MPs ask for briefing on bird flu

Accra, May 24, GNA - Some Members of Parliament on Thursday urged the House to invite the Minister of Agriculture to brief the House on the bird flu situation in the country, saying it was of national importance.

Mr. Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, (NDC-Wa West) who caught the Speaker's eye before the commencement of Public Business, said with the detection of the bird flu virus in the country, with its economic and social implications, there was the need for the House to know what was happening.

Mr. Edward Doe-Adjaho, Deputy Minority Leader, also supported the call and proposed that the House captures the issue as part of the business agenda in the coming days.

Mr. Felix Owusu-Adjapong, Majority Leader and Chairman of the Business Committee, said it was a useful suggestion, which the committee could fix on the business agenda and extend an invitation to the Agriculture Minister for the briefing.

Earlier, the NDC Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, had asked for clarification on the status of a motion for a debate on the energy crisis he had tabled.

He said he had expected the Business Committee to include the motion as apart of the agenda for next week, but Mr Owusu-Adjapong said he was informed about the admission of the motion this morning. Mr Doe Adjaho, however, said there was a tentative agreement with the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidooh, at a meeting that the motion be debated next week Thursday.

On Wednesday, Mr Iddrisu had informed Parliament that he had tabled a motion calling on the House to debate the energy crisis, which has engulfed the country.

Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, the Speaker, said he had no knowledge of the motion but was subsequently briefed by Mr Doe Adjaho, that the Table Office was in the process of bringing the motion to the Speaker's attention.

Mr Iddrisu's call for a debate follows closely on the heels of an NDC Member of Parliament, who last Friday urged the House to summon Energy Minister, Mr Joseph Adda before the House to explain how government was handling the energy situation.

A copy of Mr Iddrisu's motion, jointly sponsored as a Private Member Motion by Mr Iddrisu and Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, (NDC-Abokobi-Madina) was later made available to the Parliamentary Press Corps.

The Motion state that: "That this House is disappointed by the government's handling of the energy crisis almost a year after it started and further expresses lack of confidence in the government's announced programme to end the crisis and that steps be taken to comprehensively deal with the said crisis, which is of grave national importance." 24 May 07