Accra, Oct 27, GNA - As if to sound a warning to the House and Members of Parliament (MP) that the Third Meeting of Parliament for the year, would be serious business with punctuality, the Speaker, Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, entered the chamber at 10.06 hours.
This was a welcome departure from previous sittings, since the inception of the Fifth Parliament, when work in the chamber often started beyond the scheduled 1000 hours commencement time for the House.
The House has on several occasions began work in the chamber very late, sometimes as late
as, 11.30 hours, giving cause for some MPs such as Papa Owusu Ankomah, MP for Sekondi to
voice their displeasure about the chronic late sittings of the House. When MPs reconvened on Tuesday after a three-month break, the Speaker was not only early
to kick start work, but just under an hour - prayers had been said, an oath administered, bills had
been taken through their First Reading, while papers had been laid and brief speeches made- by
the Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders. Before the Commencement of Public Business, Justice Bamford-Addo administered the
Oaths of Allegiance to the Member of Parliament, the latest NDC MP, for Chereponi, Mr Samuel
Abdulai Jabayitey, who takes over from Mrs Doris Seidu, NPP MP for the area, who died
recently after a short illness. The Speaker then informed the House about new ministerial nominations by the Presidency.
Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, is moving from being a deputy to the Minister of Health with Mr Joseph Afotey-Abgo, MP for Kpone-Katamanso, being considered as a Minister of State at the Presidency. Justice Bamford-Addo subsequently referred the new nominations to the Appointments Committee for consideration.
Later at the commencement of Public Business, the Mutual Legal Assistance Bill, 2009 and two
papers, the District Court Rules, 2009 (CI 59) and the Armed Forces (Amendment) Regulations,
2009, CI 62 were laid before the House. The House adjourned at 11.45 hours to allow four Committees of Parliament to meet and
deliberate on matters relating to their work. Some of the businesses slated for the committee
meetings are a discussion on a draft report on the Interpretation Bill and a discussion on the
country's Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan. Meanwhile, the House, during this session, would among others deliberations, take a look at
some 29 bills and several reports. Ministers would also be in the House to answers question
from MPs. The Property Rights of Spouses Bill, Maritime Boundary and Delineation Bill, Data
Protection Bill and National Tourism Bill are expected to take centre stage. 27 Oct. 09
