INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Committees of Parliament.Accordingly, Mr
Ekanayake sent the letter today (06 July), while Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and newly-appointed Secretary General of
concern, Ekanayake stated that in the event the Opposition Leader wished to summon public officers for a meeting due to be held within the
premises of the Parliament, he will be required to inform the relevant Minister, in writing, of the matter, who will then sanction the
required officers to attend the meeting.Further, the officials attending meetings of any Committee of the Parliament were instructed to be
equipped with the relevant knowledge of the subjects under discussion and be prepared to provide information when it is requested by the
Committee.Meanwhile it was recommended having preparatory meetings and to be prepared to answer the questions raised by the Honourable
Members of the Committee with respect to the items on the agenda
However, in cases where the officials are asked questions that are not included in the agenda, they may request a reasonable time period to
answer and respond within the agreed time.In a situation where the Secretary to the Ministry cannot attend a meeting he/she has been invited
to, a senior official could attend the meeting as a representative, with the permission of the Chairperson of the relevant Committee.The
letter also noted that officials should attend the meetings of the Sectoral Oversight Committees with the approval of the relevant Minister
However, if the Minister has concerns regarding the matters to be discussed, those shall be conveyed to the Chairperson of the Sectoral
Oversight Committee by the Minister.Speaking with regard to officials of the Ministry of Finance, the letter read that when these officers
are summoned for finance-related Oversight Committees, they could attend the meetings with the approval of the Secretary to the Ministry of
