He said being a part of the budget crafting process would allow committees to work with ministries, departments and agencies, as well as civil society and the citizenry to determine national priorities.

“This will allow Parliament to continue to serve as the nation's conscience regarding its finances because public hearings, stakeholder consultations and outreach activities are not optional but constitutional and democratic imperatives,” he said.

“I have not seen the Budget Committee play that role, but the intention is that at that crafting stage, after they have received the budgets from other government agencies, together we set the agenda and the priorities for the country this year,” he noted.

He said effective oversight could not be achieved through passion alone, as it required knowledge of the Public Financial Management Act, the Public Procurement Act, the Audit Service Act and the broader framework of finance and economic governance.

Mr Bagbin reminded MPs that Parliament was the principal account holder, with the authority to approve the budgets, but expressed concern about how many MPs lacked knowledge about a significant percentage of the total national revenue allocated to their constituencies.

Engines of Parliament

The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, said the Parliament committees were the engine of parliamentary work as the detailed work of processing legislation, processing budgetary applications and others hinged on the work of committees.

“If the outcome of any parliamentary process is good, it is to be determined by how much diligence and how much intellect inform the deliberation at the committee level, and that is the reality of parliament.

Consensus

Speaking on behalf of the Minority Caucus, the First Deputy Minority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, encouraged his colleagues in leadership to build consensus at the committee level.

“Be fair and be open to allow the various members beyond committees to have their inputs captured whenever there are deliberations in committee work.”