The Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service (CAS) in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon Civil Service

Ceylon Civil Service

The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, originated as the elite civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule in 1833 and carried on after independence, until May 1, 1963 when it was abolished and the much larger Ceylon Administrative Service was...

 which was abolished on May 1, 1963. It is the senior of the public service

Public Services of Sri Lanka

The Public Services of Sri Lanka are a series of services groups that provide specialized professional services to the Government of Sri Lanka. These are government employees who carry out public duties, however they are not elected officials. The most senior of these is the Sri Lanka...

s.

Based on the British Civil Service

British Civil Service

Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...

 the SLAS is the permanent bureaucracy

Bureaucracy

A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...

 that helps the elected officials on day-to-day functions of government. They are selected, promoted by the Public Service Commission

Civil Service Commission

-Chairmen:*John Houghton MHK, 2004-date*George Waft MLC, 1996-2004*Clare Christian MLC, 1981-1982*Noel Cringle MLC, 1992-1996*Walter Gilbey, years unknown...

. But top positions in the government such as Permanent Secretaries are appointed by the President, in theory on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission.

A Permanent Secretary is the top bureaucrat of the government ministry and is responsible for the day-to-day functions of the ministry where as in theory the minister

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

 is responsible only for drafting policy. The head of the SLAS is the Secretary to the President

Presidential Secretariat

The Presidential Secretariat is the office of the President of Sri Lanka. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties, responsibilities and powers vested in the President by the Constitution....

.

Grading schemes

Until 2005, broader term officers are classed into SLAS class 1 officers, SLAS class 2 grade 1, and SLAS class 2 grade 2. All grades from SLAS class 1 and above (see table) are part of the "Senior officers ". The Secretary to the Treasury was the traditional head of the Civil Service during the time of the old Ceylon Civil Service

Ceylon Civil Service

The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, originated as the elite civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule in 1833 and carried on after independence, until May 1, 1963 when it was abolished and the much larger Ceylon Administrative Service was...

, but in years after the establishment of the SLAS the Presidents Secretary is the de-facto head of the SLAS.

After 1st of January Year 2005 Sri Lanka Administrative service introduced four grades,such as:

• Special Grade offices (present cader is 200)
• Class I officers (present cader is 507)
• Class II officers (present cader is 639)
• Class III officers (present cader is 1059)

Below the "Senior officers "(Special Grade offices, Class I officers and ), each individual department can put in place its own grading.

The traditional titles for each grade of the civil service are as follows:

Traditional Title	Alternative Title	Grade
Secretary to the President Presidential Secretariat The Presidential Secretariat is the office of the President of Sri Lanka. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties, responsibilities and powers vested in the President by the Constitution....	Secretary to the Treasury	Special Grade offices
Permanent Secretary Permanent Secretary The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...	Chief Secretary Chief Secretary The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...	Special Grade officers
Additional Secretary	Commissioner-General, Director-General Director-general The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...	Special Grade officers
Senior Assistant Secretary	Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission .... , Director	Class I officers
Assistant Secretary	Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Director	Class II officers
Titles vary widely	Assistant Commissioner, Assistant Director	Class II officers

• The post of Deputy Secretary is only used in the Ministry of Finance is ranked just below the post of Permanent Secretary.

Notable members of the SLAS

• Lalith Weeratunga
  Lalith Weeratunga
  Lalith Weeratunga, SLAS, is the current Permanent Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka . As the President's Secretary he is the top civil servant in the country and de facto head of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service...
  
  
• Nissanka Wijeyeratne
  Nissanka Wijeyeratne
  Deshamanya Nissanka Parakrama Wijeyeratne was a Sri Lankan politician, civil servant and diplomat. He was also the Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth from 1975 to 1985...
  
  
• Bradman Weerakoon
  Bradman Weerakoon
  Deshamanya Robin Bradman Weerakoon CCS is a retired senior bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government. Bradman Weerakoon has the unique distinction of serving nine Sri Lankan heads of state in a career spanning across half a century....
  
  
• Sarath Amunugama
  Sarath Amunugama (politician)
  Sarath Leelananda Bandara Amunugama , MP, SLAS is a Sri Lankan politician and civil servant. He was the Cabinet Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning until April 2010...
  
  
• Sanath Weerakoon
  Sanath Weerakoon
  Sanath Rathnayake Weerakoon, is a Sri Lankan Former Government Agent. He served as the Government Agent for the District of Colombo , Sri Lanka and is considered to be one of the most distinguished and respected officers in the Sri Lankan Administrative Service...
  
  
• Ronnie De Mel
  Ronnie De Mel
  Ronald Joseph Godfrey de Mel, CCS is a Sri Lankan politician, civil servant and currently Senior Adviser to President. He was Cabinet Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1988 and was instrumental in the establishment of the free market economy in Sri Lanka...
  
  
• D.B.I.P.S.Siriwardena
• Wimal Amarasekara
• R.Paskaralingam
• K.H.J.Wijayadasa
• K.M. Abeysinghe
• M.D.D.Pieris
• Amara Hewamadduma
• S.G.Samarasinghe
• Lionel Fernando

External links

• Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs