PARLIAMENT

Dr. Ben Powis, Senior Governance Advisor for the Indo – Pacific Regional Development in FCDO and leads on the UK Democratic Resilience Strategy for the Region together with Mr. Tom Soper, Head of Political of the British High Commission in Colombo met with the Acting Secretary-General of Parliament Mr. Chaminda Kularatne recently (Nov. 08). Mr. Hansa Abeyratne, Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament was also present at the cordial discussions held.

The contributions of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy with support from the UK government, which works closely with the Parliament of Sri Lanka was appreciated by the Acting Secretary-General of Parliament Mr. Chaminda Kularatne. He further stated that the assistance provided has made it possible to further strengthen the Parliament as an institute and expressed his gratitude for the support extended. He also stated that he expects the same support in the future as well.

Addressing the occasion Dr. Ben Powis inquired regarding the legislative highlights of the Ninth Parliament and the transition phase into the Tenth Parliament. The Acting Secretary-General and the Assistant Secretary-General both provided an overview of the significant legislations passed in Parliament and elaborated on the Committee system of Parliament. They further elaborated regarding the implementation of youth representation into the Sectoral Oversight Committee mechanism. Mr. Chaminda Kularatne emphasized that work is also already underway for the establishment of a Post Legislative Scrutiny Committee as well as to set up the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Moreover, the two parties discussed particulars pertaining to the future assistance and collaborations required for the Tenth Parliament.

Dr. Ben Powis and Mr. Tom Soper stated that they were happy to be able to support the Parliament of Sri Lanka and stated that they hope to continue in providing development and technical assistance to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Following the meeting, they also toured the Parliament premises.