Attention of parliamentary committee drawn to need for expert assistance

Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake addressing the gathering. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, MP Angajan Ramanathan and Minister Dinesh Gunawardena look on (pic courtesy Parliament)

Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said that the attention of the Parliamentary Liaison Committee had been drawn to the need to seek the assistance of experts and researchers for special committees such as the Committee on Public Finance, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).

A number of Committee Chairpersons who participated in this Committee meeting expressed their views in this regard and pointed out the need to obtain the contribution of experts in various fields including economics.

The meeting chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, was attended by the Leader of the House and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and the Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardane.

MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa pointed out that the assistance of experts as well as researchers was very much needed as committees such as the Committee on Public Finance had to meet daily during the budget period and had to discuss and approve economic and financial regulations.

Leader of the House and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena who approved that stance also stated that it was very important to seek the assistance of experts for special committees. He also said that the possibility of amending the Standing Orders and holding Ministerial Consultative Committee meetings within the Ministry should be explored and through that more officials could be involved.

In addition, attention was drawn to the possibility of holding committees with public engagement such as the Committee on Public Petitions outside Parliament, the Secretary General said. He also said that the members of the committee had instructed him to look for a place to use a government building outside the parliament premises for the purpose.

The Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardane as well as Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera pointed out the need for researchers to make the MPs more aware of the issues that needed to be addressed during parliamentary debates.

The Liaison Committee meets once in two months under the chairmanship of the Speaker. At the meeting the Secretary General said that officials were currently being contacted online at many committee meetings and that steps had also been taken to update the website and make the information of the committees more accessible to the public.

The Secretary General said that the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) meetings and the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) meetings were recorded and broadcast. With the permission of the Chairpersons of other Committees, press releases were issued to the media through the Department of Communication of Parliament, he said.

Leader of the House Minister Gunawardena requested the Speaker to look into the possibility of holding Ministerial Consultative Committee meetings at the relevant ministry premises as it is possible to obtain the contribution of a large number of officials.