths, women and children and persons with disability who now gather in large groups along our ceremonial roads begging for money and posing a danger to themselves and vehicular traffic. This risks the safety of these individuals and the motorists alike.

    In recent times, some motorists have been attacked in broad daylight by some of these individuals. It has also been observed that some of these persons are part of a cartel operating within the sub region- using these vulnerable groups to beg for money which is then sent outside Ghana (Are they helping to fund violent extremism in the Sahel?).

    As we witness a surge in conflicts in the sub region, and its accompanying southward drift of displaced persons, we must ensure that our law enforcement agencies are being effective so that our country does not become a haven for opportunistic criminal elements who would then increase the insecurity of our own citizens. The African Continental Free Trade Area is meant to be a win-win for the people of this continent, but if we do not ensure that our laws take effect, our citizens will
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:31 p.m.
    I would take two contributions from each Side and that would include leadership.
    Mr Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu (NDC -- Madina) 7:31 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this very timely Statement made by the Hon Member for Klottey-Korle, Ms Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.
    Mr Speaker, violent crime is a big challenge in our country today but the biggest question that we may need to ask ourselves is, what are the root causes of these violent crimes? Research all over the world indicates that poverty stands as one of the
    fundamental reasons people commit crimes. As I speak today, more than three billion people all over the world have been classified as being poor and out of this number, about one billion who are children leave in extreme poverty.
    Mr Speaker, in most cities in Ghana, there are a good number of young people who leave in ghettos and struggle to survive by the day and this is even worse in the rural areas. As a people, until we take decisive steps to rule out extreme poverty from our society, we would continue to deal with crime.
    Mr Speaker, the second most important cause has been identified as peer pressure. Due to information technology, a lot of young people spend all their time on social media and somethings, parents are unable to even supervise what these children watch and the kind of materials they interact with. The television stations are also full of videos and movies of violent crimes which also have influence on our children.
    Mr Speaker, the third cause has to do with drugs. Drug peddling in our country today, is unbelievable. Today, I inspected drains and broken bridges across my constituency and one of the areas I visited, people said there were
    bonkers and every night a number of young people trooped there to smoke and that they needed help to get rid of those people from that community. These are some of the fundamental causes.
    Mr Speaker, we cannot end this without the mention of politics. Politics, is a source of crime in our country today. As a result of desires for political power through any illegitimate means, people go to every length to procure arms for other people and resource them against their political opponents. We go round and round and it has become a vicious cycle of violence because violence begets violence. That is what happens in our system today, for the sake of power. It is difficult for us to be able to obtain legitimate power, so I want to use this as an opportunity to encourage all of us. There are other causes like unemployment, religion and deprivation unfair judicial system.
    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to draw the State and the President's attention to their obligation under article 37 of the Constitution and with your permission, I beg to quote. It says:
    “The State shall endeavour to secure and protect a social order founded on the ideals and principles of freedom, equality,
    Mr Kingsley Nyarko (NPP -- Kwadaso) 7:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement.
    Mr Speaker, as my Hon Colleague said, poverty is a major reason for the rise in crime and insecurity. One other important factor has to do with drug abuse and marijuana is one of the drugs that is mainly abused by the youth. Sadly, the youth between the ages of 10 and 12 years are involved in this habit.
    However, the worrying signal is the fact that media reportage with regard to some of the happenings in our society has been part of the violence that we witness. I have realised that the media in their haste to break out stories do not take their time to do research and investigations to come
    up with the truth surrounding happenings.

    They just jump the gun and report without concrete reasons. So, eventually, their conclusions turn out to be injurious to the society. I would plead with our media houses to be circumspect in their reportage because if we do not take care, the youth will feed into their reportage and use it to foment troubles.

    Mr Speaker, the desire of the youth to be rich is something we must also avert our minds to. The youth without knowing the toil of our elders and what the rich have gone through, desire to be like them overnight and for me that is so worrying. Some of us have laboured for a very long time and the youth see us driving flashy vehicles and so think that we just became rich and so, this explains impatience on the part of the youth. Society must consciously let the youth understand that, patience is the key to success and I am sure that if we are able to achieve that the insecurity and rising crime rates will reduce. It behoves on all of us to make this the cardinal factor in dealing with violence and crime in this country.

    Politicians also play a role -- we always want to cash-in on disadvantages that affect a particular

    Government. For me, that is so sad. If we do not take care, as my Hon Colleague said, our quest to obtain political power will let us lose focus on the need to build this country together.

    I would like to plead that the rising canker must be dealt with; if we do not take care and the insecurity issues heighten, the disadvantage is that it will scare investors from investing in the country. We are more likely to lose foreign direct investment which will eventually affect our resources. We must all see this as a cardinal duty to safeguard the security and the peace we have been enjoying in this country over years.

    Mr Speaker, on that note, I would like to take a bow and thank you once again for the opportunity.
    Mr David T. D. Vondee 7:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for --
    [Interruption] --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:41 p.m.
    Yes, including Leadership and so, I assume that he is yielding his position to the Hon Member.
    Hon Member, you can go on.
    Mr David T. D. Vondee 7:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Statement and I would like to thank my Hon Colleague - Dr Agyeman-Rawlings for a much researched Statement.
    Mr Speaker, a friend of mine in Canada who is known by Hon Afenyo-Markin said to me that security is the most important thing in anyone's life. Without life, nothing matters any longer and that is why countries such as USA will spend fortunes of their income on security. When we consider this Parliament, sometimes, people walk to our offices without any information from the front desk that they are coming to us and it is very worrying.
    I visited some of the galamsey sites and if you see the kind of people there [Interruption] At the end of the day when the issue of burning excavators is not well managed and they are thrown into the system, they come around to hurt all of us.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to urge the Leadership of this country to try as much as possible to take security matters very seriously. Sometimes, it is those who do not perform well academically in the secondary school level and so on who find themselves joining the security services.
    Mr Second Deputy 7:41 p.m.
    Hon Member, unless the Hon Majority Leader decides to yield his position to you. So, will the Hon Majority Leader yield to you?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:41 p.m.
    Hon Afenyo-Markin, hold on. Let me give the Hon Member two minutes.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would oblige you on the condition
    that he proves those people who have been saying he does not speak Nzema fluently wrong. You know this matter came up and he rushed into the Chamber --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:41 p.m.
    Hon Member, no do not go there.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 7:41 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, can he mention 8,888 in Nzema? If he can, we will give him the opportunity.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:41 p.m.
    Hon Member, I will give you just two minutes.
    Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (NDC -- Ellembelle) 7:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I wish to thank the Hon Member who made the Statement, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings, for this very important Statement.
    Mr Speaker, the reason the Hon Afenyo-Markin has not been able to learn the Nzema language is because he zeroed it on a very interesting area, the pronunciation of 8,888 in Nzema, but I will never please him by pronouncing that in Nzema for him. I will not do it.
    Mr Speaker, the Statement that has been made is a very serious one and
    we tend to forget that of all the things we care about in this country, security is everything. We are just blessed.
    I think that we must collectively agree that this is an area that goes beyond politics and one that we must have total agreement on.
    The issue of security is enshrined in our Constitution and we talk about it and forget that it is about the fundamental freedom of Ghanaians, the right to move and speak freely, to assemble, and protest, et cetera.

    Mr Speaker, the only reason we are in Parliament is that the over 30 million Ghanaians cannot fit into this room and the only reason President Akufo-Addo is at the Flagstaff House is because the people of Ghana must --
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:51 p.m.
    Hon Member, officially, the seat of Government is called the Jubilee House.
    Mr Buah 7:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, officially, the seat of Government is called the Jubilee Flagstaff House.

    Mr Speaker, I oblige but we can ask the people of Ghana the name of
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 7:51 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
    Mr Alexander K. Afenyo- Markin (NPP -- Effutu) 7:51 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, Hon Buah is a very good Hon Friend and when he was in Government, I enjoyed his debate. Mr Speaker, he used to call Hon Blay the Ellembele Mugabe when the man had just done three terms, but he has now done four terms and so I do not know whether he is now the Ellembele Mugabe?
    Mr Speaker, Effutu and Nzema are similar languages and so I would take time and go to him to learn more of the Nzema, suffice to say that I am interested in the 8,888.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity and although I did not get the benefit of reading the Statement ably delivered by my respected Hon Colleague from Klottey-Korle, I followed the Statement as she read it out. She is a member of the Committee on Defence and Interior and I think what she brought to our attention is a shared concern.
    Mr Speaker, there is insecurity in West Africa and Ghana is considered a safe haven, therefore, we must not take anything for granted. Yes, I agree that freedom of speech and freedom to demonstrate is a far right and nothing should be done to frustrate the exercise of such freedoms. As a country, we have to take every single step to discourage extremist views in our households and body politics so that this country remain peaceful.
    Mr Speaker, our security agencies have loudly told us that they need more resources and as a Committee we have engaged them and I am well aware of steps that the Government is taking to resource them well. It is commendable to hear that immediately after the Ejura incident, the Government through Mr President directed the sector Minister to immediately constitute a ministerial committee to look into the matter. For me, this is very commendable and I
    pray that they get their report out as soon as possible.
    Of course, insecurity in the country is a matter of concern and all of us must see this as a call on us to contribute to the peace of this country; our utterances, the way we conduct ourselves and so on. Of course, even with COVID-19, more people have become vulnerable and there is no doubt that the poverty levels are high in Ghana and Africa. Mr Speaker, because of COVID-19, the unemployment situation is getting out of hand because businesses are really suffering. As a country we have a responsibility to protect our people and a responsibility to create opportunity for our people.
    When we borrow to develop, we say there is too much debt and when we impose tax to develop, we say that we are killing the people. Mr Speaker, so we really have to de-situate the national discourse on a proper pedestal for our people to appreciate where we are going else there may be some inertia created and such inertia can only lead us nowhere.
    Mr Speaker, earlier, Hon Members spoke about poverty and unemployment having a correlation with insecurity and that is true. It is these vulnerable people who often become the victims of extremist views and have their way.
    Mr Alexander K. Afenyo- Markin (NPP -- Effutu) 8:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, so while we are celebrating our gains as a country, some of these matters of insecurity that affect us must be addressed and as a Parliament, we have a duty to do everything within our power to support the Government to ensure that there is security in the country.

    I would not want to remind anybody of an unfortunate incident that even affected us as a House. But we should know that when there is insecurity, there is nothing like New Patriotic Party (NPP) or National Democratic Congress (NDC). There is nothing like an NPP Member of Parliament (MP) or NDC MP.

    When somebody sits outside and thinks that he or she is poor and somebody is bellyful, there would be a snowball effect. And the snowball effect would really be unpalatable. The snowball effect knows no opposition politician or a politician in government.

    Mr Speaker, our colleague has teased our minds today. Let us take it serious and pray that all our security agencies would be up and doing in ensuring that Ghana remains peaceful. At least, on my part, being a Member of the Economic Community of West

    African States (ECOWAS) Parlia- ment, I have seen other West African countries. Anytime I get back to Ghana, I say wow. Our Tamale Airport or even the airstrip in Sunyani or Takoradi Airforce Base is even bigger than some other countries' international airports.

    However, in absolute terms, we as a people are not satisfied. We can do better, and if we can do better, it is a collective matter. If today, it is NPP in government and there is security and peace, tomorrow, if NDC gets the opportunity it only rides on it to develop the country. It is not about if it is destroyed and if there is insecurity when NDC would get the opportunity. When NDC gets the opportunity and there is insecurity, it would not stop overnight. Let us be mindful of these.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:01 p.m.
    Hon Members, this brings us to the end of Statements. I thank Hon Members who made the Statements and those who contributed for making the day worth living.
    Hon Deputy Majority Leader, is there any indication?
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 8:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, at this moment, we survive on your pleasure, suffice to state that, as it pleases you, you may direct that we may reconvene tomorrow at 10'oclock in the forenoon.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:01 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Whip?
    Mrs Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah 8:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, before I support the Hon Deputy Majority Leader, I would plead with the Majority that anytime we are here to do Business, they should relax for us to finish everything and not rush us. Also, when Hon Members are contributing to Statements, they should stop the interference and allow Hon Members to flow. If they continue asking them to bring evidence, it is like someone buying weed and after saying he has bought it, then you tell him to go and bring a receipt. [Laughter]
    If there is a problem and people are complaining, it is our duty to fix it. The problems are there, and we should not pretend they are not there. If they bring them out, let us fix them together.
    Mr Speaker, I support that we adjourn the House till tomorrow.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 8:01 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I agree with the Hon Deputy Minority Whip, but what she and I know is that as a House, we are governed by the jurisprudence of our House which jurisprudence includes our Rules.
    No Motion has been moved for adjournment. We are at the pleasure of Mr Speaker. The Hon Member brought a matter, so let us use the opportunity to educate ourselves. If the backbenchers make comments on a Statement, it is important that we help them to enrich their knowledge by advising them to follow the Rules. We should guide them that when they are making comments on a Statement, they should go by the terms of the original Statement and not to say anything outside or introduce debate. They are first time MPs. They were only being encouraged to do the right thing.
    Mr Speaker, I rest my case.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 8:01 p.m.
    Hon Members, it pleases me now to bring today's Sitting to a close.
    ADJOURNMENT 8:01 p.m.