2023-01-19
News Categories : Committee News
On Jan 18th, under the chairmanship of Hon. (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara, The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) called the Foreign Employment Bureau to review the progress of the implementation of the orders given at the committee meeting on 08.12.2022. Under that, 13 matters were discussed.
1. COPE re-submitted its opinion on its recommendation that the Foreign Employment Bureau Act should be amended in a suitable manner to act as a regulatory agency.
The Secretary to the Ministry commented on the reasons for appointing two foreign employment representatives to the Board of Directors. COPE was of the opinion that there would be a conflict of interest due to it.
COPE was of the opinion that if an expert understanding regarding certain matters of the Bureau is required, the sub-committee for that purpose should appoint task forces and provide the necessary instructions. Therefore, it was recommended that the Act be amended to suit the operation of the Foreign Employment Bureau as a regulatory agency.
2. The recommendations of COPE to maintain a separate account for the Welfare Fund of the Foreign Employment Bureau were discussed again. The Auditor General specifically mentioned that a separate financial statement and set of accounts should be maintained for the agency's welfare account. Furthermore, it was mentioned that the fund should be used only for emigrant welfare to which the Foreign Employment Bureau agreed.
3. Actions to be taken to effectively avail the Kuwait Fund were discussed. The secretary agreed to send a detailed report about it to the committee.
4. Matters were also discussed regarding the Bureau's efforts to obtain formal approval from the relevant institutions regarding payments and allowances. It is proposed to implement the opinion of the Auditor General's for that.
5. It was decided to implement the opinion of the Auditor General's on the appointment of a special committee on the decisions made regarding the investment of money in the Foreign Employment Bureau.
6. It was decided to call for a special report from the Auditor General regarding the insurance.
7. The recommendations made regarding the appointment of an investigation panel to investigate certain corruptions and irregularities that are believed to have occurred in the agency by contacting the Ministry of Public Administration was taken up for a re-discussion.
8. The Secretary promised that he would promptly submit his recommendations to COPE on the procedures to be followed on the appointment of officers to foreign missions.
9. It was also recommended to submit the composite plan to COPE on 09/02/2022 taking into consideration the recommendations given by COPE to amend the necessary Acts and prepare the rules for preparing the role of the Foreign Employment Bureau as a regulatory agency away from conducting business affairs.
10. It was recommended that the training programs currently conducted by the bureau, gradually handed over to the relevant government agencies. The Secretary to the Ministry was requested to report the facts on how the Foreign Employment Bureau is dealing with the institutions established for business activities outside of commercial and business activities.
11. It was recommended to check the quality of the training institutes currently owned by the Bureau and submit a report.
12. In cases where Treasury representatives are members of the board of directors of government institutions, in cases where they cannot agree with the decisions taken by those institutions in accordance with the rules and regulations of the government, they should inform the Auditor General and COPE through the Secretary to the Treasury in writing.
The progress of all these recommendations was discussed at length in the committee and the committee explained the further steps to be taken regarding these recommendations.
State Ministers Hon. Jagath Pushpakumara, Hon. Janaka Wakkumbura, Hon. Lohan Ratwatte, Members of Parliament Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Hon. Eran Wickramaratne, Hon. Nimal Lanza, Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, Hon. (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya, Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte, Hon. Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha, Hon. Ms. Rajika Wickramasinghe, Hon. Madhura Withanage were present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-05-26
The Central Provincial Council was summoned before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) to examine the Auditor General’s triennial report for the years 2021–2023, the Auditor General’s report for 2024, and the Council’s current performance.The committee meeting, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim, was held recently at Parliament.During the meeting, attention was drawn to the progress made in implementing recommendations issued at the COPA meeting held on 5th September, 2019. Discussions focused on the incident involving the destruction of files belonging to the Central Provincial Passenger Transport Authority.It was revealed that directives issued by the relevant court and the Presidential Secretary regarding the incident had not been implemented by the responsible authorities. In this regard, the Committee Chairman instructed officials of the Central Provincial Council to submit all reports and correspondence related to the incident to the committee.In addition, the committee discussed an incident involving the unlawful transfer of a rest house owned by the Road Development Authority to a third party in violation of lease conditions. Accordingly, the Chairman instructed officials to identify the officers responsible for making the relevant decisions and to submit a report to the committee on the legal action being taken in connection with the matter.The committee also held extensive discussions on irregularities identified by the National Audit Office in road development and passenger transport services in the Central Province, as well as issues affecting the health sector.Expressing his views during the meeting, the Chairman emphasized the importance of expediting ongoing investigations within institutions and focusing on follow-up action. He further stressed that if a state institution generates profits, such profits should accrue to the government, and if such revenue is used for institutional activities, established legal provisions and procedures must be strictly followed.The meeting was attended by committee members Hon. Members of Parliament Dr. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Sunil Rathnasiri, Oshani Umanga, Susantha Kumara Navarathna, Ajantha Gammeddage, Chanaka Madugoda, T.K. Jayasundara and Lal Premanath along with a group of government officials.
2026-05-26
The Parliamentary Select Committee of Parliament 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, recently sought views from the Attorney General’s Department and members of the Election Commission.The discussion took place when the committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Vijitha Herath.During the meeting, the Attorney General’s Department briefed the committee on the existing legal obstacles to holding Provincial Council elections and the possible ways in which such obstacles could be removed to facilitate the conduct of the elections.The Election Commission informed the committee that it is prepared to conduct Provincial Council elections at any time under the legal provisions enacted by Parliament based on the committee’s recommendations.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Arun Hemachandra, Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law and Muneer Mulaffer as well as committee members Hon. Members of Parliament Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmali Gunasinghe and Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi. The committee member M. Nizam Kariapper, P.C also participated virtually.
2026-05-25
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has decided to examine the ongoing legal proceedings and matters relating to the protection of the girl involved in the sexual abuse incident reported from the Anuradhapura area.This decision was taken during the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus meeting chaired by Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, held in Parliament today (May 25). Accordingly, a special discussion has been scheduled for 05.06.2026 with the participation of relevant institutions including the Sri Lanka Police, the Attorney General’s Department, the National Child Protection Authority and the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.In addition to the incident, which has generated significant public concern, the discussion is also expected to focus extensively on strengthening the laws and empowering the institutions required to prevent all forms of violence against women and children.Meanwhile, it was also decided to appoint a subcommittee under the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to oversee the future legal proceedings relating to the Anuradhapura girl’s case and to identify the institutional and legal reforms required in the country to eliminate violence against women and children.The subcommittee will be led by the deputy co-chairs of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus Hon. Members of Parliament Samanmali Gunasinghe and Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella. The other members of the subcommittee will be Hon. Hemali Weerasekara, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Attorney-at-Law Sagarika Athauda, Attorney-at-Law Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney-at-Law Anushka Thilakarathna, Attorney-at-Law Hasara Liyanage, Attorney-at-Law Hiruni Wijesinghe and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra.
2026-05-25
The progress of implementing the new education reforms was reviewed at a recent meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi. During the meeting held in Parliament on the 19th, extensive discussions were held on the implementation of the new education reforms.Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, briefed the committee on the manner in which the new education reforms are being implemented.The meeting was attended by Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, committee members, provincial education secretaries, school principals, and several other officials.
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