Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has hinted that a new Intestate Succession Bill will be among 69 bills offered to Parliament for discussion and passage during the Second Meeting of the Third Session.
The Akufo-Addo administration withdrew the bill from the House after it was laid on October 30, 2018, and it is expected that its approval will result in changes to the current regime that will provide even more protection to children when a parent dies intestate.
According to him, the yet-to-be presented Intestate Succession Bill has major standing blocks, noting that the legislation will hand the property of a deceased person who transitions intestate.
“I think we are working on some formula – 50% to the surviving spouse and 25% to the children and between 5% and 10% to surviving parents,” Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told the media in Parliament.
“We will also look at the affairs of some stray bullets (children outside wedlock). All these things should be put in a basket for our consideration. Property rights of Spouse Bill have been on the back burner for 30 years,” he added.
The Majority Leader explained that 69 new bills, 56 instruments and 29 other indicative instruments would be presented for consideration by the House.
“The Ministers should have to prioritise and re-prioritise their own bills so that in the limited time, we will be able to deal with the bills.
“Given the circumstances, if you pass bills you create structures and those structures will come with some bodies which will still incur some expenditure,” he stated.
He said they intended to sift the bills and really deal with those of them that are of critical importance.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also disclosed that other bills to be presented are Budget Bill, Affirmative Action Bill, Grains Development Authority Bill as well as Amendment Bills such as the Petroleum Authority (Amendment) Bill, Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, Contract (Amendment) Bill, and Minerals & Mining (Amendment) Bill.
By Ernest Kofi Adu