Sitting of Friday, 6 June 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1750753418078417 ·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 Opening: Parliament Commencement and Speaker's Announcements 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Annual and Committee Reports 4 speeches
- 3 Oral question Oral Question: Dedicated Economic Centres (Q.12/2024) 8 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Question: Sub Post Office Building (Q.74/2024) 6 speeches
- 5 Procedural Procedural: Standing Orders Discussion and Oral Questions 59 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Major Ports Revenue and Expenditure (Q.95/2024) 5 speeches
- 7 Procedural Procedural and Oral Question: Airport and Aviation Services and Standing Orders Clarification 70 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: State-Owned Sugar Companies (Q.191/2024) 16 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Questions: Second Round 7 speeches
- 10 Oral question Oral Question: Mahaweli Re-awakening Week (Q.619/2025) 5 speeches
- 11 Oral question Oral Question: Ambassadors and High Commissioners with Dual Citizenship 16 speeches
- 12 Procedural Procedural: Second Round and Ministerial Statements 14 speeches
- 13 Procedural Procedural: Standing Order 27(2) Questions and Points of Order 32 speeches
- 14 Procedural Procedural: House Conduct and Petition Examination 14 speeches
- 15 Papers Papers: Private Members' Bills Introduction 7 speeches
- 16 Debate Debate: Votes of Condolence for Four Former MPs 46 speeches
- 17 Adjournment Adjournment: Adjournment Motion and Questions 13 speeches
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB
AI summary Moved the adjournment of Parliament. The motion “That Parliament do now adjourn” was proposed.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake raised concerns that Employees’ Trust Fund Board staff salaries had been reduced following the implementation of Circular 01/2025 after recent government salary increases, citing reported reductions of Rs. 9,010 to Rs. 22,000 for many employees. He asked the Minister of Finance for details on the ETF’s fund value, registered employers, and benefit-receiving members, and questioned whether the salary structure was fair. He argued that the issue affects around 560 of the ETF’s approximately 800 staff and requested a just salary increase and a fair resolution, while also referring to the Fund’s reported Rs. 506 billion value and expenditure on other activities.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB
AI summary Minister Anil Jayantha stated that Management Services Circular 01/2025 has not reduced public sector salaries and said concerns about ETF staff salary cuts arise from correcting earlier non-compliance with circulars MSD 30/2006 and MSD 02/2016. He reported that the ETF is valued at Rs. 564.38 billion, has 81,511 registered employers and 2.58 million active registered members receiving benefits. He said salary disparities between pre- and post-2013 recruits had been created by past internal decisions, and that after adjustments 78 of 820 ETF employees saw lower April salaries than March, mostly by under Rs. 4,000, while rejecting claims of Rs. 9,000 or Rs. 20,000 reductions.
- The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF
AI summary Chamara Sampath Dasanayake thanked the Minister for the reply but noted that protests were continuing. He requested the Minister to discuss the matter with the Chairman and employees, said he would forward a letter from the Joint Trade Union Alliance, and urged action to resolve the ongoing issue under the new Chairman.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha JJB
AI summary The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha stated that the 78 comparative reductions resulted from corrections to salary disparities and said these would be clearly explained to those affected. He said the objective is to minimize anomalies and move toward a better salary structure, with Circular 01/2025 serving as the foundation.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy JJB
AI summary Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy raised Adjournment Questions to the Minister of Women and Child Affairs on low female labour force participation, citing World Bank 2024 data that only 31.6 percent of Sri Lankan women participate in the workforce despite women comprising about 52 percent of the population. He asked what policies, funding, social protection, vocational training, and livelihood programmes are in place or planned, particularly for rural areas, the war-affected North and East, female-headed households, and women entrepreneurs. He also requested consideration of concessional two-wheelers, loan schemes, and part-time work opportunities to support women’s economic participation.
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary The Minister said official labour force statistics understate women’s contributions by excluding unpaid care, household and voluntary work, and outlined a rights-based approach to increase women’s economic participation, particularly in rural and conflict-affected Northern Province districts. She detailed programmes for female-headed households, entrepreneurship, vocational training, market linkages, safe-house reintegration support, and coordination through Women Development Officers, Advisory Assistants, the Women’s Bureau, NGOs and other ministries. She said that from 2026 the Ministry would formally coordinate women’s empowerment funding across ministries and NGOs, and noted planned social security, pension and livelihood support measures, including prioritising female-headed households under the Praja Shakthi Programme. She also undertook to consider concessional two-wheelers for marginalized women in the North and loans for women entrepreneurs.
- The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy JJB
AI summary Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy raised concerns about women’s safety, citing recent incidents in Vavuniya involving the decapitation of a woman and the death of a female government officer in a fire. He argued that empowering women would support economic growth, reduce State expenditure, and lessen reliance on subsidies, while thanking the Minister for the responses given.
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary The Minister of Women and Child Affairs said incidents of abuse highlight the need to strengthen and, where necessary, reform laws and procedures. She emphasized that abuse affects men, women, and children in multiple contexts, and stated that the Government is committed to programmes aimed at building a more humane and caring society.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural