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The Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has recommended the revision of Ghana's Right To Information (RTI) Bill, which is yet to be passed after a decade, to conform to international standards. The recommendation has been hailed by the RTI Coalition, which said they appreciated the work of the Select Committee for endorsing a revision of what it described as �problematic areas of the bill�. In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, on Wednesday, the Coalition applauded the Committee, chaired by Mr Alban Bagbin, Member of Parliament for Nadowli West, for engaging some relevant stakeholders on the Bill. It said since Mr Bagbin became the leader of the Select Committee, it had become keen on civil society�s involvement in the parliamentary processes for reviewing the provisions of the Bill towards ensuring transparency and accountability and conforming to best practices. �Not only was the Coalition invited to meetings organized by the Committee to discuss the Bill, but we were also given ample opportunities to present our concerns,� the Coalition said. The Coalition said it also appreciated the Committee�s basing of the review on the African Union�s Model Law on Access to Information, and on the Coalition�s proposals submitted to Parliament. According to the Coalition, the areas of the Bill rigorously debated and discussed for final submission to Parliament covered a long list of exemptions, which, it said had now been subjected to a harm test, thereby banishing blanket exemptions from the Bill. The reduction of the excessive timelines for granting access; the inclusion of the establishment of an oversight mechanism to oversee implementation of its execution when passed; and a simplified appeal process; amongst others, were also debated, it said. The Coalition said there were indications that members of the Committee were sensitive to the views of ordinary Ghanaians and the Committee believed strongly in the preservation of Ghana�s democratic tenets guided by the principle of probity, transparency and accountability. The Coalition expressed the hope when the Bill was tabled on the Floor of Parliament, members would be guided by the same commitment shown by their colleagues in the Select Committee and see to it that Ghana did not retrogress towards the passage of a Bill that sought to protect the integrity of public institutions. The Coalition assured the Committee and Parliament that it would continue to provide the necessary support required, particularly, when the Bill was deliberated on the floor of Parliament. It said: �We also appeal to the people of Ghana to support and encourage their MPs to endorse the recommendations proposed by the Select Committee when the Bill is tabled in Parliament. �Furthermore, the Coalition hopes that Parliament will continue to engage stakeholders until an effective Bill is passed into law and finally, we wish to call on Parliament to, without further delay, pass the Bill into law.�