First Deputy Speaker urges MPs to be punctual

Mr Ebo Barton-Odro, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, on Friday stressed the need for members to be punctual.

'Honourable Members, let’s try as much as possible to be in the chamber on time,” the First Deputy Speaker said.

His call was in response to a request by Dr Kojo Appiah-Kubi, Member of Parliament (MP) for Atwima Kwanwoma, requesting for proceedings of the House to commence exactly at 1000 in the forenoon, so that much work could be done before the scheduled closing time at 1400 hours, in order to avoid extended sitting.

However, the First Deputy Speaker, who was chairing proceedings, answered that at the time of 1000 hours, “we did not form a quorum.”

Sitting for the day started at about 11:30 hours, instead of the scheduled 1000 hours.

For the second week running and next week, the Business Committee had scheduled for extended sittings to make for much work to be done before the House goes on recess possibly by the end of July.

However, the House has closed for some days within time, prompting Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, MP for Old Tafo, to query last week why the proceedings had closed early, without the extended sittings when members had psyched themselves to work for extended periods.

Commenting on the Business Statement for next week, Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, MP for Akwapim South, suggested to the Business Committee to design a tracking system to monitor compliance of directives from of the House.

He recalled assurances from the Business Committee for weeks running, to schedule the Finance Minister to brief the House on the project between the Government of Ghana and the Conti Group of Companies of the United States of America, on a signed 660 million dollars for the commencement of the much anticipated Conti Project.

The Conti Project which is a five-year project to be conducted in three different stages, is expected to tackle the Accra flooding and some sanitation and environmental challenges bedeviling the city.

Deputy Majority Leader Mr Alfred Kwame Agbesi, advised members to draw the attention of the Business Committee, to such matters to be featured in the business statements for subsequent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Business Committee has scheduled for next week for the Committee of the Whole to be briefed on the recent demolition exercise at Old Fadama (Sodom and Gomorrah) by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive.

“The briefing of the Committee of the Whole is scheduled for Thursday, July 2 Hon. Members are accordingly informed and urged to avail themselves at the said meeting,” Mr Agbesi said.