Hon. Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera
2026-02-18
Hon. Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera reported that 15 chemicals posing high risks to national security have been identified, of which 8 are already regulated — 7 by the Controller of Explosives and 1 by the Office of the Registrar of Pesticides. He announced that the remaining 7 unregulated chemicals will be placed under the oversight of the National Authority for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, operating under the Ministry of Defence, to address existing regulatory gaps.
Hon. Member, significant work has been carried out in this field. We have identified 15 chemicals that pose a high risk to national security. Of these, 7 are regulated by the Controller of Explosives and 1 is regulated by the Office of the Registrar of Pesticides. A further 7 chemicals, currently not regulated by any institution, have been identified, and it has been decided to entrust their oversight to the National Authority for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention under the Ministry of Defence. We are thus addressing these risks with due care and understanding.