Committee on Public Finance to hold pre-budget public hearings

By Chathuri Dissanayake 

The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) is set to hold three public meetings to obtain views and opinions of the public before the budget, COPF Chairman and Opposition MP M. A. Sumanthiran said.

The Committee decided yesterday to hold three public meetings outside of Colombo.

The first of the meetings will be held in Kandy on 2 September, while the second meeting is scheduled for 3 September. A third meeting is to be held in Matara, however the date has not been finalised yet, Sumanthiran told Daily FT.

“The main purpose of the meetings would be to obtain the views of the public on 2019 budget expectations. But we will hear what they have to say about the experiences of the past as well,” he said.

The Committee aims to present the findings to the Parliament in a separate report to the assessment report required to be presented within four days after the Budget is presented, Sumanthiran said.

The Committee also aims to expand the public consultation process once the Budget Office is established in the Parliament, UNP MP and Committee member Prof. Ashu Marasinghe told Daily FT.

The Committee, which met yesterday, also discussed the final draft of the Report on Budgetary Process and amendments to the Excise ordinance bill as well.

Prof. Marasinghe laments low attendance

Stressing the importance of the Committee on Public Finance, UNP MP Prof. Ashu Marasinghe yesterday regretted the low attendance and lack of interest displayed by the 18 Members.

“We have 18 members but often its only three or four members who sit for the meeting, others hardly ever attend the meetings,” Prof. Marasinghe lamented.

“This is the most important Committee in the Parliament, this looks at the how the money is spent before it is spent.” 

The Committee on Public Enterprise is the post-expenditure situation, but in this committee there can be preventive measures but there is hardly any interest, he said.

The Committee, which met yesterday, had only three members in attendance, sufficient to just cover the self-declared quorum. Opposition MP and Committee Chairman M. A. Sumanthiran, UNP MP Mayantha Dissanayake and Prof. Marasinghe were the only attendees at the meeting held yesterday.

“There are so many opposition members appointed to the Committee, but they hardly make an appearance. MPs like Dr. Bandula Gunawardana are there, but they don’t come to discuss and make their views known in the Committee, they take their calculations and views elsewhere. This should have better engagement,” Marasinghe highlighted.

The Committee, which was appointed after the current Government took power, is responsible for examining and reporting to Parliament on issues pertaining to payments from consolidated funds, utilisation and application of public funds, recessions of appropriations contained in the Appropriations Act for the current year and its implementation, the transfer of appropriation and the unexpected balance, public debt and debt service and statements under the Fiscal Management (Responsibility) Act, No. 3 of 2003.