The Auditor General and the Department of Public Enterprises have decided to actively contribute to the future work of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of Parliament.

COPE chairman MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara stated this when the committee met recently for the third session of the Ninth Parliament.

It was agreed upon to get the contribution of the Auditor General, especially for the matters of convening the institutions, appointing sub-committees and doing follow-ups, adding entities that can be added and obtaining the assistance of the Department of Public Enterprises to removing 17 entities with who are minor stakeholders from the list.

In particular, the Department of Public Enterprises was entrusted with the responsibility of informing the Director General through a short note about the contribution of the representatives of the Treasury in participating in the board meetings of the institutions and the main points discussed in the meetings.

In deciding the institutions to be called before the COPE, subject to the recommendations of the Auditor General, it was decided to call the relevant institutions considering the risk situations they are currently facing, the problems that need to be solved immediately, the need for follow-up and whenever it is considered necessary to bring in such institutions.

Accordingly, the COPE members have agreed to call 05 institutions before the committee in the future. Ceylon Fisheries Corporation, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Land Reform Commission, National Livestock Development Board, Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital are to be summoned before the COPE soon.

Further, it was decided to appoint several sub-committees as it is difficult for the main committee to call all the public enterprises.

It was also decided to consider the list of institution summons and the list of institutions whose summons have been cancelled prepared by the Auditor General and decide on the institutions to be called to the sub-committees in the next committee term.

The Auditor General prepares a plan to strengthen the internal audit of every public enterprise and it is to be used for audit work in the future.

The committee also proposed to amend the Standing Orders to expand the powers of the COPE. Arrangements have already been made to send the request to the Speaker. In addition, the Auditor General was assigned to make necessary recommendations to simplify the government’s procurement process.

Also, the COPE members decided to call all the parties and inquire about the coal tender that was discussed in the last few days. The COPE has also decided to inform the former chairman of the COPE in writing to come before the committee and present the matters presented to the media in the past.

The COPE also paid attention to the issues included in the procurement guidelines manual and decided to discuss the Ace Embilipitiya Power Project.