According to the lawmaker, despite the good motive behind the scheme, no law has been enacted to back it yet.
His question comes on the back of the response he received from the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye after he enquired about the sums of money paid to beneficiaries to aid them in paying for their rent advance.
He further explained that it was impossible to spend a lump sum of government money on a policy that is not supported by a law yet.
“Another issue that bothers us also, is whether the bill that the minister brought to back rent assistance scheme. As we speak, there is no law backing the scheme but already, the government has started spending and what I want us to show interest in is to work out to see who are the beneficiaries of the scheme. Already, they have spent over GH¢13m and according to the figures the minister presented today, about 1005 people have benefited. Let’s all show interest.
“Let’s know those who are benefiting from the scheme and how much each person has gotten so far. And then, especially the legality of it. The minister when approached indicated that it was just a policy. And so, if is just a policy and you don’t have any legal backing and you are spending as much as GH¢30m on it, I think we as media persons should show interest in it,” he said.
Francis Asenso-Boakye, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, shared on the floor of parliament that a total of 1,105 Ghanaian workers from six regions have benefited from the government’s National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS) set up to cover the rent advance of the Ghanaian workers.
He further shared that GH¢13,785,597 has been disbursed to the beneficiaries in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Ashanti, Northern and Bono East regions of the country.
The National Rental Assistance Scheme:
Government through the Ministry of Works and Housing on January 31, 2023, launched the National Rental Assistance Scheme with a GH¢30 million commitment under a pilot phase.
Under the scheme, rent payment advances will be made for applicants who are either in the process of renewing, renting a room/apartment or a complete house.
The government adds that the scheme will provide low-interest loans to eligible Ghanaians to enable them to pay rent advances, which will be repaid on a monthly basis to match the tenure of the rent.
To qualify for the scheme, an applicant must show proof of employment covering 3 months of payslips, proof of income (3 months of official bank statements or mobile money statements), or an audited financial statement (for business owners).
BAJ/OGB
Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.
Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye