Stool Lands reneges on payment of royalties
The Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) has not paid mineral royalties to beneficiary stools and district assemblies as required by law since June 2012.
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The OASL has not been able to make the payments because the royalties collected by the Ministry of Finance have not been released.
Members of the Joint Committee on Lands and Forestry and Mines and Energy expressed their worry about the situation in their report on the annual budget estimates of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for 2014.
When the issue came up on the floor of the House during the consideration of the ministry's budget, the Minority Spokesperson on Lands and Forestry, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, said it was wrong for the Ministry of Finance to refuse to release the royalties collected to the OASL for distribution to the beneficiary stools and assemblies.
In the report, the committee also called for more resources to be allocated to the Lands Commission to enable it to efficiently carry out its responsibilities.
The committee recommended that the commission should be allowed to retain 40 per cent of monies received as levies, charges or fees and six per cent of revenue generated from stamp duty.
"The committee urges the ministry to liaise with Cabinet to expedite action on the retention of its internally generated funds as proposed", it said.
When he took his turn in the debate to approve the estimates for the ministry, the MP for Asante Akim North, Mr Kwame Ayimadu-Antwi, expressed concern about the non- release of funds to the ministries, departments and agencies after Parliament had approved the Appropriation Bill.
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He explained that some cheques issued by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) had not been honoured.
His assertion was supported by the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, who explained that funds had not been paid into the various statutory funds since February 2013 even though the law required that 30 days after such funds were collected, they should be paid into their respective accounts.
Even though, Mr Anyimadu-Antwi was ready to tender in a GETFund cheque which had not been honoured, he was prevailed upon to drop the matter, since it did not form part of the issue under discussion.
The House approved GH¢4,279,656,034 for the services of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for 2014.