Parliament reconvenes on May 26

Page 16, May 21, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT will reconvene for the second meeting of the first session of the fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on Tuesday, May 26.
The meeting, which is expected to last for 10 weeks, would end on Friday, July 31.
The Majority Leader and leader of the House, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic on Tuesday said that a number of bills and papers were expected to be laid before the House for consideration during the meeting.
In addition, a number of questions had been filed by some Members of Parliament (MPs) for almost all the sector ministers to appear before the House.
Sector ministers who would feature prominently during question time are, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Minister of Water Resources, Work and Housing and the Minister for the Interior.
Bills expected to be put before the House include the Customs, Excise (Duties and Others) (Amendment) Bill, 2009, the Debt Recovery (Tema Oil Refinery Fund) (Amendment) Bill,2009 and the Right to Information Bill.
Papers to be laid before the House during the meeting include; Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Trade and Development Cooperation with the European Union, and Petroleum Agreement among the Republic of Ghana, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Vanco Ghana Limited and Lukoil Overseas Ghana Limited for the commencement of exploration and production in the offshore Cape Three Points Deep Water Block.
The House would also consider for approval the Formula for the Distribution of the National Health Insurance (NHIS) fund during the meeting.
Mr Bagbin added that the Piublic Accounts Committee would also be busy during the meeting to consider 12 pending reports of the auditor general. While some of the reports had already been laid, others would be laid when the House reconvenes.
Another issue which would engage the attention of the MPs during the meeting would be their means of transport.
The Majority Leader had already hinted that the MPs would insist the government provide them with means of transport unlike the usual practice whereby loans were offered the MPs to purchase vehicles of their choice.
Some of the MPs, particularly the new ones still do not have their own means of transport to convey them to and fro the House and constituencies to Parliament.