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The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Daniel Kwaku Botwe has said the  legal provision indicates that the responsibility of zoning lies in the ambit of Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, which is under the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI).

And Section 93 (1) of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925) states “where a person seeks to change the zoning of the whole or part of a piece of land, that person shall apply in writing to the District Spatial Planning Committee of the District to which the change relates in the form prescribed in the zoning regulations and planning standards”.

This came to light on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 when Member of Parliament for Tempane asked the Local Government and Rural Development Minister steps being taken to halt the rezoning of land belonging to the Parks and Gardens Department at cantonment into a multipurpose office complex.

The question may therefore be referred to the Minister responsible for the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, he added.

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The Special Budget Committee has demanded the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission appears before the Committee without which the committee would not consider the budget estimates for the EC.

Explaining the circumstances under which the committee made the demand, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, a member of the committee said the Commission was represented by the Deputy Commissioners at the budget hearing without the presence of the Chairperson herself.

This forced the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Haruna Iddrisu to raise a preliminary objection that without the Chairperson herself appearing, the special Budget Committee was unable to go about considering the estimates for the Electoral Commission for the year 2022.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu’s are grounded on the fact that there are major policy and constitutional issues to be raised including

1. The non-representation of the people of SALL in parliament
2. The lobbying done for the finance Minister to re-fence some money and refund it back to the EC.

“These matters need to be explained to the Committee so that we know where we stand as a nation, because they manage our electoral process.”

According to Mr. Ahmed, the conduct of the EC Chairperson not attending to the Committee was becoming too much and it is about time they ensured she properly avail herself to respond to issues concerning the Commission.

“We had a pre-meeting with all the constitutional bodies at Nkawkaw, Rock City, she didn’t come, the deputies came, we listened to them; and we listened to them with the understanding that at least for this budget hearing, she would be here herself, so yesterday when she couldn’t come we said no, it is becoming too much, and until she herself come, we are not going to listen to the deputies.

Mr. Ahmed asserts that the two deputies are competent enough and have the capacity to respond to the issues, but there are some policy issues “that you need to hear from the chairperson herself”.

According to him, people are lambasting parliament for not showing enough concern towards the plight of the People of SALL who do not have representation in parliament even though government has gone ahead to give them a district, “so there is a district in Ghana here without a constituency, and parliament which is the highest representative body in the country has been silent on it. So we wish, when she, herself appear, her plans towards giving the people of SALL a representation, she would say it, then if she has challenges so long as organisation of the next district level election are concerned, she would say it.”

Mr. Ahmed asserts that there are pending germane questions for the chairperson to respond to personally.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said he disagrees with dismissal of his motion by the First Deputy Speaker who is acting as Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu and describes his decision as “abuse of discretionary power”.

The First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu had refused a motion by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu to overturn his ruling of admitting a rejected motion on the 2022 Economic Policy of Government.

Majority side of the House approved the 2022 budget statement without the Minority; but the Tamale South lawmaker sought to overturn that decision with his motion, which was refused in a letter signed by the Clerk of Parliament, Cyril Nsiah.

On Monday, December 13, 2021 the Minority Leader also reply the First Deputy Speaker in a letter disagreeing with the position of the First Deputy Speaker. “Kindly take note that the NDC Minority Caucus which I lead and my good self vehemently disagree with your position on the motion and your conduct in this matter”.

“We take the strong view that your conduct affronts Order 79, 81, 82 and 90 of our Standing Orders and can no longer be tolerated.

In that regard, we are resolved to pursue this matter further with the Rt. Hon. Speaker upon his return”, the Minority leaders expressed in response to the First Deputy Speaker.

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Member of Parliament (MP) for Bekwai Joseph Osei-Owusu has suggested to the leadership of the House as they prepare to execute building of office for lawmakers in all the two hundred and seventy-five (275) constituencies to consider acquiring the lands in the name of Parliament of Ghana.

According to him the land should be acquired in the name of individual lawmakers or the political parties they belong to so that in the future when the MP is no more a lawmaker and his or her party is not occupying the seat it doesn’t become an issue.

Mr. Osei-Owusu who was chairing proceedings when the Adentan MP asked the Majority Leader a question on the status of the MPs office in their constituencies admonished that, every employee the MP would bring along that persons contract should be personal to the MP; “So that, when you are leaving the office you leave with our staffs, you do not leave any staffs over for your successor, these are just my suggestions and I hope the leadership would take that into consideration”.

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Majority Leader, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has indicated that delays in the commencement of the office building for Members of Parliament (MPs) in their constituencies had to do with delay allocation of land for 2021 as such the Finance Ministry cannot be blamed.

Answering a question from the Member of Parliament for Adentan Mohammed Adamu Ramadan on the status of the building and whether the works for 2021 would be carried onto 2022, he said; “I am not sure, we would be able to carry the two tranches on the back of the 2022 allocation, but certainly, we should accommodate the outstanding ones, a portion of it on the 2022 allocation, we would not do 70 as previously programmed. We would be in a position to do more than 70 perhaps a third of the outstanding should be added to the 2022”.

The Leader of government business further explained that the projected seven hundred thousand (700,000) or eight hundred thousand (800,000) for a unit cost may have to go up a little more than what was projected initially for this year.

“Mr. Speaker, let me plead with members, “the key reason why we could not start was having access to land, and we were initially thinking of starting in the various regional capitals, where we are now we need to have a look at that decision whether to go by alphabetical order or whatever order we want to go by. What is important is that lands should be made available”.

Again, what it means is that MPs would have to collaborate with the various districts Assemblies to ensure that, “we have the land ready, so that when it comes to implementation we would be able to do so without further administrative bottle necks”.

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Ranking Member of the Public Account Committee (PAC) Kofi Okyere Agyekum has expressed worry over the conduct of some Members of Parliament (MPs) throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians by propagating those infractions in the Auditor General’s (AG) report as indications that corruption in Ghana has gone higher.

According to him there is the need for Ghanaians and some MPs to be schooled on the AG’s report, and he has taken the trouble to read the report extensively, “the public is being fed with misconception”, he added.

“If there are ten million infractions it does not mean those monies have been lost to the state, or those monies have been misappropriated”.

Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps on Friday, December 10, 2021, he cited  that “if you take the AG’s report of Boards and Corporations  for the year 2017,  he has stated that there are twelve billion cedis infraction, and without reading the report some have gone to town to say the above amount have been lost to the state.

Additionally, eleven point eight billion cedis had been lost to what is called loans, debts, all it means is that government corporations have given to their staffs; for instance GNP may decide to give money to BOST to go into petroleum business, that is a loan from one corporation of government to another.

“If they don’t pay at the time they are supposed to pay, that is an infraction. Again, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) all the taxes they collect, they have banks colleting it for them at Aflao border and the port. The law requires that when they are collected within twenty four (24) hours those monies should be sent to GRA accounts”.

And added that, if they do not send it two or three days,  the AG when he goes to audit GRA, he would say that those monies were collected later than the day expected, so they are infractions, it would be captures.

He explained that those monies have already been received by government because they were only transferred late. But have been transferred by the commercial banks.

Take for instance if you are not supposed to pay allowance to the board of directors but that payment is being made because you did not get approval for that, it  is cash irregularity, that money is not lost, he noted.

“So if for political expediency, we say if you want to do E-Levy go to the Auditor General’s report, in there twelve billion cedis irregularities has been identified,  so go and collect that money so that there is no need for the levy, it is a lie. That   money has been collected already, it is not correct to say those monies have not been refunded, you should go for them”.

 “There are people who think, if infraction is going up it means corruption is going up; it is also a fallacy. AG’s report in 2015 there were 3.1 billion cedis infractions, in 2016 it dropped and went up in 2017 which I am talking about. It went down in 2018 and 2019 5.5 billion. Can you in the same vain say in 2019 it dropped so corruption is going down? That cannot be said”.

Mr. Agyekum noted that he had to come out and explain because people who should understand the workings of the Auditor General better are misleading the public. Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said, “there was no need for e-levy because AGs money can be collected, that is a misleading statement”.

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First Deputy Whip of the Minority side of parliament, Ahmed Ibrahim has urged  his colleagues in the Majority on the Business Committee to ensure that the Financial Bills are brought to the House early enough.

 “Financial bills has to be laid and refereed to the various Committees for consideration and report back to the House to enable us pass or disapprove the Appropriation Bill, if you say we are rising on December 17, 2021, I want to be clear that if it is the position of the leader of government business that we pass the Appropriation Bill without the Financial Bill let us know?”

Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim said he was confused that nothing was said about the Financial Bills and he needs a clarification because he does not want to wait until the last minute when the Bills would be brought under a certificate of emergency.

Mr. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin noted that they are in the consensus building together and steps would be taken to ensure that the e-levy bill is brought on time. It has not been dropped, “Finance Ministers letter brought to the House he said he was consulting and engaging”.

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Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Etse Kwame Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has urged leadership of Parliament to ensure that the various government agencies, departments and Ministries speed up their estimates to the various Committees of Parliament.

According to him pressure should be put on them so that that they can send their 2022 estimates to the Committees to work on as the budget for 2022 was presented on November 17, 2021; and from his experience in the House those estimates were supposed to be ready before the presentation of the budget.

In his contribution to the Business statement on the floor of the House last Friday, he further noted that his Committee, the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has to meet on Friday, December 10, 2021 to consider estimates for the Legal Aid Commission but that has not taken place.

 “Leadership should consider doing something so that the estimates come before us, we have been told we would be having extended sittings and we know what that means”.

But the Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei-Asare told the House that out of the forty-three (43) estimates expected, it is left with only four to be presented.

That of the Judicial Service and with that organ of government the president would have to assent to their budget before it would be brought to the House. “They brought a letter on Friday, we are working hard to present them to the House”, she stated.

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The Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has urged the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin to ensure the House works towards breaking on Friday, December 17, 2021 instead of the proposed Tuesday, December 21, 2021.

According to him despite being a member of the Business Committee that prepared the proposed date, he believes the Committees should be supported to work over the weekend so that, Monday, December 13, 2021 budget estimates of 2022 before the various Committees are presented on the floor of the House.

He made this remark on Friday, December 10, 2021 when the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin presented the Business Statement for the ensuing week on the floor of the House.

Mr. Mubarak Muntaka said, “it has been a very long working meeting, it would be very disappointing if we are unable to rise on the 17th of this month; let us work towards the 17th and if it becomes evidently clear that we need to extend the time, we can do that”.

The Business Committee proposed Tuesday, December 12, 2021 in view of the back log of activities the House is supposed to undertake.

Deputy Majority Leader responded by saying they had discussed it and Ministers had been whipped to make time for Committee meetings in the morning on Friday, December 10, 2021. According to him, major meetings had been shifted to 4:00pm and cabinet meetings have been shifted to enable Ministers to be with the House and not send directors.

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Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Amidu Chinnia Issahaku has set the record straight on the allegations made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Dari Andrew Chiwitey, that five years on in the Akufo-Addo administration, only sixteen (16) boreholes had been drilled in Northern Region and zero had been drilled in the Savannah Region.

At a media briefing to respond to his colleague, the Sissala East lawmaker pointed out that between 2017 to 2020 the sector Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah answering question on the floor of the House pointed out that, some five hundred and thirty-three boreholes had been drilled and fitted with hand pumps out of the planned six hundred and fifty four boreholes.

He said the Sawla-Tuna Kalba MP decided to restrict himself to one part of the two part answers provided by the sector Minister.

The Minister on the floor said, “ Mr. Speaker,  through the Community Water Agency under the Ministry has implemented the sustainable rural water and sustainable project additional financing from 2017 to 2020 in ninety four districts in 11 beneficiary Regions Central , Western,  Western North,  Bong East, Bong, Ahafo,  Upper West,  Upper East,   Northern , North East and Savannah to serve a total population of three hundred and seventy-three thousand seven hundred and three people,  the project was finance through a world bank project facility of forty five point seven million dollars”.

According to him, when one goes beyond the communities listed, it would be realized that nine of the pipe systems connected in the Central Region have been connected to several communities, likewise in other communities in Bono. “The answer had three aspects and he restricted himself to that of the Ministry but community water agency under the ministry had done a lot.”

There is also a water improvement project of the Ghana Spain Debt Swap Development programme funded by the Spanish government at a cost of three point seven million dollars. It was to expand access and ensure sustainable water supply and sanitation in thirty six rural and small town communities in the Ho West,  Agotime  and South Dayi,  “so this was also contained in the statement, and he decided not to bring this out”

“Boreholes and water system are not done by only our Ministry, Local Government and Rural Development had drilled a lot of boreholes, National Security, GNPC and Assemblies are using the Assembly common fund. But, the questioner asked, what the Ministry itself and its agencies have done? So the Minister responded to what they have done but there are other agencies of government who have constructed boreholes and small town water system which the Minister could not have brought in because the question was specific”.

Mr. Chinnia Issahaku Amidu emphasised that, “if his colleague had asked about the boreholes and water systems the NPP government has done, then the Minister would have stretched it beyond the Ministry?”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com