Accra, Dec 11, GNA - Parliament on Monday approved a total of 708.4 billion cedis for the services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD and Ministry of Harbours and Railways for the 2007 fiscal year.

An amount of 678.956 billion cedis goes to the Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD Ministry, while 29.483 billion goes to the Harbours and Railways.

A report of the Committee in Foreign Affairs, urged the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to consider at the appropriate time a supplementary budget for the Ministries, saying a shortfall in the budget would probably subvert their programmes and activities. Mr Haruna Iddrisu, NDC-Tamale South, however, said the estimates for the Harbours and Railways Ministry were inadequate considering that an amount of 73 million cedis were budgeted for the Ministry in the 2006 supplementary budget for new project that were yet to be completed. The Committee Report accompanying the motion for the approval of the estimates for the Harbours and Railway Ministry urged the Ministry to adhere to its promise to negotiate with prospective investors to remove tree stumps from the Volta Lake and chart navigational fairways to forestall accidents on the Lake.

The Report said the Ghana Maritime Authority should also take immediate steps to ensure that appropriate legislations are passed to make the Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC) an agency under the Ministry, to enable the Ministry to exercise optimum oversight responsibility over its activities.