MPs to return to Parliament on Tuesday

The leadership of Parliament will today [Monday] meet the various sector Ministers of State to determine the programme of the House as it resumes sitting on Tuesday, October 11, 2016.

Members of Parliament are expected to return to the House to undertake their legislative duties after two months of being on recess.

Speaking to Citi News the Majority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed, said priority will only be given to government programmes that need urgent attention.

“The main issues are to try to finish very critical government business as much as possible, those that are very critical. We don’t intend to stay foo long because as you may know campaigns are picking up and it’s a shooting point.”

“So we are meeting all sector ministers on Monday to really go through them and be sure which are the very critical urgent government business that may be having timelines. Preferably the house members would not wish to sit beyond the end of this month meaning that we just have maximum four weeks in the House,” he added.

Speaker summons MPs

The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho in August summoned MPs over a motion championed by the minority to have President Mahama investigated for receiving a $100,000 Ford Expedition from a Burkinabe contractor.

Meanwhile, the motion was dismissed by the Speaker after the first sitting saying the right body to investigate the matter was the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

“Ordinarily, having regard to standing order 79(4), I would have returned the motion to the member in whose name it stands as being inadmissible. But the motion was tied contemporaneously to the request for the recall of the house under standing order 38(1) which derives from article 123 of the constitution and therefore leaves me with no discretion in recalling the house. Standing order 79(4) also provides as follows: Every notice shall be submitted to Mr. Speaker who shall direct that it be printed in its original terms or with such amendments as he shall direct or that it be returned to the member submitting it as being inadmissible. I am therefore unable to admit this motion. I hereby direct the clerk to return the motion to the member in whose name it stands in line with standing order 79 (4),” Doe Adjaho added.

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana