Parliament has concurred that further work by the House on the Right to Information (RTI) Bill should not be done under a certificate of urgency.

The House at a plenary, following a recall by the Speaker, voted in favour of a joint committee determination that “even though there is a high public interest in the matter” it does not need to be taken with a rush.

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye referred the Bill when it was laid before him to a joint committee of the Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs and Communications for consideration and report to the plenary amidst immense public pressure for a speedy passage.

By a unanimous decision, the Bill would now go through the normal legislative process for passage.

However, the Committee’s preliminary discussions and Memoranda received from Stakeholders require that due consultations be made.

The House has adjourned Sine Die.

President Akufo-Addo, announced at this year’s Independence Day celebration on March 6, that the Bill would be laid and passed.

There has also been pressure from a number of stakeholder groups and civil society groups for the Government to expedite the passage of the more than two decades old bill.