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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, M.P.

Jathika Jana balawegaya (JJB)· National List

Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and Leader of the House of Parliament

Profession: Politician

Roster profile ↗
Speeches 1,262 #1 of 225·#1 in party
Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Parliamentary Procedure 955 speeches
Last spoke 10 June 2026 in Debate

Activity by sitting

140 sittings · counts only, no scoring.

Topic focus

AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.

Speech history

1,262 speeches
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Bimal Rathnayake stated that no existing parliamentary arrangement was being invalidated or abolished. He said proposals based on the experience of parliamentary staff had been submitted to and approved by Party Leaders after constructive engagement, and indicated that further debate was unnecessary. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Bimal Rathnayake clarified that Sectoral Oversight Committees are not being renamed or abolished, and that only their functions are temporarily changed until 31 January. He stated that, with the concurrence of Party Leaders, the committees will be restarted after that date, and urged the new Chief Opposition Whip, Gayanta Karunathilaka, to communicate Party Leaders’ decisions clearly to avoid confusion. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Both Sectoral Oversight Committees and Ministry Advisory Committees will continue to exist, with the latter functioning until 31 January. Bimal Rathnayake explained that the previous Parliament’s large number of committees, around 88 to 93, created burdens for officials and parliamentary staff and caused subject overlaps. He said Party Leaders agreed to obtain a report by 31 January on how the Sectoral Oversight Committees should proceed, and clarified that they are not being abolished. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Bimal Rathnayake stated that Party Leaders unanimously agreed to review the mandate, scope, and number of Sectoral Oversight Committees based on an earlier report submitted to the Speaker. He said a further report should be prepared by 31 January with the Speaker’s guidance and expert input, and that until then Bills and reports would be referred to Ministry Advisory Committees to allow parliamentary business to continue. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Moved a motion to empower Ministry Advisory Committees, until 31 January 2025, to examine Bills other than those covered by Article 152 of the Constitution, agreements, institutional annual and performance reports, and other matters referred by Parliament, committees, or Ministers within their subject areas. The motion authorized such committees to report their findings to Parliament and was agreed to. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Moved and secured agreement for several procedural motions governing the sitting and committee arrangements of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament. These included setting the day’s sitting hours, appointing a 12-member Committee of Selection under Standing Order 114B, suspending Standing Order 111 until 31 January 2025, and temporarily substituting references to Sectoral Oversight Committees with Ministerial Consultative Committees in Standing Order 50(2) until the same date. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister said the point raised did not properly fall under an Order, but acknowledged that disaster impacts were a serious matter. He proposed that a Party Leaders’ Meeting be held later that morning under the Speaker’s leadership to decide how Members from affected districts could be heard in an orderly manner, and urged that the House not be turned into a shouting arena or misuse Standing Orders. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Bimal Rathnayake stated that the member had not cited any relevant Standing Order, indicating that the point raised lacked a procedural basis under parliamentary rules. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister stated that the matter raised did not constitute a valid point of order. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Minister Bimal Rathnayake referred to Standing Order 31 to clarify that simply standing up does not entitle a Member to the microphone during proceedings. He stated that, under the Standing Orders, questions on public affairs may be directed to the Prime Minister or to the relevant Minister responsible for the subject or function assigned by the President. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Minister Bimal Rathnayake, as Leader of the House, asks Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara to specify the Standing Order under which he is speaking or raising a point. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister, as Leader of the House, asked the Member to identify the specific Standing Order under which they were proceeding. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake began addressing Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, but the provided excerpt contains no substantive statement, proposal, question, or argument to summarize. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister stated that the Government had completed its preparatory work on the matter under discussion. He requested that Members not turn the proceedings into a debate. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Bimal Rathnayake rejected a procedural allegation by Hon. Nalin Bandara, stating that the claim was incorrect and that the Government had come prepared. He explained that a Secretariat mix-up led to him being asked to lay two parts, but the Speaker properly laid them, so no procedural error had occurred. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister stated that party leaders had agreed to debate the Vote on Account on the 5th and 6th, noting that the related Resolution had remained on the Order Book longer than required due to the Parliamentary Election context. He said the Supplementary Estimate was ratified by Cabinet the previous day and circulated to Members, and that the next date would be fixed democratically at the forthcoming Party Leaders’ Meeting. He requested the Speaker to proceed with the scheduled debate, arguing it was necessary to maintain the functioning of the country. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister stated that the Vote on Account debate was scheduled for 5 December and should not be taken up on 3 December. Citing the Minutes of the Party Leaders’ Meeting of 25 November 2024, he said the matter had been placed as a Resolution with notice under the Constitution, despite references to technical issues and suspension of Standing Orders 27 and 121. He urged Party Leaders to respect the consensus reached and avoid wasting parliamentary time by revisiting the schedule. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary The Minister clarified a procedural point, stating that the relevant item had not yet been moved and that Members were raising it prematurely during proceedings. He referred to the Minutes of the Committee on Parliamentary Business and said the agreed Order of Business from the Party Leaders’ Meeting would be followed, including the suspension of Standing Orders before proceeding, while noting that the debate was not scheduled for that day. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Bimal Rathnayake stated that the proposal to suspend Standing Orders for the Resolution had been discussed and agreed at the Party Leaders’ Meeting, where Hon. Rauff Hakeem was present. He argued that presenting the Resolution on that basis was procedurally proper and not unusual. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 3 December 2024 AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake stated that the Vote on Account had been discussed at the Party Leaders’ Meeting and should not be treated as solely a Government matter. He noted that Parliamentary Committees had not yet been reconstituted after the election and argued that failure to pass the Vote on Account would affect not only Government operations but also institutions such as the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, citing existing precedents. Procedural: Points of Order and Standing Orders Clarifications (Vote on Account, Ministry Advisory Committees, Party Leaders' Agreement) Parliamentary Procedure Read →