PARLIAMENT

The Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, the Speaker took the Chair.


Messages from the President

A : Order under the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40)


Announcements by the Speaker

B : Endorsement of the certificate on Bills under Article 79 of the Constitution
C : Receipt of the copies of petitions filed at the Supreme Court  
D : Member to serve in the Committee on Ethics and Privileges
E : Meetings of the Committee on Parliamentary Business and Committee of Selection


Presentation of Papers

(i) Annual Performance Report of the Ministry of Mass Media for the year 2021
(ii)    Annual Report of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority for the year 2016
(iii)    Annual Report of the National Institute of Post Harvest Management for the year 2019
(iv)    Performance Report of the Department of Wildlife Conservation for the year 2021
(v)    Performance Report of the Government Analyst’s Department for the year 2021
(vi)    Annual Report of the BCC Lanka Limited for the year 2019/2020
(vii)    Annual Report of the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority for the year 2019
(viii)    Annual Report of the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka for the year 2020
(ix)    Performance Report of the Department of Immigration & Emigration for the year 2021

(x) Order made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies under Section 2A of Value Added Tax Act, No. 14 of 2002 as amended by Act, No. 6 of 2005, relating to the Value Added Tax and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2295/08 of 31st August 2022
(xi)    Order made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies under Section 2 of the Casino Business (Regulation) Act, No. 17 of 2010 and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2295/09 of 31st August 2022
(xii)    Regulations made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies under Section 4 read with Section 3 of the Casino Business (Regulation) Act, No. 17 of 2010 and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2295/10 of 31st August 2022
(xiii)    Regulations made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies under Section 20 of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 amended by Acts, No. 48 of 1985 and No. 28 of 1987 read with Sections 4(1) and 14 of the aforesaid Act and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2300/12 of 05th October 2022
(xiv)    Regulation made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies under Section 12 of the Finance Act, No. 12 of 2013 read with the Finance Act, No. 12 of 2012 relating to Hub Regulations and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2292/36 of 10th August 2022
(xv)    Order made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies  under Section 19A of the Customs Ordinance (Chapter 235), as amended by the Customs (Amendment) Law No. 35 of 1974 and the Customs (Amendment) Act, No. 83 of 1988 relating to the Customs Import duty payable on imported goods and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2298/15 of 20th September 2022


Presentation of Reports from the Committees

The Report of the Committee on Public Finance was presented by the Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, the Chair of the Committee.


Presentation of Petitions

(i)    The Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera                    
(ii)    The Hon. Vijitha Berugoda             -     Two Petitions
(iii)    The Hon. Lakshman Kiriella, Attorney at Law                    
(iv)    The Hon. Vasudeva Nanayakkara                    
(v)    The Hon. Mujibur Rahuman                    
                   
(Petitions stand referred to the Committee on Public Petitions)


Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of the Parliament

The Hon. Sajith Premadasa

Child abuse cases in Sri Lanka

Hon. (Mrs.) Geetha Samanmale Kumarasinghe, State Minister of Women and Child Affairs and Hon. (Dr.) Susil Premajayantha, Attorney at Law, Minister of Education replied to the above Question.


Motions for Leave of Absence

Leave of Parliament was granted to the Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, Member of Parliament for Trincomalee Electoral District to be absent from sittings of Parliament with effect from 08.11.2022, moved by the Hon. Chief Opposition Whip.


Sectoral Oversight Committees

House agreed to a Motion moved by the Hon. Leader of the House of Parliament,

Seventeen (17) Sectoral Oversight Committees be appointed to be designated as follows -

1.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Religious Affairs and Co-Existence
2.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Reconciliation and National Unity
3.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security
4.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Economic and Physical Plans
5.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations
6.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Increasing Export of Goods & Services
7.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Alleviating the Impact of the Economic Crisis
8.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy & Transport
9.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Food Security & Agriculture
10.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources & Sustainable Development
11.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education
12.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment & Labour
13.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Just and Law – Abiding Society
14.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Health
15.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender
16.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on Media, Youth, Heritage and New Citizen
17.    Sectoral Oversight Committee on An Open & Accountable Government

Each Sectoral Oversight Committee shall consist of ‍Eight (8) Members of Parliament to be nominated by the Committee of Selection to discuss and report  upon such matters  as are referred to the Committee in terms of Standing Order 111 of the Parliament;
 
The quorum of each Sectoral Oversight Committee shall be three (3) Members.


Privilege

The Privilege motion that the question of privilege arising out of the matter raised by the Hon. M. A. Sumanthiran, M.P. on 06th October, 2022 in Parliament to the effect that privileges of his and Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam have been infringed, moved by the Hon. Chief Opposition Whip, were referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges in terms of the provisions of Standing Order 118 of the Parliament.


Private Members’ Bills

The Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte, Attorney at Law was granted leave to introduce the following Bill, entitled

“Local Authorities Elections (Amendment)”

Adjournment Motion

Adjournment Motion on “Current issues prevailing in the country” was proposed by the Hon. Anura Dissanayaka.


The Parliament was, thereafter adjourned at 1700 Hrs. until 0930 Hrs. on Wednesday 9th November 2022.

*  This is an unedited version. For the official record of this day's proceedings, please refer the Hansard.