Parliamentary Records Repository, Parliament of Sri Lanka

Overview

The Parliament of Sri Lanka's website serves as the official public gateway to legislative records and proceedings, providing access to Hansard reports, bills, committee documents, and related parliamentary publications. The Parliament is the supreme legislative authority of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system.

History

The history of Sri Lanka's legislature dates to the establishment of the Legislative Council in 1833 under British colonial rule, followed by the introduction of limited franchise elections in 1910 and universal adult franchise in 1931. The first independent parliament sat in 1947. A new parliamentary building, designed by architect Geoffrey Bawa and located on a five-hectare island in Diyawanna Oya in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, was opened by President J.R. Jayewardene on 29 April 1982. The current Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was constituted by the Constitution of 1978. The first set of Standing Orders was based on those of the British Parliament from 1912.

Hansard Records

The Hansard is the official verbatim record of parliamentary debates. The online repository provides downloadable Hansard volumes dating from the First Parliament of the House of Representatives (1947) through the current session. Hansard documents are available in Sinhala, Tamil, and English. The library of Parliament holds an extensive collection of parliamentary documents and serves the research needs of Members of Parliament, parliamentary committees, and the Secretariat.

Access and Usage

Hansard reports, bills, committee reports, and other parliamentary publications are freely accessible via the official Parliament website. The Library of Parliament also maintains collections for research purposes, tracing its origins to 1922 when a motion was passed in the Legislative Council to establish a library for its members.