The Department of Communication of the Parliament says members for the parliamentary committees are yet to be appointed, although the new session commenced last Friday (03).

Following the Presidential Election, the parliamentary session was prorogued with effect from the 2nd of December 2019. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa prorogued the Parliament by virtue of the powers vested in him by Article 70 of the Constitution.

Accordingly, 12 committees including the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), the Committee on Public Petitions, the House Committee, the Ministerial Consultative Committee and the Committee on Ethics and Privileges ceased to function during the recess or prorogation of Parliament. The committees are to be reconstituted as the 4th session of the 8th Parliament commenced on the 3rd of January.

According to the Department of Communications, new members for these committees will be appointed following the meeting of the political party leaders which is scheduled to be held on January 20.

In the meantime, the Parliament is set to convene at 1.00 pm today.

The adjournment debate on the government policy statement presented by the President is scheduled to be conducted today and tomorrow.

Party Leaders and the Political Party representatives decided to schedule it for the 07th and 08th January 2020 at the meeting held in Parliament last Friday.