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President John Evans Atta Mills has written to Parliament, notifying the House that he has accepted the recommendations of the Professor Ewurama Addy Committee, which he set up in June 2010 to review the Conditions of Service of Article 71 office holders. In his letter to Parliament, the President � according to a senior Castle source � said he was accepting the recommendations of the Professor Ewurama Addy Committee subject to some adjustments. It came after Ghanaian MPs, who are among the most poorly paid lawmakers in Africa, objected to a portion of the Committee�s report which they argued could make legislators �worse off.� The source will not give details of the proposed new pay level of lawmakers but said �enough work has been done to give MPs a lot to smile about.� Speculations are, however rife that lawmakers could soon be taking nearly twice the �2,500 consolidated pay � made up of allowances and salaries for drivers and other household staff � they currently earn. Investigations by The Globe established that conventionally, Ghanaian MPs have been on the same salary level as High Court Judges. But, by the recommendations of the Prof Ewurama Addy Committee, High Court Judges will earn much higher than lawmakers if the proposals of the Committee are enforced. �The leadership of the MPs made it clear to the President that the recommendation was not acceptable to them,� the source said, adding �The MPs argued strongly that at least they should be put at par with High Court Judges on the salary scale.� �In practical terms, what it means is that the President will be debasing MPs if the Ewurama Addy Committee recommendation is accepted,� said one senior lawmaker. The unnamed lawmaker will not disclose details of the heavily-guarded report of the Committee, except to say, �We are still negotiating with the President on the matter and in due course a final decision will be made.� On Friday, Speaker Justice Joyce Bamford Addo ordered the House to move into Close Sitting to discuss what Majority Leader, Cletus Avoka called �welfare matters.� The Globe understands that details of the outcome of Friday�s Close Sitting may never be known. Standing Order 45 of the rules of the House Provides: 1) �Mr. Speaker may in consultation with the House and having regard to public interest order the House to move into close sitting to discuss a particular subject or for the remainder of the Sitting. 2) �When the House is in Close Sitting no stranger shall be permitted to be present in the Chamber, side lobbies or galleries. 3) �The Speaker may cause the proceedings and decisions of a Close Sitting to be recorded or issued in such manner as he thinks proper. 4) �No person other than a Member or a person acting under the authority of Mr. Speaker shall keep a note or record of proceedings or decision of a Close Sitting whether in part or in full. 5) No person other than a person acting under the authority of Mr. Speaker shall issue any report of, or purport to describe the proceedings or any decision of a close sitting.� More so, Standing Order 45 states: �Disclosure of proceedings or decisions of a close sitting by any person in any manner shall be treated as a gross breach of privileges of the House.� Castle officials who have seen the details of the Ewurama Addy Committee report say MPs will no longer take bank loans to buy their own cars to do official work. Per the new proposal, the State will supply official vehicles to all members of the legislature. The proposal, if finally accepted, will affect the next Parliament of Ghana, which will be sworn in on January 7, 2013. News of pay rise for MPs is coming at a time the House is considering a controversial Constitutional Instrument seeking to increase the number of seats in the 230-member Legislation to 275. For the past few years, lawmakers have not been on a regular salary, after public uproar over the sheer size of hefty ex-gratia for former President John Kufuor and legislators who served in the fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic President. There have been calls on President Mills to freeze pay levels set for MPs in the Mary Chinery-Hesse Committee report. President Mills inaugurated the Prof Ewurama Addy Committee on June 8, 2010 to review the conditions of service and emoluments of Article 71 office holders, taking into account Ghana�s economic circumstances. The Constitution says in part, �These being expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund, shall be determined by the President on the recommendations of a committee of not more than five persons appointed by the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State.� Leadership of Parliament will not publicly discuss the proposed new conditions of service for lawmakers because such a discussion will violate standing order 44 and 45 of the House. Early this year, an unprecedented threat by some lawmakers to boycott President John Mills� State of the Nation address to Parliament over poor working conditions forced a hurriedly organized meeting between the Ghanaian leader and the leadership of the House at which they reportedly discussed proposals for pay increase for MPs.