House to debate fertilizer issue next Thursday

Parliament has decided to take up a three-hour Adjournment Debate on prevailing problems related to fertilizer next week.

Parliament is scheduled to convene on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22) next week, Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake said. The Adjournment Debate on Fertilizer will be moved on Thursday at 3pm by the Opposition. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena last week.

The House is to take up another Adjournment Motion moved by the Government on two Reports of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). Those reports were presented to Parliament in March and April. The debate will be held on Friday from 12 noon to 5.30 pm without a lunch break.

Parliament will convene on October 21 at 10 am and from 11 am to 3 pm the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, Regulations under the Civil Procedure Code, Youthful Offenders (Training Schools) (Amendment) Bill and the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill will be debated, the Secretary General said. Two Orders under the Strategic Development Projects Act will be debated on Friday, October 22 from 11am to 12 noon.

Meanwhile, the proposed amendments to the Standing Orders to be made by the Committee on Standing Orders were tabled for the information of the Members of the Committee on Parliamentary Business and it was agreed to discuss this in future.

The Committee also emphasized the need to conclude the Question for Oral Answers at 11 am and the time allotted for Questions under Standing Order 27 (2) at 11.15 am. The Committee also discussed the possibility of opening the Public Gallery in Parliament and it was decided to consider the re-opening of the Public Gallery in future subject to health guidelines.