The Attorney General has cleared the draft of a Bill seeking to abolish pension entitlements granted to MPs and their spouses.
The Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has given the go ahead to repeal the Parliamentary Pensions Act No. 1 of 1971.
The Legal Draftsman has prepared the Bill aimed at abolishing the pension entitlements granted to Members of Parliament and their spouses.
Government sources said that the proposal, presented by the Minister of Justice and National Integration to publish the Bill in the Government Gazette and submit it to Parliament, for approval had received the Cabinet endorsement.
Earlier some ex-MPs opposed the move. A group, styling itself as ex-MPs Collective, declared that it was contemplating legal action in case the government moved to do away with MPs’ pension scheme.
Minister and Cabinet spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa is on record as having said that if any ex-MP found it difficult, he or she could, like any other citizen, seek assistance through government welfare programmes, such as Aswesuma.