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
- 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
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and the Leader of the House of Parliament JJB
AI summary Moved the motion that Parliament do now adjourn. The Presiding Member then proposed the question to the House.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha JJB
AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha moved a proposal to establish daytime safe centres or after-school centres for children in densely populated urban areas, housing complexes, and other high-risk environments. She argued that children left unsupervised after school are vulnerable to abuse, narcotics-related influences, unsafe surroundings, and excessive phone use while parents or guardians are at work. She proposed using existing government institutions, coordinated through Divisional Secretariats with Child Development Officers and Probation Officers, and supported by relevant ministries and Provincial Councils, to provide protection as well as creative, cultural, and personality development programmes under an appropriate legal and policy framework.
- The Hon. (Ms.) Krishnan Kalaichelvi JJB
AI summary Hon. Krishnan Kalaichelvi supported the Adjournment Motion, arguing that the State must provide safe after-school spaces for children, particularly in estate, rural and urban areas where parents are absent due to work. She said such programmes should protect children from risks including sexual violence, while supporting their education, health, sports and cultural development.
- The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB
AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper supported the Motion on establishing day-care and after-school support, arguing that changing family and economic conditions have left many children unsupervised before and after school. He proposed service-based centres attached to schools or run at community level through local authorities, provincial councils and education institutions, with pilot projects in low-income and dense housing areas using monitoring systems and possible international support, rather than relying primarily on a rigid legal mandate. He also raised an urgent matter regarding Hajj arrangements, noting approaching nusukmasar.com deadlines, the non-appointment or non-departure of group leaders, and issues at the Sri Lankan Consulate General in Jeddah, and requested Government action through the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna supported the Motion and highlighted malnutrition, educational gaps, and safety risks affecting hill-country children, drawing on his experience as a doctor and teacher. He urged stronger state oversight of orphaned and war-affected children, particularly in the Northern Province, including surveys of private childcare homes and faster child protection interventions. He also called for an investigation into the reported death of a 12-year-old girl at Mancholai Hospital after alleged improper medical treatment, and requested that any childcare programme explicitly include low-income and war-affected districts in the North.
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha JJB
AI summary Hon. Samanmali Gunasingha stated that a proposed initiative would begin as a pilot project, with practical conditions assessed before expansion through all Divisional Secretariats in every province, including the North and East. She emphasized that no area would be excluded and framed children’s safety as a shared responsibility.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Namal Sudarshana - Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary Deputy Minister Namal Sudarshana supported the Adjournment Motion on child protection, noting that despite existing ministry officers at divisional level, gaps remain in providing safe environments for children, particularly after school hours in urban, plantation, and other high-risk areas. He proposed developing local authority pre-schools and day-care centres into safe centres with provincial and local government coordination, and exploring after-school protection programmes within schools in collaboration with the Education Ministry. He endorsed a pilot project for protective centres in the Dehiwala Divisional Secretariat area due to drug-related risks and cramped housing, with a view to evaluating and scaling the programme to other districts, including the North and East.
- [Unnamed Minister - Ministry of Women and Child Affairs]
AI summary The Minister said the proposal was important but required coordinated action beyond the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs. She proposed convening relevant ministries, provincial councils, local authorities, and other officials to develop an appropriate course of action. She added that the Ministry would consult UN agencies and private institutions willing to assist, and prepare a work plan for necessary interventions.
Women & Children Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural