House suspends "Question Time"
Road network to be improved appreciably by 2005 – Salia
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 June 2000
Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, the Speaker, on Friday directed the Parliamentary Business Committee to schedule the continuation of the debate on regional balance in the recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces for next Tuesday.
This followed a stalemate between the Majority and the Minority on a compromise on the issue.
Mr Justice Annan had on Thursday, tried to broker a compromise arrangement under which some concerns raised during the debate and which bothered on national security, could be handled at the committee level.
The Speaker's directive was occasioned by the Majority's stand that it would not be in its interest that a consensus should be reached on addressing the concerns raised during the debate, at the committee level.
In the view of the Majority, the debate should be allowed to continue to its logical conclusion on the floor of the House.
Mr Justice Annan had sought to be informed whether or not any agreement had been reached between the two sides of the House.
Dr Kwabena Adjei, Majority Leader, who had earlier presented the Business Statement for the eight week without a slot for the continuation of the debate on the motion, responded that his side was not well disposed to accepting a compromise.
Dr Adjei, who is also Leader of the House told the House that all his attempts to dissuade Mr Agyare Koi-Larbi, NPP-Akropong, from bringing the motion to the floor of Parliament and to have it discussed behind closed doors had failed.
He said there were now two options opened to the Minority, either it honourably withdrew the motion or it would be programmed for the debate to continue on the floor of the House.
According to him, the motion seeks to subvert the constitutional powers conferred on the Ghana Armed Forces Council on certain procedures in the military.
But Mr J.H. Mensah, Minority Leader, said not until the information being sought by the motion was accessed by the House, the Minority could not debate the motion in view of the sensitive nature of issues raised by earlier contributors.
He said the only way to access the information, therefore, was to refer the concerns raised to an appropriate parliamentary committee.
The Minority Leader explained that in seeking the information, the motion is attempting to enforce Parliament's constitutional function of overseeing the operations of the Ghana Armed Forces.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 June 2000
Parliament has suspended "Question Time" for next week to enable the House to devote its time to the passage of two important bills.
The two legislative proposals, the Ghana Education Trust Fund Bill and the Export Development and Investment Fund Bill, are expected to be carried through all their stages of passage during the week.
Dr Kwabena Adjei, Leader of the House, announced this on Friday when presenting the Business Statement for the eighth week ending Friday, June 30.
Dr Adjei explained that the House has limited time to complete its legislative and financial business during the meeting hence the suspension, stressing, that "Urgent Questions" would, however, be attended to.
Members from both sides of the House who commented on the Business Statement, did not take kindly to the suspension, saying that "Question Time" is one of the important instruments for Parliament to scrutinise the government, and urged the Business Committee to reinstate it for next week.
They made particular mention of the Minister of Finance, whom they said had for the past weeks, failed to appear before the House to answer questions slated for him.
The Speaker, Mr Justice D.F. Annan appealed to members to bear with the Committee to have the two bills taken next week while questions could be allowed in the subsequent weeks.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 June 2000
The Ministry of Roads and Transport is to put 70 per cent of the more than 40,000 kilometres of the country's road network in good condition by 2005, Mr Edward Salia, the sector Minister, told Parliament on Friday.
Mr Salia, who was answering questions in the House, said about 12,000 kilometres of road, which were in good shape in 1999, would be increased to about 28,000 kilometres in 2005. He said this rate of improvement could adequately cope with the 7.6 per cent annual average traffic growth.
The current motor vehicular population in the country as at last March, was 468,204, he revealed, saying that between 1995 and 1999, a total of 253,984 vehicles were registered.
Ghana has more than 40,000 kilometres of trunk, feeder and urban roads, which link all major population centres and there is, therefore, a good distribution of road network, he told the House.
The Minister said, however, that due to several years of neglect, the roads deteriorated extensively, adversely affecting accessibility.
He said in 1997 the road condition was 20 per cent good, 19 per cent fair and 61 per cent poor, ''but through effective maintenance and reconstruction, the condition of the roads improved to 30 per cent good, 28 per cent fair and 42 per cent poor in 1999''.
"The targeted condition mix by 2005 is 70 per cent good, 20 per cent fair and not more than 10 per cent poor".
GRi../