News
Parliament prorogued
by Saman Indrajith
Parliament has been prorogued with effect from midnight yesterday (27) by President Ranil Wickremeisnghe under Article 70 of the Constitution. The Department of Government Printing issued the Gazette notification annoucing the presidential order yesterday evening.The new Parliament session is scheduled to commence on Feb. 08.
A prorogation, which is a temporary recess of Parliament, should not extend to a period of more than two months, However, such date for summoning Parliament may be advanced by another Presidential Proclamation, provided it is summoned for a date not less than three days from the date of such fresh proclamation.
When Parliament is prorogued, the Proclamation should notify the date for the commencement of the new Session of Parliament, under Paragraph (3) of Article 70 of the Constitution.
During the prorogation the Speaker continues to function and the Members retain their membership, even though they do not attend meetings of Parliament.The effect of a prorogation is to suspend all current Business before the House, and all proceedings, pending at the time, are quashed, except impeachments.
A Bill, motion or question of the same substance cannot be introduced for a second time during the same Session. However, it could be carried forward at a subsequent Session, after a prorogation.
“All matters which having been duly brought before Parliament, and have not been disposed of at the time of the prorogation of Parliament, may be proceeded with during the next Session,” states the Paragraph (4) of Article 70 of the Constitution.
In the light of this constitutional provision, a prorogation does not put an end to pending Business. Thus, a pending matter may be proceeded with from that stage onwards after the commencement of the new Session. At the beginning of a new Session, all items of Business which were in the Order Paper of Parliament, need to be re-listed, if it is desired to continue with them.
At the end of a prorogation, a new Session begins and is ceremonially declared open by the President. He is empowered, under the Constitution, to make a Statement of Government Policy in Parliament, at the commencement of each Session of Parliament, and to preside at ceremonial sittings of Parliament, in terms of the provisions stipulated in Paragraph (2) of Article 33 of the Constitution.
The President is empowered to make a statement of Government Policy at the commencement of each new Session. In the past, it was known as the Throne Speech which was delivered by the Governor-General.
The United Nations has pledged US$4.5 million (LKR 1.38 billion) from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to strengthen Sri Lanka’s response to Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on 28 November.
The funds will enable the UN to rapidly scale up emergency food assistance, shelter support, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for the communities most severely affected by the floods and landslides that have impacted the country, the UN stated.
“This funding comes at a critical moment for Sri Lanka,” said Marc-André Franche, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka. “Cyclone Ditwah has upended lives across the country, and many families are still struggling to meet their basic daily needs. The UN was quick to provide support with urgent relief items and equipment.
We are working closely with the Government, civil society partners and the humanitarian community in Sri Lanka to ensure a coordinated response, guided by evidence and priority needs. This emergency funding will help us reach those most severely affected with the support they urgently need”, he said.
Communities across Sri Lanka are continuing to grapple with the widespread impacts of the cyclone,with thousands of families still displaced after extensive damage to housing and infrastructure.
Even as response efforts are underway, latest assessments indicate that the effects of the cyclone are broader and more severe than initially understood, leaving many communities in urgent need of sustained support to fully recover from Cyclone Ditwah.
The UN’s global emergency fund CERF enables rapid funding to humanitarian responders to help support life-saving, humanitarian activities in the initial stages of a sudden-onset crisis.
As the full scale of the devastation becomes clearer, the UN will expand its life-saving assistance to the hardest-hit communities through a broader Humanitarian Priorities Plan, expected to be announced this week.
The Navy headquarters yesterday announced that 2,086 personnel, including 17 officers and 2,069 senior and junior sailors, had been promoted and advanced to their next respective ranks and rates, on the occasion of the Sri Lanka Navy’s 75th anniversary, which fell yesterday (09 December).
The Navy said the promotions had been made on the recommendation of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, in recognition of the dedication and service of those personnel.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said yesterday deaths due to Cyclone Ditwah had reached 638, and 191 disaster victims had gone missing.
Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Northern, North-Central and Eastern provinces
UN pledges US$4.5 mn for post-Ditwah relief
Over 2,000 SLN officers and men promoted to mark 75th anniversarymark 75th anniversary
Disaster death toll rises to 638
COPF examines NMRA regulations, NAO annual work programme, etc.
India-based Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre issued weather warning on 13 Nov.
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