Topic
Public Finance
5,915 speeches · 726 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. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 283 |
| 2 | Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, M.P. JJB | 229 |
| 3 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 171 |
| 4 | Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, M.P. JJB | 167 |
| 5 | Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, M.P. JJB | 153 |
| 6 | Hon. Kumara Jayakody, M.P. JJB | 147 |
| 7 | Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, M.P. SJB | 140 |
| 8 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 135 |
| 9 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 115 |
| 10 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 92 |
Speeches
5,915 on this topic- 13 November 2025 The Hon. (Prof.) Sena Nanayakkara JJB AI summary Hon. (Prof.) Sena Nanayakkara asked the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government for the current number of pensioners and the annual allocations for pension payments from 2020 onward. He also sought clarification on whether pensions are treated as a family-unit benefit rather than solely an individual benefit, and requested the applicable procedure for pension payments after a pensioner’s death. Oral Question: Payment of Pension since 2020 (1354/2025) Read →
- 13 November 2025 The Hon. Rathna Gamage - Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources JJB AI summary Rathna Gamage, replying on behalf of the Minister, said fisheries are regulated under existing Acts and 104 regulations, with 17 licensed fishing methods permitted, while unlicensed and destructive practices remain illegal across all fisheries districts, including Mullaitivu and Mannar. He stated that Cabinet has approved a new Bill to replace the current fisheries law and that recruitment of departmental officers, joint enforcement by the Navy, Coast Guard and Police, and measures against blast fishing are being pursued. He said illegal methods harm fish quality, ecosystems and livelihoods, but rejected claims of inadequate enforcement, citing ongoing patrols, raids, prosecutions and inter-agency coordination meetings to strengthen district-level countermeasures. Oral Question: Curbing Illegal Fishing in Mullaitivu and Mannar Districts (1352/2025) Read →
- 13 November 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and Leader of the House JJB AI summary Bimal Rathnayake said the Ministry and RDA acknowledge the need for road widening and will try to include the proposal in the 2027 Budget, though no commitment can be made for funding this year. On traffic lights, he requested that proposals be submitted through the DDC or 19190 with Police concurrence, after which a traffic survey will determine whether signals should be installed next year. He also stated that about 700 RDA workers have been regularized, while around 300 more must sit the G.C.E. (O/L) exam in February before being considered for regularization, with no pass threshold required. Oral Question: Kinniya-Colombo Main Road Widening (1350/2025) Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Stefni Fernando JJB AI summary Stefni Fernando defended the 2026 Budget as a consultative and collectively designed programme, saying the Finance Minister engaged professional, business, labour and community groups before its preparation and that the previous 2025 budget helped stabilize the economy and generate savings. She argued that reduced waste, equal treatment of investors, land and infrastructure preparation, and support for innovation, SMEs and producers would attract investment and expand employment. She also noted plans to strengthen state institutions through recruitment, extend budget benefits to estate workers, increase railway gatekeepers’ monthly allowance from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 15,000, and allocate funds for additional public servants. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Hector Appuhamy SJB AI summary Hon. Hector Appuhamy criticized the 2026 Budget debate for focusing on allocations rather than implementation and outcomes, arguing that poverty now affects middle-class public servants as well as rural communities. He called for targeted relief for collapsed SMEs, including interest reductions and support for assets auctioned by banks, and urged the Government to suspend the proposed SVAT change unless timely refund mechanisms are guaranteed for exporters and import-dependent SMEs. He also proposed that the Government absorb the cost of purchasing smallholder crops such as potatoes and onions at fair prices instead of passing costs to consumers, and raised concerns that politicization and intimidation in public administration are weakening state functions. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Asoka Sapumal Ranwala JJB AI summary Hon. Asoka Sapumal Ranwala defended the 2026 Budget by highlighting projected revenue of Rs. 5,355 billion, primary expenditure of Rs. 4,485 billion, and a primary surplus of Rs. 870 billion, while noting that interest payments, amortization and adjustments create a gross financing need of Rs. 3,740 billion. He called for substantive parliamentary discussion on how to meet that financing requirement, criticizing the Opposition for not addressing it constructively. He also emphasized the Budget’s focus on reducing rural poverty, particularly through expanded economic opportunities, village-level organization such as the Dairy Hub programme, and infrastructure development. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Ismail Muththu Mohamed AI summary Hon. Ismail Muththu Mohamed supported the 2026 Budget’s stated objectives and anti-drug and anti-corruption measures, but urged that the 37 initiatives and development projects be implemented equitably rather than on political considerations. He highlighted the long-term impact of the LTTE’s expulsion of Northern Muslims, welcomed the Rs. 5,000 million allocation for internally displaced persons’ housing, and asked that locally displaced people not be sidelined, including where lands have been gazetted as forest or wildlife areas. He also requested funding to complete stalled school, tank, and housing projects in his district, expressed concern over past treatment of Muslims during COVID-19 and after the Easter attacks, and called for imported copies of the Holy Qur’an held by Customs to be released without delay. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Janaka Senarathna JJB AI summary Dr. Janaka Senarathna defended the 2026 Budget, stating that half of the Rs. 8,980 billion expenditure is required for debt servicing due to past borrowing, leaving limited space for capital spending. He highlighted allocations for health, education, public service salaries, hospital development, medical supplies, Suvaseriya, nutrition, primary healthcare, and specific projects including upgrades at Ratnapura Hospital and the National Cardiac Unit. He supported the proposed National Pay Commission to address public service salary disparities and noted plans to complete abandoned public construction projects through public-private partnerships. He also cited allocations for dairy, fisheries, Thriposha, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, youth from probationary homes, roads, and the Ruwanpura Expressway. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Manjula Sugath Rathnayaka JJB AI summary Hon. Manjula Sugath Rathnayaka supported the 2026 Budget, stating that it focuses on macroeconomic stability, fiscal discipline, strengthening State-Owned Enterprises, and public accountability while reducing political perks, waste, and corruption. He highlighted proposals including public sector salary increases and recruitment, support for SMEs, improvements to trade facilitation through the National Single Window, domestic airport expansion, public facility upgrades, and increased Mahapola and bursary payments. He also cited allocations for health infrastructure, women’s empowerment, human-elephant conflict mitigation, regularizing temporary public employees, and housing for artists, media workers, and the upcountry plantation community. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Jagath Vithana SJB AI summary Jagath Vithana argued that the 2026 Budget has not provided real relief to citizens, citing high prices, imports during local harvests, and concerns over vehicle imports for parliamentarians despite past promises to reject perks. He stated he would refuse the double-cab vehicle offered to him and tabled related documents, while questioning the Government’s claims on Treasury strength and foreign reserves, noting limited reserve growth and a current account deficit. He also raised concerns about drug trafficking exposed by media in Colombo and criticized the alleged non-implementation and underfunding of the Anti-Corruption Act and CIABOC. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney-at-Law JJB AI summary Hon. Nilusha Lakmali Gamage supported the 2026 Budget, arguing that the Government had stabilized the macroeconomy, strengthened public finances and state-owned enterprises, and addressed corruption and accountability after its first Budget. She outlined the Budget’s strategic objectives, including inclusive growth, export diversification, debt sustainability, rural poverty reduction, digitalization, investment facilitation through proposed PPP and Investment Protection laws, and tourism earnings targets. She highlighted allocations for a National Cardiac Unit, plantation worker wage and attendance incentives, women’s entrepreneurship, senior citizens, and migrant worker housing loans and pensions, and urged Ratnapura gem traders to invest their earnings productively. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Ashoka Gunasena JJB AI summary Ashoka Gunasena supported the 2026 Budget, arguing that it continues the government’s post-2025 direction of economic stabilization, production-led development, and social wellbeing across age groups. He contrasted it with previous budgets, which he said relied on short-term promises and failed to build production, citing unpaid government obligations to banks for promised interest on retirees’ deposits and noting that the new Budget provides for those payments. He also rejected Opposition criticism on IMF-related issues and VAT on health equipment, stating that the government had ended corrupt COVID-era antigen test procurement practices and was pursuing a non-corrupt approach to health and public finance. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Kins Nelson SJB AI summary Kins Nelson reviewed implementation of the 2025 Budget and argued that several allocations had shown limited or no progress, citing youth agriculture loans, sports funding, and a waste removal machine for Anuradhapura. He criticized the absence of clear Budget proposals for key Ministries, especially Defence, and raised concerns over national security and a recent US travel advisory. He called for greater attention to the human-elephant conflict, noting deaths and limited progress on fence maintenance, and questioned delays and adequacy in agricultural support, including fertilizer subsidies and market problems faced by onion farmers. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Fasmin Sharif JJB AI summary Hon. Fasmin Sharif supported the Budget, highlighting proposed measures for plantation workers, including a Rs. 200 government grant alongside wage increases that he said would raise daily earnings to Rs. 1,750, and allocations for health, tourism development in Nuwara Eliya, Digana and Ambuluwa, and Rs. 400 million for Gampola Hospital. He argued the Budget was inclusive and aimed at economic recovery, debt management, inflation control, education and technology development, while crediting the Government for projects in Gampola. He also commended Anoma Dilrukshi Jayaratne for returning a valuable property to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, rejected allegations that the Government was racist or neglecting Muslim MPs, and defended NPP members against Opposition claims of corruption. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Imran Maharoof SJB AI summary Hon. Imran Maharoof questioned the Government’s claim that the 2026 Budget is “the best in history,” arguing that many 2025 Budget pledges and election promises remain unimplemented and asking how the Opposition can have confidence in new proposals. He criticized Government members for continuing to blame the 2021-2022 economic crisis despite having taken office in 2024, and called on them to focus on delivery rather than past governments. He also alleged that, although the Government rejects ethnic or regional divisions in rhetoric, its actions show inadequate inclusion of Muslim and Tamil representation, citing Cabinet formation and the Clean Sri Lanka initiative. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Aravinda Senarath JJB AI summary Aravinda Senarath said the Government had arranged relief measures including a Rs. 14,000 fertilizer subsidy for inter-season cultivation, farmer compensation payments including arrears, Rs. 15,000 per hectare in additional cultivation assistance, a fuel subsidy for fishers, and expanded access to the President’s Fund at village level. He criticized the Opposition over past handling of compensation and welfare funds, and stated that the public servants’ basic salary would rise from Rs. 24,250 to Rs. 40,000, with 30 percent of the increase paid from January 2026. He argued that the 2025 relief measures and the 2026 Budget would support development and change Sri Lanka’s political and economic trajectory. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Aravinda Senarath - Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister praised the Government’s second Budget as people-focused and said public reaction across sectors was positive. He argued that the Opposition was divided in its response, with some acknowledging Government achievements while others criticized revenue and growth measures. He also urged Members to avoid personal attacks and uphold the dignity of Parliament as a law-making institution. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe JJB AI summary (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe clarified that the Social Security Contribution Levy on vehicles is not a new tax but an existing levy to be collected properly at import, manufacture or sale. He detailed Budget allocations for fisheries infrastructure, harbour rehabilitation, fisher safety technology, fish catch improvement, satellite-based fishing ground identification, and inland fisheries, while rejecting Opposition claims of poor implementation of the 2025 Budget. He said most planned projects in the Horana DS Division would be completed by year-end and argued that the Government had stabilized the economy, advanced debt restructuring, expanded welfare and restarted development after taking office during an economic crisis. He cited acknowledgements by Opposition MPs on economic stabilization, exports, fiscal improvements and anti-corruption efforts to support the Government’s 2026 Budget direction. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha JJB AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha defended the 2026 Budget under the Government’s “Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life” policy framework, arguing that claims of no allocations for fisheries or new taxes were inaccurate. She cited allocations for agriculture and fisheries and economic indicators including projected growth, reserves, exports, remittances, tourism earnings, revenue, and the primary balance as evidence of improved economic management. She also highlighted planned public sector recruitment, payment of delayed pensions, improved labour indicators, and defended the proposed Rs. 400 plantation worker wage increase, with contributions from both companies and Government, as support owed to Sri Lankan workers. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →
- 12 November 2025 The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB AI summary Namal Karunaratne defended the Budget as one that gives reasonable expectations to the public while rejecting what he described as bad-faith criticism from the Opposition. He outlined Government measures to address agricultural market problems following increased production, including procurement of big onions and potatoes, a Rs. 1,000 million allocation for maize, potato and onion market issues, and forthcoming guaranteed prices with more systematic purchasing. He said the Government would also reduce production costs and improve yields, and defended support for plantation workers’ wage increases as assistance to low-income workers. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Read →