Interior Minister Ambrose Dery has defended the decision on fee payment by people seeking to be recruited into the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

He said this was necessary because the annual budget to the service did not cover recruitment process and procedures.

“Mr Speaker, the issue of payment by applicants for recruitment is informed by the cost associated with the process and procedures relating to the e-recruitment as well as other administrative expenditure.”

He was responding to a question on the floor of the House asked by Dr Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South, on behalf Mr Richard Quashigah, MP for Keta.

Mr. Dery told the House that the GIS was charging GH¢100.00 per applicant but on the assumption of office by the current political administration in January 2017, the fee was reduced to GH¢50.00 to allow the disadvantaged in society to also apply.

He added that to ensure a smooth recruitment exercise, an infrastructure was required to host the huge traffic that would build up as a result of the expected mass application.

“The software had to be developed, banks and telecommunication, hiring fields for the exercise and also halls for the examinations and related services had to be paid for, hence the need to charge fees to cover the cost.”

Answering another question on when the Amenfi District Assembly would be provided with a fire service office, the Minister said the assembly had allocated a structure to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), which had to be renovated to standard of a fire station.

“To enable the structure to be elevated to an appreciable standard, the GNFS is collaborating with the District Assembly to ensure that the renovation work is completed for personnel and fire appliances to be deployed to provide fire cover for the community.”

Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Commission Bill, 2017 is being taken through the Consideration Stage.