House approves funds for first quarter of 2009

Backpage, Nov 15, 2998
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT yesterday approved a total of GH ¢2,218,506,931.00 to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund as expenditure for the first quarter of 2009 in advance of the 2009 budget.
The amount is made up of statutory payments of GH ¢635,896,749.00 and discretionary payments of GH¢1,582,610,183.00.
The statutory payments include external debt servicing of GH¢113,697,484 as principal and GH¢36,018,141 as interest payments and the total domestic interest of GH¢101,284,659, which include allocations for the District Assemblies Common Fund, transfers to household, pensions, gratuities, National Health Fund, social security, Ghana Education Trust Fund, Road Fund and Petroleum-related Fund.
The expenditure in advance of the 2009 appropriation was laid before the House on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 and referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance for consideration.
Article 180 of the 1992 Constitution states that where it appears to the President that the Appropriation Act in respect of any financial year will not come into operation by the beginning of the financial year, he may, with the approval of Parliament by a resolution, authorise the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Fund for the purposes of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the government in respect of the first three months of the year.
The Finance Committee noted during its deliberation on the matter that the amount represented about 25 per cent of the total budgetary figure for the 2009 financial year.
The measure is expected to give the incoming administration the opportunity to make input into the budget of the 2009 financial year.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, moved the motion for the approval of the fund.
Contributing to the ensuing debate, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Mr P.C Appiah-Ofori, urged his colleagues to give approval to the amount to keep the wheels of governance moving for the first quarter of 2009.
Meanwhile, the House has also approved a $30-million loan agreement between the government and the EXIM Bank of China and Societe General, Beijing, for the development of the National E-Government Infrastructure Project.
It also adopted the report of the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs on the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and Joining of the International Whaling Commission of the United Nations.