Aparliamentary secretary is amember of parliament in theWestminster system who assists a more seniorminister with their duties. In several countries, the position has been re-designated asassistant minister,junior minister orassociate minister.
In the parliamentary systems of severalCommonwealth countries, such as theUnited Kingdom,Canada,Australia,India andSingapore, it is customary for theprime minister to appoint parliamentary secretaries from theirpolitical party inparliament to assistcabinet 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 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". Parliamentary secretaries are formally ministers of state, however they are not responsible for any portfolios and act under the direction of a more senior minister. Since 2015, "parliamentary secretaries" have been titled as "assistant ministers". However, they remain formally "parliamentary secretaries" under theMinisters of State Act 1952. An assistant minister's title may not necessarily correspond to their official position, withMatt Thistlethwaite in 2022 titled theAssistant Minister for the Republic while formally they held the offices ofParliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General, Minister for Defence and Minister for Veterans Affairs.[1] Theprime 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.[2]
According toPaul 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."[3]
In the state ofQueensland, parliamentary secretaries were re-designated as 'assistant ministers' following the2012 Queensland election.[4]
DuringJean Chrétien's term asPrime Minister of Canada, parliamentary secretaries were set to two-year terms and the post was used as a reward for wearybackbenchers. 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 theprivy council, giving them access to some secret documents, and allowing them to attendCanadian Cabinet meetings and be assigned specific files by ministers. This replaced the positions ofsecretaries of state which had been employed under Chrétien.
In 2018, 20 MLAs in Delhi were held to be disqualified from Delhi Legislative Assembly because they were Parliamentary Secretaries and therefore heldoffice of profit as defined in theRepresentation of the People Act, 1951.[5]
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.[6]
The position titled Parliamentary Under-Secretary is established by theConstitution Act 1986.[7] Unlikeministers in the New Zealand Government, parliamentary under-secretaries are not members of theExecutive Council.
New Zealand also has Parliamentary Private Secretaries.
1972 (Ceylon Dutch 1658–1796) / Britain 1796 (annexed) (ceded by the Dutch 1815–1948) / Ceylon 1948–1972 British Commonwealth of Nations
Under theSoulbury Constitution, junior members of parliament were appointed to serve as parliamentary secretaries. Each cabinet minister would have one parliamentary secretary. In 1972, therepublican constitution replace the position of parliamentary secretary with that ofdeputy minister. With theparliamentary secretary for external affairs and defence serving as the de facto parliamentary secretary to theprime minister of Ceylon.
In theUnited Kingdom, parliamentary secretary (in full, usuallyParliamentary Under-Secretary of State in those departments headed by a secretary of state) is the third level of governmentminister, belowminister of state andsecretary of state (or another minister of secretary of state rank, such as thechancellor of the exchequer). Not all departments have all three levels of minister.
Aparliamentary 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.
Aparliamentary state secretary (Parlamentarischer Staatssekretär, PStS) is a member of theBundestag given a portfolio to assist aminister with running agovernment ministry. The position is roughly analogous to deputy ministers.[8]
In 2021, there are 36 parliamentary state secretaries in theMerkel IV Cabinet. The position was first introduced in 1967 to help younger politicians gain experience for future ministerial roles.[9]
In theIrish Free State, theMinisters and Secretaries Act, 1924 created the post of parliamentary secretary (Irish:rúnaí parlaiminte), originally limited to seven holders. In 1978, the office was superseded inIreland by the office ofMinister of State.[10][11]