Former Speakers of Parliament have spent Rs. 75,260,748 on 299,146 litres of fuel between 2016 - 2024, according to a special audit report issued on Parliament by the National Audit Office (NAO).
The report, signed by Auditor General - Samudika Jayaratne, states that the Speaker had used an average of 3,994 litres of fuel per month in 2023 and 6,122 litres per month in 2024, which were the final two years of the 9th Parliament.
Compared with 2022, this represented increases of around 66% and 155%, respectively, in monthly fuel consumption.
Meanwhile, 204,536 litres of fuel had been issued for the Deputy Speaker between 2016 and 2024, at a cost of nearly Rs. 50 million.
Although the Deputy Speaker was officially entitled to 03 vehicles, auditors observed that an additional 21,299 litres of fuel, worth more than Rs. 8.5 million, had been provided for a private vehicle during 2023 and 2024.
The report also states that 164,235 litres of fuel had been issued for the Deputy Chairperson of Committees between 2016 and 2024, at a cost of mwore than Rs. 35 million.
According to the audit, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairperson of Committees had used fuel without an effective limit during the period under review.
It further found that several heads of departments at Parliament had used fuel for private travel beyond their authorised mileage, causing an estimated loss of nearly Rs. 1.1 million.
The officials concerned included the Director (Information Systems and Management), Director (Administration), two Serjeants-at-Arms (1 and 2), Director (Legislative Services), Director (Catering and Housekeeping), and the Editor (Hansard).
The report states that arrangements had been made to charge the market price per litre of fuel once the relevant limits were exceeded, effective from July 2022.
It also found that the Secretary-General of Parliament had simultaneously used 02 official vehicles from 2022 to 2023, for which 15,063 litres of fuel had been allocated at a cost of nearly Rs. 2.3 million.
According to audit officers, this was around 2,300 litres more than the fuel allocation for a ministry secretary, who is among the public-sector officials entitled to one of the highest fuel allocations.
Meanwhile, the audit report states that although Parliament approved the annual salary of the Secretary-General of Parliament in 2004 and the basic salary was increased by around 800% two years later, no subsequent action had been taken to obtain parliamentary approval for the Secretary-General’s salary, which is a charge on the Consolidated Fund.
As at Dec. 31, 2025, Parliament was using 91 vehicles of various types.
Of these, 24 had been allocated to various positions, 42 had been designated as reserve vehicles, and 13 had been allocated to different divisions of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the report also states that over Rs. 27.99 billion had been spent on MPs, parliamentary staff and the Speaker’s Office during the 09 years from 2015 - 2023.
The highest expenditure, nearly Rs. 16.53 billion, had been incurred on parliamentary staff, while more than Rs. 9.77 billion had been spent on MPs.
More than Rs. 1.69 billion had also been spent on the Speaker’s Office during the same period.
The report further states that more than Rs. 890 million had been spent on food and uniforms at Parliament from 2020 to 2024.
Lunch is prepared for around 1,200 people on days when Parliament does not sit and around 1,800 people on sitting days, according to the report.
Four dining halls are operated at Parliament - one for general staff, one for executive staff, one for MPs and another for MPs’ guests.
As at Dec. 31, 2025, 234 staff members had been assigned to food and housekeeping services, the audit report notes.
The NAO also observed that Parliament had not maintained a formal database of staff information.
Compared with the approved cadre, there were 159 vacancies among the actual staff.
Auditors observed that no formal analysis had been conducted to determine the need for these posts, recruit staff according to requirements or take action regarding posts deemed unnecessary.
Although the responsibilities of the Minister of Finance include determining salaries, wages and other payments for public officers and other employees, the report states that Parliament had continued to operate under the Parliament Staff Act without adequately addressing this matter.
Auditors further observed that decisions on the recruitment of parliamentary staff were made solely by the Staff Advisory Committee, without involving institutions whose special approval is required for recruitment in other State institutions.
As a result, proper follow-up procedures were not being carried out.
The audit report recommends imposing appropriate limits on the allocation of fuel and vehicles to the Speaker and the Speaker’s staff, in accordance with government rules and regulations issued from time to time.
It also recommends reviewing the Parliament Staff Act, which was introduced around 70 years ago, and either amending or repealing it to ensure that Parliament’s financial management and staff administration are governed by the prevailing laws and regulations applicable to other State institutions.
The report further recommends reviewing the significant annual cost incurred by the Government to provide free transport for parliamentary staff and considering measures to reduce such expenditure.
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