Prime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka) 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
Prime Minister's Security Division guard the Prime Minister's Office and Prime Minister's House ("Temple Trees"), without special training in close protection. This was highlighted when Prime Minister S W R D Bandaranaike was assassinated at his residence by Talduwe Somarama. The need for specialized independent unit was once again highlighted when personal from the internal security detail of the Royal Ceylon Navy, the "Provost Branch" were brought to guard Temple Trees on the night of 27 January 1962 when the attempted military coup by senior police and reservist military officers was due to be launched. Since the 1950s the Ceylon Army had assisted the