Sitting of Tuesday, 5 August 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 Parliament Opening 1 speeches ▸
2. 2 Papers Papers: Reports and Regulations 6 speeches ▸
3. 3 Committee report Committee Report: Public Finance Committee Report 1 speeches ▸
4. 4 Petitions Petitions 8 speeches ▸
5. 5 Procedural Point of Order: Mannar Wind Power Protest 3 speeches ▸
6. 6 Oral question Oral Questions: Education, Energy, President's Fund, Western Provincial Council Vehicles, Public Security, Pirivena Education, Hospitals in Matara, Land Settlement, Coastal Patrol, and Marawila Schools 66 speeches ▸
7. 7 Oral question Question by Private Notice: Youth Services Council Circular 14 speeches ▸
8. 8 Procedural Procedural: Standing Order 31 Matter and Question 27(2) on Transport Committee 7 speeches ▸
9. 9 Debate Ministerial Statement: Lanka Sugar Company - Pelwatte and Sevanagala Sugarcane Farmers 3 speeches ▸
10. 10 Debate Ministerial Statements: Trade and Commerce Issues in Jaffna District 11 speeches ▾
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara SJB

      AI summary R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara sought the Speaker’s permission to raise a clarification. No substantive policy issue, proposal, or question was presented in the excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara SJB

      AI summary R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara briefly sought to make a clarification, but the intervention was interrupted. No substantive issue, proposal, or question is recorded in the excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka SJB

      AI summary Gayantha Karunathilleka briefly notes that the person being referred to is among the most senior Members of Parliament. No specific proposal, question, or policy issue is raised in the statement.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development JJB

      AI summary The Minister responded to a Standing Order 27(2) question on red onions, potatoes, and onion imports, stating that the Government has imposed a Rs. 50 per kilogram Special Commodity Levy on imported red onions to protect local farmers amid reduced domestic production. He said insured farmers affected by rainfall can receive compensation through the insurance mechanism, but there is no compensation system for uninsured farmers. He added that Jaffna potato cultivation is mainly privately funded, with arrangements to provide suitable seed at a 50% subsidy by November 2025, and that imported big onions are tested by health authorities for human consumption while local onions use approved pesticides.

      Cost of LivingAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan ITAK

      AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised concerns about farmers in multiple producing villages across Jaffna and the Northern Province engaged in subsidiary food production, including small onions and other crops. He said the absence of import duties during harvest periods over the past two years had caused severe losses, particularly for small onion producers and new farmers, and asked what relief the Government would provide amid wider impacts from fisheries issues, agriculture problems, and floods.

      Public FinanceAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe JJB

      AI summary The Minister said domestic red onion production has fallen from about 58,000 MT in 2019 to around 29,000–30,000 MT in 2024, with 35,000–40,000 MT estimated for 2025, despite fertilizer and seed subsidies. He identified the main issue as the lack of a state mechanism to purchase, store, and release produce according to market demand, noting that the CWE formerly performed this role before its assets were sold. He said the Government is preparing, with relevant ministries and Treasury agreement, a programme to buy part of farmers’ onion output, provide storage, and support price management amid market volatility.

      AgriculturePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
11. 11 Debate Ministerial Statement: Medical Faculty Suspension at Kotelawala Defence University 10 speeches ▸
12. 12 Procedural Privilege Matter: Alleged Weapon Possession 15 speeches ▸
13. 13 Procedural Procedural: Motions and Standing Order 91(1) Discussion 12 speeches ▸
14. 14 Procedural Procedural: Sittings of Parliament Motion 2 speeches ▸
15. 15 Procedural Privilege Motion: Suspension of Live Telecast 2 speeches ▸
16. 16 Debate Debate: Resolution to Remove Inspector-General of Police T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon 100 speeches ▸
17. 17 Debate Debate: Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties Regulations 21 speeches ▸
18. 18 Procedural Procedural: Justice and National Integration Regulations 1 speeches ▸
19. 19 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Koralaipattu Central Divisional Secretariat in Batticaloa 21 speeches ▸