Ministerial Consultative Committees (MCCs) mostly MIA in the 9th Parliament.
Parliamentary Standing Order 112 (6) requires Ministerial Consultative Committees (MCCs) to meet ‘at least once a month’. During the 9th Parliament, none of the MCCs met this requirement.
33 meetings of each MCC were required based on the standing orders, between November 2020 and August 2023 (excluding one month in which parliament was prorogued). Exhibit 1 shows what percentage of those meetings were actually held by each MCC.
The meetings of MCCs are important because a core element of the high-level and wider consultative process required for good policy and legislative actions, occurs through the structure of the MCCs.
Exhibit 1:
Out of the 30 MCCs evaluated, the MCC for the sector of Justice met the most, holding 60.6% of the required number of meetings. The MCC for Development Coordination and Monitoring did not meet even once, during its period of existence from August 2021 to March 2022.
MCCs that held a relatively higher percentage of the required meetings:
- MCC for Justice (Justice + Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms) – 60.6% with 20 meetings across 33 months.
- MCC for Tourism and Lands (Tourism + Lands + Tourism and Lands), MCC for Trade (Trade + Trade, Commerce and Food Security) and MCC for Labour (Labour + Labour and Foreign Employment) – 30.3% with 10 meetings each across 33 months.
- MCC for Agriculture, MCC for Transport and Highways (Transport + Highways + Transport and Highways) – 27.3% with 9 meetings each across 33 months.
MCCs that held a relatively lower percentage of the required meetings:
- MCC for Development Coordination and Monitoring – 0%, not meeting at least once across the 8 months of its existence from August 2021 to April 2022.
- MCC for Water Supply and MCC for Ports, Shipping and Aviation – 9.09%, having had only 3 meetings across 33 months.
- MCC for Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment – 10%, met only once across the 10 months of its existence from November 2022 till now.
Exhibit 2:
|
Name of MCC |
Total no. of meetings held (Nov 2020 – Aug 2023) |
% of meetings held |
Ministers in charge |
|
Justice + Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms |
20 |
60.61% |
Minister of Justice
M. U. M. Ali Sabry (Nov 2020 - Apr 2022, and May - Jul 2022)
Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms
Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha (Jul 2022 - Present)
|
|
Lands + Tourism + Tourism & Lands |
10 |
30.30% |
Minister of Lands
S. M. Chandrasena (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Tourism
Prasanna Ranatunga (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Tourism & Lands Harin Fernando (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Labour + Labour and Foreign Employment |
10 |
30.30% |
Minister of Labour
Nimal Siripala de Silva (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Vidura Wickramanayaka (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment
Manusha Nanayakkara (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Trade + Trade, Commerce and Food Security |
10 |
30.30% |
Minister of Trade
Bandula Gunawardana (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Shehan Semasinghe (Apr – May 2022)
Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security
Nalin Fernando (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Agriculture |
9 |
27.27% |
Mahindananda Aluthgamage (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Janaka Wakkumbura (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Mahinda Amaraweera (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Transport + Highways + Transport and Highways |
9 |
27.27% |
Minister of Transport
Gamini Lokuge (Nov 2020 – Sep 2021)
Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi (Sep 2021 – Mar 2022)
Dilum Amunugama (Mar – May 2022)
Minister of Highways
Johnston Fernando (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Kanaka Herath (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Minister of Transport and Highways
Bandula Gunawardana (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Fisheries |
8 |
24.24% |
Douglas Devananda (Nov 2020 – Present)
|
|
Urban Development and Housing |
8 |
24.24% |
Mahinda Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Prasanna Ranatunga (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Defence |
7 |
21.21% |
Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – Jul 2022)
Ranil Wickremesinghe (Nov 2022 - Present) |
|
Education |
7 |
21.21% |
G. L. Peiris (Nov 2020 – Sep 2021)
Dinesh Gunawardena (Sep 2021 – Apr 2022)
Ramesh Pathirana (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Susil Premajayantha (May 2022 - Present) |
|
Plantation + Plantation Industries |
7 |
21.21% |
Ramesh Pathirana (Nov 2020 – Present) |
|
Investment Promotion |
2 |
20.00% |
Dhammika Perera (Jun – Oct 2022)
Ranil Wickremesinghe (Nov 2022 - Present)
|
|
Health |
6 |
18.18% |
Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi (Nov 2020 – Sep 2021)
Keheliya Rambukwella (Sep 2021 – Apr 2022, and May 2022 – Present) |
|
Irrigation |
6 |
18.18% |
Chamal Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Janaka Wakkumbura (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Roshan Ranasinghe (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Energy + Power + Power and Energy |
6 |
18.18% |
Minister of Power
Dullas Alahapperuma (Nov 2020 – Sep 2021)
Gamini Lokuge (Sep 2021 – Mar 2022)
Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi (Mar – Apr 2022)
Minister of Energy
Udaya Gammanpila (Nov 2020 – Mar 2022)
Gamini Lokuge (Mar 2022 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Power & Energy
Kanchana Wijesekara (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Industries |
6 |
18.18% |
Wimal Weerawansa (Nov 2020 – Mar 2022)
Dilum Amunugama (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Ramesh Pathirana (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Environment |
6 |
18.18% |
Mahinda Amaraweera (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Naseer Ahamed (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Wildlife & Forest Conservation + Wildlife & Forest Resource Conservation |
6 |
18.18% |
C. B. Rathnayake (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Mahinda Amaraweera (May 2022 – Jan 2023)
Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi (Jan 2023 – Present) |
|
Youth & Sports + Sports & Youth Affairs |
5 |
15.15% |
Minister of Youth & Sports
Namal Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs
Roshan Ranasinghe (May 2022 – Present) |
|
Mass Media |
5 |
15.15% |
Keheliya Rambukwella (Nov 2020 – Sep 2021)
Dullas Alahapperuma (Sep 2021 – Apr 2022)
Bandula Gunawardana (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Foreign + Foreign Affairs |
5 |
15.15% |
Minister of Foreign
Dinesh Gunawardhana (Nov 2020 – Sep 2021)
G. L. Peiris (Sep 2021 – Mar 2022)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
G. L. Peiris (Mar – Apr 2022, and May – Jul 2022)
M. U. M. Ali Sabry (Jul 2022 – Present)
|
|
Finance + Economic Policies and Plan Implementation + Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies |
4 |
12.12% |
Minister of Finance
Mahinda Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – Jul 2021)
Basil Rohana Rajapaksa (Jul 2021 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Economic Policies and Plan Implementation
Mahinda Rajapaksa (Jul 2021 – May 2022)
Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies
M. U. M. Ali Sabry (Apr 2022 – May 2022)
Ranil Wickremesinghe (May 2022 - Present)
|
|
Technology |
4 |
12.12% |
Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – Jul 2022)
Ranil Wickremesinghe (Nov 2022 - Present) |
|
Public Security |
4 |
12.12% |
Sarath Weerasekara (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Tiran Alles (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Govt + Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government |
4 |
12.12% |
Minister of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government
Janaka Bandara Tennakoon (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government
Dinesh Gunawardhana (Apr 2022 – Present)
|
|
Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs |
4 |
12.12% |
Mahinda Rajapaksa (Nov 2020 – May 2022)
Vidura Wickramanayaka (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Woman, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment |
1 |
10.00% |
Ranil Wickremesinghe (Nov 2022 - Present) |
|
Water Supply + Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development |
3 |
9.09% |
Minister of Water Supply
Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Keheliya Rambukwella (May 2022 – Jan 2023)
Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development
Jeevan Thondaman (Jan 2023 – Present)
|
|
Ports and Shipping + Ports, Shipping and Aviation |
3 |
9.09% |
Minister of Ports & Shipping
Rohitha Abegunawardhana (Nov 2020 – Apr 2022)
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation
Nimal Siripala de Silva (May 2022 – Present)
|
|
Development Coordination and Monitoring |
0 |
0% |
Namal Rajapaksa (Aug 2021 – Apr 2022) |
The time span evaluated includes the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated shutdowns. But Manthri.lk found that 18 of the MCCs met more frequently during the COVID-19 period than after COVID-19. The pandemic did not appear to have a notable impact on the meeting frequency of the 12 remaining MCCs.
Can the Sri Lankan parliament perform better by ensuring that the Ministerial Consultative Committees achieve the minimum frequency of meetings stipulated in the standing orders?
Additional notes:
- On meeting frequency and methodology: At present, there are 29 MCCs. The data analysed for this blog piece is for the period between November 2020 and August 2023. The overall count (30 MCCs) was evaluated after collectively analyzing a few MCCs together to incorporate previously fragmented MCCs representing related subjects (E.g., the MCC for Justice comprise of the MCC for Justice and the MCC Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms) that has been discontinued at present. The committee attendance data analysed in this blog article is based on the information publicly disclosed on the parliament website.
- On COVID-19 calculations: Manthri.lk considered 'during COVID-19' i.e., covering the period between November 2020 and March 2022 (16 months) and 'after COVID-19', i.e., covering the period between April 2022 and August 2023 (17 months). The data to define the two periods was based on the data published by Our World in Data on COVID-19 deaths and new cases. The period between November 2021 and March 2022 had significantly higher number of deaths and new cases, whereas the period between April 2022 and August 2023 had comparatively lower number of deaths and new cases.
