The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, several issues regarding Civil Defence Department (CDD) personnel have been raised.

¶ 02 The Department has 30,025 staff. Historically and now, they render vital services, supporting Police and Armed Forces. Recently they were engaged in various projects, especially agriculture, generating about Rs. 2,000 million in 2025. However, with over 30,000 personnel, they were not being utilized optimally for their core mandate. We therefore sought to place them in dignified roles, on appropriate pay scales, with parity to other public services.

¶ 03 First, the Department of Wildlife Conservation required 5,000 personnel. We are releasing 5,000 CDD staff to DWC; 4,500 have been seconded, with the remaining 500 to be completed tomorrow. DWC, in consultation with Treasury, is defining their posts and will provide necessary training. They have long supported DWC operations, including mitigating human-elephant conflict.

¶ 04 Second, the Police face a manpower gap. Cabinet approved seconding 10,000 from CDD to the Police, to deploy this resource effectively while safeguarding long-term job security. We affirm unequivocally: their employment security, pay scales, pensions, and other benefits will be protected.

¶ 05 Regarding claims that seconded personnel lack food or lodging: I reject that. About 4,000 have been seconded to the Police so far. Because CDD recruitment was concentrated in districts like Monaragala, Ampara, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, some transfers to stations in Western and Southern Provinces were necessary. In every case, barrack accommodation is arranged, and, in addition to police-equivalent service payments, they receive food and lodging allowances. Three weeks ago, Cabinet approved Rs. 25,200 per month for food and lodging (Rs. 28,200 for Senior Assistant Controllers). Funds are allocated; if any payments have lagged during this initial period (less than a month into many deployments), the IGP will ensure immediate disbursement.

¶ 06 When we took office, their basic salary was Rs. 27,680; in 2025 we increased it to Rs. 41,985, and this year by a further Rs. 3,500, aligning with other public servants. We will continue to treat CDD personnel as dignified public officers and use their labour accordingly.