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

Sitting of Friday, 23 January 2026

10th Parliament· 11 debates· 205 speeches· 62 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23290 ·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 No. 8 (Deferred) and Question Stand Down 9 speeches
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Upali Samarasingha - Deputy Minister of Co-operative Development JJB

      AI summary On behalf of the relevant Minister, the Deputy Minister provided figures on co-operative outlets in Badulla District, stating that 58 outlets were operating as at 1 January 2026, including 9 within estate areas. He reported that 180 outlets had closed between 2015 and 2025, mostly those run by Multipurpose Co-operative Societies. He also clarified that no separate estate co-operative societies are registered specifically for housing construction and loans, though estate workers’ co-operatives provide loans and consumer goods, with 3 Estate Shop Co-operatives and 63 Estate Housing Co-operatives operating in Badulla.

      AgricultureEmployment Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj JJB

      AI summary Kitnan Selvaraj noted that many estate co-operative shops had been closed, particularly during Senthil Thondaman’s tenure as Uva Provincial Minister of Co-operatives. Citing that co-operatives fall under the 13th Amendment, he requested that details of the closed estate co-op shops be submitted to Parliament in the future.

      Corruption & Governance Reform Full speech →
    • The Hon. Upali Samarasingha JJB

      AI summary Between 2015 and 2025, several MPCS and rural cooperative societies were closed under different administrations due to irregular management and lack of audits. In Uva/Badulla, 12 estate cooperative outlets, including those in Spring Valley, Newburgh, Dyaraba, Welimada, Dambatenna and Haputale, were reported closed over the past decade.

      Corruption & Governance Reform Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj JJB

      AI summary Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj raised concerns that many estate cooperatives providing loans to workers are not being audited. He asked whether the Government would audit these estate co-ops and submit the audit reports to Parliament.

      Corruption & Governance ReformEmployment Full speech →
    • The Hon. Upali Samarasingha JJB

      AI summary Hon. Upali Samarasingha said co-operatives have suffered due to weak central–provincial coordination, political interference, prolonged board tenures, inadequate audits, and poor procedures. He stated that the Government is working with the Provincial Co-operative Public Service Commission to review failed co-operatives, conduct audits, and revive them within the year through state intervention. He added that special attention would be given to strengthening estate co-operatives and addressing past shortcomings.

      Public FinanceAgricultureCorruption & Governance Reform Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Darmapriya Wijesinghe JJB

      AI summary The member stated that he was raising a question on behalf of Hon. Oshani Umanga. No substantive issue or policy matter was presented in the excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa JJB

      AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Defence, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa requested one week to provide an answer to the matter before the House. The question was accordingly ordered to stand down.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →