Standing Orders, Code of Conduct for MPs debated

The revised set of Standing Orders of Parliament and Code of Conduct for MPs were debated in Parliament yesterday.

However, their passage had to be postponed to facilitate sufficient time for the special debate on the political situation in the country.

The final drafts of new Standing Orders and Code of Conduct for MPs were tabled in Parliament by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in August last year after months of deliberation.

Following a five-hour debate, the Speaker said the Committee state debate on the two documents would be taken up at a future date as the Election Commission Chairman, the Attorney General and other high rank government officials were in Parliament in view of the special adjournment debate scheduled at 4pm.

The set of Standing Orders previously in use was formulated in 1979 and was last revised in February 6, 1993.

The modified version has been made with extensive consultation of all MPs and after taking into consideration the changes to Parliamentary traditions over time.

Change in sitting time of Parliament, the role of newly introduced sectoral oversight committees and recently adopted electronic voting system have been included into the revised Standing Orders. It has proposed to set up several new Parliament Committees such as the “Liaison Committee, Backbencher Committee, Legislative Standing Committee, and Committee on Constitutional Affairs”. The scope of Parliament Privileges Committee has been expanded to include “Ethics”.

The revised Standing Orders has made it compulsory for Ministers to be present in Parliament during the ‘Questions for Oral Answers’ round to reply to matters that come under their purview.

The new Code of Conduct for MPs has made it obligatory for all Parliamentarians to disclose information on their business relationships and financial interests including those of close family members. The Code of Conduct for MPs includes new provisions to take disciplinary action against the MPs misbehaving in Parliament. The Government and Opposition legislators who spoke during the debate commended the efforts of the Speaker to uplift the standards of Parliament.