Minority disagree with extension of sitting to August 3, 2010

Accra, July 10, GNA - The Minority in Parliament on Friday expressed disagreement that the House should extend sitting and rise on August 3, 2010 instead of July 23, 2010 as scheduled.

The Minority said that there would not be enough time for members to travel to their constituencies to prepare for their congress which comes off on August 7, 2010 as well as their primaries.

Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, Member for New Juaben North, raised the issue after Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader, read the Business statement to the House and pleaded with the House to accept the August 3 date so that they would be able to finish work before they rise and also avoid being re-called while members were on recess.

He said that the Petroleum Management Bill and the National Health Insurance Bill were yet to be laid before parliament, so the house should accept the business committee to do work on those bills.

He explained that the house did not even know the content and volume of the bills and thus could not determine the time the house would take to pass them.

Mr Avoka explained that even those whose constituencies were far away from Accra would be able to reach there before August 7, 2010.

Dr Mathew Prempeh, member for Manhyia, said since the House resumed members had not done enough business, adding that the House should take the work in parliament very serious.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, Minority Leader, said given the importance of those bills the House could not work on them in two weeks, adding that the bills in question had not even been laid before the House yet.

He said people had talked about the issue for the past four weeks since Parliament resumed business, adding that since last year those bills should have been put before the House for consideration but were not forthcoming.

He was of the view that the petroleum bill which was very important, had been in the pipeline for two years.

The Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Bamford Adeline Addo, could however not rule on the issue and said she would look into it and take a decision as to when the House would rise.