Parliament postpones resumption of sittings

Parliament has postponed resumption of its sittings to June 3, 2014 to enable various committees of the House to conclude work on their outreach programmes.

The House was expected to begin its work next week after it rose on March 28 this year.

Although the reason for the postponement has not been expressly stated, a ranking member on the Public Accounts Committee, Mr George Loh, said the House might not have the numbers to carry out its work, hence the reschedule.

Some media reports had suggested the extension of the date was due to financial challenges facing the legislature.

Mr Loh, who is MP for North Dayi, said the Education Committee, for instance, was working in the northern parts of the country and might not be back by the end of this week.

"Various committees of Parliament are outside the House doing some business. And this business will go beyond May 29 when we are supposed to go back to Parliament. The Accounts Committee is in Koforidua for a public hearing, so it is obvious that majority of members from both sides will not be available when the House resumes," he explained.

The Public Accounts Committee is, among other things, scrutinising the performance audit report of the Auditor-General on the management of the Petroleum Funds from May 2011 to December 2012.