COPE findings to be discussed

by L.S. Ananda Wedaarachchi

A meeting of Ministry Secretaries convened by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will be held on Tuesday, January 17 in a committee room in Parliament, COPE Chairman D.E.W. Gunasekera said.

He said that financial discipline and managerial efficiency of the public sector with special reference to the COPE Report and the findings of the Public Enterprises Committee will be discussed at the Secretaries’ meeting.

The Minister said that many irregularities in the public sector had been exposed in the COPE Report.

The COPE Report which examined the accounts of 229 Public Corporations, Bureaus, Commissions, Boards and Councils was submitted to Parliament on December 1. The Public Accounts Committee chaired by Senior Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama will be presented to Parliament shortly.

According to the COPE Report the Employees PAYE tax of seven public sector organisations including the loss making Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Ceylon Electricity Board was paid by the relevant public sector organisations and not by the employees which was an irregular practice.

It is learnt that this issue will be one of the subjects to be taken up at the forthcoming meeting.