The Hon. Speaker

¶ 01 According to the decision of Parliament adopted today with the leave of the House, I wish to inform that the following Hon. Members have been nominated by the Committee of Selection to serve on the Committee on Parliamentary Business:

¶ 02 - Hon. Vijitha Herath - Hon. Ramalingam Chandraseker - Hon. Anura Karunathilaka - Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara - Hon. Saroja Sachithra Poulraj - Hon. Muneer Moulana - Hon. B. B. E. Sunil Chitgala - Hon. Arun Hemachandra - Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe

¶ 03 I also wish to kindly inform all Hon. Members appointed to the Committee on Parliamentary Business that the first meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business is scheduled to be held today, Friday, 06th December 2024, at 2.00 p.m. in Committee Room No. 002.

¶ 04 Main Business. Today’s Order Paper Items 1 to 13 – Motions under the Constitution for approval and Supplementary Estimates 12 – resumption of the adjourned debate.

¶ 05 Vote on Account (2025)

¶ 06 Order read for resuming Adjourned Debate on Question – [05th December, 2024]

¶ 07 “That this Parliament resolves, under Article 150 (2) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka read with Section 23(1) of the State Finance Management Act, No. 44 of 2024, to approve a Vote on Account to provide for the services of the financial year 2025, for the period commencing on 01st January 2025 and ending on the date on which the Appropriation Act for the services of the financial year 2025 comes into operation or 30th April 2025, whichever date occurs first, as follows:

¶ 08 (a) That a sum not exceeding Rs. 1,402,886,263,000 be issued from and charged on the Consolidated Fund of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the services specified in the First Schedule to this Motion (being the services for which provision for expenditure has been made by the Appropriation Act, No. 34 of 2023 and by Supplementary Estimates) and that the said sum may be expended, during the said period, in the manner specified in that Schedule; and

¶ 09 (b) That a sum not exceeding Rs. 4,197,113,737,000 be issued from and charged on the Consolidated Fund of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the services specified in the Second Schedule to this Motion (being the expenditure which, by law, is to be charged on the Consolidated Fund in respect of any service) and that the said sum may be expended, during the said period, in the manner specified in that Schedule; and

¶ 10 (c) That a sum not exceeding Rs. 5,000,000,000 be issued as an advance from the Consolidated Fund of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the services specified in Column 1 of the Third Schedule to this Motion, and that the expenditure to be incurred for such services during the said period shall not exceed the maximum limits specified in the corresponding notes set out in Column II of that Schedule; and

¶ 11 (d) That a sum not exceeding Rs. 4,000,000,000,000 to provide for the expenditure for the services specified in the Schedules to this Motion, may be raised by way of loans by or on behalf of the Government, within or outside Sri Lanka, in accordance with the applicable laws, and that details of such loans shall be included in the reports to be laid before Parliament under paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 50 and paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 51 of the State Finance Management Act, No. 44 of 2024; and

¶ 12 (e) That under Head 240 ‘Department of National Budget’, under the Programme ‘Development Activities’, the moneys allocated for Recurrent or Capital Expenditure may, subject to the guidelines set out in the Fourth Schedule to this Motion, be transferred, on the direction of the Secretary to the Treasury or of a Deputy Secretary to the Treasury authorized for the purpose by the Secretary to the Treasury, or on the direction of the Director-General of the Department of National Budget, to any other Programme under any other Head in that Schedule. Any such transferred moneys shall be deemed to be a supplementary provision to the relevant Ministry; and a report containing the amounts so transferred and the reasons therefor shall be laid before Parliament within two months from the date of such transfer,

¶ 13 This Parliament so resolves under Article 150 (2) of the Constitution.”