Prime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka)

The Prime Minister's Office is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties and responsibilities vested in the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. From 1947 to 1978 it was the most powerful office within the government. However, after the creation of the executive presidency in 1978 the post of Prime Minister became more or less nominal and functions as a deputy to the President, with a few exceptions.

Prime Minister's Office
Agency overview
Formed1947
JurisdictionGovernment of Sri Lanka
HeadquartersSirimathipaya, Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha, Colombo
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Saman Ekanayake, Permanent Secretary
WebsiteOfficial website

Staff
  • Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister – Saman Ekanayake

History

Traditionally the Prime Minister maintained offices at his official residence Temple Trees and at the Parliament. The office of prime minister was formed in 1947 with D. S. Senanayake becoming the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. It consisted of a Secretary (Permanent Secretary) and an Assistant Secretary, who were officers of the Ceylon Civil Service, and a Private Secretary, along with clerical and support staff based at the Senate Building along with the Senate, Cabinet office and the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence. Since 1960 the prime minister's office has been based at Sirimathipaya Mansion on Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha (formerly Flower Road), Colombo which was the former residence of philanthropist Sir Ernest de Silva.

Terrorist attack

The LTTE carried out a suicide bombing at the Prime Minister's Office, on January 5, 2000 in an assassination attempt when a female suicide bomber detonated the bomb outside the Prime Minister's Office, killing 13 civilians and three police officers attached to the PMSD.

Former Permanent Secretaries
  • N.H.Athukorala, CCS (September 1947 - October 1953)
  • P.Nadesan, CCS (October 1953 - April 1956)
  • Bradman Weerakoon, CCS (September 1959 - 1970)
  • M.D.D.Peiris, CCS (May 1970 - July 1977)
  • W.P.M.B. Menikdiwela, SLAS (July 1977 - February 1978)
  • Eardly Goonawardana, SLAS (February 1978 - September 1979)
  • Bradman Weerakoon, SLAS (September 1979 - March 1984)
  • K.H.J.Wijedasa (March 1984 - February 1989)
  • K.M.Abeysinghe (February 1989 - August 1994)
  • K. Balapatabendi, PC (August 1994 - November 1994)
  • Hemasiri Fernando (November 1994 - December 1999)
  • V.K.Nanayakkara (November 2000 - December 2001)
  • Bradman Weerakoon, SLAS (December 2001 - April 2004)
  • Lalith Weeratunga, SLAS (April 2004 - November 2005)
  • Mahinda Bandusena, SLAS (November 2005 - April 2010)
  • S. Amarasekara, SLPS (April 2010 - January 2015)
  • Saman Ekanayake (January 2015 - October 2018)
  • S. Amarasekara, SLPS (October - December 2018)
  • Saman Ekanayake (December 2018 - November 2019)

See also
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