COPE requests co-operation of all

Parliament reporters

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) requested the fullest co-operation of all high ranking officials in public enterprises stressing that its ultimate intention is to help strengthen those institutions with recommendations for better performances.

COPE chairman and Human Resources Senior Minister DEW Gunasekera addressing a press conference held at the Parliamentary Complex yesterday stated that all chief accounting officers will be summoned before a committee comprised of the Parliament Secretary General, the Secretary to the President and the Treasury Secretary for a special discussion on implementation of recommendations mentioned in its latest report. This initiative will be put into action from January next year for the first time in Sri Lanka's history, he said.

The Senior Minister observed that the Committee categorized the institutions into four groups as those functioning profitably, those functioning at break even (avoiding loss but failing to make profits) those institutions whose revenue is dwindling and those institutions which are running at a loss.

He revealed that 40 institutions are running at a loss from a total number of 229 public enterprises which came under COPE scrutiny. He observed that some of these enterprises are service-oriented institutions.

The COPE Report comprises 22 general recommendations for better economy, efficiency, productivity and effectiveness of public enterprises.

The Senior Minister also stated that COPE has requested permission to summon former chairmen to these enterprises to question on certain issues during their management.

He also said that more attention will be given to performances of institutions from next year and large-scale enterprises will be summoned before COPE more often while conducting spot investigations on them.

He said that COPE will submit reports to Parliament every quarter of the year in future. He requested the support of all towards the COPE endeavour to establish transparency and accountability in these enterprises.

UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya also spoke. Ministers Jagath Pushpakumara, Mahinda Amaraweera, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Chandrasiri Gajadheera, Deputy Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, MPs Eran Wickramaratne, Rosy Senanayake, Arjuna Ranatunga, A H M Azwar and Ravi Karunanayake also participated.