Misplaced Pages

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Cabinet of Sri Lanka

Flag of Sri Lanka
Emblem of Sri Lanka
Agency overview
Formed	16 October 1947; 77 years ago (1947-10-16)
Type	Highest executive body of the Government of Sri Lanka
Jurisdiction	Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Headquarters	Colombo
Agency executive	Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of Sri Lanka
Child agency	Ministries of the Sri Lanka Government
Website	www.gov.lk Cabinet Office

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Sri Lanka
Constitution Amendments Law Human rights Taxation Previous Constitutions: 1931 1947 1972
Executive President of Sri Lanka (10th) Anura Kumara Dissanayake Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (16th) Harini Amarasuriya Cabinet Cabinet Ministers Ministers Ministries National Security Council Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake Secretary to the Prime Minister G. P. Saputhanthri Secretary to the Cabinet W. M. D. J. Fernando
Legislature Parliament of Sri Lanka (17th) Speaker (23rd) Jagath Wickramaratne Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees Rizvie Salih Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake Chief Government Whip Nalinda Jayatissa Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunathilaka Secretary General Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera Constitutional Council COPE Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Cabinet Minister Ananda Wijepala Secretary to the Ministry D. W. R. B. Seneviratne
Judiciary Supreme Court of Sri Lanka Chief Justice (48th) Murdu Fernando Puisne Justices P. Padman Surasena S. Thurairaja Gamini Amarasekera Yasantha Kodagoda A. H. M. D.Nawaz Kumuduni Wickremasinghe A. L. Shiran Gooneratne Janak De Silva Achala Wengappuli Mahinda Samayawardhena Arjuna Obeyesekere K. Priyantha Fernando Court of Appeal High Court District Court Magistrate's Court Primary Court Labour Tribunal Judicial Service Commission Bar Association Law enforcement Attorney General's Department Attorney General (49th) Parinda Ranasinghe Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne Ministry of Justice Cabinet Minister Harshana Nanayakkara Secretary to the Ministry Ayesha Jinasena
Elections Election Commission Chairman R. M. A. L. Rathnayake Members M. A. P. C. Perera Ameer Faaiz Anusuya Shanmuganathan Lakshman Dissanayake Elections Presidential 2015 2019 2024 Next Parliamentary 2015 2020 2024 Next Provincial council 2013 2014 (Mar) 2014 (Sep) Local government 2018 2019 2024 Next Referendum 1982 Electoral districts Polling divisions Political parties
Administrative divisions Provinces Central Eastern North Central Northern North Western Sabaragamuwa Southern Uva Western Districts Ampara Anuradhapura Badulla Batticaloa Colombo Galle Gampaha Hambantota Jaffna Kalutara Kandy Kegalle Kilinochchi Kurunegala Mannar Matale Matara Monaragala Mullaitivu Nuwara Eliya Polonnaruwa Puttalam Ratnapura Trincomalee Vavuniya District Secretariats Divisional Secretariats Grama Niladhari divisions Cities Towns Capital city
Devolution 13th Amendment Indo-Sri Lanka Accord Provincial Councils Governors Chief Ministers Councillors Local government Municipal Councils Urban Councils Pradeshiya Sabhas Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government Cabinet Minister Chandana Abayarathna Secretary to the Ministry S. Aloka Bandara
Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe Senior Deputy Governor K. M. A. N. Daulagala Currency Banknotes Economy Ministry of Finance Cabinet Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake Secretary to the Ministry K. M. Mahinda Siriwardana
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath Secretary to the Ministry Aruni Ranaraja Diplomatic missions of / in Sri Lanka Heads of missions of Sri Lanka Passports Visa requirements Visa policy
Related topics Sri Lanka History Flag Emblem Anthem Military
Sri Lanka portal Politics portal Other countries
v t e

In Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers is the council of senior ministers responsible and answerable to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The President is a member of the cabinet and its head.

The Dissanayake cabinet is the incumbent central government of Sri Lanka led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Background

The Executive Council of Ceylon was the Executive Council created in British Ceylon by the British colonial administration on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission along with the Legislative Council of Ceylon, as the legislative body, on 13 March 1833.

At its creation the Executive Council was headed by the Governor, along with five members appointed by the Governor. These five members were officials who held the posts of the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney General, the Auditor-General, the Treasurer and the General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. The Council exercised executive power and advised the governor. As a result of the First Manning Reforms three non-officials were elected to the executive council.

With enactment of the new constitution of the Dominion of Ceylon in 1947 the Executive Council was replaced by a National Cabinet.

Constitutional basis

As per the Sri Lankan Constitution, the President is a member of and head of the cabinet. The president appoints as Prime Minister, a Member of Parliament who has the confidence of parliament. Other ministers of the cabinet are appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister. The president may appoint himself to any ministry he chooses. According to the constitution the president must be the Minister of Defence. The President also appoints, in consultation with the Prime Minister, non-cabinet ministers (state ministers, project ministers) and Deputy ministers.

Powers and functions

Constitutionally, the Cabinet of Ministers charged with the direction and control of the Government of the Republic and is collectively responsible and answerable to Parliament. Cabinet ministers may table cabinet papers.

Meetings

The cabinet meets on a regular basis, usually weekly on a Tuesday to discuss the most important issues of government policy. The president typically chairs the meeting and sets the agenda. All cabinet meetings are held behind closed doors and the minutes are kept confidential. The cabinet meets at the Old Parliament Building in Colombo.

Committees

A cabinet committee is a subset of the larger Cabinet, consisting of a number of ministers who have responsibility in related areas of policy.

Administration

The Cabinet office is located in the Republic Building and is headed by the Secretary to the Cabinet, appointed by the President.

Privileges of office

Salary

A cabinet minister would receive a salary of Rs. 140,000, which was having been increased from 65,000 from January 2018 and is paid monthly from the respective ministry budget. In addition, since all ministers are members of parliament they are entitled to allowances and benefits of parliamentarians.

Official residence and office

It had been the practice for Cabinet ministers to be allocated an official residence, usually from 31 government bungalows, which were Class “A” type quarters built by the British Colonial Government of Ceylon along Bullers Road (now Bauddhaloka Mawatha) in the 1930s to house senior government officers. These mansions have a large drawing room, dining room, office room, and four large bedrooms. Since the 1980s these were allocated to ministers as their official residences due to security threats and the surrounding area, including part of Bauddhaloka Mawatha was closed to the public. Managed by the Ministry of Public Administration, the National People's Power government as stated in 2024, these bungalows will not be issued to ministers or state officials. President Dissanayake has stated that ministers will not be given houses in Colombo in the future. Each Cabinet minister has an office and personal staff allocated by their ministry.

Travel

Each cabinet minister is entitled to three vehicles, which includes an official vehicle and a security vehicle provided and maintained by their ministry. For domestic air travel, helicopters from the No. 4 (VVIP/VIP) Helicopter Squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force are charted by the ministry.

Security

Traditionally, security for the ministers has been provided by the Sri Lanka Police. During emergencies military units have been allocated to bolster security to certain ministers based on threat levels. Currently, the Ministerial Security Division is in charge of security of ministers.

Order of precedence

In the Sri Lankan order of precedence, the cabinet ministers are placed above the former presidents but below the provincial governors (within their respective province).

Incumbent cabinet

Lists of former cabinets

See also

• List of ministries of Sri Lanka
• Ministers of the Sri Lanka Government
• Cabinet Office (Sri Lanka)
• List of female cabinet ministers of Sri Lanka

References

• "Government Ministers". Policy Research & Information Unit, Presidential Secretariat, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 21 July 2008.

1. ^ "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 43". LawNet.
2. ^ "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 44". LawNet.
3. "Ranil works out peaceful pre-dawn transition of power with Mahinda". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 January 2015.
4. "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 45". LawNet.
5. "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 46". LawNet.
6. "Committees". cabinetoffice.gov.lk. Cabinet Office. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
7. Salaries of ministers likely to be increased?
8. Of Ministers’ Salaries And Parliamentary Perks
9. Bandara, Kelum. "No more Govt bungalows for Ministers". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
10. "Ministers will not be given houses in Colombo: President". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 November 2024.

External links

• Office of the Cabinet of Ministers, Sri Lanka

v t e Sri Lankan cabinets List
D. S. Senanayake Dudley Senanayake I Kotelawala S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Dahanayake Dudley Senanayake II Bandaranaike I Dudley Senanayake III Bandaranaike II Jayewardene I II III IV Premadasa I II Wijetunga I II Kumaratunga I II III IV Mahinda Rajapaksa I II III IV Sirisena I II III IV Gotabaya Rajapaksa I II III IV Wickremesinghe Dissanayake I II

• Cabinet of Sri Lanka