• Several sub-committees to be appointed 

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

It has been decided that the Auditor General and the Department of Public Enterprises will be playing a greater role in the affairs of the Committee on Public Enterprises ( COPE) while the committee itself will have more clout in the future. 

 Accordingly, the Committee Members has agreed to call five institutions before the COPE committee in the future. Ceylon Fisheries Corporation, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Land Reform Commission, National Livestock Development Board, Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital are to be summoned before the COPE committee in the future.

Also, it was decided to appoint several sub-committees as it is difficult for the main committee to call all the public enterprises. It was also decided to consider the list of institutions summoned and the list of institutions which summons have been cancelled prepared by the Auditor General and decide on the institutions to be called to the sub-committees in the next committee term.

The Auditor General prepares a plan to strengthen the internal audit of every public enterprise and it is to be used for audit work in the future.

The Committee also proposed to amend the Standing Orders to expand the powers of the COPE Committee. Arrangements have already been made to send the request to the Hon. Speaker. Also, the Auditor General was assigned to make necessary recommendations to simplify the government’s procurement process.