2021-10-08
News Categories : Committee News
Addressing the 8th meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, Hon. Minister of Justice M.U.M. Ali Sabry, PC directed the “Draft - Report on Community based Correction System in Sri Lanka” to be circulated among all Parliamentarians, for their suggestions and observations for the purpose of being further developed. He further instructed to obtain public views regarding the report.
Hon. Minister of Justice M.U.M. Ali Sabry made the aforesaid directive at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice held yesterday (07) as the initial step towards the transformation of the Criminal Justice System in Sri Lanka.
H.E. Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, UN Resident Coordinator to Sri Lanka and Mr. Robert Juhkam, Resident Representative of UNDP were also in attendance at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice chaired by Hon. M.U.M. Ali Sabry.
The Hon. Justice Minister was of the view that there is no point of sending people behind bars without reforming them and therefore, community-based correction system would be a more effective method. Accordingly, possibilities of correcting those who are sentenced for less than two years within the community without imprisoning them was taken into consideration.
The discussion on Community based correction was set in motion following the presentation by the Assistant Secretary General of Parliament and former Justice Official Mr. Tikiri K. Jayathilake. The Assistant Secretary General addressing the committee, stated that Criminal Law and the notion of justice are entwined and it is important to extricate an individual into society as a responsible citizen rather than labeling them as criminals.
Furthermore, he stated that the said objective could be done by the Ministerial Consultative Committee via two tiers. One being the political tier inclusive of the political leadership in stirring towards the requisite reforms. The second tier includes officials and professionals representing various fields contributing their expertise towards the creation and development of relevant reforms.
The Assistant Secretary General of Parliament also emphasized that suggestions of Hon. Members of Parliament and various stakeholder are imperative in order to develop this system.
Addressing the Committee, H.E. Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, UN Resident Coordinator to Sri Lanka commended the Ministry of Justice for its efforts in the transformation of the Criminal Justice System. Adding to it, she further stated that Community based correction could avoid exposing offenders to the conditions of the prison which could sometimes be violent and unsafe creating a cycle of coming in and going out of prison.
Hon. Members of Parliament Weerasumana Weerasinghe, G. G. Ponnambalam, Sagara Kariyawasam, Madhura Withanage, Diana Gamage, Gamini Waleboda, S. Kajendran, Ajith Rajapakse, Akila Ellawala marked their presence at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice chaired by the Hon. Minister of Justice Ali Sabry.
2026-07-20
A technical report prepared by the Election Commission on enhancing the representation of women and youth at Provincial Council Elections was presented to the Parliamentary Select Committee to look into and report to Parliament on the matter of selecting the Electoral System under which the Provincial Council Elections should be held and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard.The Select Committee met recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Vijitha Herath. Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus of Sri Lanka, together with the Members of the Caucus, also participated in the meeting.The report presented by the Election Commission outlined a proposed technical framework for increasing the representation of women and youth while retaining the existing Proportional Representation electoral system and preserving the current method of determining election results.The Committee held extensive discussions on the legal and practical issues that may arise in ensuring the representation of women and youth under the proposed electoral system. It was decided to examine these matters further and continue the discussion at a future meeting.During the discussion, the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus unanimously emphasized that women's representation at Provincial Council and Local Government Elections should be increased to at least 33%. The Caucus further stressed that this position should be duly taken into consideration when formulating the proposed electoral system.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Arun Hemachandra and Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala; Hon. Members of Parliament R. M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmali Gunasinghe, and Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi and the Chairman of the Election Commission, R. M. A. L. Ratnayake, together with the other Members of the Election Commission.
2026-07-20
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability discussed the paddy purchasing process and the measures taken by the Government to ensure an adequate supply of rice to meet the country's requirement.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy. During the meeting, the importance of establishing a comprehensive and reliable agricultural data system to minimize the imbalance between agricultural production and market demand was emphasized. The Committee observed that the introduction of an integrated data system capable of providing accurate information on cultivated crop varieties, cultivation extents and market demand would help minimize excess production and price-related issues while ensuring farmers receive a fair price for their produce.The Committee also discussed the production and consumption patterns of rice varieties such as Samba, Keeri Samba, Nadu and Red Rice, and stressed the importance of planning production in line with market demand.Attention was also drawn to the need to strengthen data sharing and coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation and other relevant institutions.Meanwhile, at the request of Hon. Member of Parliament Ajith P. Perera, the Committee also considered a proposal referred by the Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection regarding amendments to the Survey Act, No. 17 of 2002.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Upul Kithsiri, Kitnan Selvaraj, and Ajith P. Perera. Secretaries to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, together with a group of officials representing the relevant Ministries, were also present.
2026-07-16
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education recently discussed and approved the final report of the Committee appointed to make recommendations for the establishment of an Education Council in Sri Lanka which had been endorsed by the Sub-Committee on the Establishment of an Education Council.The approval was granted at the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.During the meeting, the Chair of the Sub-Committee, Hon. Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, presented the report to the Committee. The report incorporates the observations and recommendations made following a comprehensive study conducted by the panel of experts appointed by the Ministry to formulate recommendations for the establishment of an Education Council in Sri Lanka.Thereafter, the Committee sought the views and proposals of its members on the contents of the report. Following an extensive discussion, the Ministerial Consultative Committee approved the report.The meeting was attended by Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, and officials of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.
2026-07-16
The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) extensively reviewed the Auditor General's Reports relating to the Department of Examinations of Sri Lanka for the years 2021 to 2024, as well as its current performance.The discussion took place when the Committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of its Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim.During the meeting, the Committee focused on a number of matters, including the conduct of examinations and the process of releasing examination results, the use of information technology systems, human resource management, procurement procedures, the submission of annual reports to Parliament, and the implementation of the recommendations of the Auditor General.Officials also briefed the Committee on the measures taken to further enhance the Department's current performance and service efficiency, as well as the programmes scheduled to be implemented in the future.The Committee also discussed the action taken in response to the observations of the Auditor General and instructed the officials to take the necessary steps to expedite the implementation of the remaining recommendations.The meeting was attended by Committee Members Hon. Deputy Ministers Nalin Hewage and Sugath Thilakarathna, and Hon. Members of Parliament Chanaka Madugoda, Dr. M. L. A. M. Hizbullah, Hector Appuhamy, T. K. Jayasundara, Chandana Sooriyarachchi, Lal Premanath, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Dr. Janaka Senarathna and Sunil Rathnasiri.
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