Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh has called on Parliament’s leadership to explain why several completed committee reports have not been placed on the Order Paper for debate in the House.
Speaking on Thursday, November 5, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP said the Local Government and Health committees had finished their work, but their reports had not been scheduled for consideration by MPs.
“Mr. Speaker, I am aware of committees that have completed their works… Reports have been submitted, but motions are not being scheduled to be taken on the floor,” Annoh-Dompreh said.
He also raised the case of a report concerning Asutifi South MP Collins Dauda, which he said had been completed before Parliament’s most recent recess.
According to Annoh-Dompreh, the report was ready before the House adjourned, but the former Majority Leader requested further consultations. That was before James Agalga assumed the Majority leadership in August.
“Mr. Speaker, in the case of Collins-Dauda’s matter, that report is ready. Before we rose, the report was ready, and then the former Majority Leader said that we should do some consultation,” he said.
Annoh-Dompreh urged the Table Office and the parliamentary whips, particularly those on the Majority side, to improve coordination over the business placed before the House.
The issue comes as Parliament considers contested motions and referrals during the current week.
The Order Papers published for Thursday and Friday included committee reports from the Finance, Public Accounts, Defence and Interior, Human Rights and Independent Constitutional Bodies committees.
They also listed a motion seeking to rescind the May vote on the anti-LGBTQ bill. However, no reports from either the Health or Local Government committees appeared on the scheduled business.
There had been no reported response from Speaker Alban Bagbin or the Majority leadership to Annoh-Dompreh’s complaint by Friday afternoon.
Objection over Attorney-General’s absence
During the same sitting, Annoh-Dompreh questioned the absence of both the Attorney-General and the Deputy Attorney-General when a parliamentary paper requiring the Attorney-General’s attention was due to be laid.
“Mr. Speaker, if the Attorney-General is not here, his deputy must be here,” he said.
He called on Parliament’s leadership to summon the Deputy Attorney-General to ensure government business on the Order Paper could proceed without delay.
The items included audit reports from the Copyright Office and the Office of the Registrar of Companies. Annoh-Dompreh warned that the absence of the relevant law officers risked stalling their presentation to the House.
