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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Friday, 25 July 2025

10th Parliament· 17 debates· 217 speeches· 62 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1754382585021621 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

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

  7. 7 Oral question Oral Question: Gulf of Mannar - Exploration of Gas and Oil (Q.199/2024) 15 speeches
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK

      AI summary Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam briefly rose on a Point of Order. No substantive argument, proposal, or question was recorded in the provided excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK

      AI summary Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam briefly indicated that he intended to raise an issue before the House. No substantive details, proposals, or questions are included in the provided excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK

      AI summary Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam raised a Point of Order regarding the response given by the Minister of Highways. He noted that the Cabinet Minister had not addressed the Deputy Minister’s statement that, if Provincial Councils cannot carry out the relevant work, their standing orders should be taken to the Road Development Authority.

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

      AI summary Bimal Rathnayake rejected an interpretation of the Deputy Minister’s response on road responsibilities, saying the comment that the RDA would “look after” the roads was being misrepresented to suggest the Government was weakening Provincial Councils. He argued that the Government was working in good faith with MPs in the North and East and had increased allocations to Provincial Councils, including in the context of development work discussed at the Batticaloa District Coordinating Committee. He accused the Member who raised the issue of wasting parliamentary time and attempting to politicize the matter along communal lines.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha SJB

      AI summary Asked the Minister of Energy to provide details on licences granted for exploration of gas and fuel deposits around the Gulf of Mannar. He requested the names of licensed companies, the conditions attached to those licences, and the current status of exploration activities, or reasons if the information could not be provided.

      Infrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy JJB

      AI summary As of the date of the response, no active exploration or development licences exist for gas and oil exploration in Sri Lanka’s Mannar Basin. A previous exploration licence granted to Cairn Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. in 2008 has expired, so related follow-up details were deemed not applicable.

      EnvironmentPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha SJB

      AI summary Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha asked about the status of efforts to explore and develop gas and oil deposits in the Mannar Basin, citing past drilling by Cairn Lanka, subsequent data acquisition, and later attempts by an Indian company to proceed. He requested clarification on whether the Government has begun a work plan, procurement process, technology-based approach, or joint venture with foreign technical support to access these resources.

      Foreign AffairsInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kumara Jayakody JJB

      AI summary Cabinet has approved the appointment of a consultant to market the relevant drilling area and invite prospective bidders. Once the consultant firm or individual is appointed, bids will be called for the relevant blocks.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha SJB

      AI summary Nalin Bandara Jayamaha said his party accepts the need for reforms to the electricity sector, including through amendments to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, but raised concerns about the process being followed. He questioned whether the Director-General of the Reforms Office, identified as Pubudu Niroshan, had been given excessive authority to engage with institutions such as JICA and the World Bank and shape CEB reforms according to his own views, and asked whether the Minister had instead established a broader plan led by an appropriate team.

      Corruption & Governance ReformInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kumara Jayakody JJB

      AI summary Kumara Jayakody argued that prior work in a particular sector should not be treated as disqualifying when participating in policymaking. He stated that responsibilities should be assigned appropriately and that relevant professionals should be allowed to carry out their roles while politicians perform theirs.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →