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Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin – Speaker of Parliament
The first session of the eighth Parliament resumed yesterday after a three-week suspension that was aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 among House members and staff.
The Chamber is expected to consider a number of critical businesses before suspending the session sine die on March 30, 2021.
Some of the pressing issues that arose yesterday on the floor of the House included the writing of the Appointments Committee’s report on the President’s nominations for ministerial appointments.
The report was subsequently distributed to members of the House for deliberation before a full debate by both parties on the observations and recommendations of the 26-member committee.
Facilitate government business
Shortly after the chairman of the committee, Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu, had introduced the report, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, expressed the belief that the House would swiftly consider the report in the next few weeks to facilitate government business.
So far, 30 of the designated sector ministers and six designated regional ministers have been examined by the Appointments Committee, which began the process on February 10 and will end on March 8, 2021.
State of the nation message
The spokesman also said that during the current meeting, the House would receive the President, who was obliged by Article 67 of the Constitution to deliver to Parliament, a message on the state of the nation at the beginning of each session of Parliament and the dissolution. of Parliament. .
“His Excellency has given me an indication that he will be ready to fulfill the obligation on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.
“Still within this meeting, in accordance with Article 179 of the Constitution, His Excellency has given further indications that he is prepared to prepare the budget for fiscal year 2021 on Friday, March 12, 2021, for its consideration and approval.” , He said. .
Bagbin reminded the House that a fairly high order of business had to be handled before the end of the current Parliament meeting on March 31, 2021.
Therefore, he pleaded with the members of the House to cooperate fully with him and with the leadership to fulfill future tasks.
Death
He announced the death of the Deputy Secretary of Parliament, Mr. Robert Apodolla, whom he described as “one of the founding members of the Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana”.
“The sudden death of the Deputy Secretary of Parliament occurred during the period when we were on a short break,” he said.
It said that Mr. Apodolla died after a brief illness while in hospital at Korle Bu University Hospital, and expressed Parliament’s condolences to the family, prompting the House to observe a minute’s silence in memory of the deceased.
COVID-19 infections
Previously, the president recounted that the suspension of Parliament on February 9, 2021, following COVID-19 infections among 17 parliamentarians and 151 members of Parliament’s staff, had allowed the weekly disinfection and sanitation of the Chamber and the facilities of the Parliament.
He said the third round of COVID-19 testing revealed that out of a total of 550 MPs and staff who retested, only 12 tested positive, and the majority were auxiliary staff.
“This favorably represents a two percent positivity rate compared to the national positivity rate of between 10 and 12 percent.
“I hope that all the honorable members and staff who must retest will show up again for the retest,” he stated.
He said the three-week break had allowed members and staff who tested positive to “get over the virus.”
Comply with security protocols.
Therefore, he expressed optimism that both members and staff of Parliament would adhere to time-tested COVID-19 security protocols.
“Let’s wear our masks religiously, let’s wash our hands at the slightest opportunity while we’re in the office; let our sanitizer be our partner wherever we are and maintain social distancing, “he said.
He assured the House and Ghanaians that Parliament will not only adhere to security protocols, but will also adopt other protocols to ensure the safety of all members and staff in support of Ghana’s development.
With the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Ghana, Bagbin said that, in consultation with House leadership, he would soon announce the launch of a vaccination plan for members and staff of Parliament.
COVID-19 update
Introducing the trade statement, the majority group leader in Parliament, Mr. Osi Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, informed the House that the designated Minister of Health was scheduled to brief the House today on the COVID-19 situation in the country, including the ongoing vaccination exercise.
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