Accra, March 27, GNA - The Report of the Chinery-Hesse Committee appointed by President John Agyekum Kufuor to determine the salaries and allowances of certain senior public officials is now ready.

Mr Kwabena Agyepong, Press Secretary to President Kufuor, told the regular Castle press briefing on Monday that the President had put in place a technical team made up of experts from the Finance Ministry and Bank of Ghana to look at the implementation of the Report.

He said it was the view of President Kufuor that "we get a comprehensive and well rounded income policy that would cover all". Besides, the package should also be something that could be borne by the economy on a sustainable basis.

He said President Kufuor believed that it was necessary to have wider consultations before the Report was outdoored.

Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution enjoins the President to determine the salaries and allowances payable and the facilities and privileges available to the Speaker, Deputy Speakers and Members of Parliament (MPs).

Others include the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Superior Courts of Judicature and Auditor-General.

The conditions of service being enjoyed by the Speaker and the other public officers at present were based on the Greenstreet Report presented in 2000 but which took retrospective effect from 1997. Mr Agyepong denied reports in sections of the Media that the Minerals and Mining Law had failed to receive Presidential assent, three clear months after its passage by Parliament.

President Kufuor, he said, received the official notification from the Speaker on March 22, adding that Bills passed by Parliament did not suffer undue delays on his table.

Answering questions on the Nigeria Government's decision to hand over former Liberian President Charles Taylor to Liberia, he said President Kufuor shared the view that the interest and stability of Liberia were paramount.

Nigeria and Liberia were sovereign nations and it was important to avoid being judgmental, he said.

On threats of strike action by the Ghana National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr Agyepong said the President had asked the Ministry of Education and Sports to continue to engage the Association and to dialogue with it to ensure that the academic calendar was not disturbed.