Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is yet to make a final decision on increasing salaries of MPs and Ministers, Parliament sources said.
He said a request to increase salaries of ministers, deputy ministers, state ministers and parliamentarians on par with those of judges had come up during a Party Leaders’ Meeting held last month.
“These adjustments were proposed in accordance with a Parliamentary Resolution that had been presented by former Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle on November 23, 2006. This was the last time where the salaries of MPs and Ministers were revised,” he said.
According to the reports, the proposal was to increase the salary of a minister and a state minister from Rs 65,000 to Rs 140,000, the salary of a deputy minister from Rs.63,500 to Rs. 135,000 and the salary of a Member of Parliament from Rs. 54,285 to Rs. 120,000.
Parliament on March 23 unanimously adopted a resolution to increase the salaries of superior courts including the Chief Justice with retrospective effect from January 1, 2018.
All the MPs are also paid a special allowance of Rs. 100,000 (Office Allowance) from January 2017.
The allowance of Rs. 500 for attending Parliament sittings was also increased up to Rs. 2,500 through a Parliament Resolution adopted in December, 2016.
In addition, MPs are entitled to an entertainment allowance, driver’s allowance, fuel allowance, telephone allowance, transport allowance for personal staff and free postage facilities.
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