The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, thank you for your directions and clarifications. As you noted, there already has been some change agreed upon by both the Government and the Opposition. For the information of the House and the public, although the Standing Orders do not specify, by mutual agreement we have proposed to increase the Opposition’s membership ratios in six Committees: Committee on Parliamentary Business, COPE, COPA, Committee on Public Petitions, Ministerial Consultative Committees and the Backbenchers’ Committee. Accordingly, in some Committees membership has already been increased. In some cases Members have not yet been nominated by the Opposition; in others, more Members have been appointed.

¶ 02 With your concurrence we have already increased the number of Party Leaders on the Committee on Parliamentary Business. At a meeting, as you suggest, we can further discuss and resolve this more fairly.