Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says Parliament is not of the view that there must be a reduction in the size of government.
According to him, the approval of the six ministerial appointees by Parliament indicated that, contrary to the belief that a reduction in government size was a necessity to cut down expenditure, Parliament did not agree.
“The understanding I have is that parliament does not even share that view. You saw what happened in parliament the last time literally that question was put on the table.
“Despite all the conversations the last time it was put on the table, you saw the numbers. So, parliament as a body does not even share that view,” Mr Nkrumah said in an interview on The Probe, Sunday.
The Minister further disclosed that in the current administration, individuals who are appointed as ministers do not get an additional payment for that position.
This, he explained was because they, the ministers were already being paid as Members of Parliament.
He therefore emphasised that the citizens do not incur an extra cost if government decides to increase the number of its Ministers, hence the reason Parliament was not in concurrence with the populace’s view.
“It doesn’t cost the taxpayer any extra because they are paid as Members of Parliament,” Mr Nkrumah reiterated.
Additionally, the minister stated that in having conversations with Ghana’s external creditors, there has never been an instance where the size of government was cited as a factor for the increased government expenditure that he was privy to.
However, he assured that government was ready and open to possible ways of cutting down on expenditure.
“There’s already been action on various levels, and I’ve mentioned that the doors are not closed to further cuts as are being examined. And as we go through and as we examine some more, there are places where some more cuts can be done. It makes sense to make those cuts,” Mr Nkrumah told the host, Emefa Apaw.
