The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for greater urgency and efficiency in the conduct of parliamentary business, expressing concern over the growing backlog of legislative and oversight responsibilities, which it says could undermine Parliament’s constitutional mandate to hold the Executive accountable.
Contributing to the debate on the Business Statement, the Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, questioned the allocation of only 27 parliamentary questions for the week despite more than 200 questions remaining unanswered by ministers. He argued that parliamentary questions are a critical oversight mechanism and risk losing their relevance when ministers repeatedly fail to appear before the House to respond.
Hon. Annoh-Dompreh also expressed concern over the slow pace of government-sponsored legislation before Parliament. He noted that although Members had earlier been informed that approximately 69 government bills were expected during the current meeting, only a limited number had so far been laid before the House.
He urged the Majority Leadership to intensify engagement with the Executive to ensure the timely submission of bills for parliamentary consideration.
The Minority Chief Whip further highlighted the accumulation of more than 400 outstanding referrals to parliamentary committees, describing the situation as inconsistent with Parliament’s responsibility to discharge its legislative and oversight functions effectively. He called for deliberate measures to expedite committee work and ensure that reports, statutory instruments, and other parliamentary business receive prompt attention.
The Minority Caucus maintained that Parliament must continuously strengthen its efficiency, responsiveness, and accountability in order to meet the expectations of the Ghanaian people. It emphasised that the effective discharge of Parliament’s oversight, legislative, and representative functions remains essential to promoting good governance, transparency, and democratic accountability.
Story by Kekeli K. Blamey
