2023-06-20
News Categories : News
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) has submitted proposals to amend the anti-corruption bill to be debated and passed in Parliament tomorrow (June 21).
Addressing a letter to the Speaker on behalf of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus and the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender, the chairperson of the Caucus, Hon. Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, has stated that the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus is very happy to see the inclusion of the concept of sexual bribery being addressed in the draft of the present Anti-Corruption Bill.
However, Dr. Fernandopulle informs that two priority concerns have been identified that require amendment immediately before debate schedule on 21 June 2023.
The first is that there should be a change in the offense of 'sexual favour'. The Caucus requests that the term sexual favour diminishes the offence and therefore, instead, the term 'sexual bribery' be substituted as it ensures that the gravity of the offence is reflected in the law.
Dr. Fernandopulle points out that the second is that due to the Section 162 sub-section (f) re corruption - the draft bill reflects that the offence is committed by both the giver and the taker of any bribe and the person giving the bribe may be treated unfairly.
Thus, the Caucus informs the speaker that they also request to include an exception in the case of sexual bribery only, where the giver/offeror of the bribe is not considered the guilty party.
2026-08-17
A programme aimed at educating students of the Sri Lanka Law College on the legislative process was held at Parliament.The programme included discussions on the legislative process, Parliamentary procedures and traditions, and other matters relating to the business of Parliament. A question-and-answer session was also held. Afterwards, the students took part in a tour of the Parliament premises, including the Chamber.At the request of the Human Rights Movement of the Sri Lanka Law College, the programme was organized by the Public Outreach Section of the Department of Communications of Parliament. Assistant Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Hansa Abeyratne, Director (Legislative Services) Mr. M. Jayalath Perera, Assistant Director (Administration) Mr. Kanchana Herath, and Assistant Director (Administration) Mr. Shantha Fernando participated in the programme.
2026-08-14
Parliament’s Official Website Also Wins Gold Award for Best Government WebsiteThe official website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, www.parliament.lk, recently won the Overall Silver Award for the Best Website Overall at the “BestWeb.lk 2026” Awards Ceremony.It is also noteworthy that the Parliament’s official website won the Gold Award in the “Best Government Website” category.The “BestWeb.lk 2026” Awards Ceremony, organized by the LK Domain Registry, was held on 12 August 2026 at the Monarch Imperial in Sri Jayawardenepura.More than 350 websites competed this year across 24 categories. The websites were evaluated based on a range of criteria, including technical implementation, performance, design, content, security, and other additional features.The Parliament’s official website has previously won awards at this competition on several occasions. This year’s participation is particularly significant as it marked the website’s return to the competition after a seven-year hiatus, following the launch of its revamped website.A large gathering of distinguished guests, experts, academics, as well as award winners and representatives of nominated websites, attended the awards ceremony. Mr. G. Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister, participated as the Chief Guest.This recognition reaffirms the Parliament’s continued commitment to strengthening its digital presence and providing Parliamentary information to the public through its official online platform in an accessible, reliable, and user-friendly manner.
2026-08-13
A special awareness programme on parliamentary procedure for students of the Department of Sociology of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura was conducted by the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 10 August 2026. The programme was held at Committee Room No. 02 of the Parliament premises.As part of the programme, Assistant Director (Administration) of the Department of Legislative Services, Mrs. Chandima Subasinghe, conducted a session on “Parliament and the Legislative Process.” The students were briefed on the role of Parliament, the legislative process and parliamentary procedure.Speaking at the programme, Prof. Rasanjali Perera, Head of the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, expressed her appreciation to the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for organising such awareness programmes for university students.She noted that gaining first-hand knowledge of the functioning of Parliament and the legislative process was a valuable and important experience for the students.Prof. Perera further noted that such programmes provide students with an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the theoretical knowledge they acquire through their academic studies. She also highlighted that these programmes make a significant contribution towards broadening students’ knowledge and enhancing their understanding of the parliamentary democratic process.At the conclusion of the programme, the students joined for a group photograph and also took part in a special guided tour of the Parliament premises.
2026-08-11
The Parliamentary business scheduled for the next sitting week, from 18 to 21 August 2026, has been decided.The decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held recently, (7 August), under the chairmanship of Hon. Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne. Accordingly, on each of the four sitting days, the period from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allocated for the Parliamentary business specified in Standing Order No. 22 (1) to (6). The period from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been allocated for Questions for Oral Answers, while the period from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allocated for questions under Standing Order No. 27(2).Tuesday, 18 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate the Regulations published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2496/38 under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, for approval.Thereafter, at 5.00 p.m., the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka (Incorporation) Bil, a Private Member’s Bill, is scheduled to be referred to the Legislative Standing Committee following its Second Reading.From 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., an Adjournment Motion to be moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.Wednesday, 19 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate a Resolution under the Finance Act. (Vide Item No. 3 scheduled for 18.08.2026 in the Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, No. 4(4) issued on 07.08.2026).Thereafter, the period from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. has been allocated for Questions at the Adjournment Time.Thursday, 20 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to hold the Second Reading Debate on the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill.Thereafter, from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., the Motion at the Adjournment Time to be moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.Friday, 21 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate an Adjournment Motion to be moved by the Government.
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