PARLIAMENT

The Hon. Ajith Rajapakse, the Deputy Speaker and the Chair of the Committee took the Chair.


Messages from the President

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


Announcements by the Speaker

B : Receipt of a copy of a petition filed at the Supreme Court
C : Question of privilege raised by the Hon. Shehan Semasinghe, MP
D : Members to serve in the Committee on Public Accounts
E : Member to serve in the Committee on Parliamentary Business
F : Members to serve in the Committee on Economic Stabilization
G : Member to serve in the Committee on Ways and Means
H : Member to serve in the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Religious Affairs and Co-existence
I : Member to serve in the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Alleviating the Impact of the Economic Crisis
J : Member to serve in the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Health
K : Member to serve in the Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations
L : Member to serve in the Committee on Public Petitions
M : Member to serve in the Committee on Public Enterprises
N : Members to serve in the Committee on Public Finance


Presentation of Papers by the Speaker

•    Second Installment – Part XXVI of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2012;
•    Second Installment –Part XII of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2013;
•    Second Installment – Part XXX of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2014;
•    Ninth Installment – Part XVII of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2015;
•    Ninth Installment – Part XXX of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2017;
•    Second Installment – Part XLVI and Third Installment – Part XIX of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2018;  
•    Second Installment – Parts XLV, XLVI, XLVII and XLVIII, Third Installment – Parts XVIII, XIX and XX and Ninth Installment – Parts XXXVI, XXXVII and XXXVIII of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2019;
•    Second Installment – Parts XLIII, XLIV, XLV, XLVI and XLVII, Third Installment – Parts XX, XXI and XXII and Ninth  Installment – Parts XXXIV, XXXV and XXXVI of the Report of the      Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2020; and
•    Second Installment – Parts XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII and XXXIV, Third Installment – Parts XV and XVI and Ninth Installment – Parts XXII, XXIII, XXIV and XXV of the Report of the Auditor–General for the Financial Year 2021

in terms of Article 154(6) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.


Presentation of Papers

(i)    Annual Reports of the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board for the years 2019 and 2020
(ii)    Annual Report of the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation for the year 2020
(iii)    Annual Report of the University of Colombo School of Computing for the year 2020
(iv)    Annual Report of the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission for the year 2021
(v)    Performance Report of the Department of Forest Conservation for the year 2021
(vi)    Annual Reports of the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.
(vii)    Annual Reports of the Sri Lanka Institute of Printing for the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020
(viii)    Annual Report of the Sugarcane Research Institute for the year 2020.
(ix)    Annual Report of the Sri Lanka Tea Board for the year 2021
(x)    Annual Report of the Ceylon Electricity Board for the year 2021
(xi)    Annual Report of the National Institute of Labour Studies for the year 2020
(xii)    Annual Report of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board for the year 2021
(xiii)    Annual Report & Accounts of the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund for the year 2021
(xiv)    Annual Report of the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency for the year 2021

(xv) 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. 2324/45 of 24th March 2023
(xvi)    Order made by the Minister of Investment Promotion under Section 14 of the Sri Lanka Export Development Act, No. 40 of 1979 regarding CESS levy and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2325/06 of 28th March 2023
(xvii)    Order made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies under Section 3(3) of the Ports and Airports Development Levy Act, No. 18 of 2011 relating to Ports and Airports Development Levy and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2326/02 of 03rd April 2023
(xviii)    Proclamation made and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2328/02 of 17th April 2023 and Schedule thereto, by virtue of the powers vested with the President in terms of Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979
(xix)    Order made by the Minister of Education under Section 27(1) read with Section 21 of the Universities Act, No. 16 of 1978 on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission with regard to the establishment of Departments of Software Engineering, Data Science and Computing and Information Systems of the Faculty of Computing and the establishment of Departments of Natural Resources, Physical Sciences and Technology, Food Science and Technology and Sport Sciences and Physical Education of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2312/14 of 27th December 2022
(xx)    Reports on the Submission of observations and steps taken in terms of the Standing Order 119(4) of the Parliament with regard to the matters mentioned on the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department of  Forest Conservation and Department of National Zoological Gardens in the reports of the Committee on Public Accounts which was presented to Parliament
(xxi)    Report on the Submission of observations and steps taken in terms of the Standing Order 119(4) of the Parliament with regard to the matters mentioned on the Ministry of Health in the report of the Committee on Public Accounts which was presented to Parliament


Presentation of Reports from the Committees

(i)    The Report of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms was presented by the Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, the Chair of the Committee.
(ii)    The Report of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade, Commerce and Food Security by the Hon. Nalin Fernando, the Chair of the Committee.


Presentation of Petitions

(i)    The Hon. Buddhika Pathirana                    
(ii)    The Hon. Madhura Withanage, Attorney at Law                    
(Petitions stand referred to the Committee on Public Petitions)


Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of the Parliament

The Hon. Sajith Premadasa

Compensation for X-Press Pearl ship disaster

Hon. Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms replied to the above Question.


Presentation of Bills

The Hon. Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms moved the Bill entitled

“Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses”

to provide for the setting out of rights and entitlements of victims of crime and witnesses and the protection and promotion of such rights and entitlements; to give effect to appropriate international norms, standards and best practices relating to the assistance to and protection of victims of crime and witnesses; to provide for the establishment of the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses, the Victims of Crime and Witnesses Assistance and Protection Division and the Victims of Crime and Witnesses Assistance and Protection Fund; to provide for the payment of compensation to victims of crime; to repeal the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act, No. 4 of 2015; and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.


Privilege

The Privilege motion that the question of privilege arising out of the matter raised by the Hon. R. M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, M.P. on 04th April, 2023 in Parliament to the effect that his privileges have been infringed, moved by the Hon. Chief Opposition Whip, was 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. M. A. Sumanthiran was granted leave to introduce the following Bill, entitled

“Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment)”

Main Business of the House for Today

Order under the Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions) Act (appearing as Item No. 1 of today’s Order Paper)

was approved by the House.


Motion at the Adjournment Time

Motion at the Adjournment Time on “Introduction of standards for essential goods, hotel and bakery product outlets” was proposed by the Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi.


The Parliament was, thereafter adjourned at 1812 Hrs. until 0930 Hrs. on Wednesday 26th April 2023.

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