MPs to speed up response to questions

Accra, June 19, GNA - The Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said on Friday that serious work would begin on the amendment of the Standing Orders of Parliament, if the House goes on recess in July. He said the amendment would take on board concerns of Members of Parliament (MPs) like the undue delays in scheduling questions to Ministers, to answer at the floor of the House.

The Minority Leader was responding to concerns raised by some MPs that their urgent questions are not given the urgency attached to them. Mr Isaac Asiamah, NPP MP for Atwima Nponua was one of the members who complained that although he has filed an urgent question about floods in his constituency to the Minister of the Interior, it has not been put on the business agenda of the House.

Papa Owusu Ankomah, NPP MP for Sekondi, who caught the Speaker's eye, quoted the Standing Order on how questions should be treated and asked the Speaker to allow the enforcement of the rules. Order 66 states that the Speaker shall be the sole judge of "Admissibility of Questions."

It also states that there shall be Questions Record Book, to be kept by the Clerk, which shall be opened to the inspection of members, record questions asked, admitted, the time of their transmission to the Ministers and the answers given to the questions.

Later the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu who was in the House to respond to questions said the 18-kilometre Abura Junction - Princess Regional road in the Ahanta West District was being tarred in phases.

He said the first phase of two-kilometre road was tarred at a cost of 428,892.70 Ghana cedis while the second phase of five-kilometre could not be executed because of lack of funds.

"We expect to complete the review process by the end of the year. This will pave the way for the award of the contract in 2010."