President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has sent an official letter to all Secretaries to Ministries regarding attending meetings of the Committees of Parliament.

Accordingly, Mr. Ekanayake sent the letter today (06 July), while Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and newly-appointed Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera were also copied, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

It has been reported that in the letter 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 Finance.