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- 7 March 2025 The Hon. T. B. Sarath JJB AI summary Rs. 1,360 million has been allocated for repairs to apartments in the Colombo District, while Rs. 3,000 million is set aside nationwide for housing construction. The aim is to build within the year a number of houses equivalent to those built during 2015–2019, with a further Rs. 2,850 million allocated as assistance. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. T. B. Sarath JJB AI summary Hon. T. B. Sarath alleged that some individuals who received compensation and insurance payments for damaged houses, including cases of limited damage, also obtained State apartments, thereby misusing public funds. He said that when such matters are exposed the Opposition becomes agitated, and argued that concerns raised about limestone at the National Water Supply and Drainage Board relate to a cancelled contractor agreement. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB AI summary Bimal Rathnayake asked the Deputy Minister to clarify whether the group under discussion includes persons who had already received compensation. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. T. B. Sarath - Deputy Minister of Housing JJB AI summary Deputy Minister T. B. Sarath argued that housing policy had been driven by politically motivated targets rather than verified need, citing incomplete model village projects, overstated construction figures, unoccupied or rented-out houses, and thousands of units left only at foundation stage. He said the Government has allocated Rs. 2,000 million this year to complete part of the unfinished work and raised concerns over past projects including Ranpokunugama, Yakkala Charalawatta, Marine Town, athlete housing promises, and NHDA recruitment. He also alleged irregular procurement, missing files, political allocation of housing units, and State losses from concessionary apartments given to MPs after the Aragalaya-related attacks. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman UNP AI summary Jeevan Thondaman urged cross-party cooperation in response to risks from the global geopolitical and trade environment, including potential inflation and reduced demand for Sri Lankan exports. He proposed establishing an inter-party action committee for parties to meet, discuss issues, and develop solutions for the public. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman UNP AI summary Hon. Jeevan Thondaman urged that disciplinary action referenced by the Leader of the House result in a permanent remedy rather than a temporary suspension. He highlighted road rehabilitation completed in the hill country using profits from the Water Supply Ministry under the previous administration, and asked the Government to increase BSR rates so contractors will undertake remaining difficult roads such as Dayagama, Frotoft and St. Andrew’s Upper. On housing, he argued that land titles for plantation communities are more important than limited state-built housing allocations, noting the scale of housing need and requesting implementation of Cabinet-approved measures to provide land. He also briefly referenced concerns raised about chromium content in water and hydrated lime. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake informed the House that the bus conductor involved in the previous day’s Nuwara Eliya incident had been suspended and was subject to a disciplinary inquiry. He said the Ministry regretted and apologised to the affected schoolchildren, noting that a decision was already in place that no passenger, including students using season tickets, should be left behind. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku JJB AI summary Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku stated that regulatory bottlenecks in the aviation sector would be addressed while maintaining compliance with national security requirements and ICAO regulations. He noted that Bandaranaike International Airport handled 8.8 million passengers despite being designed for 6 million, and called for expediting Terminal 2 construction, which would add capacity for 9 million passengers annually. He also highlighted air navigation revenue of Rs. 3,200 million in 2024 and said Rs. 3,500 million had been allocated in the Budget for a new building and technology upgrades. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku - Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation JJB AI summary Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku argued that Sri Lanka’s strategic maritime location should be used to restore its historical role in international trade, with ports and airports serving as gateways to economic growth. He outlined expansion plans for the Port of Colombo, including the West and East Container Terminals, a proposed West Container Terminal 2, and Colombo North Port, targeting total capacity of about 30 million TEUs by 2035. He also said the Government would address congestion and capacity constraints through improved marketing, fuel storage and bunkering arrangements, and an ADB-funded feasibility study for a rail-linked multimodal logistics centre and inland dry port at Bloemendhal. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Arkam Ilyas JJB AI summary Hon. Arkam Ilyas focused on urban development under the Budget, noting the allocation of about Rs. 98 billion for UDA development activities and arguing that stalled construction projects have tied up valuable land, public funds, and private investments. He cited unfinished projects such as the KRIS building, Grand Hyatt, and Destiny Mall and Residency, and said over 20 high-rise projects in Colombo are abandoned due to poor feasibility, commissions, and politicized decisions. He also highlighted flood-related urban development issues in areas including Dikwella, Beruwala, Wewurukannala, and Akurana, calling for scientific, expedited, and apolitical feasibility studies and solutions through the UDA and SLLRDC. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB AI summary Funds have been allocated for the Kurinchakerny Bridge, and concerns raised over a Sri Lanka Ports Authority tender for 15 straddle carriers have been referred to the Presidential Investigation Unit, with related matters before court. Bimal Rathnayake said the procurement involved serious irregularities, including alleged manipulation of a Cabinet paper in September 2024, bypassing of procedures, and approvals and award of the tender immediately before the Presidential Election. He stated that the Government has decided to re-tender the procurement and argued this would not cause unusual delay, urging Members to verify facts before making claims. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen SJB AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen raised a series of infrastructure and development requests affecting Ampara, Mannar, Vavuniya, Puttalam and surrounding areas, including rehabilitation of bridges and roads, completion of halted iRoad and RDA works, release of withdrawn repair funds for displaced communities’ camp areas, and additional funding for the Vattuvagal project. He sought the Government’s position on Oluvil Port, urged revival of the Rameswaram–Talaimannar ferry and jetty rehabilitation, and requested action to reopen the Mannar–Puttalam road at least as a motorable gravel route despite pending litigation on carpeting. He also proposed BOT-based expressway links to northern and eastern tourism areas and asked that incomplete housing projects and a partially built cultural hall in Silavathurai be funded regardless of political changes. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. (Ms.) Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law JJB AI summary Hon. Lakmali Hemachandra highlighted that 12,240 road accident deaths occurred in the past five years, with pedestrians, motorcyclists, and three-wheeler drivers among the main victims. She said recommendations from the 2014 P. Dayaratne Report and parliamentary committees to strengthen transport regulation, including empowering the National Transport Commission to regulate three-wheelers and school transport, had remained largely unimplemented for a decade. She noted that the Government has now submitted a Cabinet paper to amend the NTC Act and is working to reconstitute the National Council for Road Safety as a Commission, calling for coordinated, system-wide action to prioritize road safety. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB AI summary Mujibur Rahman criticized post-2005 Hambantota development projects undertaken by the Rajapaksas with Chinese loans, describing facilities such as conference halls, wide roads, and the port as “white elephants.” He argued that institutions like the Asian Development Bank and World Bank would not have funded such projects. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB AI summary Hon. Mujibur Rahman argued that Colombo’s post-2010 resettlement into high-rise housing was poorly planned, disrupted livelihoods, and has left the Government bearing major repair costs, while valuable urban land was freed for commercial development. He urged future housing policy to use mixed-income models, provide affordable units specifically for Colombo renters and lower-income families, and prevent the Urban Development Authority from functioning primarily as a developer for higher-income buyers. He called on the Minister to cancel allegedly irregular allocations and leases of Housing Ministry and NHDA properties made without tender, including common facilities in housing schemes, and questioned whether the proposed Rs. 1 million-per-family housing assistance across GN divisions is adequate. He also raised concern over Colombo Port competitiveness in light of the West Container Terminal arrangement with Adani and the development of Vizhinjam Port in India. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne NDF AI summary Anuradha Jayaratne argued that the transport sector requires restructuring beyond traditional methods to meet national targets. Citing the Doluwe–Kandy route, he said road infrastructure had improved but bus services remained outdated, and he supported a new model with private participation where the State cannot bear the full burden. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody JJB AI summary Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody supported the 2025 Citizens’ Budget, arguing that it lays the foundation for recovery after the economic crisis and contrasting it with past fiscal mismanagement. He detailed allocations and plans under the Urban Development, Construction and Housing Ministry, including funding for Siyath Nagara, Anuradhapura and Jaffna development, urban regeneration housing, provincial master plans, and projects in Colombo, Homagama and Kolonnawa. He alleged past malpractice in urban development projects in Gampaha, including misuse of UDA land, underused buildings, and improper capture of public-purpose land, and said investigations would proceed while inviting voluntary return of such lands. He called for structured, needs-based urban planning to reduce rural–urban disparities and ensure transparent use of public funds. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB AI summary The Minister informed Parliament about allegations that an SLTB conductor in the Matugama area had asked schoolchildren to leave a bus. He stated that SLTB policy requires all schoolchildren with season tickets and all passengers to be accepted on SLTB buses, and that the conductor has been removed from duty pending an inquiry and will not be reassigned until investigations are completed. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi SJB AI summary Dilip Wedaarachchi raised housing, infrastructure, and transport issues in Hambantota District during debate on the relevant expenditure heads. He requested a separate review and completion of stalled “Udagam” housing projects begun in 2015–2019, including provision of water and electricity, highlighting the Agrapahara scheme where most houses remain unoccupied due to lack of water. He also sought restoration of key railway services from Beliatta, including the Ruhunu Kumari and Beliatta–Kandy express, and urged completion of several unfinished bridge projects affecting local transport and agriculture. He further asked that the closed Tangalle building materials supply unit of the National Housing Development Authority be reopened. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →
- 7 March 2025 The Hon. D.V. Chanaka SLPP AI summary Hon. D.V. Chanaka said that action against Hon. Keheliya Rambukwella occurred under the previous Government, noting that he was impeached and remanded then. He questioned the decision to raise the chromium limit for hydrated lime to 12 mg/kg, arguing that repeated test failures, including foreign tests, and inconsistent laboratory results required standardisation, supplier blacklisting where appropriate, and a thorough investigation. He warned that chromium is carcinogenic and said public safety in water treatment must be safeguarded, while also asking why ministerial and chairman statements differed. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Read →