The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition
Sajith Premadasa argued that the absence of an express Standing Order on no-confidence motions against Deputy Ministers does not preclude such motions or censure motions. Citing Articles 46(1) and 45(3) of the Constitution and Westminster procedural authorities, he said a Deputy Minister exercises executive authority and can therefore be subject to parliamentary no-confidence or censure. He requested that the Attorney-General’s advice and the Parliamentary Secretariat’s report on the matter be tabled.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 We ask, with respect, that we be heard briefly. Based on your statement, allow us to respond. We request this with the utmost respect.
¶ 02 There is no express provision in the Standing Orders on a No-confidence Motion against a Deputy Minister, but that silence does not imply that neither a No-confidence nor a censure motion may be brought.
¶ 03 Under Article 46(1), a Deputy Minister exercises executive power. Under Westminster practice, where an office-holder exercises executive authority, a No-confidence or censure motion may be brought. This is reflected in Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice and in Kaul and Shakdher: Practice and Procedure of Parliament.
¶ 04 I also draw attention to Article 45(3). Within that constitutional framework, there is scope to bring a No-confidence Motion.
¶ 05 If you have indeed applied the precedents and practices, it is clear a No-confidence Motion can be brought against a Deputy Minister. We also ask that the Attorney-General’s advice and the Secretariat’s report be tabled.
¶ 06 A censure motion can also be brought; there is no bar to that.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 10 September 2025 ·No. 1758017450079419 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 10 September 2025. No. 1758017450079419. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/10655