A parliamentary secretary is a member of parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with their duties. In several countries, the position has been re-designated as assistant minister, junior minister or associate minister.
In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India and Singapore, it is customary for the prime minister to appoint parliamentary secretaries from their political party in parliament to assist cabinet ministers with their work. The role of parliamentary secretaries varies under different prime ministers. The post has often served as a training ground for future ministers.
In the Commonwealth
Australia
In Australia, parliamentary secretaries are appointed in the federal government and most state governments. At the federal level, the Australian constitution provides only for the appointment of "ministers of state". Under current practice, ministers of state are divided into three levels: parliamentary secretaries are the third level, after cabinet ministers (ministers who are members of the Cabinet of Australia) and other ministers. Since 2015, "parliamentary secretaries" have been known as "assistant ministers" instead. However, the Ministers of State Act 1952 still refers to "parliamentary secretaries", as a category of "ministers of state". The prime minister is permitted to appoint a member from either house of Parliament to be a parliamentary secretary to a minister. As they are ministers of state for constitutional purposes, parliamentary secretaries may be paid a salary.[1]
According to Paul Keating in 1993, "the institution of Parliamentary Secretary provides a very inexpensive means not only of giving talented individuals executive experience but providing Ministers with needed support."[2]
During Jean Chrétien's term as Prime Minister of Canada, parliamentary secretaries were set to two-year terms and the post was used as a reward for weary backbenchers. Their duty was to answer questions and table reports on behalf of ministers when they were unable to be present in the house.
Chrétien's successor as Canadian prime minister, Paul Martin, when sworn in in 2003, promised a new role for parliamentary secretaries. They would now be sworn into the privy council, giving them access to some secret documents, and allowing them to attend Canadian Cabinet meetings and be assigned specific files by ministers. This replaced the positions of secretaries of state which had been employed under Chrétien.
Since the 1968 Independence the constitution of Mauritius allowed for 14 ministers and 5 parliamentary secretaries. Initially the role of a parliamentary secretary was to assist ministers. The number of such positions rose steadily but their roles have progressively changed. After the 1987 elections the candidates who had missed out on ministerial positions were nominated as parliamentary secretaries.[4]
A parliamentary private secretary (PPS), on the other hand, is a member of parliament who acts as an unpaid assistant to an individual minister, but has no ministerial role, although is expected to support the government at all times.
In 2021, there are 36 parliamentary state secretaries in the Merkel IV Cabinet. The position was first introduced in 1967 to help younger politicians gain experience for future ministerial roles.[7]
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