Mr Kwadow Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Wednesday said low attendance at parliamentary session by Members of Parliament (MPs) should not be misconstrued to mean the lack of interest in the business of the House.
He explained that the absence of an MP from parliamentary work might be due to other assignments allowed by the standing orders of the House.
Mr Kwadow Baah-Wired was speaking to the GNA at the 54th New Year School, underway at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He said: “If an MP visits his constituency or is within the premises of Parliament attending a committee meeting, he or she is considered to be performing legislative functions.”
Mr Baah-Wiredu said public understanding about parliamentary duties was often reduced to parliamentary sessions alone.
He explained that an MP could attend district assembly meetings or travel outside the country as a delegate of a select committee on official assignment.
Mr Baah-Wiredu called for a review of the standing orders of Parliament to address the issue of boycott.
He said: ” some of the boycotts have to do with personal matters of MPs, who might be in disrepute with a situation.”
Source: GhanaWeb
