Parliament has approved and adopted the report of the Selection Committee to re-compose its 14 Standing Committees and 16 Select Committees to enhance the performance and effectiveness of the House.
The re-composition of the 30 Committees and an Ad-hoc Committee is in line with Standing Orders 152 and 153 of the House.
“Every Member shall be appointed to at least one of the standing committees” established by the House.
The Standing Committees are Standing Orders Committee, Subsidiary and Legislation, Special Budget, Public Accounts, Privileges, Judiciary, Government Assurance, and Finance Committees.
The rest are House Committee, Gender and Children, Appointments, Business, Selection and Committee on Members holding Office of Profit.
The Select Committees consist of Lands and Forestry, Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Local Government and Rural Development, Works and Housing, Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Health, Communications and Roads and Transport committees.
Others are Defense and Interior, Foreign Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture, Education, Mines and Energy, Environment, Science and Technology, Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises and Trade, Industry and Tourism committees.
Presenting the Selection Committee’s report in the House yesterday, the chairman and Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the re-composition was based on the ratio of 169:106 representing the numerical strength of the two caucuses in the House, as approved at the commencement of this Parliament in January 2017.
“The re-composition became necessary due to, among other things, the need to enhance the performance and effectiveness of the aconites of the House,” the report, sighted by the Ghanaian Times, stated.
The report explained that “Some chairmen, ranking members, deputy ranking members, and members have been appointed to international Parliamentary bodies, making them to be out of the country frequently.”
It observed that “the frequent absence of such key members adversely impact the effectiveness of committees.”
According to the committee report, the sudden death of Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko and the subsequent election of Lydia Seyram Alhassan as his replacement for the Ayawaso West Wuogon had also necessitated the need to re-compose the committees of the House.
Per the re-composition, Dr Dominic Ayine, Bolgatanga East Member, replaces Mahama Ayariga, Bawku Central MP as chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, one of two committees chaired by the Minority.
Mr Collins Owusu Amankwah, who also doubles as the vice chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee now heads the Government Assurance Committee as chairman.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI