Speaker concerned about Parliament’s weak oversight of executive

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has attributed the legislature’s weak oversight of the executive to persistent underfunding over the years.

Even though Ghana’s Parliament continues to be rated highly globally, it's rating in the area of oversight is “unsurprisingly low”, he said.

“I say it is unsurprising because Parliament and its committees lack the needed support and assistance to perform their oversight functions. I had cause in March this year to call out the Ministry of Finance and the Secretary to the President for attempting to unilaterally place a ceiling on the budget appropriation for Parliament and the Judiciary.”

Mr. Bagbin was speaking at the inauguration of the 8th Parliamentary Service Board in Accra on Tuesday.

He said over the years, successive governments have unilaterally placed a ceiling on the budget appropriation for Parliament and the Judiciary, affecting their capacity to effectively and efficiently perform their oversight duties.

The Speaker also expressed concern about the security of Parliament and its members, lamenting the liberal access to the parliamentary enclave which houses the chamber and offices of MPs.

“We have no control over the use of the grounds within the parliamentary enclave; it is controlled and managed by the Controller of Household under the Office of the Chief of Staff. As a House, we have no control over the coming in and going out of the premises by strangers, and this compromises the security of Parliament and its members,” he said.

“Our proposal is to secure a parliamentary enclave. Parliament has been in operation since 1993, and we are yet to determine what constitutes the precincts of Parliament as provided for in the Standing Orders.”

Mr. Bagbin charged the members of the Parliamentary Service Board to bring the needed change and development, and to improve the welfare of parliamentary staff.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who is a member of the board, assured the Speaker of his commitment to improve the House’s oversight of the executive to ensure prudent use of the nation’s scarce resources.

“I observed that you are not satisfied with the oversight role. I accept that as our first challenge that we will work together to improve oversight for greater accountability, particularly in the exercise of executive authority in Ghana. We will also build upon the gains made by the past Speaker in the promotion of the Private Member’s bill.”

Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also expressed concern over the high attrition rate in Parliament and called on political parties to take a critical look at the development.

“At the heart of the business of the board is to help to reposition Parliament in its operations, organisation and conduct of its activities to make it relevant in the governance architecture of this country. We must also admit that the high attrition rate that MPs are subjected to is not comforting and is not enriching our democracy,” he said.

The Parliamentary Service Board is chaired by the Speaker, with Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Haruna Iddrisu, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Abraham Osei Aidoo, and Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah—the Clerk of Parliament—as members. Estelle Appiah, a former Director of Drafting at the Attorney-General’s Department, is a co-opted member.