The Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා පරිපාලන සේවය; śrī laṁkā paripālana sēvaya) 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.
Based on the British Civil Service the SLAS is the permanent bureaucracy that helps the elected officials on day-to-day functions of government.
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 whereas in theory the minister is responsible only for drafting policy.
All grades from SLAS class 1 and above (see table) are part of the "Senior officers ".