Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 52 The other organ slated for restructuring is the Conference of Bureaux, made up of the Speaker and his four Deputy Speakers, the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman as the case may be, and the Rapporteur of each of the Standing Committees. This organ, in collaboration with the Bureau of Parliament, will undertake the preparation of draft annual work plan of parliament with due regard to other programs and work plans of the whole community and its other institutions. It is also charged with producing a work plan for the Standing Committees of parliament which are collectively represented on this organ and is chaired by the Speaker. There are also proposals for rotating the position of the Speaker of the Community Parliament which can assure the possibility of the revered seat being occupied by all member-states within the shortest possible time. A former Clerk of the Parliament of Ghana, Mr. Rex Owusu-Ansah has suggested that the rotation of the Speaker position should go to the country that holds the Chairmanship of the ECOWAS for that particular year. His view is that this formula would bring the Executive and the Community Parliament closer, provide the possibility of exchange of relevant information, particularly since the same government would be taking charge of the activities of the Executive as well as the Legislative arms of the Community. He further proposed that the seat of the Speaker should be non-residential to overcome the attendant costs of residency, since parliament does not sit daily(but twice or thrice a year). This will allow the Speaker who is elected through a universal adult suffrage to adequately represent his constituents in his own national parliament, and not reside somewhere else and neglect the needs of his people. 74 With regard to the tenure of office for the representatives to the Community Parliament, the ad hoc Ministerial Committee proposed a four-year term instead of the five-year term stipulated in Article 7(2)(i) of the Protocol. Relations between the Community Parliament and national parliaments also come under consideration for the enhancement of the sub-region's integration programs. It is recommended that the two institutions should work closer so as to enhance the prospects of regional integration. In particular, members delegated to the Community Parliament should preferably come from the Integration Committees of the national parliament in order to reflect a national character, with representation from both the ruling and opposition parties, and possibly a 30% women representation in the delegation. 75 74 Ibid., p. 21. The evidence shows that the practice of non-residential status for the Speaker is being practiced in other parliaments in Africa, for instance, in the Pan-African Parliament(PAP) of the African Union, UEMOA of Francophone West Africa and the East Africa Legislative Assembly(EALA). 75 Final Report of the Ad hoc Ministerial Committee on the Restructuring of the Community Parliament, Executive Secretariat, Abuja, February, 2006, pp. 3-5.