Sitting of Thursday, 8 January 2026
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23118 ·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 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers Presented 7 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions Presented 3 speeches
- 4 Procedural Procedural Matters and Points of Order 31 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Questions to Ministers (Q.117/2024-(2) through Q.1715/2025) 55 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Questions to Ministers (Q.1664/2025 through Q.1719/2025) 27 speeches
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sanjeewa Ranasingha JJB
AI summary Hon. Sanjeewa Ranasingha briefly indicated that he would ask the question before the House. No substantive policy issue or proposal was stated in the intervention.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa JJB
AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, a two-week extension was requested to respond to the question. The question was ordered to stand down.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB
AI summary The Minister, responding on behalf of the Finance Minister, provided data requested on quarterly economic growth rates, annual inflation and annual growth for 2004–2014, noting that clarification had been sought because “ratio of the national account” was not clearly defined. He explained that GDP growth figures use constant prices and different base years, while inflation was historically measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index and later by the National Consumer Price Index. He stated that GDP deflators and consumer inflation figures are not expected to reconcile exactly because they measure different price baskets, and that no strict annual reconciliation with money supply data is applicable due to changes in velocity.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. R.G. Wijerathna JJB
AI summary R.G. Wijerathna referred to past allegations that the Department of Census and Statistics had distorted national data to present Sri Lanka as moving from a low-income to a middle-income economy, and that the then Director of National Accounts was interdicted after resisting pressure. He asked the Minister whether the Government would conduct an inquiry to provide justice to the officer concerned.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha JJB
AI summary The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha stated that he had not previously looked into the matter and had no current details. He said he could make inquiries, based on the information provided, into whether the alleged actions occurred and whether any investigation had been conducted.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. R.G. Wijerathna JJB
AI summary Asked whether the Government will undertake strategic reforms to improve the accuracy and reliability of data sources, emphasizing that a shift toward a production economy must be based on sound data.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha stated that strategic reforms are underway to improve the collection, coordination, and interoperability of data across agencies such as the Department of Census and Statistics, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bank. He said the Government is moving towards digitalizing and integrating data systems to reduce manual recompilation, linkage problems, and delays in releasing timely and relevant information.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy JJB
AI summary Minister Kumara Jayakody stated that 7,259 rooftop solar grid-connection applications had been received in the Jaffna District since 2020, with 4,448 connections provided and four pending due to incomplete construction or local protests and District Coordination Committee decisions. He said new approvals in Jaffna have been suspended since 12 August 2024 because the Chunnakam grid substation has exceeded its renewable integration capacity. Addressing allegations over CEB approvals, he said complaints had been investigated through established CEB, PUCSL and disciplinary procedures, with escalation mechanisms available under the Supply Services Code. He added that renewable energy capacity has exceeded 2025 targets under the Long-Term Generation Plan, two solar plants have been contracted in Mannar, and there is no formal CEB-ADB-local authority coordination programme for rooftop solar connections.
- The Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah JJB
AI summary Asked the Minister whether there is a tentative time frame for providing solar power facilities to the public in the Northern Province, following the Minister’s earlier answer.
Infrastructure Full speech → - The Hon. Kumara Jayakody JJB
AI summary Kumara Jayakody stated that the transmission network has a significant capacity deficit and that upgrades are being planned with financial support sought from international donors and banks. He said the Government expects to restore adequate capacity by 2028 or 2029, with priority attention to the Northern and Eastern areas.
- The Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah briefly ceded the floor, indicating that the second supplementary question would be asked by Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy JJB
AI summary Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy raised concerns about the high cost of installing street lights through the Ceylon Electricity Board and proposed that trained electricians attached to local authorities be allowed to install them to reduce costs and expand coverage. He noted that promised CEB training for local authority officers, discussed at the Jaffna District Development Committee, had not yet occurred. He also asked the Minister to clarify the status of connections for 40,000 solar panels provided by India for temples, including in Jaffna District.
- The Hon. Kumara Jayakody JJB
AI summary Kumara Jayakody said street lighting responsibilities are shared among local authorities, the CEB, Lanka Electricity Company and the RDA, and asked for specific details to clarify the issue raised. On solar panel sets provided to kovils and other religious sites, he said some were procured under Indian credit lines before the current Government and about 200 of 5,000 imported sets remain unusable because of grid capacity constraints. He stated that the panels could be connected after grid capacity is improved or relocated to areas with available capacity, and requested detailed information to examine individual cases.
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister, responding on behalf of the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, provided admission figures for UGC universities and related institutions for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, noting that the 2025 admissions process is still ongoing. He stated that children of public servants are not separately identified at the university application stage, but gave Mahapola, bursary and hostel data, including 1,863 Mahapola selections from 5,232 public-servant children applicants in 2023/2024 and ongoing selections for 2024/2025. He outlined current hostel capacity, an estimated shortfall of about 16,000 places, and a 2026–2030 plan to construct 55 hostels with Rs. 1,500 million allocated in 2026, while also detailing institution-specific scholarship and accommodation arrangements.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Nanda Bandara JJB
AI summary Hon. Nanda Bandara asked whether the Government would address situations where children of public servants are denied Grade 5 scholarship benefits and later university bursaries because one or both parents are in public service. He requested steps to rectify these eligibility issues.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna JJB
AI summary The matter had been discussed during pre-Budget consultations. He said it could be taken up with the UGC Management Committee for further discussion and action in line with the proposal.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Nanda Bandara JJB
AI summary Hon. Nanda Bandara raised concerns that public servants, particularly in the education sector, may have multiple children in higher education at the same time and face hardship due to inadequate hostel facilities. He asked whether the relevant regulations could be amended to give priority for hostel accommodation to the children of public servants.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna JJB
AI summary Hostel shortages in universities were acknowledged, with the Minister noting that 60–65 per cent of students currently receive hostel accommodation. He stated that a plan to build 55 hostels is underway, allocation is based on programme needs, and the UGC is preparing a hostel policy following initial discussions. He said the specific concern raised would be referred to the UGC within that policy framework.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Nishantha Jayaweera - Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB
AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Deputy Minister stated that 4,216 liquor licences are currently issued. He said licence approvals follow the distance requirements from registered schools and places of religious worship set out in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2366/39, Excise Notification 02/2024, and that the recent CA (Writ) 36/2025 judgment confirms this position. He further stated that no licences have been issued in violation of the Excise Notifications, though separate information is not maintained on the internal transparency of issuing application forms.
- The Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government JJB
AI summary Six Divisional Secretariats have been established in the Nuwara Eliya District for the Hanguranketha, Walapane and Kotmale areas, based on administrative needs and the 2012 Delimitation Committee recommendations. These are Hanguranketha and Matutara, Walapane and Nildandahinna, and Kotmale East and Kotmale West; as they have already been established, no further action was indicated.
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera - Deputy Minister of Defence JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister of Defence, on behalf of the Minister of Defence, requested two weeks to provide an answer to the question before Parliament. The question was ordered to stand down.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera JJB
AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Defence, a request was made for two weeks to provide the answer to the question. The question was ordered to stand down.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
- 7 Oral question Standing Order 27(2) Questions and Ministerial Statements 27 speeches
- 8 Debate Motor Traffic Act Regulations Debate 66 speeches
- 9 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Child Safety in Urban Housing Complexes 10 speeches