Sitting of Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1740219460090985 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Parliament Opening and Speaker's Certificate 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Tabling of Annual Reports and Ministerial Consultative Committee Referrals 3 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions 6 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Question No. 1 (98/2024): Sale of Petroleum by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation 8 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question No. 4 (247/2024): Teacher Attachments and Transfers 7 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question No. 2 (112/2024): Bingiriya Export Processing Zone 3 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question No. 3 (133/2024): Justice and National Integration Matter 3 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question No. 4 (247/2024): COVID-19 Clinical Practice Guidelines 2 speeches
- 9 Oral question Question by Private Notice: Recent Islandwide Power Outage 13 speeches
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake asked the Minister of Energy to explain the causes and response to the recent nationwide power failure, including the reported monkey incident at the Panadura Substation, restoration delays, prior warnings of grid instability, and whether negligence, technical failure, or sabotage was involved. He also sought information on preventive measures and timelines, the economic impact and possible compensation for affected businesses and households, and the CEB’s recent average generation cost and cost-reflective pricing policy. He expressed disappointment that the Minister was absent to answer questions on what he described as an important incident that occurred ten days earlier.
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake remarked that even in the second round of proceedings, the question or issue raised appeared unlikely to receive an answer.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary The Chief Government Whip stated that an answer would be provided to the Member’s query, and that the Minister of Energy would respond within the week.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake briefly observed that the Minister may find it difficult to provide a personal answer to the matter under discussion. No specific policy position, proposal, or request was developed in the recorded intervention.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary The Chief Government Whip stated that the Minister of Energy would respond to the relevant question within the week.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake invoked Standing Order 27(2) to request an immediate answer, noting uncertainty about when a later response would be provided. He also called for greater discipline in handling such matters.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary Under Standing Order 27(2), the Chief Government Whip stated that a Minister may respond to a nationally important matter on the same day or within two to three days after obtaining information. He informed the House that the relevant Minister would provide an answer within the week.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Ravi Karunanayake questioned why a Minister could not respond to a matter raised under Standing Order 27(2) despite the required advance notice being given. He described the reported nationwide blackout, allegedly caused by a monkey, as a serious issue with national and international attention, and raised related concerns about the handling of solar and wind power generation. He asked that an answer be provided the following day or soon thereafter.
- Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary The Chief Government Whip stated that the Government would respond within a few days. He also informed the Member that power was currently available.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake criticized the CEB for disconnecting consumers even over small unpaid bills while failing to provide uninterrupted electricity, citing repeated daily outages. He asked whether consumers would be compensated for power interruptions and said the response given was inadequate, calling for a more diligent and secure answer on the issue.
- Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa said the Ceylon Electricity Board is taking measures to address system imbalances and find a stable solution to electricity system instability. He asked Members not to continue referring to the earlier “monkey incident” and stated that the Government would provide a response on the matter.
- 10 Debate Adjourned Debate on Second Reading of the 2025 Budget 75 speeches
- 11 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Additional Building for Meelad Vidyalaya, Dehiwala 11 speeches
- 12 Procedural Hansard Editorial Notes and Publication Information 3 speeches