MPs question expenses on Office of Senior Minister

Accra, Dec. 12, GNA - Members of the Finance Committee on Tuesday questioned why the position of the Senior Minister had been scrapped but expenses were still incurred on that office during 2006.

The Chief of Staff explained that the President's ministerial shuffle was done in May 2006, by which time some expenses had been incurred on that Office.

Nii Adu Daku Mante, Chairman of the Finance Committee, said these in Parliament when he seconded a motion for the approval of 572 billion cedis for the services of Government machinery for the 2007 fiscal year. He said staff working in the Senior Minister's Office, "needed some time to wind up, therefore, expenses on them continued for some time before finally winding up."

The House also approved 1.8 trillion cedis for the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.

The Committee on Works and Housing recommended that the five per cent contribution, which beneficiary communities had to pay before they benefited from the Community Water and Sanitation Agency Projects be reviewed in the light of the inability of the communities to raise the capital.

"Government is thus being urged to take up this five per cent component if possible," it said.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs has recommended that the Ghana Cocoa Board should once more develop the Cocoa Extension Services to ensure that Ghana maintained its cocoa quality.

The report of the committee, presented to the House during the approval of 1.2 trillion cedis for the Food and Agriculture Ministry, said the Committee was informed that the Cocoa Extension Services was formerly part of the Ghana Cocoa Board but was ceded to the Agriculture Extension Services.

"Most of the personnel of the Cocoa Extension Services, therefore, lost their jobs and that affected extension services to the Cocoa Sector because fewer persons were employed to serve the cocoa farmers," the report said.

Meanwhile the House had approved the sum of 891 billion cedis to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning while it also endorsed an amount of 813 billion cedis to the Revenue Agencies for their activities in 2007 fiscal year.

The Legislature also approved an amount of 11.3 trillion cedis to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports for the 2007 fiscal year. Presenting the report of the joint Committee on Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr Stephen Kwaku Manu Balado, Chairman, said some of the activities that the Ministry intended to undertake include the deployment of 31,000 National Service Personnel to schools as teachers and teacher supply would be augmented through the use of retired teachers.

The Committee said in pursuance of Government's commitment to improve educational facilities, work on the second phase of upgrading of physical facilities in 25 senior secondary school would commence in 2007.

On sports, Mr Balado said the Government was fervently preparing to host the African Cup of Nations (CAN) Tournament in 2008 and as such in 2007 various preparatory activities including work on the construction of Sekondi and Tamale stadiums as well as the rehabilitation of the Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, El-Wak Stadium, Accra, and Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi would be completed while 20 additional community parks would also be completed.

"For the 2008 Commonwealth Games, national teams would be supported to prepare adequately for the games."