Sitting of Monday, 24 February 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1741236032093385 ·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 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Annual Report of Industrial Technology Institute 1 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Question: Question No. 1 - 445/2025 (Defence) 5 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Question No. 2 - 446/2025 (Industrial Zones) 6 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Question No. 3 - 447/2025 (Forest Conservation) 6 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question: Question No. 4 - 449/2025 (Housing) 3 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: Question No. 5 - 453/2025 (Plantation and Community Infrastructure) 3 speeches
- 9 Procedural Ministerial Statement: Prime Minister Response on Colombo Port and Digital Economy 21 speeches
- 10 Procedural Procedural: Committee on High Posts and Security Concerns 8 speeches
- 11 Debate Debate: Second Reading of Appropriation Bill, 2025 - Sixth Allotted Day 82 speeches
- 12 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Policy-Driven Programme for Persons with Disabilities 32 speeches
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake formally moved the adjournment of Parliament. The Presiding Member put the question before the House, initiating the adjournment stage.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva JJB
AI summary Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva moved an Adjournment Motion calling for a rights-based welfare and empowerment programme for persons with disabilities, aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He proposed drafting new national legislation, collecting classification and data needed for evidence-based policy, and developing plans to use the economic capacities of the disabled community for social development. He also noted that, as a visually impaired Member, he was presenting and reading an Adjournment Motion in Braille for the first time in the House.
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake noted, with the permission of Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, that the latter was addressing Parliament using notes written in Braille. He stated that this marked a historic and special moment in Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary record.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva JJB
AI summary Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva cited 2012 Census data indicating that over 1.7 million persons with disabilities were recorded in Sri Lanka, 57 per cent of them women, and that 71 per cent were outside the labour force. He noted that the data is outdated and the current situation may be more severe, and highlighted limited economic access for disabled persons. He pointed to poor implementation of the 1988 circular requiring 3 per cent of public sector jobs to be reserved for persons with disabilities.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage requested that Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva be allocated sufficient speaking time, indicating that the Government benches could reduce their allotted time to accommodate this.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva JJB
AI summary Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva argued that Sri Lanka must implement the long-standing 3 per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities in the public sector before expecting compliance from the private sector, noting high unemployment and unfilled opportunities in areas such as railway call services and Braille publishing. He called for a review of placements made under the Multipurpose Development Task Force and for welfare and social empowerment measures to support disabled persons and their families. He also urged enactment of domestic legislation aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including implementation and monitoring mechanisms under Article 33, and proposed a time-bound, evidence-based service delivery system built on updated national disability data.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Darmapriya Wijesinghe JJB
AI summary Darmapriya Wijesinghe formally seconded the Motion presented by Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva. No further arguments or details were provided.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Thanura Dissanayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Thanura Dissanayake emphasized the need for updated, properly categorized data on persons with disabilities to support data-driven policymaking, equal rights, and economic inclusion. He called for new accessibility policies for public transport, access points, buses, hospitals, and buildings, noting that existing designs create barriers for persons with disabilities and the wider public. He also urged measures beyond increased Budget allowances to improve ICT access and connect persons with disabilities to modern economic opportunities.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK
AI summary Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam supported the Adjournment Motion on persons with disabilities and special needs and urged the Government to continue the work previously undertaken by the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. He asked the Deputy Minister of Finance to clarify whether the disability allowance had been increased in the current year, noting that he had not seen such an increase in the Budget document.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage JJB
AI summary The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage stated that the Budget Speech provides for an increase in the monthly allowance for persons with disabilities from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK
AI summary Welcoming the increase in the disability allowance from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000, the MP argued that it could be raised further if tax exemptions for large corporations and multinationals were reduced and revenue was better collected. He questioned why major concessions continued despite the Government’s mandate, contrasting them with taxes borne by ordinary citizens and the cost of social welfare schemes such as Aswesuma. He also called for Parliament and proposed disability legislation to address accessibility comprehensively, and urged inclusion of people disabled by the war in the North and East, citing gaps in allowance coverage in Batticaloa.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Harshana Suriyapperuma
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harshana Suriyapperuma responded to a point raised by Hon. Rasamanickam, stating that the Government’s policy is to avoid discretionary tax holidays based on personal or institutional connections. He said a new mechanism for granting concessions would be presented to Parliament, with eligibility based on investment scale, employment creation, and environmental and district-level benefits, including in relation to the Eravur Investment Zone.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK
AI summary Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam briefly sought the Presiding Member’s permission to raise a point during the proceedings. No substantive issue, proposal, or policy matter was stated in the provided excerpt.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa - Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment JJB
AI summary Wasantha Piyathissa briefly thanked Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva for presenting the Adjournment Motion concerning persons with disabilities. He noted that the matter was important to the wider community of persons with disabilities, following a prior response by Deputy Minister Harshana Suriyapperuma to a related query.
Women & Children Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa JJB
AI summary Wasantha Piyathissa objected to an interruption during a half-hour debate allocated for issues affecting persons with disabilities, saying it disrespected and took time away from that community. He stated that the present government had given unprecedented attention to persons with disabilities, including before the election and in its party commitments.
Women & Children Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- An Hon. Member
AI summary An Hon. Member objected to the manner of speech used in the House, asserting that members cannot speak however they wish during proceedings. The remark appears to be a procedural intervention concerning parliamentary decorum and acceptable conduct in debate.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa JJB
AI summary Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa criticized disruption of the debate as disrespectful to persons with disabilities and supported Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva’s proposal to ensure they can live without impediments. He said Sri Lanka has failed to provide adequate accessibility in transport, workplaces, towns and public facilities, leaving many persons with disabilities confined at home despite existing laws and regulations. He stated that the government and the relevant Ministry have prepared plans and a special programme to implement the proposals.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage - Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment JJB
AI summary The Minister supported Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva’s proposal on persons with disabilities, noting its significance in the context of disability representation in Parliament. He said the Government is updating the 2003 disability policy in line with current needs, a social model of disability, and United Nations conventions. He emphasized the need for accurate data, citing discrepancies in previous figures, and stated that the 2025 Budget allocates an additional Rs. 100 million to establish a data system for persons with disabilities.
- 13 Adjournment Adjournment 1 speeches