The Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has insisted that sector ministers or their deputies must be consistently available in Parliament to respond to questions, warning that excuses of absence can no longer be entertained.
Speaking on the floor of the House at the 1st Sitting of the 1st Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on Tuesday, February 3, Mr. Annoh Dompreh expressed concern over more than 300 unanswered parliamentary questions, describing the situation as unacceptable given the limited eight-week duration of the current meeting.
He noted that the backlog of questions poses a significant challenge and called on the Table Office and the Business Committee to adopt innovative and effective measures to clear them within the session.
According to the Minority Chief Whip, several critical questions from the previous meeting remained unanswered after Parliament prioritised the consideration of budget estimates, a compromise he said the Minority accepted in the spirit of cooperation.
However, he stressed that such compromises should not recur, urging parliamentary leadership to insist that outstanding questions be addressed without delay.
Mr. Annoh Dompreh rejected the practice where ministers write to Parliament indicating they are out of the jurisdiction or unavoidably absent, insisting that deputy ministers must appear to respond in such circumstances.
“Instances where sector ministers cannot appear, the deputies must be made to come and answer these questions,” he stated, adding that the practice of routine absence notices must end within the current session.
He called for greater urgency and effectiveness in parliamentary business, emphasizing that Parliament must be firm in demanding accountability from the Executive to ensure that all outstanding questions are dealt with before the end of the session.
Source: happyghana.com
