August 21, Colombo (LNW): The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has granted approval for the 2026 budget estimates of the National Audit Office, paving the way for the proposal to be tabled in Parliament, subject to the Committee’s recommendations.
The review and endorsement took place during a session held yesterday (19), in accordance with Section 34 of the Audit Act No. 19 of 2018.
With the Committee’s regular Chair, Dr Harsha de Silva, currently abroad, the proceedings were presided over by MP Rauff Hakeem, who assumed the role of Acting Chair for the session.
Senior representatives from the National Audit Office, including Acting Auditor General G.H.D. Dharmapala, were in attendance, along with officials from the Department of National Budget. Their discussions centred around ongoing institutional challenges faced by the Audit Office, which is responsible for overseeing financial accountability across nearly 2,000 entities—including ministries, departments, state-owned enterprises, and foreign-funded projects.
Key issues highlighted during the session included a critical shortage of qualified staff, particularly at the level of Chartered Accountants. Officials pointed out that only around 35 professionals with this qualification are currently employed at the National Audit Office, and that competitive private sector salaries have made it difficult to attract and retain highly trained personnel.
The Committee also explored ways to improve operational capacity through the decentralisation of services. Members expressed interest in establishing provincial-level branches of the National Audit Office, which could help distribute workloads more efficiently across regions.
A significant portion of the discussion focused on the potential benefits of adopting advanced technological tools, including artificial intelligence, to streamline audit processes. Committee members were in broad agreement that modernising the office’s systems could improve productivity and oversight, even with limited human resources.
The meeting was attended by several members of the Committee on Public Finance, including Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, Ajith Agalakada, Dr Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Nimal Palihena, Chithral Fernando (Attorney-at-Law), Wijesiri Basnayake, Thilina Samarakoon, Champika Hettiarachchi, and Lakmali Hemachandra (Attorney-at-Law).
The approved budget estimates, along with the Committee’s observations, are expected to be presented in Parliament in the coming weeks.
