By The Pulseline News Desk
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has challenged the Government to disclose the implementation status of the 2026 Budget before presenting its proposed budget for 2027, arguing that Parliament must be informed of how public funds have been spent and whether promised development programmes have delivered results.
Raising a question under Standing Order 27(2) in Parliament on Thursday (22), Premadasa has said the Government could not proceed with the presentation of the 2027 Budget, scheduled for November 12, without providing a comprehensive account of the progress made under the current year’s budget.
He has stressed that allocating funds for development programmes was insufficient unless the Government could demonstrate that the proposals had been implemented effectively and achieved their intended economic and social objectives.
Premadasa has called for a detailed breakdown of the financial and physical progress of each ministry as of September 30, 2026, including the funds allocated, expenditure incurred and balances remaining.
He has also sought details of domestic and foreign financing allocated to special projects across the 28 sectors identified in the Main Public Investment Projects Summary issued by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on November 7, 2025. He has requested corresponding financial and physical progress reports for those projects as of September 30.
Questions over spending and implementation
The Opposition Leader has also sought the Government’s plans for the final months of 2026, including programmes scheduled for completion, expected expenditure, implementation timelines and the use of remaining budgetary provisions.
He has asked how the Government intended to deal with funds that remained unspent at the end of the year, raising questions about whether allocations approved by Parliament were translating into actual development activity.
Premadasa has further sought clarification on the progress of capital expenditure and microfinance programmes, referring to reports published in the media that State revenue had reached 75.5% of the annual estimate during the first eight months of 2026.
He has called for information on revisions and reallocations of budgetary provisions originally assigned to ministries, including the reasons for such changes, the approval procedures followed and the officials responsible.
He has also requested details of development projects financed through foreign aid and loans, including their current implementation status and expected completion dates.
FDI targets and State enterprise performance
Premadasa has extended his questions to foreign direct investment (FDI), seeking the Government’s target for 2026 and the amount attracted by September 30.
He has also requested a breakdown of the principal economic sectors receiving FDI and the countries from which the investments originated.
On State-owned enterprises (SOEs), the Opposition Leader has sought the total number of entities and their profit-and-loss figures for the first three quarters of 2026.
He has asked what measures had been taken to improve the financial performance of loss-making enterprises and where allocations were expected to be made in the 2027 Budget, what amounts were envisaged and what objectives the funding was intended to achieve.
The questions place budget execution, public investment and the financial performance of State institutions at the centre of the debate ahead of the next Budget.
Budget accountability before new allocations
Premadasa has argued that Parliament needed to assess the implementation of existing commitments before considering a fresh round of budgetary allocations.
He has maintained that the Opposition would not tailor its parliamentary questions to suit the preferences of the Government or the Leader of the House.
Insisting that the requested information was necessary for meaningful scrutiny of public expenditure, he has said the Government should provide answers on the implementation of the 2026 Budget before proceeding with the 2027 Budget speech.
The demand comes as the Government prepares to present its next annual spending plan on November 12, setting the stage for parliamentary scrutiny of both its proposed allocations and its record of implementing the current year’s commitments.
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