GRi in Parliament 26 – 03 - 2003
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2003-
Alhaji M.I. Aba, NDC-Chereponi,
on Tuesday said the high cost of fees paid at the Ghana School of Law was
gradually becoming a tool of social exclusion.
He said the poor could not read
law just because they could not afford the huge sums paid by students. The
member was contributing to the debate on the approval of budgetary allocations
for the Ministry of Justice, which stood at 37.3 billion cedis.
He said students could be paying
over 7 million cedis a year this year as against 5 million cedis last year. According
to the member, it was the duty of government to offer opportunities to all
Ghanaians especially in education.
Earlier, the house had approved
a number of budgetary proposals for dome Ministries and the Judiciary. The
Judiciary had 95.9 billion while the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs had
9.7 billion cedis.
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He said the level of combat
readiness of the Ghana Armed Forces, needs to be accorded urgent attention to
enhance effectiveness and efficiency to respond rapidly and adequately to any
national crisis and to participate meaningfully in international peacekeeping
operations.
Dr Addo-Kufuor
said this when he moved a Motion in Parliament for the House to approve the sum
of Four Hundred and Thirty-Nine Billion, One Hundred and Seventy-Six Million
cedis (439,176 million cedis) for the Ministry of Defence for the Financial
Year 2003.
He said conflict situation in
the North and other areas of
Joseph Darko-Mensah, Chairman of
the Committee on Defence and Interior said the Committee observed that activities
under administration were so vital for the core operations of the Ministry that
the unavailability or insufficiency of funds would greatly hamper the
operations of the Ministry.
The Committee noted that the
Ministry from 1997 to 2002 was indebted to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to 46
billion cedis and this has been attracting interest at the rate of 43 percent
per annum and recommended that serious efforts be made to reverse the trend.
It further observed that the
Ministry was seriously taxed in the payment of customs duties and VAT on imported
military goods and it was of the opinion that some exemption ought to be given
the Ministry in respect of the payment of duties and VAT on military goods.
Darko-Mensah said the Committee
took notice of the fact that the Ministry hitherto administered centrally pensions
and gratuities through the Controller and Accountant General's Department but
the trend has, however, been reversed and an amount of 10.8 billion cedis has
been provided for the payment of gratuity for retiring soldiers.
It said this was woefully
inadequate considering the likelihood of more GAF personnel retiring from
active service in the 2003 financial year. The Committee concluded that the
Ministry has a crucial role of ensuring a secured environment for the
sustainable growth and prosperity of
It said inadequate provision for
the 2002 Financial Year had adverse effects on the operations of the Ministry
that resulted in the suspension of vital programmes that would have further
enhanced the operational capability, administration and morale of the Armed
Forces.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2003-
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology has
recommended that all agriculturally based research institutions be mandated to
keep all their internally generated funds to be utilised whilst awaiting
releases from the Ministry of Finance.
It noted that since activities
of the research institutions of the Ministry of Environment and Science are
time-bound and geared towards agricultural production, it becomes imperative
that the institutions receive their allocation at the appropriate time during
the year.
The Committee said this when
Prof. Dominic K. Fobih, Minister of Environment and
Science on Tuesday moved a Motion in Parliament for the approval of One Hundred
and Thirty-three billion, Five Hundred and eighteen million cedis (133,518
million cedis) for the programmes of the Ministry.
Dr Emmanuel Baffoe- Bonnie,
Chairman of the Committee said it was unfortunate that budget reading was usually
in February or March and releases are in April or May when it was too late to
begin trails and experiments in the field and, therefore, recommended that they
keep all internally generated funds for their use.
He said the Committee also
recommended that the proposed National Science and Technology Fund, which is
supposed to be at the Cabinet level be expedited in order that funds may be
available any time they are needed for research.
Some of the interventions of the
Ministry include the reclamation and rehabilitation of river basins, watersheds
and mine lands while the Ministry and its departments and agencies would intensify
the training and support to rural and peri-urban
communities and alternative livelihood programmes as a means of protecting the
environment.
Dr Baffoe-Bonnie said another
issue was the resolve to restructure the Town and Country Planning Department
in order to ensure appropriate land use and physical development including its
involvement in the decentralisation process.
The Committee noted that the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) seeks to generate and transfer
improved technology for socio-economic development, providing varieties for the
President's Special Initiative (PSI) on Cassava and charged to produce 3.5
million high yielding and early maturing palm seedlings as well as producing
sorghum in the production of Guinness and local maize in the production of
beer.
The Atomic Energy Commission
(AEC) is to explore, promote and develop the peaceful application of nuclear
and biotechnological techniques for economic and social advancement and through
its gamma irradiation facility it sterilizes crops and grains for long storage
and sterilizes medical equipment.
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) mandated to co-manage, protect and enhance the country's
environment as well as seek common solution to global
environmental problems established thirty more environmental desks in various
public institutions. All these agencies, the Committee noted faced poor
remuneration and lack of job satisfaction, untimely release of funds and lack
transportation and mobility services.
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He said the region abounds in
both human and material resources but lacked the needed motivation and level of
manpower to harness the resources for wealth creation.
Nana Seinti
was answering questions at a public hearing of the Parliamentary Appointments
Committee chaired by Freddy Blay, First Deputy Speaker,
in
"Another problem that the
region faces is post-harvest loses and I intend to fall on the Ministry of
Agriculture and on my own personal experience in that area to help small holder
farmers preserve their harvest."
He said he would continue with
the reforestation programme started by the former Regional Minister, Debrah, who is now the Northern Regional Minister. The
nominee said he would cooperate with adjourning regions to address the Fulani
herdsmen menace, which had had devastating consequences on vegetation and the
social life of the rural people in the Afram plains.
On his political philosophy, he
said: "I listen to people and do not judge them before giving them a
hearing. I have advanced in age and life and I believe that one cannot build a
nation with only those one agreed with, politically.
If I have to choose between two
people with equal abilities, I would choose my party member but if the other person's
abilities are above my party man I would not bend the rules, he would be
chosen."
According to the nominee, he
abdicated as Akyempinhene of the Duayaw
Nkwanta Traditional Area on 14 March this year. On
the Health Insurance Scheme, he said it was a laudable idea that should be
pursued to its logical conclusion.
Counting on his personal experience
as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tano
District Health Insurance Scheme, he said people had to be educated on the
scheme properly since they hardly prioritise their needs.
He said: "Some would like
to invest in funerals, we only have to let them understand that the scheme,
when patronised would take care of their medical bills when they fall sick and
are in dire need of money."
The nominee who had written 1941
as his year of birth said, he did not really know the exact day, month and year
in which he was born since he was born in a community in which written records
were not kept.
He said he relied on family and
community historical accounts and folklore to arrive at his year of birth. The
commercial farmer is a father of five children and holds a Bachelor of Science
(Administration) from the
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In recognition with the efforts
made in the pursuit of the country's education policy goals and objectives,
The Minister of Education, Prof.
Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi on Tuesday therefore called
on Parliament to approve the Ministry's estimates of two trillion, seven
hundred and seventy-five thousand billion, eight hundred and eighty-six million
cedis to enable the Ministry and its agencies carry out their programmes for
the 2003 fiscal year.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi
said the programmes of the Ministry required substantial expenditures in
Service and Investment and it had to rely heavily on other sources such as the
Ghana Education Trust Fund and donor contributions as additional resources to
provide infrastructure facilities and materials for educational institutions.
He said the 2003 budget of the
Ministry was therefore focused on the provision of relevant infrastructure and
teaching and learning materials to improve access to and the quality of
education delivery in the country.
The policies and programmes of
the Ministry of Education are implemented by a number of Agencies that operate
under the Ministry. The two major implementing agencies are the Ghana Education
Service and the National Council for Tertiary Education.
Other implementing agencies of
the Ministry are the Ghana Library Board, Ghana Book Development Council, West
African Examinations Council, National Service Scheme, and Ghana National
Commission for UNESCO, Non-Formal Education Division and National Co-ordination
Committee for Vocational, Technical Education and Training.
James Adusei-Sarkodie,
Chairman, said the Committee observed that there was the urgent need to
streamline the administrative responsibility and control over the disbursement
utilization of funds.
The Committee urged the National
Council for Tertiary Education to take a second look at the continued existence
of the
It observed that the problems
facing the Ghana Library Board were daunting and required urgent attention to
prevent the collapse of libraries in the country and urged the Ministry of education
to set up a Committee to critically examine the problems facing the Board and
make the necessary recommendations for revamping the libraries.
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