Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of the three levels (Minister of State, Secretary of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretary) of the United Kingdom government . In the ministries that are not headed by a Secretary of State , they are usually simply called Parliamentary Secretary .
The Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 provides that there should be no more than 83 paid ministers. The Lord Chancellor , up to three law officers and 22 whips are not counted.
The number of unpaid Parliamentary Secretaries is limited by the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975. It states that no more than 95 paid and unpaid ministers can have a seat in the House of Commons. There is no limit to ministers who are members of the House of Lords.
The position should not be confused with a Permanent Secretary , also known as the Permanent Under-Secretary of State, who is the senior civil servant in a department of government. He is also to be distinguished from a Parliamentary Private Secretary. This is an MP who works for a minister without pay.
Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire said of his duties as Under Secretary of State in the Macmillan Cabinet (1957–1963): "No one who was not a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State has any idea how unimportant a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State is State is. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Cabinet Office : Cabinet Manual (PDF) HM Government . October 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975, c.27 . Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ↑ a b http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN03378/SN03378.pdf
- ↑ http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05226/SN05226.pdf
- ^ Parliamentary Private Secretaries - Glossary page . In: UK Parliament website . Parliament of the United Kingdom . Retrieved January 12, 2018.