The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, the question paper containing six questions was received yesterday afternoon. Under Question No. 01 there are eight sub-questions; under No. 02 there are five; under No. 03 five; under No. 04 eight; under No. 05 four; and under No. 06 two—32 sub-questions in total.

¶ 02 Standing Order 27(2) says:

¶ 03 “…However, at the end of Questions for Oral Answers, a question of public importance may be asked by the Leader of the Opposition or the Leader of a recognized political party, after giving due notice to the relevant Minister.”

¶ 04 Even so, submitting questions in the above manner seems to be a violation of the Standing Order. Moreover, in addition to my Ministry, several affiliated institutions must provide large volumes of information. These are not “Yes/No” answers. They involve data—names, locations, figures. Therefore, collecting, vetting, and presenting such information to Parliament within a very short time is not feasible. We received roughly three hours yesterday to do so. I kindly request your attention to ensure Standing Orders are not used contrary to their purpose, and to advise the relevant parties accordingly. If this question is presented under the correct Standing Orders, we have no hesitation in answering. Therefore, I request two weeks to answer this question, Mr. Speaker.