The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has strongly disputed a claim by the Controller and Accountant-General at an annual delegates’ conference of public accountants at Koforidua that salaried workers are paid on time. The Controller and Accountant-General, Raphel Tuffour, had told the delegates’ conference which was chaired by the Regional Minister that now, his outfit was able to pay salaries on time with little complaints from civil servants and pensioners. However, Mr Ampofo disagreed with him, saying since he became the Regional Minister, he had received volumes of complaints from government workers that their salaries were always delayed. The Minister emphasised that the workers had been telling him that they also did not receive their pay slips so they did not know how much they even received as monthly salary. This prompted Mr. Tuffour to quickly revise his notes and shift the blame on the banks, saying the problem might be from the banks. The Accountant-General announced that by January 2010, payrolls of all management, departments and agencies would be run by the Controller and Accountant-General's Department, adding that his outfit had received co-operation from most agencies which are not on government payroll in this direction. He suggested to the Minister of Finance to help them create a unit that would be tasked with the responsibility of conducting head-counts all year round. This, he said, would efficiently protect public funds in a manner that will ensure that government payroll is rid of ghost names and smooth transfer of names from payroll to pensioners. The Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Alex Asamoah, who was also present at the conference, said that the prudent implementation of sound financial management practices and strict adherence to provisions in the financial laws would lead to judicious appropriation of funds for national development. Source: Daily Guide