General News of Friday, 28 January 2011

Source: GNA

Privileges Committee must sit up - Parliament

Accra, Jan. 28, GNA - The Minority on Friday called on the Privilege= s Committee to rise to its responsibilities as several complaints put before it went without action.

Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, New Patriotic Party (NPP) member for Aburi-Nsawam who raised the concern during the business statement of next week, said man= y complaints put before the Committee were not addressed. He made reference to a case concerning the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) put before the Committee by the NPP member for Manhyia, Dr Mathew Prempeh which was not addressed for a long time now.

He called on the Majority Leader and members of that committee to ensure that those complaints were addressed.

Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, NPP member for New Juaben North, said the performance of the Committee could send out negative signals. He called on the leadership to make the committee very active, "otherwise people may think it is all talk, talk, and no action," he sa= id.

Mr Cletus Avoka Majority Leader admitted the concerns were well taken and would be addressed in the next business statement to the House. The Speaker, Joyce Bamford-Addo, told the leadership to take note and do what they were supposed to do.