Northern MPs want areas declared disaster zone
MPs support call to declare the North disaster area
President to have the powers to remove his Vice
Bill on cases disposal at Supreme Court before House
Role of Department of Urban Roads to be expanded
Co-operate to ensure completion of House's business - Speaker
President to have powers to remove his Vice
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 Oct. '99
A bill to provide for the appointment of the Vice-President in cases where the constitution is silent was laid on Tuesday when Parliament reconvened after a three-month break.
Three other bills were also laid. They were the Constitutional Amendment Bill, Fines (Penalty Units) Bill, and Private Health Care Practice Licensing Bill.
A memorandum accompanying the Vice-President Succession Bill said the constitution is silent on the issue of the appointment to the office of the vice- president where he dies, resigns or is removed from office.
The constitution does not also stipulate what should happen when the vice-president joins a party in opposition to that of the president.
The bill, therefore, seeks to fill the loopholes using the residual powers of Parliament in article 298 of the constitution.
Under that article, Parliament is mandated to provide for matters to be dealt with where there is no provision - express or by necessary implication - in the constitution to deal with the matter.
The bill permits the president to designate a successor where the vice-president dies, resigns or is removed from office.
The qualifications of the person are to be the same as that of the president and the person is approved by parliament.
The bill further states that the vice-president is deemed to have resigned if he joins a party in opposition to the president.
He is also deemed to have resigned if he conducts himself in a way to bring him in conflict with the president.
The purpose of the fines (Penalty Units) Bill is to put in place a method by which fines provided in the legislation can be dealt with in a manner that the actual amounts in currency are not stated in the legislation.
The concept is that instead of stating actual currency amounts in enactment's, fines should be stated as consisting of a penalty unit or a number of penalty units.
The memo accompanying the bill states that one unit in the bill is equal to 20,000 cedis and may be amended from time to time.
This has the advantage of eliminating constant amendment of specific sums of money stated in an enactment as fines that often arise from fluctuation in currency value.
The purpose of the Private Health Care Bill is to establish a Board to license premises for the provision of private health care services, supervise and monitor activities of these practices and generally oversee their operation.
Under it, all private hospitals, clinics, maternity homes and all other medical services and health services as may be determined by the Minister would be brought under one board which will license these practices.
"Bringing these practices under one regulatory body is advantageous because it will cut down costs, facilitate administration, the monitoring of the practices ...and improve the quality of health care in the country", a memo accompanying the bill said.
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Bill on cases disposal at Supreme Court before House
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 Oct. '99
A bill to amend the constitution to accelerate disposal of cases before the Superior Courts of Judicature and five other articles was laid in the house on Tuesday.
Known as the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, it affects articles dealing with the status of regional tribunals, retirement age of public officers, gender equality, appointment of district chief executives, presiding members and freehold interest in land by non-Ghanaians.
A memorandum accompanying the bill said it seeks to provide clearly that regional tribunals have the same jurisdiction as the High Court in criminal matters unless otherwise specifically provided in the constitution.
''It is intended to leave no doubt that a chairman of a regional tribunal sit as a high court judge...it will enable the regional tribunals to relieve the High Court of some of the numerous criminal cases ... and by so doing accelerate the disposal of cases, both civil and criminal, at that level".
The bill also seeks to amend Article 199 on the retirement age of public officers to enable parliament to provide an Act of Parliament for earlier retirement of officers in some public services where the nature of work of the service concern so justifies.
On appointment of district chief executives, the bill proposes that a presidential nominee is approved by a simple majority instead of a two-thirds majority.
"It is, however, not considered that removal of the chief executive should be necessarily by simple majority therefore the status quo is maintained for that".
The bill proposes likewise that presiding members should also be elected by simple majority.
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Role of Department of Urban Roads to be expanded
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 Oct. '99
It is the intention of government to expand the scope of the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) to enable it to undertake road projects in other towns apart from urban centres to ensure sustainable road maintenance.
Mr Edward Salia, Minister of Roads and Transport, who said this in Parliament on Tuesday, explained, however, that the Department currently does not have the capacity to take on this new role.
Mr Salia was responding to parliamentary questions when the House reconvened after almost three months' recess.
Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, (NPP-Akim Oda), had asked the Minister what plans there
are for the Ministry to expand the scope of the DUR for it to take on added responsibility of maintenance of roads in towns of certain sizes.
On the sector ministry's policy and programmes for the regular maintenance and reconstruction of the road network within urban town such as Akim Oda, Berekum, Agona Swedru and Tarkwa, Mr Salia explained that, as a policy of the Ministry, roads in all district capitals and other big towns are to be rehabilitated on a systematic and priority basis.
He said currently, the road networks in some of the district capitals, including Agona Swedru, and Tarkwa, have been rehabilitated and that the programming is on-going.
In the meantime, the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) will continue to carry out routine maintenance on the roads in district capitals and big towns until their road networks are due for rehabilitation, taking into account the availability of funds.
Asked when the roads in the Korle-Gonno electoral area in Accra will be rehabilitated under the proposed Urban IV Programme, Mr Salia told the
questioner, Mrs Theresa Tagoe, (NPP-Ablekuma South), that the Urban IV programme is under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
He explained that even though the development of public roads is the responsibility of the sector ministry, there is a fine distinction between this responsibility and specific road projects such as Urban IV, which is sponsored by the World Bank.
To a suggestion that the Ministry of Roads and Transport should liase with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to ensure the rehabilitation of the road in view of its importance as a vital link to the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital, Mr Salia gave the assurance that the two ministries would collaborate to address the issue.
Just as this segment of the business of the House was in progress, a noise created by a carpenter working close to the chamber attracted the attention of Mr J.H. Mensah, Minority Leader.
He wondered whether Parliament was not "losing its control over its own region".
Responding to the Minority Leader's remark, Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, Speaker, said "the carpenter is doing his job and we are doing ours".
"The question is whether he is interfering. If we sit the whole day, what does he do? He is working within a time schedule".
Mr Mensah, who appeared not satisfied with Mr Speaker's response, said the carpenter's work was interfering with the deliberations of the House and that the workman was almost in contempt of Parliament.
On when the tender for the rehabilitation of the main Dansoman road from Hansonic to Dansoman Last Stop will be published, Mr Salia said the tender document has already been published and it is currently before the tender awarding authorities.
He expressed the hope that sooner than later, the contract would be awarded.
The Minister said that as part of the DUR's periodic maintenance programme, the main road to Dansoman from Hansonic to Zodiac is expected to be advertised for rehabilitation.
He said, however, that since other roads are equally important, the project will be given the priority it deserves.
He announced that the second phase of the rehabilitation, that is the link between "Club 250 Roundabout" and "Exhibition Roundabout", will be undertaken soon after the completion of the first phase, possibly during the second half of
next year.
Mr Salia told the House that the engineering and design studies of the Ayanfuri-Diaso road in the Upper Denkyira constituency have been programmed under the Highways Sector Investment Project (HSIP) Phase One and the implementation is expected within the next three years.
The Minister was answering a question that stood in the name of Mr C.O Nyanor, NPP-Upper Denkyira.
Mr Nyanor wanted to know "whether the ministry has plans to tar the badly dilapidated but vital road from Ayanfuri to Diaso" in his constituency.
In an answer to a question by Alhaji Moctar M. Bamba, NPP-Wenchi East), who wanted to know when the rehabilitation or construction of the Wenchi-Bamboi and Wenchi-Sampa roads will commence, Mr Salia said engineering studies on the Wenchi-Bamboi road are about to start with funding from a German bank (KFW).
He said the Wenchi-Sampa road has been proposed for engineering design under HSIP Phase One, with World Bank funding while the rehabilitation is proposed under HSIP Phase Two.
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Co-operate to ensure completion of House's business - Speaker
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 Oct. '99
Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, Speaker of Parliament, on Tuesday reminded Members of Parliament (MPs) of the heavy agenda of the House and urged them to co-operate to ensure its completion before "we rise fully for the year".
Welcoming members to the House to begin the last meeting of the third session of Parliament after its long recess, Mr Justice Annan said the business of the House could only be completed if MPs gave it the attention it deserved.
He assured them of his preparedness to be in the House on time and urged members to do their best to be present for meetings at all times.
The Speaker used the occasion to introduce to members two school children who have been selected from the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in Ghana to represent Ghana at the forthcoming international youth parliament in Paris.
They are Master Gilbert Dossah, 15, of Ashanti Goldfields JSS and Miss Gloria Awumah, 14, a pupil of Osu Home JSS.
The leadership of the House wished the children all the best in their endeavours at the week-long programme which is being organised jointly by the French National Assembly and UNESCO from October 21 to 27.
Mr Didier Ferrand, French Ambassador in Ghana, Mr Buno Lefevre, UNESCO representative in Ghana, and Ms Victoria Boahene, headteacher of the Osu Home JSS, and an organiser of the schools project, accompanied the children to the House.
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