Debate on no-confidence motion against Speaker scheduled for November 3

Daily Mirror and Newswire report that the Committee on Parliamentary Business scheduled a November 3 debate on the Opposition’s revised no-confidence motion against Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. Newswire says Parliament’s statement listed the debate in the business planned for the first week of November, and that the committee finalised the agenda at a meeting on October 23 chaired by Wickramaratne.

Newswire reports that Parliament is scheduled to sit from November 3 to 6. It says November 4 will include debate on import and export control regulations published in Gazette No. 2508/27 and a supplementary estimate, followed by a government-sponsored adjournment motion. A separate government adjournment motion is scheduled for November 5.

Newswire reports that November 6 is set aside for several Private Members’ Motions, covering rail services on the Puttalam line, tree planting along road reserves, Colleges of Education, smart grids and meters, swimming skills, Udawalawe tourism, and water hyacinth. An Opposition adjournment motion is also scheduled that day. Parliament’s stated daily timetable allocates time to parliamentary business, oral-answer questions and questions under Standing Order 27(2) before the later debates.

WhatNews (සිංහල) reports that the government asked the Opposition to revise the motion because it contained matters related to cases being heard in court, and that the Opposition had not responded at the time of its report. The supplied reports do not explain whether that request was resolved before the debate was scheduled.