Parliament calls for more allocation to DACFA

Accra, Dec. 16, GNA - Parliament at its extended sitting on Thursday=

approved 2011 budgetary allocations for ten state ministries and called o= n the Government to release enough funds to the office of the Administrator= of the District Assembly Common Fund for investments. The House, which sat from 1030 hours to 1830 hours, approved a total= of GH¢218,916.00 for the services of the District Assembly Common Fund Administrator (DACFA) with a GH¢7,920.00 for investment as against 15,8= 40.00 in 2010. Dr Mathew Prempeh, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member for Manhyia, who=

made the call, said giving the DACFA enough money for investment would ma= ke it very efficient. He said such an amount for investment was too scanty and noted that it was even a reduction compared to 2010 allocation. A report presented by Prof George Gyan-Baffour, NPP member for Wench= i on behalf of the Majority Leader, Mr Cletus Avoka, said the reduction in the amount implied that the office would be unable to carry out renovations o= n office premises as planned in 2010 and also procured vehicles for the Administrator and therefore take any meaningful service and investment activities. Other ministries and departments that received parliamentary green light for their budget allocations for the 2011 financial year were the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, GH¢221,550,588.00; Foreign Affairs Ministry and Regional Integrations, GH¢84,635,912.00; Trade and Industr= y GH¢82,603,136.00 and the Ministry of Tourism GH A217,225,167.00. Others were the Ministry of Energy, GH¢405,495,572.00; the Ministr= y of Transport, GH¢18,173,336.00; the Public Service Commission, GH¢1,371,= 123; Audit Service, GH¢30,582,509; Ghana National Commission on Civic Educat= ion, GH¢7,859,489.00.