Accra (Greater Accra) 10th June ?99

Nii Okaija Adamafio, Minister of the Interior on Wednesday told Parliament that clothing allowance being paid to Police personnel, who by virtue of their work are not in uniform, is under review.

He said a committee, which worked on the review, submitted its report to the ministry last Thursday for study.

After the Ministry had studied the report, it would be sent to the Police Council for the necessary action.

The Minister was responding to a question, on how much is paid to Police personnel as clothing allowance per month.

He said normally, Police personnel put on uniform but those who, by the nature of their work are not clothed, had been paid 12 cedis a month since 1970, and conceded that not much had been done about this since.

Nii Okaija, who is also MP for Odododiodioo, was in the House to answer members' queries during "Question Time".

Nii Okaija said work on the proposed Settlement Camp Prison at Forifori in the Afram Plains is due to start in 2000 under the medium-term expenditure framework with the provision of 250 million cedis and 200 million cedis in 2001.

He was answering a question on when the camp would be established to help reduce congestion in the country's prisons. The project is expected to start operating in 2002.

On the question of reducing the prison population, Nii Okaija said the task requires a multi-sectoral approach if this is to be effective.

He said, however, that the Prison Service Council is studying other alternatives to custodial sentence and at the appropriate time the necessary legislative instrument would be brought before Parliament for consideration.

In an answer to another question, the Minister said budgetary allocation has been made in the current medium-term expenditure framework to provide office and residential accommodation for a number of newly established district Police headquarters and Fire Service stations.

He mentioned Esiama, Elubo, Madina, La, Somanya and Jirapa as the newly established district Police headquarters while the new District Fire Stations are at Hohoe, Agona Swedru, Teshie/Nungua, Wa, Navrongo and Ada.

The Minister announced that there are plans to re-establish a Police Training Depot at Tamale, for the northern sector of the country and said work on the project would start next year.

Nii Okaija said the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation does not pay the one per cent levy they charge consumers into the "fire fund", established by the Ghana National Fire Service Act, 1997.

He was answering a question on how much has been paid into the fund since every consumer is charged one per cent on water consumed for fire fighting.

He explained that the one per cent deduction paid by consumers to cover the use of water for fire fighting goes directly to the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation.

On the re-instatement of risk allowance for firemen, Nii Okaija said he did not know how recent such allowance had been paid but intimated that as at 1985, when he first went to the Ministry, no risk allowance was being paid to Fire Service personnel.

He affirmed that there is no intent now by the Ministry to factor any such allowance into its budget, instead "we have a comprehensive plan to address the salary structure and allowances of Fire Service personnel".

GRi./