2024-08-15
News Categories : Committee News
Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Open and Accountable Government, Member of Parliament Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumitraarachchi, recently informed the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to take immediate action to issue passports in a way that does not inconvenience the public.
This was discussed when the Department of Immigration and Emigration was summoned to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on An Open and Accountable Government to consider the new "Immigration" Bill.
Addressing the meeting, the Immigration and Emigration Controller General Mr. Harsha Ilukpitiya said that nearly 1 million passports had been issued in 2023, but only 23% of them had been used and the remaining 77% of passports had not been used. Also, he added that since the electronic passport (E-Passport) is to be introduced by the end of October, there is a possibility to request the new e- passport from some countries and accordingly, the department requests the non-essential public to refrain from getting passports.
The Chair of the Committee pointed out that people should be informed about this as much as possible. However, the Chair also emphasized that it is the responsibility of the Immigration and Emigration Department to issue the requested passports so that the people are not inconvenienced, as it is the right of the people to get passports after paying money. If not, the Chair of the Committee Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumitraarachchi pointed out that the department as well as the government will be deeply displeased by the people.
Also, the officials of the Immigration and Emigration Department said that the obstacles to obtaining passports for pilgrims traveling to India and Nepal will be promptly removed.
While considering the new “Immigration” Bill, the Committee inquired the provisions of the bill from the officials. Immigration and Emigration Controller General Mr. Harsha Ilukpitiya said that the drafting of this bill, which was presented to Parliament on June 20, 2024 by the Minister of Public Security, commenced in 2017. This new bill has been prepared by amending the issue of travel documents, the Immigrants and Emigrants Act and the Passport (Regulation) and Exit Permit Act, No. 53 of 1971 to suit the current social and technological situation. He also mentioned that since this bill has been challenged in the Supreme Court and the relevant determination has been announced to the Parliament, the related amendments will be made.
It was also revealed that this bill has provided provisions to fill the gaps in the immigration laws of this country. The Controller General pointed out that for the first time, the necessary legal provisions have been made by this new bill especially for Human Smuggling, which has not had any laws in this country so far. Also, this new bill has enacted new laws including the legal provisions necessary for the department to move forward with the new technology as well as the provisions applicable to people staying illegally in the country. Mr. Ilukpitiya further mentioned that this bill was prepared after considering the opinions and suggestions of several experts. It was also discussed in the committee that this bill, which has been delayed for a long time, is a very important bill.
Also, the committee's attention was drawn to filling the vacancies of the employees of the Immigration and Emigration Department. The chair of the committee also advised to submit the related proposal to the committee. Giving approval to the bill, the committee chair said that in order to implement this bill more successfully, the department should proceed with new technology. The committee also informed the Immigration and Emigration Department to provide the related proposals to the committee within 2 weeks to remove the existing obstacles.
Also, the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration stated that the procurement process of electronic passports (e - Passports) is in the final stage and 5 million electronic passports will be received by the end of October 2024.
Officials representing the Ministry of Public Security, the Attorney General's Department and the Legal Draftsman’s Department also attended the meeting. Members of Parliament Hon. John Seneviratne, Hon. Udayana Kiridigoda, Hon. Gunathilaka Rajapaksa, Hon. Jayantha Weerasinghe, Hon. Ishaq Rahuman, Hon. Sudath Manjula, Hon. Kumarasiri Ratnayake and Hon. Madhura Withanage were also present in this committee meeting.
2026-07-22
The draft Terms of Reference (ToR) prepared for the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was approved recently at a meeting held in Parliament with the participation of Parliament's development partner organizations.The approval was granted during a meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Co-Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakkiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.The draft Terms of Reference was developed based on proposals and recommendations received during a workshop organized by the Caucus in recent months to gather stakeholder input for its preparation.The meeting also agreed that, following the approval of the Terms of Reference, the document would be submitted to Hon. President, and that a discussion would be held with the President on behalf of the Caucus.
2026-07-22
The Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on the methodology, implementation timeline and coordination arrangements relating to the research study proposed for the restructuring of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), when it met recently, at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ruwan Mapalagama.During the meeting, discussions were held on the establishment of the proposed Institutional Operations Committee and a six-member Coordination Team to facilitate the implementation of the research. Attention was also focused on the proposed Mixed-Methods Design, the preparation of questionnaires and the data collection process.The Sub-Committee further reviewed the progress of obtaining public views on the restructuring of SLIATE. Matters relating to obtaining the contribution of the Human Resources and Management Information Systems (MIS) divisions for the research, the preparation of the research implementation timeline through a Gantt Chart, and the stakeholder consultations to be held with representatives of the industry sector were also considered.The programme to obtain the views of stakeholders, including Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and professional bodies, as well as the conduct of field visits to selected SLIATE institutions across the country, was also discussed.The Sub-Committee decided to proceed with the future activities of the research in accordance with the agreed timeline and to present the relevant progress reports at its next meeting.Hon. Member of Parliament Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga also attended the meeting.
2026-07-22
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on referring the matters revealed in relation to land misuse, financial irregularities and administrative deficiencies at the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for a formal investigation.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera to continue its examination of the Auditor General's Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and to consider the remaining matters relating to the current performance of the National Housing Development Authority.During the meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the leasing of valuable NHDA-owned lands located at Maligawatta, Elvitigala Mawatha and Rangirigama, Dambulla to external parties at low nominal values without Cabinet approval, the use of such lands for purposes contrary to the conditions stipulated in the relevant agreements, and the failure to adequately safeguard the Authority's assets.The Committee observed that many of these transactions had been carried out in contravention of the objectives of the National Housing Development Authority and the relevant legal provisions. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that comprehensive reports on the identified irregularities be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for the institution of appropriate legal action.The Committee also instructed the officials to expedite internal audit investigations into these matters, identify the officers responsible and initiate disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the necessary measures be taken to strengthen asset management and internal control systems in order to prevent the recurrence of such irregularities in the future.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Dayasiri Jayasekara, S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Sujeewa Senasinghe, Mujibur Rahman, Chaminda Wijesiri, Dr. S. Sri Bavanandarajah, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiarachchi, Asitha Niroshana Egodavithana, Ruwan Mapalagama, Jagath Manuwarna, Dinesh Hemantha, M.K.M. Aslam and Sudath Balagalla.
2026-07-21
Discussions focus on strengthening disability-inclusive legislation and policy implementationThe Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives of several United Nations agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies in Sri Lanka.The meeting was held in Parliament under the Chairmanship of the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently.Addressing the meeting, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Marc-André Franche, commended the Parliament for establishing the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and emphasized the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to provide technical expertise and institutional support in areas including legislative reforms, accessibility, inclusive education, employment, community-based rehabilitation and strengthening national coordination.The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Begoña Arellano, highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasizing the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.Representatives of UNFPA, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers also briefed the Caucus on ongoing initiatives relating to youth, education, disability data collection, employment opportunities and social inclusion.During the meeting, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, informed the Caucus that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament on September 2026. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish ten day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year.The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Government Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability related reporting.The meeting concluded with the Chair, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, reiterating the Caucus's core theme, "An unhindered social life," and calling for continued, unified collaboration to make an inclusive society a reality.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, and Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Members of Parliament and representatives of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers.
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