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.
2026-07-16
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.
2026-07-16
Parliamentary Caucus for Youth focused on the importance of obtaining the views and proposals of young people on the Draft National Youth Policy.The matter was discussed at the sixth meeting of the Parliamentary Forum for Youth, held recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekara.During the meeting, an extensive discussion was held on the Draft National Youth Policy. Attention was also drawn to obtaining the views and proposals of the Members of the Caucus with a view to incorporating the needs and aspirations of young people into the policy in a more effective manner.It was further emphasised that the Parliamentary Caucus for Youth will continue to facilitate the meaningful inclusion of the voices of young people in the policy formulation process.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-07-10
The Committee on High Posts, which met in Parliament recently (Jul. 08), has granted its approval for the appointment of Mr. D.P. Wickramasingha as the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and was attended by Hon. Ministers Bimal Rathnayake and Dr. Upali Pannilage, as well as Hon. Members of Parliament Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, Rishad Bathiudeen, K. Kader Mastan, Kumara Jayakody, Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan, and Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella.
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