Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya

Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya requested a two-week extension to provide a response to Question No. 04 – 1866/2026, which had been submitted by Hon. Ajith P. Perera and was listed on the day's Order Paper.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya made a procedural request to the Speaker for a two-week extension to provide an answer, without specifying the subject matter of the question under consideration.

The Prime Minister briefly acknowledged a matter raised in Parliament, stating she would investigate and report back. She indicated that if the referenced practice is standard, there would be no issue with it.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya informed the House that the matter in question had been referred to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and indicated a willingness to additionally refer it to the Committee on Public Finance if required.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya presented two documents to Parliament on behalf of the government. First, she tabled Regulations made by the Minister of Finance under Section 71 of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act No. 11 of 2021, published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2469/02 of 29th December 2025, and successfully moved that these be referred to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Second, she laid on the Table a Presidential Proclamation published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2477/47 of 28th February 2026, issued under Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act No. 61 of 1979, which was ordered to lie upon the Table.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya declined to respond to a question from a member, characterising the preceding remarks as a political speech rather than a question warranting a reply. She affirmed that her movement's practices and political culture are transparent to the public and stated that no apology or further explanation was necessary.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya responded to remarks by Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri regarding the JVP and NPP's financial transparency, affirming that these parties maintain and publicly account for their funds. She invited the SJB, UNP, and SLPP to similarly disclose their party accounts for public comparison. She confirmed the established practice within the JVP and NPP of members directing their parliamentary salaries and allowances to party funds, describing this as a longstanding and openly acknowledged aspect of their political culture. She declined to provide individual accounts of members' personal financial circumstances, noting the diversity of their situations.

## Summary Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya provided a detailed parliamentary answer outlining the current salary and allowances paid to Members of Parliament, including a monthly allowance of Rs. 54,285 alongside various additional allowances covering transport, telephone, office expenses, fuel, and sitting and committee participation payments. She noted that salary and allowances for MP Nayana Wasalathilaka have been suspended since August 2025 following his written notification dated 20 August 2025. She further disclosed that the Prime Minister, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, the Leader of the Opposition, and Opposition Whips have voluntarily waived their fuel allowance entitlements in writing to the Secretary-General of Parliament.

Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya tabled the Report on the Deviation of Headline Inflation from the Inflation Target under the Monetary Policy Framework Agreement, covering the second and third quarters of 2025. She moved that the report be referred to the Committee on Public Finance for further consideration.

## Summary Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya responded to a motion by Hon. Thushari Jayasingha, welcoming Sri Lanka's improvement of 14 places to rank 107 on the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (up from 121 in 2024), while contextualising it as a positive indicator rather than a completed objective. She attributed the progress to recent legislative reforms, specifically the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 and the Proceeds of Crime Act No. 5 of 2025, alongside institutional measures by CIABOC including the establishment of a Special Investigations Unit, a money laundering unit, a Witness Protection Unit, an online complaints system, and the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2025–2029. The Prime Minister specifically called on Parliament to approve a remuneration scheme for CIABOC under section 26(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act, which requires parliamentary authorisation following Cabinet approval, framing this as a necessary step to strengthen prosecutorial and prevention capacity. She invited Opposition Members to support the anti-corruption process collectively.