3rd COPE report presented in Parliament

• A follow-up committee and mechanism established

By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby Correspondent Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) MP Dew Gunasekara yesterday released the committee’s third report in Parliament. The 87-page report includes the findings of investigations carried out from 9 October 2014 to 6 March 2015 on 29 state-owned enterprises. “Amongst nearly 250 institutions assigned to COPE are educational institutions, research institutions, regulatory institutions, promotional institutions, banking and finance institutions and strategic business enterprises. We have now brought under the purview of the COPE state-owned companies and subsidiaries registered under the Company Law and even those companies with a fair share of state capital. However, it is imperative to amend the Standing Orders to increase COPE’s powers, authority and capacity,” added MP Gunasekara. According to him, the Paddy Marketing Board, Official Languages Commission, Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties and Institutions Authority, Ranaviru Seva Authority and Botanical Garden Trust Fund have “failed to submit annual reports to Parliament and the Cabinet for three consecutive years.” The Open University of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy have earned “unfavourable audit opinion repeatedly for four years.” Presenting the report MP Gunasekara reiterated his contribution towards the COPE committee appointed by the Speaker. “Since you appointed me to this office as Chairman of COPE in June 2010, our committee has hitherto presented six reports, which include the three final reports and three interim reports, having completed investigations during the period from June 2010 until March this year. We have brought under our scrutiny each and every institution assigned to us several times. This is an unprecedented record in the history of our legislature,” he said.