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General News of Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Source: ISD (Gilbert Ankrah)

Parliament Resumes Sitting After Easter Break

230-members of Parliament reconvened after a six-week Easter recess, to begin what is expected to be a very busy and hectic session.

The House which is expected to sit for the next five weeks will consider 23 new bills in addition to the stock pile of work left before the house went on recess. Welcoming Members back to the House, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, stressed the need for focus and hard work since the first sitting of the second meeting promises to be a very busy one. She congratulated the Minority for successful primaries and called on all members to be "mindful of the fact that their constituents are discerning.She urged members to show commitment to the work of the House to ensure success. Rt. Hon. Joyce Bamford-Addo, was also hopeful that members will cooperate with the chair and leadership of the house to ensure a successful meeting.

Welcoming members to the House, the Majority leader, Hon. Cletus Avoka, disclosed that the House will be considering a number of important bills and appealed to members to avail themselves to the task ahead. He called on members to be cooperative and dedicated in the discharge of their duties.

The Minority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu , in his address congratulated his colleagues and the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) for the successful primaries organised and urged all those who lost the primaries to stay focused and continue with the good work. He urged them to make themselves available for the tasks ahead.

Four new bills, the Ghana Maritime Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011, Ghana Maritime Security (Amendment) Bill, 2011, Ghana Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and the Renewable Energy Bill, 2011 were presented before the House for consideration.