The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the answer to Part 5 is as follows:

¶ 02 05. The matters relevant are covered by the directions in the said judgment (particularly paragraphs 897(xiii) and 897(xiv)). As stated in the answer to the earlier question, the steps taken were reported to the Supreme Court on 25.09.2025. Pursuant to the judgment, directions have been issued to the agencies responsible for marine environmental protection and coastal conservation to take disaster-prevention actions. Accordingly, the Ministry of Environment has taken the following steps: - The International Maritime Organization has appointed a committee to work towards international measures to control marine plastic pollution arising from ship incidents, and work is ongoing. - A concept paper has been prepared, in consultation with stakeholders, to amend the Marine Pollution Prevention Act, No. 35 of 2008, to be submitted to Cabinet. - The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan has been revised to include chemical spills, as the “National Contingency Plan for Oil and Chemical Spills”, and submitted for Cabinet approval. - Development of a digital dashboard for the National Contingency Plan for oil and chemical spills. - A 24/7 operations room has been established by MEPA for rapid response to ship incidents and continuous monitoring of marine pollution. - Initiated preparation of a national policy on permitting distressed vessels into Sri Lankan waters. - Initiated groundwork for a program to control transboundary marine plastic pollution.