The Hon. (Dr.) Harshana Suriyapperuma - Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the answer to the supplementary question related to the question referred by Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, MP, under Standing Order 38 to the Hon. Prime Minister on 2025.02.05 is as follows.

¶ 02 For the purpose of facilitating the establishment of a new automated system for the licensing process issued by the Department of Import and Export Control, a proposal bearing No. 1540 of the United Nations Security Council has been approved. To meet the requirements under that proposal, the U.S. Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program operating under the U.S. Embassy has undertaken to provide, as a donation, the required hardware together with software. Cabinet approval to provide this system was obtained on 2023.01.23, and earlier on 2019.09.03 Cabinet approval had been obtained to provide the necessary training and technical guidance for the said program. I table the relevant Cabinet decisions and papers as Annexes 1 and 2.

¶ 03 - Placed in the Library.

¶ 04 Hon. Speaker, with regard to the query by the Hon. Member about support from USAID, I will clarify.

¶ 05 As per the referred grant, considering the request made by the Director General of the Department of Import and Export Control to make provisions under Foreign Grants in the Estimates to enable the capitalization and recording of 208 laptop computers valued at Rs. 6.18 million provided in 2024 to the Department of Import and Export Development and to record the expenditure of Rs. 13.69 million incurred for completing the first phase of software development—amounting in total to Rs. 19.88 million—an Additional Provision Letter No. 1601 dated 2024.12.19 has been issued.

¶ 06 I table that document as Annex 03.

¶ 07 Hon. Speaker, I further state that the said additional provision relates to accounting for the already received grant, and that it pertains to the year 2024.

¶ 08 Furthermore, due to the U.S. President’s Executive Order concerning the provision of aid, USAID has not issued any written notification to the Government of Sri Lanka regarding impacts on assistance to be provided by USAID to the Government of Sri Lanka. As per agreements entered into with USAID for obtaining assistance, if such a suspension were to be effected, USAID has undertaken to provide a written notice to the Government of Sri Lanka. I further inform the House accordingly.