Sitting of Wednesday, 8 October 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 22594 ·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 and Speaker's Announcements 9 speeches
- 2 Committee report Committee Reports 2 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions 8 speeches
- 4 Procedural Procedural Matters: National Police Commission and Standing Orders 29 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Children of Incarcerated Mothers 18 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: UN Human Rights Report on Sri Lanka 8 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question No. 1 – 1180/2025: AWOL Service Members 11 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Questions Nos. 03, 04, 05: Prison Inmates, Mahiyangana Fair, GN Offices in Vavuniya 27 speeches
- 9 Oral question Second Round Questions and Standing Order 27(2) Questions 16 speeches
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka SJB
AI summary Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka informed the House that he would raise a question on behalf of Hon. Sivagnanam Sritharan. No substantive details of the question were provided in the statement.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe JJB
AI summary Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe requested two weeks to provide an answer to the question raised. The question was accordingly ordered to stand down.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake sought the Speaker’s permission to raise a matter of national importance before proceeding with his question under Standing Order 27(2), noting the presence of the Minister of Power in the House.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a question based on a Daily Mirror report warning of possible power cuts, asking whether the claim was accurate in light of stoppages the previous day. He requested a response from the relevant authorities, describing the matter as a serious national issue.
Infrastructure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised concerns under Standing Order 27(2) on strengthening Sri Lanka’s drug-control mechanism, arguing that enforcement gains will be undermined unless maritime, air, and other entry points are better secured against narcotics inflows, corruption, and weak inspections. He called for sustained support to the Police, Tri-Forces, and intelligence services through technology, forensic capacity, regional cooperation, discipline, and institutional accountability. He requested detailed Government data on drug seizures, values, storage and chain-of-custody arrangements, possible diversion from official custody, forensic and destruction timelines, informant rewards, quantities still held as exhibits, and planned measures to strengthen entry-point controls, expedite destruction, and prevent seized drugs re-entering illicit markets.
- Hon. Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law - Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs JJB
AI summary Hon. Sunil Watagala stated that the question raised covers matters beyond the Public Security Ministry, including areas under the Justice and Defence Ministries. He requested two weeks to coordinate and provide comprehensive answers.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- Hon. K. Kader Masthan SLLP
AI summary Hon. K. Kader Masthan raised a Standing Order 27(2) question on delays in issuing vehicle number plates by the Department of Motor Traffic. He asked what measures are being taken to address related national security and organized crime risks, how many vehicles remain without plates, whether private firms are contracted for plate issuance, what instructions have been given to Police and the public regarding temporary paper plates, and when normal issuance will resume.
- Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament JJB
AI summary Procurement for new vehicle number plates is at its final stage and awaiting an Appeals Board decision, following the expiry of the previous contract with Access International (Pvt) Ltd on 30 April 2025. As of 30 September 2025, 165,512 vehicles were awaiting number plates, while police, CCTV units, the State Intelligence Service and the public have been given database or app-based access to retrieve vehicle registration details. The Minister said any national security threat from non-issuance must be assessed by investigative agencies, and further details on resumption of issuance would be provided after the procurement process concludes.
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. K. Kader Masthan SLLP
AI summary Hon. K. Kader Masthan welcomed the Minister’s explanation and the move to award vehicle number plate printing to three companies rather than a single company, citing past wastage. He requested that the Government consider undertaking number plate printing itself in future, and also referred to vehicle emission testing, arguing that large private-sector earnings from that process should be reduced by bringing it under government control.
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake said the Government supports appropriate private sector involvement but criticized long-running outsourced services lacking technical value-add as politically enabled corruption. Citing driving licence printing, he said a 28-year arrangement had been stopped, new machines were being installed at the Department of Motor Traffic, and issuance was expected to resume from 18 October while clearing an 800,000-card backlog. He stated that in-house printing would reduce the cost from Rs. 534.54 to Rs. 368.16 per card, saving Rs. 166 per card, while the Government would continue to use private providers where necessary.
- 10 Procedural Ministry Statements: Brain Drain, Kankesanthurai Port, Government Translators Service 11 speeches
- 11 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: National Police Commission Powers 8 speeches
- 12 Debate Debate: Supplementary Sum - Head 117 - Programme 02 (Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation) 84 speeches
- 13 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Release of Sri Lanka Ports Authority Lands in Trincomalee District 16 speeches