A minority motion to compel the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to present government's debt restructuring programme to Parliament for consideration has been passed by the House.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, has consequently ordered Ken Ofori-Atta to present the full details to Parliament through its Finance Committee.

They are to review the programme for it to be adopted or rejected.

Moving the motion in the House, the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson argued that the Finance Minister ought to seek Parliament’s approval before restructuring debts.

However, the Minister failed to go by it, according to Dr Ato Forson. He added that the Minister “decided to organise a press conference at the Ministry of Information and informed the nation without coming to Parliament.”

He continued “If the Minister for any reason has decided to write off the debt that government owes to the central bank, it is only right for the Minister responsible for Finance to bring the document before us and to inform us that we are going to write off a certain debt.

“The Minister cannot unilaterally write off debt owed to the central bank. It is for that reason that I request the Minister of Finance to present to us the details of government's debt restructuring programme.”

According to him, Parliament must be made to scrutinise and assess the impact of the programme.

“Mr Speaker, it is not right for the Minister to take this major single policy initiative without parliamentary approval. Mr Speaker, I urge you to write to the Minister responsible for finance to direct him to present the entire debt restructuring programme,” he said.

In response, the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh said the Majority side is not opposed to the motion, adding that it is a fair demand for sponsors of the private member's motion to ask for the Finance Minister to present the details of the DDEP.

However, the House could use processes already available in Parliament.

According to him, the issue could be discussed at the Finance Committee for an appropriate report to be brought to the plenary for discussion and adoption.

“When the Minority Leader was moving the motion, I turned to look at order 155. Mr Speaker, we have a Finance Committee of Parliament clothed with legal powers so for me, this matter should not have taken members to move a private member motion,” he said.

The motion was then put to a vote by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin and was approved.

"The motion is accordingly adopted, Honourable members, what we’ve just done is to call upon the Minister to present the government debt restructuring programme for consideration by the House,” the Speaker said.

He directed for the presentation to be done by the Finance Minister before Parliament’s Finance Committee, adding that the Committee will subsequently report a comprehensive detail to the House for consideration.

“Chairman, Ranking member of the Committee of Finance should take up this matter. Get the Minister to appear before the Committee to present the government's debt restructuring programme. The Committee together with the Ministry will deliberate over it, then the Committee will then submit what they have in the form of a report to the House for consideration either for adoption or rejection; I so direct.”