Topic
Employment
1,754 speeches · 310 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. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 84 |
| 2 | Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 78 |
| 3 | Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, M.P. JJB | 60 |
| 4 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 45 |
| 5 | Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe, M.P. JJB | 41 |
| 6 | Hon. Sunil Handunnetti, M.P. JJB | 32 |
| 7 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 31 |
| 8 | Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe, M.P. JJB | 30 |
| 9 | Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, M.P. NDF | 29 |
| 10 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 23 |
Speeches
1,754 on this topic- 7 January 2025 The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB AI summary The Minister concluded the adjournment debate on the Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report 2024, noting that it was presented under Section 50 of the State Finance Management Act, No. 44 of 2024, to inform the public and guide future economic policy. He said the Government’s approach is to expand production, stabilize the macroeconomic framework, protect vulnerable groups, and move towards a modern, productive economy. He rejected Opposition criticisms as not directly engaging with the policy content of the Report and framed the Report as a baseline for sustainable, people-centred growth. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Wijesiri Basnayake JJB AI summary Hon. Wijesiri Basnayake, speaking on the Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report 2024 under the State Finance Management Act, argued that Sri Lanka’s crisis resulted from poor economic management, excessive high-interest borrowing, weak policy continuity, and IMF-driven fiscal adjustments that increased taxation and reduced welfare. He cited social impacts including food insecurity, child malnutrition, declining births, and professional migration, while crediting public finance officials for improvements in the primary balance. He said the Government intends to exceed growth targets by 2030 through tax relief for professionals, stronger social protection including Aswasuma-related benefits, support for schoolchildren, fertilizer and dairy sector relief, VAT relief on milk products, and extended Parate law moratoria for MSMEs. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku - Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister argued that the Government’s mandate reflects public support for a new political direction and urged the Opposition to scrutinize accountability and performance rather than private lives. Referring to the Mid-Year Fiscal Position, he said state enterprise performance should be assessed against liabilities and debt service, citing plans to accelerate operations at the Colombo Port East Terminal and address airport capacity constraints to support foreign exchange earnings and tourism. He also outlined Government measures on fertilizer support, SME and debt moratorium relief, Aswesuma expansion, school supply assistance, tax threshold changes, and efforts to retain or attract professionals, presenting these as part of data-driven planning aligned with IMF benchmarks. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy JJB AI summary Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy said the Government was elected with a mandate for change and must stabilise the economy after the crisis caused by conflict, COVID-19, corruption, misgovernance and the 2022 suspension of external debt servicing. He outlined progress under the IMF programme, debt restructuring, the December 2024 bond exchange, SME relief measures, education-related allowances and increased elderly allowances, while noting that fiscal conditions had improved but remained challenging. He raised constituency concerns in the North and Jaffna, including hardships faced by fishing families, drug abuse, illicit liquor, damaged roads, weak public services, flooding, lack of banking, transport and telecommunications, rural school decline, illegal resource extraction, and inadequate agricultural storage and drying facilities. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Thilina Samarakoon JJB AI summary Hon. Thilina Samarakoon discussed the mid-year fiscal report under the State Finance Management Act, noting improved 2024 indicators such as higher revenue, a reduced budget deficit, positive growth, increased reserves, and progress under the IMF programme. He said much of the revenue increase came from higher taxation, including PAYE and VAT changes, which created hardship and contributed to professional migration, but argued that tax thresholds and the wider tax mix are being adjusted. He emphasized plans to reduce public debt, improve the balance of payments, attract investment, strengthen state-owned enterprise management, and asked the Opposition to support the Government’s economic stabilization efforts. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa questioned whether continuing the existing IMF programme without a new debt sustainability analysis reflected the public mandate, and demanded relief measures including the promised fertilizer subsidy increase, electricity tariff reductions, fuel relief, and redress for EPF/ETF losses after domestic debt restructuring. He urged stronger support for MSMEs beyond the Parate moratorium, criticized the unresolved passport shortage and changes to the 1990 Suwaseriya board, and argued that economic “stability” must be assessed against poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, and business closures. He also called on the Government not to deport Rohingya refugees who arrived in Mullaitivu, citing non-refoulement and urging consultation with UNHCR. He said national recovery should involve Government, Opposition, civil society, business, donors, and international institutions while protecting sovereignty. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva questioned how the Government can use forecasting models based on past policy when it has described previous economic policy as destructive, and asked for a clear new work programme to sustain growth and achieve the stated USD 120 billion GDP target by 2030. He challenged the Government’s tax policy changes, noting that promises to raise the personal tax-free threshold to Rs. 2.4 million had been revised and that the increase in withholding tax from 5 per cent to 10 per cent was not in the policy statement. He argued that abolishing tax files could weaken collection from secondary incomes, and referred to his party’s proposals on modest income tax, refund interest, and VAT banding. He also called for the Budget to reflect Government promises to zero-rate VAT on school supplies, food, baby formula, pharmaceuticals and other essential items. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva said the Opposition supports economic stabilization but argued that the Government failed to recognize working people during the domestic debt optimization affecting EPF members and domestic savers. He proposed adding a clawback mechanism to domestic debt arrangements, similar to provisions in external and bilateral restructuring, so domestic creditors could benefit if economic conditions improve. He also challenged the Motion’s criticism of the post-1977 open economy, arguing that past growth figures and the Government’s own forecasting methods indicate the collapse was due more to policy errors, governance failures, fiscal indiscipline and credibility shocks than openness itself. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. (Ms.) Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law JJB AI summary By mid-2024 Sri Lanka had achieved macroeconomic stabilization and improved investor confidence, aided by completion of external debt restructuring, but the recovery was financed heavily through increased VAT and personal income tax burdens on ordinary people. Attention was drawn to reduced spending on education, health, and transport, including cuts to school welfare, textbooks, and health services, which increased unpaid care work and costs borne especially by women. Citing a December 2024 Human Rights Commission report on labour outsourcing, the remarks noted that many women moved into less-protected “manpower” work due to crisis pressures and lack of childcare. The Government was urged to direct the benefits of recovery toward social welfare, reintegration of affected groups, SMEs, workers, women, and lower-income households. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Najith Indika JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Najith Indika moved an Adjournment Motion on the Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report, arguing that Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic collapse resulted from decades of poor political and economic decision-making, governance failures and corruption, rather than unavoidable circumstances. He cited the report’s mid-2024 indicators, including improved growth, higher revenue and a reduced deficit, as evidence of early macroeconomic stabilization, while stressing that the social costs of the crisis included unemployment, poverty, migration, medicine shortages and school dropouts. He called for Government and Opposition support for long-term, inclusive economic planning to ensure sustainable growth and a dignified life for citizens. Adjournment Debate: 2024 Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha JJB AI summary Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha said the Government is working with Treasury officials to manage state finances while prioritizing increased production and growth. He stated that a 2025 programme would expand micro, small and medium industries, with further steps toward 2026 to be set out through the forthcoming Appropriation Bill and related measures. He emphasized that growth should reduce inequality and said support programmes would aim to connect people to the economic process rather than function as mere handouts. Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake argued that economic recovery requires a clear government policy to support SMEs, which he said make up about 70 per cent of the economy and cannot recover under 13–15 per cent interest rates. He asked how the Government would reduce rates to 8–9 per cent, address the mismatch faced by borrowers whose rates rose from 10–12 per cent to about 30 per cent, and strengthen SMEs to mobilize Rs. 3.3 trillion and achieve 15 per cent growth. Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) Read →
- 7 January 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned how the Government plans to achieve the IMF-agreed 2025 growth target of about 15 per cent, or roughly Rs. 5,000 billion in GDP expansion. He argued that inflation targeting alone would be insufficient and asked what measures would be taken to attract domestic and foreign investment, empower SMEs, and expand the economy. Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) Read →
- 18 December 2024 The Hon. Chandana Sooriyaarachchi JJB AI summary Chandana Sooriyaarachchi supported the Supplementary Estimate to allocate Rs. 6,500 million for providing Rs. 6,000 per child for schoolbooks and supplies, presenting it as an initial step toward reducing parental burdens and ultimately increasing education spending to 6% of GDP. He criticized past governments’ handling of public service pensions, promotions, recruitment, and labour rights, arguing that the current government would address workers’ concerns without betraying public servants’ trust. He said the government had already engaged School Development Officer unions and intended to prioritize filling teacher shortages by absorbing qualified personnel before addressing unemployed graduates more broadly. He also noted that socio-economic disparities had left about 20% of children without fair access to quality education and said the government was beginning corrective measures despite fiscal constraints. Debate: Supplementary Estimate – Head 102, Programme 01 (School Supplies Grant) Read →
- 18 December 2024 The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman UNP AI summary Jeevan Thondaman responded to remarks on the plantation community and welcomed the concern expressed. He clarified that although a Cabinet paper was submitted to include plantation people in the Aswasuma welfare scheme, current implementation benefits only children of estate employees, excluding children of estate residents working in the informal sector. He called for those children also to be covered. Debate: Supplementary Estimate – Head 102, Programme 01 (School Supplies Grant) Read →
- 18 December 2024 The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake alleged a major fraud at an institution previously under his purview, stating that a cheque for Rs. 21.8 million had been issued instead of Rs. 464,248, and tabled related documents. He urged the Government to use revenue from proposed vehicle imports and customs duties to fund promised salary and pension adjustments for public servants, teachers, administrators, and pre-2016 retirees, while maintaining exchange-rate stability. He also asked the Government to clarify the status of pending vehicle permits for public officers and raised concerns about arrears in police allowances, unpaid bonuses in some institutions, and unmet public expectations following tax and VAT changes. Debate: Supplementary Estimate – Head 102, Programme 01 (School Supplies Grant) Read →
- 18 December 2024 The President AI summary The President announced an agreed phased extension of the loan moratorium for SMEs, citing Rs. 1,385 billion in non-performing loans across 752,896 borrowers as of 30 September 2024, with 99% below Rs. 25 million, and said the approach seeks to balance borrower relief with protection of depositors and banking stability. The moratorium is extended to 31 March 2025, with restructuring timelines set according to loan size: up to 15 December 2025 for loans below Rs. 25 million, 15 September 2025 for Rs. 25–50 million, and 15 June 2025 for loans above Rs. 50 million, subject to borrowers indicating consent by 31 March 2025. He also outlined forthcoming Budget relief measures and related legislative needs, including the Rs. 3,000 pensioner allowance, fertilizer subsidy payments up to Rs. 25,000, fuel support for fishers, and a Rs. 6,000 school supplies allowance for children in Aswesuma beneficiary households, with an additional process to address beneficiary selection concerns. Procedural Matters and Points of Order Read →
- 18 December 2024 The Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayaka - President, Minister of Defence, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Minister of Digital Economy AI summary Anura Kumara Dissanayaka defended the Government’s debt restructuring position and rejected claims that renewed debt payments in 2028 would lead to another bankruptcy, stating a target of USD 15.1 billion in foreign reserves by that year. He outlined revisions negotiated during the IMF third review, including PAYE tax relief, VAT exemptions for domestically produced fresh milk products, reducing the proposed services export tax from 30% to 15%, and raising withholding tax to 10% with safeguards for low-income retirees. He also announced a phased reopening of vehicle imports from December 2024 to February 2025, saying the policy was coordinated with the Central Bank to manage dollar outflows while supporting economic activity. Procedural Matters and Points of Order Read →
- 18 December 2024 The Hon. (Dr.) Harshana Suriyapperuma – Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning AI summary The Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning provided a written reply detailing FDI inflows from 2015 to the first half of 2024 and tabled the complete figures. He outlined measures to attract investment, including anti-corruption action, merit-based project selection, faster investor visas, digital facilitation, incentives under existing laws, investor aftercare, skills matching, and sectoral promotion. He also listed planned actions, including automation of approvals, implementation of 74 investment projects worth an estimated USD 608 million, establishment of new Export Processing Zones from 2025, upgrading zones to green standards, and prioritising sectors such as maritime tourism, green hydrogen, higher education, ICT and nanotechnology. Oral Questions (Questions 1–10) Read →
- 17 December 2024 The Hon. Wijesiri Basnayake JJB AI summary Hon. Wijesiri Basnayake argued that Sri Lanka’s debt crisis resulted from years of borrowing to cover deficits and repay old debt, and said those responsible for the 2022 bankruptcy declaration and economic mismanagement should be held accountable. He stated that, although the IMF programme was inherited from the previous Government, it is now impractical to abandon it, and the Government is pursuing macroeconomic stabilization through exchange rate stability, lower interest rates, increased reserves, and debt restructuring. He cited creditor acceptance, currency stabilization, improved reserves, lower inflation, stock market gains, and expanded subsidies for fertilizer, welfare, fishermen, and exporters as evidence of progress under the current policy direction. Adjournment Debate: International Sovereign Bond Restructuring and IMF Agreement Read →