The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, will on Monday, November 15, 2021 present to Parliament the budget statement and economic policy of the government for the 2022 financial year.
He was initially scheduled to present the statement to the House on November 17.
Deputy Chairman of the Business Committee and MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who announced the change in date on Friday whilst presenting the Business Statement said it would afford members enough time to have a post-budget workshop.
The workshop, which would span between November 17 and 21, Mr Afenyo-Markin explained, would ensure members were properly informed on the budget so as to factor same during scrutiny.
The House would resume on Monday, November 22 to start with its extended sitting to debate, approve the budget on November 26.
The House would then proceed to approve the budget allocations for the various ministries, departments and agencies before passing the Appropriation Bill to give government the green light to spend for the year.
Having regard to the limited time frame for the approval of the Budget and Appropriation Bill 2021, Mr Afenyo-Markin urged members to be active in the debate on the budget.
Ideally, budget scrutiny should take eight weeks, the Majority Leader, OseiKyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had told the House earlier in October.
“We don’t have the luxury of time.
“We are not going to be able to spend eight weeks interrogating the budget.
“We only have about four weeks and that is why I will entreat the committees to act in conjunction with their sector ministers, very proactively to deal with the allocations as early as possible and not just rubber stamp, very intelligent scrutiny of the allocations, so that when it comes to the passage of the appropriations on December 7, 2021, Mr Speaker we can tell ourselves that we have done justice,” he said.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
