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The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has admitted that Parliament is not doing much in protecting the public purse laying the blame on excessive partisanship in the legislature.

According to the Member of Parliament for the Tamale South Constituency, the move by some persons to dismiss findings in a recent United States Human Rights report on Ghana was disappointing.

Whiles answering to questions on the report, he cited excessive partisanship as the reason for failure to keep the executive in check and by so doing protect the public purse.

“We are not doing sufficiently as an institution and Parliament is bucked down to excessive partisanship. We are not exercising our mandate appropriately to protect the public purse.

"Why will Parliament not be interested in probing into COVID expenditure? Who loses? Who gains? It’s the citizens of Ghana. Any matter of probe can only enhance probity, transparency and accountability.

"So if Parliament cannot even probe into a matter like COVID, where donors are concerned about the prudent and optimum utilisation of resources they invested to combat this public health pandemic, then what do you expect of Parliament?” he quizzed.

He also admitted other many failings of the legislative arm of government citing specifically times where contracts and loans are approved without value for money.

"That can only occasion and facilitate corruption and the exploitation of state resources for private gain. Look at the number of government contracts we have approved as Parliament without subjecting it to due diligence.

"And even follow up action, when the contracts are approved, do we follow up as an institution… so there are some failings that Parliament without hesitation we should accept that that we are not protecting the public purse enough," he added.

The 2021 US Human Rights report on Ghana touched on a number of issues from human rights, governance and issues relating to corruption.