MPs Chastise Ministers Who Fail To Appear Before House

Members of Parliament from the Minority side have chastised ministers who fail to appear before the House to answer questions after they have been scheduled to do so.

At Tuesday’s sitting, the Minister of Health, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, who was scheduled to answer six questions failed to appear before the House.

Even though, the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Alhaji Rashid Pelpuo, explained that his deputy, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, was on his way to stand in for his boss, that also did not happen.

Papers scheduled to be laid by the Minister of Employment, Mr E.T Mensah and the Minister of Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffour, were also laid by a Minister of State at the Presidency, Mr John Gyetuah, prompting comments from the Minority side that the ministers were not serious with government business.

The Minority Chief Whip, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, in his comment said the continual failure of ministers to come to the House when their services were needed was an affront to Parliament.

At Tuesday’s sitting, Mr Chireh was supposed to answer an urgent question posed by Mr Joe Appiah, MP for Ablekuma North on steps the ministry had taken to settle all arrears the government owed the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

A question, which stood in the name of MP for Manhyia, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, on how the NHIA implemented the distribution of the 2009 distribution formula approved by Parliament. Other MPs from the Minority side also expressed their disappointment at their failure to appear before the House to answer questions.