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

Sitting of Thursday, 27 November 2025

10th Parliament· 12 debates· 220 speeches· 65 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23013 ·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.

  5. 5 Oral question Oral Question: Total Foreign and Domestic Debt with Supplementaries (Q.315/2024 (2)) 18 speeches
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake referred to the Speaker’s statement that a sitting day of Parliament costs Rs. 11 million, highlighting the expense associated with parliamentary proceedings.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake tabled Question 315/2024 to the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development seeking detailed data on Sri Lanka’s total public debt as at 31 December 2024 and annually from 2020/2021 to 2024. He requested separate figures in rupees and US dollars, breakdowns between domestic and foreign debt, and further categorisation of foreign debt into multilateral, bilateral, international sovereign and commercial debt, including institution-wise multilateral debt and annual bilateral debt figures.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB

      AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Finance and Planning, the Minister provided detailed figures on Sri Lanka’s central government debt, stating that total debt as at 31 December 2024 was Rs. 29.6 trillion, or US$101.3 billion, comprising US$64.5 billion domestic debt and US$36.7 billion foreign debt. He tabled year-end debt figures for 2021–2024 and broke down foreign debt into bilateral, multilateral, international sovereign bond, and commercial loan components, noting that multilateral debt stood at US$12.9 billion and bilateral debt at US$10.8 billion in 2024. He also provided data on multilateral disbursements from institutions including the World Bank, IMF, and Asian Development Bank, and stated that the remaining part of the question did not arise.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake questioned the timeliness of parliamentary responses, noting that a delayed answer on public debt used December 2024 figures showing Rs. 29.8 trillion while the current figure was closer to Rs. 33 trillion. He argued that, given the cost of parliamentary sitting days and prior discussion at the Parliamentary Business Committee, Ministers should ensure answers are updated to remain relevant.

      Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake indicated that he was asking a supplementary question. No substantive policy issue, proposal, or demand was stated in the excerpt provided.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake asked for confirmation on whether Sri Lanka’s total debt stood at approximately LKR 32.6 trillion and requested the current annual interest payment on that debt. The question sought specific fiscal figures to enable further discussion.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB

      AI summary The Minister disputed a cited public debt figure of LKR 32.6 trillion and requested its source, stating that under the State Debt Management framework the relevant measure is central government debt. He said Department of State Debt figures show debt at LKR 29.6 trillion at end-2024, LKR 30.7 trillion by July 2025, and LKR 30.938 trillion by 30 September 2025. He also compared this with a claimed 74 percent debt increase during 2015–2019 and stated that the current Government is borrowing within a debt management and stabilization programme.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake questioned discrepancies between debt data provided to the Committee on Public Finance by Public Debt Management Office officials and the Minister’s statements, asking which figures were correct and whether officials had misled the Committee. He challenged the claim that the Government chose not to borrow, arguing that borrowing became impossible after the 12 April 2022 default, and sought an answer under Standing Order 27(2) on how a debt standstill and decision not to service debt were made without parliamentary approval.

      Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake challenged the Government on the debt standstill and default, arguing that Parliament had not approved the decision to declare default. He linked the issue to the Central Bank’s independence and questioned how the Government could now cite the default as a reason it cannot borrow.

      Parliamentary ProcedurePublic Finance Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Asked under Standing Order 27(2) how a debt standstill was declared without parliamentary approval. He further questioned whether the lack of such approval is the reason the Government is unable to borrow.

      Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB

      AI summary Minister Anil Jayantha stated that Sri Lanka is not facing an inability to borrow, noting that debt restructuring after the default is nearing completion and that the Government has been servicing debt, including foreign debt, in 2024 and 2025. He explained that LKR 1.6 trillion in accumulated arrears arose from unpaid interest during the restructuring period, emphasizing that this was interest cost added to debt arrears rather than new principal borrowing.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Ravi Karunanayake raised a point of order, stating that although he had been asked to be brief, his question had not been answered.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
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