2024-01-24
News Categories : News
The Online Safety Bill which was debated in Parliament yesterday (23rd) and today (24th), was passed in Parliament today (Jan. 24th) by majority vote.
At the end of the debate on the Second Reading of the Bill, at around 5.00 pm today, the Chief Opposition Whip, Member of Parliament Hon. Lakshman Kiriella called for a division. Accordingly, during the voting held, 108 votes were cast in favour of the Bill and 62 votes were cast against it. Thus, the Second Reading of the Bill was passed by a majority of 46 votes.
Thereafter, amendments were added to the Bill during the Committee stage and Member of Parliament Hon. Chandima Weerakkody called for a Division bringing in an amendment to section 36 of the draft Bill. Accordingly, 51 votes were cast in favour of the amendment and 92 votes were cast against. Thus, the said amendment was defeated by a majority of 41 votes.
The Third Reading of the Bill was then passed without a vote.
2026-08-20
The Committee on Parliamentary Business, which met today (Aug. 20) under the chairmanship of Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, decided to take up for debate tomorrow, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Supplementary Estimate seeking approval for the allocation of Rs. 7500 million (7.5 billion) required by the Government to purchase paddy during the 2026 Yala season.The Supplementary Estimate has been presented to provide Rs. 7.5 billion from the funds allocated in 2026 for projects and programmes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, which are expected to remain unutilized during the current year, for the purpose of making the required payments.Thereafter, the Adjournment Motion to be presented by the Government is scheduled to be debated from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
2026-08-20
The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament today (Aug. 21). The debate on the Second Reading of the Bill was held from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thereafter, the Bill was passed without a vote.The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill was introduced to increase the fines applicable to offences under the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956, from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 100,000.
2026-08-20
Postal employees will be provided with 165 electric motorcycles (e-motorbikes) and 20 electric three-wheelers (e-three-wheelers) for the delivery of postal items in 2026, and the remaining requirement for motorcycles will be fulfilled in stages in the future, said Hon. Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne. The Deputy Minister made these remarks in Parliament in response to Questions for Oral Answers raised by Hon. Member of Parliament Imran Maharoof.Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne stated that the Department of Posts was established in 1798 and that it currently provides its services through an extensive island-wide network. She further stated that there are currently a total of 647 post offices in Sri Lanka, comprising 52 Grade A post offices, 294 Grade I post offices, and 301 Grade II post offices. In addition, 3,282 sub-post offices are operating across the island.She further stated that the Department of Posts currently employs 17,830 permanent employees and 1,660 registered substitutes, bringing the total workforce to 19,490. However, the Department has a total of 7,881 vacancies, the Deputy Minister disclosed in Parliament. These include 4,753 vacancies for permanent employees and 3,128 vacancies for registered substitutes.The Deputy Minister also stated that several measures have already been taken to fill these vacancies. According to her, 21 Postal Superintendents in Grade III of the Executive Service category have been recruited through internal recruitment. Furthermore, 461 Postal Service Officers have been recruited through an open competitive examination, while 732 Postal Assistants have been granted permanent appointments. In addition, 40 drivers have been recruited through an open competitive examination, and 367 Sub-Postmasters have also been granted permanent appointments. It was further revealed in Parliament that interviews have commenced islandwide to recruit 1,000 registered substitutes.
2026-08-19
The Hon. Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, informed Parliament today (Aug. 19) that he had received copies of three petitions in respect of the Bill titled “Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution” and a copy of a petition in respect of the Bill titled “Judicature (Amendment)” filed at the Supreme Court in terms of the Article 121(1) of the Constitution.
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