The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, you proposed that we discuss this at the Parliamentary Business Committee. Under SO 27(2), it clearly says that a question of public importance may be asked after giving notice to the Minister, but Ministers often do not even get 12 hours to prepare. This is an opportunity to ask a question of public importance—not to demand extensive datasets in the middle of the Budget debate. Consider the scale of information now being sought. This can be asked as a normal oral question or taken up at the Consultative Committee. If we use this slot like this, what happens? While you allowed it, which is your prerogative, you also have the authority to correct past practices if they were misused. Yesterday another party leader asked 12 questions; the Deputy Minister of Finance told me it took four hours to gather information—during the Finance Head debate. Ministers must govern and be accountable. Please consider this. This is nationally important, yes, but can it be answered with four hours’ notice? Let us discuss it at the Business Committee. We have no question we cannot answer. You can decide who was with which mafia. We do not need to go into that now.

¶ 02 Under SO 27(2), the delays have been for those questions demanding massive datasets—some look like theses or even PhD-level requests. We have Ministries to run. If someone misused 27(2) before, we need not carry that tradition forward. We ask the Opposition to use the opportunity properly, understanding its purpose.