MP takes Leadership of Parliament to task

Accra, July 7, GNA - Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, NDC-Upper West Akim, on Wednesday took the Leadership of the House to task over the piling of work on Members and Committees as the House prepared to rise next week. The Member said the House was in danger of doing shoddy work if they were rushed, and blamed the Leaders of the House of pile up work until the last minute when the House was expected to wind up its business for the session.

Mr Sallas-Mensah's complaint followed the laying of several papers before the House by some Ministers. The papers were later referred to relevant Committees for consideration and report to the House.

Mr Kosi Kedem, NDC-Hohoe South, also complained about the number of loan agreements, which were part of the papers laid, and said loan agreements needed to be scrutinised properly by Members and that there was the need to give them adequate time to go through such agreements. The Leaders said they took exception to the complaints made, saying it was not the Leadership of the House that was responsible for pile-up. They said the blame should be placed at the doorstep of the Business Committee that arranged business for each week.

The Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey said the House would have had more time to conduct its business but for the fact that the House had decided to have a short meeting this session to enable members go to their constituencies to "maintain their seat."

He, therefore, urged members to put in more efforts especially at the Committee level to enable them to carry out the remaining business of the House.

Among the 13 papers laid were that of the Development Credit Agreement between Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) for an amount of 60 million dollars to finance the Community-based Rural Development Projects and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.