Sitting of Friday, 6 June 2025

Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

1. 1 Opening Opening: Parliament Commencement and Speaker's Announcements 1 speeches ▸
2. 2 Papers Papers: Annual and Committee Reports 4 speeches ▸
3. 3 Oral question Oral Question: Dedicated Economic Centres (Q.12/2024) 8 speeches ▸
4. 4 Oral question Oral Question: Sub Post Office Building (Q.74/2024) 6 speeches ▸
5. 5 Procedural Procedural: Standing Orders Discussion and Oral Questions 59 speeches ▸
6. 6 Oral question Oral Question: Major Ports Revenue and Expenditure (Q.95/2024) 5 speeches ▸
7. 7 Procedural Procedural and Oral Question: Airport and Aviation Services and Standing Orders Clarification 70 speeches ▸
8. 8 Oral question Oral Question: State-Owned Sugar Companies (Q.191/2024) 16 speeches ▸
9. 9 Oral question Oral Questions: Second Round 7 speeches ▸
10. 10 Oral question Oral Question: Mahaweli Re-awakening Week (Q.619/2025) 5 speeches ▸
11. 11 Oral question Oral Question: Ambassadors and High Commissioners with Dual Citizenship 16 speeches ▾
    • The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB

      AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism whether any Sri Lankan Ambassadors or High Commissioners hold dual citizenship, and sought their names, dates of appointment, and related details. He further asked whether the Ministry recognizes potential conflicts of interest arising from such appointments and what measures are in place or planned to prevent or address them.

      Foreign Affairs Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Tourism JJB

      AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Deputy Minister stated that there are no reports of Sri Lankan Ambassadors or High Commissioners holding dual citizenship while representing Sri Lanka. He added that no such appointments have been made, making the related follow-up questions inapplicable.

      Foreign AffairsParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB

      AI summary M. Nizam Kariapper challenged the Deputy Minister’s answer on appointments to diplomatic posts, saying it was inconsistent with information available to him as a member of the Committee on High Posts. He asserted that a dual citizen had already been appointed as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and asked the Deputy Minister to recheck the facts and provide a corrected answer, stating that the existing reply misled Parliament.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe JJB

      AI summary After reviewing the matter raised by another Member, Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe stated that an appointment to Dubai had been made after the relevant Answer was prepared. He clarified that the appointee is an Australian citizen and said there is no conflict of interest in relation to her engagement.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB

      AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper questioned why the relevant information was not disclosed initially regarding an appointment involving a dual citizen. He argued that the answer given to his earlier question improperly avoided addressing the issue and requested an explanation to the House on how the appointee would address potential conflicts of interest arising from dual citizenship.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe JJB

      AI summary Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe clarified that when the printed answer was prepared and received, the appointment in question had not yet been made. He said he later checked with the relevant office, added a separate note on whether any such appointments existed, and had already informed Parliament of that update.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB

      AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC, challenged the accuracy of an answer given on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, stating that the individual referred to in his question had already been cleared by the Committee on High Posts and appointed when the question was submitted. He reiterated that the Deputy Minister’s answer was false and placed this objection on record.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake stated that ministerial answers to parliamentary Questions reflect the position at the time the response is prepared, not necessarily the situation when the Question was first submitted or later debated. He said delays in answering can mean circumstances change, including on matters such as dual citizenship, and argued this should be understood as normal parliamentary practice rather than concealment.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB

      AI summary Ajith P. Perera rose on a point of order. No substantive argument, proposal, or policy issue was presented in the quoted remarks.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB

      AI summary Hon. Ajith P. Perera argued that ministerial answers to parliamentary questions must reflect the facts as at the date the question was asked. He said that if a dual citizen was serving as an Ambassador at that time, this should have been disclosed, along with any subsequent resignation or removal. He further contended that the Government had avoided addressing a conflict of interest issue and called for any mistake to be acknowledged to prevent recurrence.

      Justice & Human RightsCorruption & Governance Reform Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Bimal Rathnayake said Ministers should generally answer parliamentary Questions with reference to the date on which they were asked, but noted that Members often seek information on the current situation. Citing paddy procurement as an example, he argued that a rigid date-based approach may be impractical when circumstances have changed, and called for a common understanding to avoid confusion.

      Parliamentary ProcedureAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna rose on a point of Order. No substantive argument, proposal, or question was recorded in the provided excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna sought the Speaker’s permission to respond to a statement made earlier that day by Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara in which his name was mentioned.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
12. 12 Procedural Procedural: Second Round and Ministerial Statements 14 speeches ▸
13. 13 Procedural Procedural: Standing Order 27(2) Questions and Points of Order 32 speeches ▸
14. 14 Procedural Procedural: House Conduct and Petition Examination 14 speeches ▸
15. 15 Papers Papers: Private Members' Bills Introduction 7 speeches ▸
16. 16 Debate Debate: Votes of Condolence for Four Former MPs 46 speeches ▸
17. 17 Adjournment Adjournment: Adjournment Motion and Questions 13 speeches ▸