INTRODUCTION
Table Office in the Legislature of Sri Lanka is exclusively responsible for conducting Business of Parliament in all three languages, i.e. Sinhalese, Tamil, and English in the light of the Article 18 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and in terms of the provisions stipulated in the Standing Order 13 of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
SEPARATE UNITS IN THE TABLE OFFICE
There are four separate Units in the Table Office for the smooth functioning of the proceedings of the House of Parliament as follows:-
PREPARATION OF PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS
The Table Office is exclusively responsible for preparation of the following Parliamentary Publications as pivotal requirements to conduct the proceedings of the House of Parliament:-
ORDER BOOK OF PARLIAMENT
All Questions for Oral Answers and NOT for Oral Answers received by the Secretary-General of Parliament from Members of Parliament have to be included in the Order Book for answer on a day not earlier than seven clear days from the day on which the notice was given.
All Motions such as Regulations, Resolutions, Rules, Orders, Agreements, Supplementary Estimates under the provisions of the Constitution and other Legislations of Parliament have to be included in the Order Book and no debate thereon shall take place unless five clear days have lapsed since the notice was given.
Motions (No Confidence and Confidence Motions, Impeachment Motions, Appointment of Select Committees of Parliament, etc.) for which dates have not been fixed and Private Members’ Motions have to be published in the Order Book.
The Order Book is published once in three or four months and the Head of the Table Office decides when the Order Book should be published.
ADDENDUM TO THE ORDER BOOK OF PARLIAMENT
Addendum is published as a supplement to the Order Book at the end of each Sitting Week showing any notice of Parliamentary Questions for future dates and Motions for which future dates have been fixed or not.
Order Book of Parliament or Addendum thereto is sent to all Members of Parliament including Ministers, Deputies, Secretaries to the respective Ministries and other concerned officials including Media through the speed post as soon as it is printed.
Finalized soft copy of trilingual Order Book of Parliament or Addendum thereto is released by the Head of the Table Office to the Director (Information & Systems Management) to be published in the Parliament Web Site at the same time it is sent for printing.
ORDER PAPER OF PARLIAMENT
Order Paper of Parliament, which is the formal agenda for each Sitting of Parliament, is printed in all three languages.
The Order Paper of Parliament only for the first sitting day of each sitting week is sent to all Members of Parliament including Ministers, Deputies, Secretaries to the respective Ministries and other concerned officials including Media through speed post.
Finalized soft copy of trilingual Order Paper of Parliament is released by the Head of the Table Office to the Director (Information & Systems Management) to be published in the Parliament Web Site at the same time it is sent for printing.
Order Paper of Parliament contains:-
PRESENTATION OF PAPERS IN PARLIAMENT
Presentation of Papers is a statutory requirement. Resolutions, Regulations, Rules, Orders, Supplementary Estimates, etc. under various Legislations of Parliament are presented on the floor of the House by the Hon. Speaker, respective Cabinet Ministers, Minister who is not a member of the Cabinet of Ministers or Deputy Minister as the case may be.
Annual Performance Reports, Annual Reports such as the Central Bank Report and the Financial Statements of various Ministries, Public Corporations and Statutory Bodies like the Human Rights Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman) fall within the purview of Presentation of Papers in Parliament.
Presentation of all Papers are included in the Order of Business of Parliament and recorded in the Minutes of Parliament.
A short explanatory statement of the contents of any Paper could be made on its presentation, but no debate takes place at the time of its presentation.
All Papers so presented shall be deemed to have been ordered to lie upon the Table or referred to Committees or to be printed.
ORDER OF BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT
Order of Business is a trilingual pivotal docket prepared including all relevant supporting Bills, Reports, Gazettes, Amendments to Bills, etc. for the use of the Hon. Speaker or the Presiding Member as the case may be in accordance with the Standing Order 22 of Parliament for each Sitting of Parliament to conduct the proceedings on the floor of the House smoothly.
Secretary-General of Parliament, Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament, and Assistant Secretary-General are also provided with a detailed copy of the Order of Business of Parliament for their reference.
The Table Office is responsible for providing a detailed copy of the Order of Business to:-
Presentation of Papers separately in triplicate indicating
* Presentation of Papers Today
* SGP
* Duplicate
Assistant Director (Administration), the Head of the Table Office is expected to brief all contents of the Order of Business of Parliament to the Hon. Speaker or the Presiding Member concerned, the Secretary-General of Parliament, the Deputy Secretary-General, and the Assistant Secretary-General prior to the commencement of each Sitting of Parliament. He has to ensure all relevant documents are available in the dockets.
Officer attached to the Table Office is always available in the Officials’ Box in the Chamber to take down important events of proceedings of each Sitting of Parliament until the Adjournment of the House.
The Business of Parliament shall be transacted in the following Order:-
MINUTES OF PARLIAMENT
Minutes are the Official records of what happens in Parliament on each Sitting Day. It is a summary of all proceedings that take place on the floor of the House and prepared by the Table Office in all three languages and endorsed by the Secretary-General of Parliament.
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
In Parliament, Question is asked by a Member of Parliament from a Minister to obtain information or press for action; it covers the whole administration of the country, and ranges from foreign relations to the individual victim of bureaucracy.
When a Parliamentary Question is received -
PROCEDURE IN RELATION TO PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
(Standing Orders 31 to 37)
There are two types of questions.
Questions relating to Public affairs or subjects assigned to the President (where there is no Deputy Minister) are asked from the Prime Minister and other questions from the relevant Minister who has a ministerial responsibility.
NOTICE REQUIRED FOR PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
(Standing Orders 27(2))
All Parliamentary Questions for Oral or NOT for Oral Answers are included on the Order Book or its Addendum before seven clear days from the date scheduled to be asked in Parliament.
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER
Only Ten (10) Parliamentary Questions for Oral Answers are listed at first on the Order Paper of Parliament per sitting day according to the chronological order.
One Question for each Member of Parliament are listed on first come first served basis.
Two supplementary questions for the purpose of further elucidating any matter related to the answer given may be raised.
No debate is allowed.
There is no limit for the number of Questions NOT for Oral Answers to be listed on the Order Paper of Parliament.
Replies are published in the Hansard in the language answered on the floor of the House.
RULES RELATED TO PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
(Standing Order 36)
Any name or statement strictly not necessary
Argument or Inference
Imputation
Ironical expression
Epithet
Matters pending before any Committee
Matters pending a judicial decision or sub judice
Expression of opinion, or abstract legal question, or hypothetical proposition
Character or conduct of any person
Making or implying a charge of a personal character
Question fully answered/ during the current session
PRIVATE MEMBERS’ MOTIONS
Private Members’ Business shall have precedence on the First Friday Sitting of Parliament in each month.
Private Member means a Member of Parliament who does not hold any portfolio in Parliament.
All Private Members’ Motions received by the Table Office are processed in terms of the provisions of the Standing Orders of Parliament and then such motions in order are published in the Order Book or its Addendum.
ALLOCATION OF TIME FOR PRIVATE MEMBERS’ MOTIONS
Each Motion is taken up for discussion for an hour on the floor of the House: 10 minutes for the Mover, 05 minutes for each speaker, 10 minutes for the respective Minister and finally 05 minutes again for the Mover.
When the Private Members’ Motions are debated in the House approved or disapproved, they have to be recorded accordingly in the Minutes of Parliament. Such Motions have to be excluded from the Order Paper of Parliament.
COMMITTEE ON PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS / PARTY LEADERS’ MEETING
Committee on Parliamentary Business is the formal body under Standing Order 115 which shall consider and decide on the time that should be allocated for the discussion of such Business of Parliament and such other matters as the Hon. Speaker in consultation with the Leader of the House of Parliament may refer to the Committee.
The Committee on Parliamentary Business consists of the Hon. Speaker, the Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Hon. Deputy Chair of Committees, the Hon. Leader of the House of Parliament, the Hon. Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, the Hon. Chief Government Whip and the Hon. Chief Opposition Whip and 08 other Members of Parliament nominated by the Committee of Selection.
Party Leaders’ Meeting is the informal Committee to consider and decide on the time that should be allocated for discussion of Parliamentary Business and such other matters until the Committee on Parliamentary Business is formally constituted.
Once it is decided to hold a meeting the Head of the Table Office is responsible for the following duties and ensure its completion:-
SPECIAL DUTIES ASSIGNED TO THE TABLE OFFICE
VOTES OF CONDOLENCE
Votes of Condolence on the Late Hon. Members of Parliament are taken up-
CEREMONIAL OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
Immediately after a General Election the following preliminary arrangements have to be made by the Head of the Table Office on behalf of the Secretary- General of Parliament:-
The letter should contain the following:-
* Informing the date and time of the First Meeting of Parliament.
* Enquiring whether Members of Parliament wishes to take Oath of Allegiance or make the Affirmation in which language they prefer for same.
* Enclosing the following documents:-
- A copy of the Gazette Notification of the Proclamation fixing the date of the First Meeting of Parliament.
- A copy of the trilingual Memorandum on the Order of Business of Parliament and the Ceremonial Opening of the First Meeting of Parliament.
- A copy of the trilingual Order of Business of Parliament for the First Meeting of Parliament.
- Car Label supplied by the Serjeant-at-Arms facilitating all Members of Parliament to arrive in Parliament without any difficulty.
Sealing Wax
Candles
Box of Matches
Red Tape
If Parliament is prorogued, special kind of duties are involved with the Table Office regarding the proceedings of the House at its first meeting of the new Session of Parliament.
Name
Perera MJ
Phone
0112770477
jayalath_p@parliament.lk