MPs urge Public Services Commission to monitor MDAs closely

Accra, Dec 06, GNA - Members of Parliament on Tuesday said because of the decentralised recruitment system within the public services, it was important that the Public Services Commission (PSC) regulates the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) more closely to ensure integrity.

"Regulation, monitoring and personnel audits, in this regard, will enable the PSC to determine how many public servants exist at any given time and also to know how many additional people are required to service the system."

These observations were contained in the Report of the Special Budget Committee on the 2006 estimates for the PSC.

The committee said salary disparities and distortions have been the bane in the country's public administration system and the PSC aims to educate the MDAs on how to correct existing problems and avoid new ones. The committee said it had been informed that in pursuit of good governance, the PSC is to design a computerised personnel data management system on all public service organisations.

"In addition, the PSC will collaborate with other public sector organisations to develop an integrated personnel payroll database phase two.''

''Apart from this, the PSC also aims to develop a website to ensure easy access to information by the PSC's clientele and to enable the PSC to market itself," it added.

The house later approved a sum of 4,094,000.000.00 cedis for the running of the operations of the Commission.

In a related development, Mr John Mahama, NDC-Bole-Bamboi, urged the Auditor-General to remain neutral and not to get involved in politics and witch-hunting of political opponents. The member, who was supporting a motion for the approval of the 2006 estimates of the Audit Service, said the position of the Auditor-General, as prescribed by the constitution, was a non-partisan role.

Mr Alfred Agbesi, NDC-Ashaiman, also touched on the delays in various reports submitted by the Service.

Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Chief Whip, urged the Public Accounts Committee to be pro-active in the performance of their duty to ensure that the scarce resources of the country were properly monitored. Mr Felix Owusu-Adjapong, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs who presented the Special Budget Committee's Report on the estimates of the Audit Service, said one problem that the Audit Service faces was the delayed releases from the Controller and Accountant General's outfit. "This tends to retard the work of the Service and renders it less efficient and ineffective in executing its mandate," he said. Mr Owusu-Adjapong said the money voted for the Service to run its business for next year was inadequate.

The house later approved a sum of 122,021,000,000.00 cedis for the Service. 06 Dec 05