The government is moving to cut paper use in Parliament and across the public sector through digitalisation, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told the House on Thursday, 10 September.
The numbers
Answering a question on digitalisation and paper usage, the Prime Minister set out what Parliament has spent on Hansard reports, Order Books, agendas and other printed material supplied to MPs and ministers:
| Year | Spend on printed material |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Rs. 45.3 million |
| 2024 | Rs. 58.7 million |
| 2025 | Rs. 73.1 million |
That is a rise of 61% in two years — an increase of Rs. 27.8 million — on documents that are already produced in digital form before they are printed. The Prime Minister said the printed materials were produced in response to requests made by Parliament, and that a programme was now being developed to reduce paper usage.
How the change would work
Following a request from the Treasury Secretary, the Committee on Parliamentary Business has considered providing parliamentary reports entirely in digital form, the Daily Mirror reported.
A survey will be run among MPs to establish who wants documents digitally and who wants them on paper. Members who prefer digital copies will receive them electronically; printed copies will continue to go to those who ask for them. The committee will decide an implementation date once the survey is complete.
The opt-in design is the detail worth noting. Because printing continues for any member who requests it, the saving depends entirely on how many MPs choose digital — and no figure has been put on the expected reduction.
Beyond Parliament
Amarasuriya said ministries and government institutions were also digitalising their operations to reduce paper use, though the process would take time, and that digitalising government processes would eventually allow files and other official procedures to be exchanged electronically.
That sits alongside other moves in the same direction, including the Attorney General’s Department’s shift to digital case reviews.
Not reported
The report does not say when the MP survey will run, what target reduction the programme aims at, what the digital distribution system would cost to build, or which device or platform MPs would use to read parliamentary papers. No breakdown is given of how much of the Rs. 73.1 million went to Hansard as against Order Books and agendas, and no explanation is offered for why the bill rose 61% over two years. No other verified newsroom had filed on the statement at the time of writing.
