Sitting of Friday, 25 July 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1754382585021621 ·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 and Speaker's Announcements 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Tabling of Reports and Orders 5 speeches
- 3 Committee report Committee on Public Accounts: Second Report 2 speeches
- 4 Petitions Petitions Presented to Parliament 9 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Easter Sunday Attack - Officers Accused (Q.115/2024) 17 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Ambilanthurai–Kokkaddichcholai Road Reconstruction (Q.184/2024) 21 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question: Gulf of Mannar - Exploration of Gas and Oil (Q.199/2024) 15 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: Employees' Provident Fund - Investments in Share Market (Q.217/2024) 25 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Question: Drafting of a New Constitution (Q.225/2024) 10 speeches
- 10 Oral question Oral Question: Import of Vehicles Under Duty-Free Permits (Q.508/2025) 18 speeches
- 11 Oral question Second Round Oral Questions and Procedural Matters 13 speeches
- 12 Oral question Standing Order 27(2): Renewal of Pharmacy Licences and Training of Pharmacists 17 speeches
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Raised under Standing Order 27(2), the matter concerns the NMRA’s renewed strict enforcement of pharmacy regulations under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act No. 5 of 2015, including reported refusals to renew many pharmacy licences. He asked the Minister to clarify the situation, noting pharmacy owners’ concerns that enforcement is being intensified without first addressing the national shortage of qualified pharmacists, while also acknowledging the importance of pharmacists for safe prescription interpretation and medicine dispensing.
Healthcare Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa SJB
AI summary Sajith Premadasa raised a procedural concern that the agreed time slot from 11.00 to 11.30 a.m. for matters under Standing Order 27(2) had been affected because proceedings began eight minutes late. He requested not to be interrupted while making the point.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa SJB
AI summary Sajith Premadasa asked that he not be interrupted while posing his question. No substantive policy issue, proposal, or specific demand is stated in the provided excerpt.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Bimal Rathnayake reminded the House that, under the previous day’s agreement, the 30-minute period from 11.00 to 11.30 was to cover Standing Order 27(2) questions, privilege matters and ministerial statements. He stated that each SO 27(2) item, including the question and reply, was allotted 10 minutes, and clarified that any additional eight minutes should be allocated at the Speaker’s discretion, not by the Member speaking.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa SJB
AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa raised concerns about pharmacist shortages affecting pharmacy operations and called for interim measures to protect consumer safety while maintaining service continuity. He requested data on registered pharmacists, shortages, pharmacy ownership, annual graduates, degree-qualified pharmacists, and pass rates for the external pharmacist examination. He also asked whether the Government plans to change or abolish external pharmacist training and examinations, how private sector needs would be met, and how many pharmacy licence renewals the NMRA rejected in 2025 and for what reasons.
Healthcare Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary The Leader of the Opposition raised a medicine shortage at Ward 8H of Kalubowila Hospital, citing shortages of pain relief drugs, antibiotics, and vitamins. He said he would submit the shortage list and notice-board photographs to the Minister and requested action to ensure the required medicines are supplied for patients.
Healthcare Full speech → - The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake briefly informed a member that they could come later and meet the relevant person. No substantive policy issue, proposal, or parliamentary question was raised in this remark.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary Minister Nalinda Jayatissa answered the Leader of the Opposition’s Standing Order 27(2) question on pharmacist registration, pharmacy licensing and regulatory enforcement. He stated that Sri Lanka has 6,368 actively registered pharmacists, 57,035 trainee pharmacists, 191 public-sector pharmacist vacancies, and 4,803 registered retail pharmacies, while universities produce about 100-150 pharmacy graduates annually. He said the Sri Lanka Medical Schools’ Council has not decided to discontinue the external pharmacist examination and will conduct it twice a year to address shortages. He added that the NMRA approved about 90 per cent of 2025 pharmacy licence renewals by 18 July, with 219 temporarily withheld mainly due to lack of a full-time pharmacist or non-compliance with community pharmacy standards under the NMRA Act.
Healthcare Full speech → - The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Sajith Premadasa said his concern was not to justify pharmacies operating without pharmacists, but to highlight the lack of adequate training programmes since the 2015 Act raised standards. He accepted that pharmacies must meet qualification requirements and called for an immediate accelerated programme to train pharmacists and dispensers, citing shortages affecting about 66 pharmacies and the wider health sector, in order to protect patients’ rights and lives.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip JJB
AI summary The Minister stated that most pharmacy owners have complied with the relevant Act, while a small minority is objecting through the media and political channels. He said the Government has ensured fairness for the compliant majority and rejected any request that would amount to allowing pharmacies to disregard the law.
- 13 Oral question Standing Order 27(2): Central Bank Accountability and Medicine Procurement Delays 12 speeches
- 14 Procedural Committee on Ethics and Privileges - Referral Motion 2 speeches
- 15 Adjournment Vote of Condolence: Late Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan and Others 2 speeches
- 16 Debate Condolence Debate: Late Hon. Members (R. Sampanthan, A. Pilapitiya, W. B. Ekanayake, Lucky Jayawardana, Malani Fonseka) 41 speeches
- 17 Adjournment Adjournment Questions 7 speeches