Assemblies urged to support sub-structures

Accra, Feb. 14, GNA - Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, on Wednesday said due to financial constraints, the zonal, urban, town and area councils were not functioning effectively.

He said once the internally generated funds of the assemblies improved, these sub-structures at the districts would be adequately supported.

The Minister was responding to questions about when the local government service would absorb the salaries of workers of the zonal, urban, town and area councils in parliament.

Mr Asamoah-Boateng said the Ministry was not responsible to absorb the staff of these sub-structures and that it was the district assemblies' responsibilities to create these structures, recruit staff and reward the personnel.

"The Ministry has, on several occasions requested all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to mainstream the sub-structures into their departmental and budget plans to ensure that they are operating and functioning.

"Due to administrative bottlenecks, this has not happened and the ministry is working closely with the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to get this done within the shortest possible time," the Minister added.

Seven questions that stood in the name of some NDC members were skipped when the Speaker called out to the Minority side. The NDC Parliamentarians have since February 6, absented themselves from Parliamentary Business in protest over the 10 years sentencing of Mr Dan Abodakpi, (NDC-Keta) for causing financial loss to the state.

Despite calls from President John Kufuor, in his State of the Nation address, to minority NDC Members of Parliament to return to Parliament, the boycott entered its second week when the House began business on Tuesday.