This week in Parliament: 6 Ministers to answer 39 questions

Six ministers of state are to appear before Parliament this week to respond to 39 questions focused on the Akosombo Dam spillage, the closure of the Outpatient Department Renal Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as well as military brutalities in Garu and Tempane.

They are the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh; the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye; the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor.

The rest are the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, and the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah.

The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, made this known last Friday when he presented the business statement of the House for the week ending Friday, November 10, 2023.

He said Dr Opoku Prempeh would be in the House on Wednesday, November 8 to brief the plenary on the Akosombo and Kpong dams’ spillage by the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the devastating impact on communities along the Volta River Basin.

For Mr Kan-Dapaah, he said the minister was scheduled to brief the House on Thursday, November 9 on military brutalities meted out to some residents of Garu and Tempane on October 9, 2023.

He is expected to give the true state of affairs and to tell the House who gave the orders for innocent civilians to be molested, he said.

But ahead of that, Mr Afenyo-Markin told the House after presenting the business statement that he, together with the Mr Kan-Dapaah, were facilitating the release of the brutality victims who had been kept behind bars at the Bureau of National Investigations cells in Accra for some time now.

Dialysis Unit

For his part, Mr Agyeman-Manu is also to show up in the House on Thursday, November 9, to explain and give reasons for the closure of the Outpatient Department Renal Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).

He is also to give scientific explanations to the recent increases in kidney-related illnesses in Ghana.

Speed up work

Entreating colleague MPs to report early to be able to clear backlog of business, the New Patriotic Party MP for Effutu urged the various committees of the House to also speed up referrals made to them since the meeting to end the year was short.

“Mr Speaker, per the draft agenda for this meeting, honourable members have already filed about 747 questions.

“Again, honourable members, having returned from the long recess, have also started filing new questions reflecting the needs of their constituents,” he said.

He further urged ministers of state to endeavour to show up in the House to respond to questions standing in their names.