Topic
Cost of Living
1,181 speeches · 246 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, M.P. JJB | 83 |
| 2 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 78 |
| 3 | Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 42 |
| 4 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 27 |
| 5 | Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, M.P. SJB | 27 |
| 6 | Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, M.P. JJB | 24 |
| 7 | Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, M.P. JJB | 24 |
| 8 | Hon. S.M. Marikkar, M.P. SJB | 21 |
| 9 | Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, M.P. NDF | 20 |
| 10 | Hon. Mujibur Rahman, M.P. SJB | 18 |
Speeches
1,181 on this topic- 21 August 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB AI summary Mujibur Rahman argued that the rise in Customs revenue reflected steep import tax increases rather than economic growth, with high vehicle and essential-goods duties being passed on to consumers and reducing purchasing power. He cited sharp increases in prices of common cars, vans, motorcycles, rice, salt, and wheat flour, and said poverty had risen as a result. He questioned the Government’s handling of vehicle import controls, including BYD releases, used vehicles stuck at Hambantota, demurrage costs, and a Gazette validating Bureau Veritas certificates retrospectively, and called for equal conditional release arrangements for small importers. He alleged selective facilitation in import and tender decisions and warned that higher Customs revenue ultimately comes from the public. Debate: Customs Ordinance Resolution and Related Regulations Read →
- 21 August 2025 The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe SLMC AI summary M.S. Uthumalebbe raised concerns about the impact of the postal strike, noting that the public has shifted to courier services where charges have reportedly doubled. He cited examples of courier fees rising from Rs. 450 to Rs. 900 and compared this with lower registered post charges, asking whether the strike can be resolved quickly to ease the burden on the public. Oral Questions: Second Round (Q.971/2025 and others) Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. Ashoka Gunasena JJB AI summary Hon. Ashoka Gunasena supported the regulations and amendment bills before Parliament, linking them to the Government’s policy of “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life.” He argued that past Samurdhi policies had failed to reduce poverty and had been politicized, and said the amendment would bring Samurdhi community banks and societies under national audit to address alleged misuse of poor people’s deposits. He also connected welfare reform, rubber sector measures, and sports policy to broader decentralized and community-centred national development. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. E.M. Basnayaka JJB AI summary Hon. E.M. Basnayaka supported the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, stating that it would bring Samurdhi banks and community-based societies, holding about Rs. 250 billion in deposits, under national audit to improve accountability. He argued that past poverty alleviation programmes had been politicized and said the NPP Government would prevent Samurdhi and poverty-related schemes from being used for political gain. He linked poverty reduction to land titles, rural roads, transport, and local economic development, citing ongoing ministry programmes and Budget allocations, and referred to underserved villages such as Galamuduna in Udadumbara as examples of the need for rural infrastructure improvements. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. Ismail Muththu Mohamed AI summary Hon. Ismail Muththu Mohamed addressed the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, related registration amendments, and Sports Act regulations, focusing on implementation issues in welfare schemes including Aswesuma. He argued that the QR code-based beneficiary selection system has produced anomalies and called for selections to be made through Divisional Secretaries with Samurdhi officer support, while increasing and timely paying benefits through Samurdhi banks. He also requested the reinstatement of earlier social support payments for marriage, funerals, childbirth, hospital stays and housing, and urged action on Samurdhi officer shortages, promotions, and pending recruitments. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri JJB AI summary Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri spoke during the debate on amendments and regulations relating to Samurdhi, Rubber Control, sports, and the Judicature Act, extending wishes to the Sri Lankan weightlifting team and noting Polonnaruwa’s contribution to the squad. He rejected Opposition criticisms on the treatment of past athletes and on judicial independence, arguing that the present Government has protected the judiciary. He said past poverty alleviation schemes from food stamps to Aswesuma had failed to eliminate poverty and cited income inequality and graduate migration as major concerns. He stated that, in addition to the President’s decision to recruit 30,000 public servants, the Government plans to recruit at least 62,000 more to address staff shortages and strengthen public services over the next four years. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. R.M. Samantha Ranasinghe JJB AI summary Hon. R.M. Samantha Ranasinghe supported the regulations under the Sports Act and amendments to the Rubber Control and Samurdhi Acts as part of the Government’s programme to update outdated laws and implement structural reforms. He argued that sports bodies had been politically controlled, that past decisions harmed the rubber industry in areas such as Kegalle, and that successive poverty-alleviation schemes from Janasaviya to Aswesuma had failed to lift families out of poverty. He stated that the Government was reducing public expenditure and pledged that the National People’s Power Government would eliminate poverty within four to five years. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. M.A.M. Thahir ACMC AI summary Hon. M.A.M. Thahir said poverty alleviation schemes such as Janasaviya, Samurdhi and Aswesuma have not sufficiently reduced poverty, and called for legal and administrative reforms, including restoring beneficiaries’ access to compulsory Samurdhi savings for education, illness, livelihoods or old age. He requested measures to address transfers and promotion grievances of Samurdhi officers, and compensation or assistance for the family of a Kalmunai Samurdhi officer who died of COVID-19. He also raised concerns that sports selection and support are affected by wealth, influence and ethnicity, and urged facilities and resources for athletes in Nintavur, including a standard outdoor ground and indoor sports complex, citing the area’s contribution to national kabaddi and athletics. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera SB AI summary Hon. Dilith Jayaweera argued that poverty alleviation schemes from food stamps and Samurdhi to Aswesuma have remained largely cash-transfer based and have not provided a scientific, time-bound pathway for beneficiaries to exit poverty. He said the Government should stop using welfare as a political tool and present a concrete programme including seed capital, microenterprise and self-employment support, knowledge assistance, and clear graduation timelines. He also linked persistent poverty to wider social problems, including crime, and urged the Government to implement a sincere plan to uplift poor households. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 Hon. Nanda Bandara JJB AI summary Hon. Nanda Bandara supported amendments to the Samurdhi Act, arguing that past poverty alleviation schemes had failed to reduce poverty adequately and had encouraged dependency rather than self-reliance. He said the amendments would strengthen financial discipline and transparency in Samurdhi community banks, improve concessional livelihood credit, and require monitoring after loans are issued to ensure productive use. He also backed reforms under Aswesuma, including People’s Power Committees, reduced political interference, vocational training, market access, and village-level empowerment programmes aimed at reducing poor households by 2030. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa - Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister defended lawful action against illegal entry while outlining the Ministry’s household empowerment programme targeting two million low-income families over five years, supported by central government, World Bank and ADB funding. He said the Samurdhi amendment is needed because Rs. 250 billion in 1,097 Samurdhi banks and related community organizations have lacked adequate audit, discipline and accountability, enabling misuse and corruption. The amendment would insert Section 28A to apply the National Audit Act, No. 19 of 2018, to Samurdhi Community-Based Bank accounts, and he linked it to the government’s broader anti-corruption and economic stabilization efforts. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana NDF AI summary Rohitha Abeygunawardhana supported regulating and safeguarding the Rs. 250 billion in Samurdhi beneficiaries’ savings under the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, but argued that Samurdhi or Aswesuma payments are insufficient amid high living costs. He presented a household cost estimate to question whether the Government has reduced essential expenses and criticised suggestions that money printing has no inflationary impact. He urged the Government not to cut welfare benefits before the “economic war” is won, called for new recruitment to sustain the Samurdhi administration as staff retire, and proposed using beneficiaries’ savings for genuine empowerment programmes that help families become self-reliant. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam argued that poverty-alleviation programmes such as Samurdhi/Aswesuma require clearer communication in all languages, stronger monitoring, evaluation, and reforms to ensure funds improve household livelihoods rather than being misused. He called for equal sports facilities and opportunities in the North and East, including completion of long-delayed stadium projects in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya. He also urged the Government to establish and implement a national resettlement policy for war-displaced persons and to stop arresting UNHCR-assisted returnees for alleged illegal departure decades earlier, warning that recent arrests had reportedly led UNHCR to suspend repatriation. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 20 August 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage - Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment JJB AI summary The Minister moved the Second Reading and presented related items on the Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill and regulations under the Sports and Judicature Acts. Addressing the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, he said the amendment would bring 1,097 Samurdhi banks and 335 community-based bank societies, with about 4 million members and Rs. 250 billion in transactions, under Auditor General oversight through Article 154 of the Constitution and the National Audit Act. He argued this was necessary to improve transparency, address pending audit inquiries and allegations of fraud, and protect public funds and employees. He also noted the continued growth in welfare applicants, including 3.74 million Aswesuma applications, and said the scale of poverty assistance required a reassessment of past approaches. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Read →
- 19 August 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana SJB AI summary Hon. Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana supported the need to regulate gambling but criticized the Government for having previously opposed casinos and related industries while now advancing regulation. He argued that tourism policy is inconsistent, citing restrictions on water sports, nightlife and live music, and said tourism-dependent communities such as Negombo continue to suffer from debt after the Easter attacks and COVID-19. He further questioned the Government’s claims of economic recovery, saying increased revenue is mainly from taxation while public protests continue, hospitals lack supplies, and vehicle permits for doctors remain unresolved despite large-scale vehicle imports. Debate: Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill, Public Debt Management Act Regulations, and Foreign Exchange Act Regulations Read →
- 19 August 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised concerns about the implementation of the Public Debt Management Act, particularly the transfer of debt management functions to the Ministry of Finance and the need to recruit qualified professionals for the new Debt Office. He argued that loan viability, risk premia, debt sustainability, reserve accumulation, and SriLankan Airlines’ financial position require clearer policy direction, especially ahead of IMF reviews and the resumption of debt servicing from 2028. He also welcomed the Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill but urged that it be made practically operable, with clear provisions on payments, taxation, repatriation of winnings, digital gambling definitions, record-keeping, stake limits, and junket operations. Debate: Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill, Public Debt Management Act Regulations, and Foreign Exchange Act Regulations Read →
- 19 August 2025 The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development JJB AI summary Sathosa is procuring paddy despite lacking functioning mills, using accredited suppliers for milling and selling rice at controlled prices, with allocations of Rs. 10 billion to the Paddy Marketing Board and Rs. 5 billion to Sathosa to expand purchases. He detailed production costs, stating that 1.6 kg of paddy is needed for 1 kg of rice, with conversion costs around Rs. 35 per kg, and said Nadu rice is sold at about Rs. 230 per kg. He also stated that casino entry fees will be US$50 per person and that a 14 percent tax on winnings will be withheld at payout. He added that the Government aims to raise reserves to US$7 billion through tourism, FDI and other inflows, while strengthening state enterprises and maintaining a state role in supply chains to stabilize prices. Debate: Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill, Public Debt Management Act Regulations, and Foreign Exchange Act Regulations Read →
- 19 August 2025 The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development JJB AI summary The Minister supported the regulations under the Public Debt Management Act and Foreign Exchange Act and the proposal to establish a Gambling Regulatory Authority, arguing that formal regulation is needed to replace informal political control. He reported fertilizer subsidy payments of about Rs. 13.8 billion, ongoing Yala paddy harvesting of over one million metric tons, and government paddy/rice procurement through the Paddy Marketing Board, Sathosa, and bank-backed working capital facilities for millers. He also outlined broader government measures, including capital spending on development works, recruitment to fill public service vacancies, salary and pension adjustments, a higher private sector minimum wage, and action on estate worker wages. Debate: Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill, Public Debt Management Act Regulations, and Foreign Exchange Act Regulations Read →
- 19 August 2025 The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran ITAK AI summary Welcoming the direct refund system due to begin on 1 September, Thurairasa Ravikaran raised concerns about passengers being informed of bus or transport cancellations only minutes before departure, leaving them stranded at night without alternatives to reach Colombo. He cited incidents on 17–18 June involving the Pudukkudiyiruppu–Mullaitivu connection and asked the Deputy Minister to ensure timely notification, proper remedies, and a definite solution by 1 September. Oral Question: SLTB Bus Journey Cancellations (Q.6/1075/2025) Read →
- 7 August 2025 The Hon. Nishantha Jayaweera JJB AI summary Hon. Nishantha Jayaweera rejected claims that the new Government is increasing the tax burden, citing tax relief measures in its first Budget including higher personal income tax thresholds, changes to withholding tax on bank interest, and VAT exemptions for milk products. He also defended the Government’s approach to school supply costs through a Rs. 6,000 allowance for children from low-income families. He argued that these measures show the Government is pursuing equitable relief while working to strengthen the economy and raise the country’s overall standing. Adjournment Debate: Current Economic Status of the Country Read →