The Committee on Parliamentary Business chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Wednesday decided to convene Parliament for four days from March 23 to 26.
The Committee has decided to set aside March 25 and 26 for the adjournment debate on the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks, that commenced on March 10, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said.
Parliament will convene on March 23 at 10.00 am and time will be allotted for 10 Oral Questions of Members of Parliament until 11.00 am.
From 11.00 am to 4.30 pm, a resolution under Section 10 of the Customs Ordinance regarding import duties, two regulations imposed by the Finance Minister under the Imports and Exports Act and an order under the Sri Lanka Export Development Act will be taken up for debate.
The Motion at the Adjournment Time by the ruling party will be taken up for debate from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm on the same day, Dasanayake said.
On March 24, from 10.00 am to 11.00 am, time will be allotted for the Oral Questions of the Members of Parliament. The Secretary General said that two regulations under the Motor Traffic Act will be debated from 11.00 am to 4.30 pm on that day. Thereafter, the Motion at the Adjournment Time will be taken up by the Opposition from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
March 25 and 26 are set aside for the adjournment debate on the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks.
Although time will be allotted for MPs’ Oral Questions on March 25 from 10.00 am to 11.00 am, the Committee on Parliamentary Business has decided to hold the Adjournment Debate on March 26 from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm without oral questions, Dasanayake said.
Leader of the House and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that steps will be taken to set aside a day or two in the coming days to answer the MPs’ Oral Questions, while responding to a question by the Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella regarding the Adjournment of Oral Questions.
The attention was also drawn on debating the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Political Victimisation and the report of the Presidential Commission of inquiry into the incidents of fraud and misappropriations, which have allegedly taken place at public institutions from January 14, 2015 to December 31,2018.
Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando, Ministers Chamal Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera and Prasanna Ranatunga, Parliamentarians Gayantha Karunatilake, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, M. A. Sumanthiran and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who is not a Member of the Committee, were, the Parliament Media Division said.