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- 5 December 2025 Hon. Members AI summary Parliament agreed to an amendment to Head 241, increasing the capital allocation for the Department of Public Enterprises by Rs. 7 billion to Rs. 85.513 billion, in line with Budget Proposals Nos. 03 and 57. The Committee then approved the relevant recurrent and capital expenditure allocations for Heads 241 to 245, including the Departments of Public Enterprises, Management Services, Development Finance, Trade and Investment Policies, and Public Finance, and began consideration of Head 246 for the Department of Inland Revenue. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Amendments to Ministry Heads Read →
- 5 December 2025 Hon. Members AI summary Parliament agreed to amend Head 240, Programme 02 of the Schedule by reducing the Department of National Budget’s recurrent and capital allocations to Rs. 43,847,300,000 and Rs. 37,664,700,000 respectively. The amendment transferred provisions for selected budget proposals to the implementing institutions and accommodated changes to ministerial subjects and functions under Extraordinary Gazette No. 2458/65 of 18 October 2025. The House then proceeded to Head 241, Department of Public Enterprises, with allocations listed for its Operational Activities programme. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Amendments to Ministry Heads Read →
- 5 December 2025 Hon. Members AI summary Parliament agreed to an amendment under Head 237, reducing the Department of National Planning’s Programme 01 capital allocation by Rs. 2,250,000,000 to Rs. 4,974,000,000, to facilitate funding for the National Community Power Movement referred to in Item 13 of the 2026 Budget Speech. The House approved the related recurrent allocation of Rs. 204,000,000 and then agreed to the recurrent and capital allocations for the Departments of Fiscal Policy, External Resources, and National Budget as listed. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Amendments to Ministry Heads Read →
- 5 December 2025 Hon. Members AI summary An amendment to Head 102 under the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development was agreed, increasing Programme 02 capital expenditure by Rs. 1.1 billion to Rs. 9.807 billion, incorporating provisions from Budget Proposals Nos. 07 and 09. The related recurrent allocation of Rs. 12 million and the amended capital allocation were approved to stand part of the Schedule, after which consideration proceeded to Head 237, the Department of National Planning. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Amendments to Ministry Heads Read →
- 5 December 2025 Hon. Members AI summary Parliament agreed to amend and approve the relevant Schedule allocations, inserting Rs. 330.584 billion for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 227.948 billion for capital expenditure. It also approved Head 102, Programme 01 allocations of Rs. 242.642 billion for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 606.2 million for capital expenditure, with Programme 02 allocations noted as Rs. 12 million recurrent and Rs. 8.707 billion capital expenditure. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Amendments to Ministry Heads Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha JJB AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Anil Jayantha moved a Committee Stage amendment to the Appropriation Bill, 2026. The amendment proposes revising the Ministry’s allocations to Rs. 330.584 billion for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 227.948 billion for capital expenditure. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Amendments to Ministry Heads Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna JJB AI summary K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna moved a Committee Stage amendment to the Appropriation Bill, 2026, relating to Head 337. The amendment seeks to delete specified lines on page 28 in order to transfer the recurrent and capital allocations for the Department of Cinnamon Development to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, in line with Extraordinary Gazette No. 2458/65 of 18 October 2025. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Continued Budget Debate and Amendments Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna JJB AI summary Moved amendments to the 2026 Appropriation Bill during the Committee Stage on behalf of the Minister of Finance, revising allocations for the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure. The amendments increased total recurrent expenditure to Rs. 13.35 billion and reduced capital expenditure to Rs. 11.7 billion, with a further Rs. 7.5 billion increase under Head 135, Programme 02, reflecting Budget Proposals Nos. 14 and 23. The relevant recurrent and capital expenditure votes, including Programme 01 and Programme 02 allocations, were put to the House, agreed to, and ordered to stand part of the Schedule. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Continued Budget Debate and Amendments Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe JJB AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Finance, Wasantha Samarasinghe moved amendments during the Committee Stage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill relating to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development and its departments. The amendments increased capital provision under Head 116 by Rs. 1.5 billion, linked to Budget Proposals Nos. 26 and 59, and increased the Department of Food Commissioner’s capital provision by Rs. 250 million under Budget Proposal No. 24. The Committee agreed to the amended recurrent and capital allocations for the Ministry and related institutions, including the Departments of Commerce, Registrar of Companies, Measurement Units, Standards and Services, National Intellectual Property Office, Co-operative Development, and the Co-operative Employees Commission. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Continued Budget Debate and Amendments Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake AI summary Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the State was on a recovery path in 2025, with higher public sector salaries, planned recruitment of 76,000 public servants including about 12,000 graduate positions, and improved revenue collection, but that a recent natural disaster had created a major economic shock. He argued that revenue gains came mainly from better tax administration rather than new taxes, noting reductions or deferrals to PAYE, digital services, property, and milk-product taxes, while Customs, Inland Revenue, and Excise collections had increased. He rejected proposals to halt the Appropriation Bill or introduce an interim Budget, stating that the 2026 Budget formed part of a broader economic strategy and that relief would be provided without destabilizing the fragile recovery. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Continued Budget Debate and Amendments Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman UNP AI summary Hon. Jeevan Thondaman described flood and cyclone damage in Kotmale and other hill-country areas, requesting urgent assistance for displaced families, including those at Nuwara Eliya Gamini Vidyalaya, and raising concerns about local administrative support. He reported relief efforts supported by private donors and said accounts for funds collected would be submitted to Parliament. While noting doubts about the Budget’s feasibility and reserving detailed comment on plantation wages, he urged the Government to consider granting land titles to plantation communities as a practical response where housing for all is unaffordable. He said the Opposition and the Ceylon Workers’ Congress would support the President and Government at this stage, emphasizing national cooperation beyond party, ethnic, or religious divisions. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Continued Budget Debate and Amendments Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. K. Kader Masthan SLLP AI summary Hon. K. Kader Masthan expressed condolences for lives lost in the storm and floods and commended the Government, security forces, officials, foreign partners, NGOs and youth for their disaster response. He detailed severe damage in Mannar, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Weli Oya, calling for alternative land and housing, compensation, bridge and road repairs, tank restoration and support for affected farming and livestock communities. He urged that relief payments be standardized based on actual damage, proposing Rs. 25,000 for all households or lands flooded, and requested that assistance be delivered without discrimination or administrative obstruction. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Nishantha Perera JJB AI summary Hon. Nishantha Perera defended the Government’s second Budget, contrasting it with the economic crisis inherited from previous administrations and criticizing the Opposition for opposing a Rs. 200 wage increase. He said some Opposition MPs supported the measure despite their party leadership, and thanked them. He also described the Government and NPP response to recent sea surges and landslides across 22 districts, detailing volunteer relief and cleanup work in Akurana, Kandy, carried out with local officials, religious institutions, and community support. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Arjuna Sujeewa Senasinghe, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Hon. Arjuna Sujeewa Senasinghe criticised the Government’s disaster preparedness and response to the cyclone and floods, arguing that credible warnings from the Meteorology Department and international media were available but were not acted upon in time, and that the Emergency and state mobilisation were delayed. He called for a unified, cross-party and expert-led coordination mechanism to manage relief, recovery, agriculture, business losses, and resettlement, including parliamentary sanction for land allocation and immediate support for survivors. He also urged international assistance and debt relief, while stating that Emergency powers should be used to protect people rather than intimidate the public, Opposition, or media. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Champika Hettiarachchi JJB AI summary Condemning the loss of life from the floods, Champika Hettiarachchi said cooperatives had been used effectively in relief efforts and argued that the disaster debate had overtaken the scheduled discussion on trade, food security and cooperatives. He rejected Opposition claims that adequate early warnings had been issued, comparing current casualties in Gampaha with those in 2016 and 2017 and attributing heightened risk partly to past land distribution, encroachment and unauthorized construction. He defended the Government’s Treasury reserves as enabling rapid disaster response, criticized past unfulfilled housing pledges by the current Leader of the Opposition, and called for non-partisan cooperation in rebuilding. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB AI summary Minister K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna described the recent disaster as an unprecedented national calamity, with severe loss of life and infrastructure damage in plantation areas and across Badulla, and argued that mountainous terrain makes recovery especially difficult and costly. He outlined relief and restoration efforts, stating that daily district disaster management meetings were held, most water and electricity services had been restored, many key roads reopened, and repairs to provincial roads, bridges, communications towers, and hospitals were progressing with support from state agencies, the military, volunteers, and utility workers. He criticized the Opposition for allegedly failing to participate in local disaster coordination meetings, questioned claims that they had warned of the disaster earlier, and linked some damage to past debt-funded development that he said had environmental consequences. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake described severe flood and landslide damage in Badulla and surrounding districts, thanking southern communities for relief assistance while urging the Government not to politicize aid distribution through party-branded government vehicles. He detailed destroyed bridges, blocked roads, landslides, and devastation at Mahiyanganaya Base Hospital and other public institutions, alleging that timely water management at Rantambe and Randenigala could have reduced the damage. He called for ministerial accountability, including resignation of the Highways Minister, and urged the Government to acquire plantation and suitable forest lands for urgent resettlement of displaced people in Badulla and Passara. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. G. G. Ponnambalam ACTC AI summary Hon. G. G. Ponnambalam said the Government had advance warnings before the cyclone and floods and called for an in-depth inquiry into preparedness and response, citing loss of life and alleged failures in coordination, particularly across the Northern Province. He argued that relief efforts disproportionately focused on Jaffna while more affected districts such as Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu lacked proper coordinated attention. He demanded transparency in housing relief payments, including immediate publication of household-level beneficiary lists through Divisional Secretariats, citing concerns about inflated figures and political interference. He also stated that his side would call for a vote at the Third Reading to oppose what he described as disproportionate defence allocations and inadequate allocations for the North and East. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri JJB AI summary Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri expressed condolences for Tri-Forces personnel and civilians who died in the disaster, and argued that the floods resulted from exceptionally intense rainfall exceeding the capacity of Sri Lanka’s mainly irrigation-based reservoirs, not from failures to open sluice gates. He said engineers acted to protect reservoir bunds and rejected Opposition claims about inadequate response and allocations, stating that Polonnaruwa received LKR 228 million for initial house-cleaning assistance and LKR 27 million for food, rations, and camp management. He reported that around 11,300 families and nearly 40,000 people were displaced in Polonnaruwa, and said repairs were underway at Elahera and Kumara Ella, including a commitment to repair damaged bridge spans within 14 days. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →
- 5 December 2025 The Hon. Fasmin Sharif JJB AI summary Hon. Fasmin Sharif described the severe flood and landslide impact in Kandy District, particularly Gampola, and outlined rescue and relief efforts coordinated through the District Secretariat, Udapalatha Pradeshiya Sabha, security forces, local youth, and outside relief teams. He tabled documents on affected areas, relief distribution, and safe centres, and rejected allegations that local authorities failed to act, citing early public alerts and continuous operations. He said the immediate major challenge is clearing accumulated garbage in Gampola and called for a long-term solution to the lack of land and planning for solid waste management. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Budget Debate on Disaster Response and Government Allocations Read →