The finalized copy of the “Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament” was tabled and presented for the approval of the House by the Hon. Speaker today.
The objective of the Code of Conduct is to assist the Members of Parliament to exercise, perform and discharge by them of their powers, functions and duties in order to fulfil their responsibilities to the Parliament, to their constituents, and the public at large. It consists of thirteen parts which describes the duties of Members, rules of conduct, behaviour, procedure for inquiry, sanctions etc among others.
This was prepared with the assistance of the Legal Draftsman after taking into consideration all the comments and proposals submitted by the Hon. Members of Parliament.
2026-09-23
Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne endorsed the certificate on the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Bill on 22nd September.The Bill was presented to Parliament for its First Reading on 4th August 2026. The debate on the Second Reading of the Bill was held on 9th September 2026, following which it was passed without a division.The Bill was introduced to repeal the Chief of Defence Staff Act, No. 35 of 2009, which established the office of the Chief of Defence Staff.The Act enacted in 2009 established the office of the Chief of Defence Staff to carry out functions including the coordination of activities between the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence, in accordance with prevailing requirements.Accordingly, with the repeal of the Chief of Defence Staff Act, No. 35 of 2009, under this Bill, the office of the Chief of Defence Staff will also cease to exist.Furthermore, upon the commencement of this Act, all movable and immovable property belonging to the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff will be transferred to the Ministry of Defence. Accordingly, the aforesaid Bill comes into force as the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Act, No. 22 of 2026.
2026-09-22
Hon. Speaker Announces Supreme Court Determination on the “Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution” and the “Judicature (Amendment)” Bills to ParliamentHon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne today (Sep. 22) announced to Parliament the determination of the Supreme Court concerning the Bills titled the “Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution” and the “Judicature (Amendment)”.The announcement is as follows:I wish to announce that I have received the Determination of the Supreme Court in respect of the Bills titled “Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution” and “Judicature” (Amendment)” which were challenged in the Supreme Court under Article 121 (1) of the Constitution.The Supreme Court has determined that;• The provisions of the “Twenty Second Amendment To The Constitution” Bill or any part thereof does not require approval by the people at a Referendum by virtue of the provisions of Article 83 of the Constitution.• In the proviso appearing in Clause 2 of the “Twenty Second Amendment To The Constitution” Bill, the phrase “හැට හතට එලඹෙන දිනය” appearing therein shall be replaced with the phrase “හැට හත සම්පූර්ණ කළ දිනය”• The following to be added as the second proviso to Clause 2 of the “Twenty Second Amendment To The Constitution” Bill: “Provided further that the term limit of six years set out in the first proviso will not apply to any person holding the office of the Chief Justice as at the date of coming into operation of this Act” The Supreme Court has further determined that;• The provisions of the “Judicature” (Amendment)” Bill are not inconsistent with the Constitution and may be passed by the simple majority of the ParliamentI order that the Full Determination of the Supreme Court be printed in the official report of today's proceedings.
2026-09-21
The changes have been made to the Parliamentary business scheduled for September 22 and 23 during this Parliamentary week, which is scheduled to take place from September 22 to 25. These decisions were made at the Committee on Parliamentary Business meeting held yesterday (Sep. 21) under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Dr. Rizvie Salih.Accordingly, the Export Agriculture Promotion (Amendment) Bill (Second Reading), which was scheduled to be taken up for debate on Tuesday, September 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.It has been decided not to proceed with the Sri Lanka Institute of Chartered Media Professionals Bill, for which a Second Reading debate had been scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Accordingly, on Tuesday, September 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the Orders published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2497/37 under the Petroleum Resources Act are scheduled to be taken up for debate. Thereafter, at 5:00 p.m., the Tradezo Development Foundation (Incorporation) Bill, a Private Member's Bill, is scheduled to be taken up for its Second Reading and subsequently referred to the Legislative Standing Committee.Similarly, on Wednesday, September 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the Export Agriculture Promotion (Amendment) Bill (Second Reading) and the Supplementary Estimate No. 05 of 2026 relating to the Ministry of Energy are scheduled to be taken up for debate.The Supplementary Estimate is scheduled to be approved to provide financial assistance amounting to Rs. 17,213 million to provide relief to the public in relation to electricity bills. The funds required for this Supplementary Estimate have been allocated from provisions that were allocated to the Line Ministries for 2026 but have been identified as unlikely to be utilized by the end of the year. Accordingly, the transfer of these provisions will be carried out in a manner that will have no impact on the overall expenditure ceiling approved under the Appropriation Act, No. 23 of 2025, or on the Government's maximum borrowing limit.There will be no changes to the Parliamentary business scheduled for September 24 and 25.
2026-09-21
A delegation from the Parliament of Sri Lanka participated in the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Cape Town, South Africa, from 13 to 19 September 2026, contributing to Commonwealth parliamentary discussions on democracy, international law, inclusion and contemporary issues affecting Parliaments.Hosted by the Parliament of South Africa and the CPA South Africa Branch, the Conference was held under the theme, “Strengthening International Law and Parliamentary Democracy in a Changing World Order: Commonwealth Leadership.”The Sri Lankan delegation comprised Hon. Deputy Minister of Mass Media (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathna, the Head of Delegation; Hon. Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development Upali Samarasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Sagarika Athauda, Ilankumaran Karunanathan, Sugath Wasantha de Silva, (CPwD Asia Regional Champion) and Suranga Rathnayake. The delegation also included Mrs. Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera, Secretary-General of Parliament and Secretary of the CPA Sri Lanka Branch, and Mr. Edirisinghe Arachchige Amarasena, Senior Parliamentary Interpreter.A significant contribution by Sri Lanka was made by Hon. Deputy Minister(Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Asia Regional Representative, who chaired Workshop C of the 10th CWP Conference, titled “Legislating for All: Gender Mainstreaming in Procedure, Practices and Policy.” The workshop examined practical approaches to incorporating gender equality into legislation, parliamentary procedures, committee scrutiny, budgeting and post-legislative oversight.A notable achievement for the Sri Lankan delegation was the presentation of the CPA New Parliamentarian Award 2026 to Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, at the Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Awards Ceremony held in Cape Town on 17 September 2026. Hon. de Silva, CPwD Asia Regional Champion, was recognised for his contribution to promoting inclusive parliamentary democracy, including his leadership in advancing disability rights and inclusive governance. The award also recognised his work as Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities in Sri Lanka and his contribution to strengthening representation and participation of persons with disabilities in parliamentary processes.Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, M.P., also represented Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities programme, participating in discussions on the role of Parliaments and civil society in advancing disability-inclusive legislation and representation.Meanwhile, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, Secretary-General of Parliament and Secretary of the CPA Sri Lanka Branch, participated in the 60th Meeting of the Society of Clerks-at-the-Table (SoCATT), which brought together parliamentary officials from Commonwealth Parliaments to exchange institutional practices and discuss parliamentary administration and procedure.Sri Lanka’s participation in the 69th CPC provided opportunities for its parliamentarians and officials to engage with Commonwealth counterparts, share parliamentary experience and contribute to discussions on issues of common relevance. Participation in the CWP, CPwD, SoCATT, CPA General Assembly and wider CPC programme further reflected Sri Lanka’s engagement in Commonwealth parliamentary networks.
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