The National Audit Office is scheduled to conduct a total of 3,508 audits in 2026.

According to the 2026 Annual Work Programme, the office is expected to conduct 3,484 Financial Audits, 12 Special Audits, 11 Performance Audits and an Environmental Audit.

These were revealed during a meeting of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) held at the Parliamentary complex.

The COPF considered several important matters, including the regulations issued under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act, No. 05 of 2015, published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2452/39 of 04 September 2025, the Annual Work Programme for 2026 of the National Audit Office and the Final Report prepared under Standing Order 121(5)(ii) on the Appropriation Bill for the financial year 2026.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva.

During the discussion on the NMRA regulations, the Committee recommended enhancing system transparency and visibility in the medicine registration process. Accordingly, the Regulations under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act, No. 05 of 2015 published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2452/39 was approved by the Committee following consideration, said the Department of Communication of Parliament.

Meanwhile, it was noted that audits of Samurdhi Community-Based Banks and Samurdhi Community-Based Bank Societies have been newly assigned to the Auditor General from 2026 onwards.

Meanwhile, the Committee raised concerns regarding the staff capacity required to carry out the Samurdhi audits. The acting Auditor General stated that an additional 10%–15% staff would be required beyond the current cadre. He further informed the Committee that pilot audits are being conducted through regional offices and will continue until the end of February, after which the actual capacity requirements whether through recruitment or outsourcing will be determined.

It was further noted that the annual work Programme will be forwarded to Parliament, as provided for in the Audit Act, which requires that any review or recommendation be submitted to the Speaker and the relevant authorities. Followed by extensive discussion, the Committee agreed to make an observation to the Speaker that it supports the possible outsourcing of the additional Samurdhi-related audit work, subject to the Auditor General’s evaluation.

Accordingly, the Committee directed the National Audit Office to conduct a pilot project and report back to the Committee by the end of February 2026.

In addition, COPF deliberated on the Final Report prepared under Standing Order 121(5)(ii) relating to the Appropriation Bill for the financial year 2026. The report reflected the Committee’s observations and recommendations following its review of ministerial budget proposals and financial allocations for the next year, the Department of Communication of Parliament noted.