Sitting of Friday, 11 July 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1753082553092748 ·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 Establishment of Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Tabling of Annual Reports - Ministers 5 speeches
- 3 Petitions Presentation of Petitions 7 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Questions - First Round 18 speeches
- 5 Procedural Points of Order and Standing Order 27(2) Questions 9 speeches
- 6 Debate US Tariff Duties - Member's Attention Matter and Discussion 20 speeches
- 7 Procedural Points of Order - Customs Container Matter and Questions of Privilege 65 speeches
- 8 Papers Presentation of Mediation (Civil and Commercial Disputes) Bill 2 speeches
- 9 Procedural Points of Order - Broadcasting and Warrant Matter 26 speeches
- 10 Debate Private Members' Motion No. 1: Co-operative Rural Banks Supervision 14 speeches
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Moved to suspend Standing Order 24(2) to allow Items 1 to 6 on the day’s Order Paper to be taken up, which the House agreed to. He then informed the House that three Members had submitted written notices of inability to attend, resulting in the deferral of Order Paper Items 1, 5 and 6 to a future date, and proceeded to call Item 2 to be moved by Hon. Rohana Bandara.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Ravi Karunanayake sought clarification on the allocation of debate time for the day’s Private Members’ Motions. He asked whether each of the three Motions scheduled would be limited to one hour or whether any remaining time would be redistributed among them.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe JJB
AI summary Wasantha Samarasinghe proposed that Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj take the Chair. The motion was agreed to, after which the Deputy Speaker left the Chair and Hon. Selvaraj assumed it.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Rohana Bandara
AI summary Hon. Rohana Bandara moved a motion urging proper government supervision of cooperative rural banks, citing recent collapses and hardship to depositors. He argued that the original role of People’s Bank in supporting and supervising rural banks has lapsed, with oversight now fragmented under Provincial Councils, while many banks have shifted away from lending to villagers toward depositing funds in larger financial institutions. He called for effective supervision to address misuse of government funds, mismanagement and political interference, while also studying successful models such as the Saubhagya Cooperative Bank and replicating good practices where appropriate.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB
AI summary Chaminda Wijesiri seconded Rohana Bandara’s motion and linked it to the Government’s policy statement, “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life,” noting its emphasis on public, private and cooperative participation. He said cooperative banking falls under provincial authority, but argued that existing laws are inadequate when attempting to regulate, centralize oversight, and prevent irregularities. He called for stronger legal and regulatory arrangements to properly govern cooperative banks.
- The Hon. Chandana Sooriyaarachchi JJB
AI summary Hon. Chandana Sooriyaarachchi supported the Private Members’ Motion to establish stronger supervision of the co-operative rural banking system, citing the collapse of 24 rural banks in Avissawella with nearly 100,000 depositors and about Rs. 920 million in deposits. He alleged that former boards illegally placed funds in a private financial institution instead of a State bank as required under Section 40(1) of the Western Province Co-operative Societies Statute, leaving depositors unable to access savings. He called for investigations, legal action against those responsible, new regulatory measures, and management reforms to restore stability and confidence in the system.
- The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Supported Rohana Bandara’s proposal to strengthen the rural bank and co-operative system, citing their role in rural credit, women’s livelihoods, and small entrepreneurship, while calling for a clear regulatory framework to prevent mismanagement and deposit theft. Requested that rural banks be included in the Central Bank reimbursement mechanism for the senior citizens’ fixed deposit interest top-up, warning that deposits are shifting to commercial banks. Also raised concerns over reduced margins for co-operative fuel outlets, political interference in North Western Province co-operatives, and the impact of 18% VAT on co-operative sales divisions, urging exemptions or relief.
- The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB
AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper argued that co-operatives are an exclusively devolved Provincial Council subject under the Thirteenth Amendment, so central government supervision would be inappropriate. He noted that entities calling themselves “banks” are legally co-operative societies under the Co-operative Societies Law, No. 5 of 1972, and cannot function as banks, though they can support microfinance and member lending. He supported improving and expanding co-operatives through greater provincial powers, funding for incentives and development, and called for long-overdue Provincial Council elections.
- The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development JJB
AI summary The Minister outlined the Government’s plan to strengthen regulation and monitoring of co-operative rural banks and thrift and credit co-operative societies, citing serious financial irregularities in entities operating under the co-operative label. He said organisations taking deposits and lending as banks must obtain Central Bank licensing, and announced stricter auditing, reporting, recruitment controls, branch regulation, and legal amendments where needed. He referred to large reported shortfalls in several district co-operatives and deposits collected by so-called “Saubhagya” entities, stating that authorities are tracing funds and will act against unlicensed or politically established financial operations while supporting genuine co-operative banking.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB
AI summary Dr. Anil Jayantha said co-operative rural banks are not licensed “banks” under the Banking Act unless they conduct banking business with Central Bank authorization, and warned that excessive involvement in finance without safeguards has created risks. He stated that the Government has Cabinet approval for a committee to examine how to broaden co-operative activity, including finance, while strengthening regulation through provincial authorities and the Department of Co-operative Development. He also rejected claims about the scale of co-operative funds, referred to ongoing work on US tariff negotiations, and said the Government’s aim is to expand co-operatives within a stable fiscal and monetary framework.
- The Hon. Rohana Bandara
AI summary Hon. Rohana Bandara urged the Government to handle “Saubhagya” banks and similar institutions cautiously to avoid panic withdrawals and protect depositors, while strengthening supervision to curb predatory lending and pyramid-type schemes. He supported expanding producer co-operatives, particularly for kurakkan and vegetables in Anuradhapura and the North Central Province, to stabilize prices and improve marketing for farmers. He also requested reforms to co-operative staffing scales, petty cash limits, training institutions, pension payments, governance conflicts, and auditing support, proposing Anuradhapura as a pilot district for comprehensive co-operative strengthening.
- Mr. Presiding Member
AI summary The Presiding Member announced that the question before the House was put to a vote and agreed to. This indicates the matter under consideration was approved without recorded dissent in the provided excerpt.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
- 11 Debate Private Members' Motion No. 3: Livestock Sector Enhancement 18 speeches
- 12 Debate Private Members' Motion No. 4: Making Every Youth Gainfully Employed 22 speeches
- 13 Adjournment Adjournment - Fishing Practices in Trincomalee and Parliamentary Decentralized Funds 12 speeches