A
Parliamentary Private Secretary (
PPS) is a role given to a
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(MP) by a senior
ministerA minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet.-Origin:...
in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is salaried by one or more departments.
Although not paid other than their salary as an MP, PPSs help the government to track backbench opinion in Parliament.
A
Parliamentary Private Secretary (
PPS) is a role given to a
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(MP) by a senior
ministerA minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet.-Origin:...
in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is salaried by one or more departments.
Duties and powers of a PPS
Although not paid other than their salary as an MP, PPSs help the government to track backbench opinion in Parliament. They are subject to some restrictions as outlined in the Ministerial Code of the British government:
PPSs can sit on Select Committees but must avoid "associating themselves with recommendations critical of, or embarrassing to the Government", and must not make statements or ask questions on matters affecting their minister's department. As a part of this, the PPS in the
Department for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England, since May 2006...
is prevented from being involved with making planning decisions or in the consideration of planning cases.
PPSs are not members of the government, and all efforts are made to avoid these positions being referred to as such. They are instead considered more simply as normal Members, however their close confidence with ministers does impose obligations on every PPS. The guidelines surrounding the divulging of information to PPSs are rigid.
Ministers choose their own PPS, but must seek the written approval for each candidate from the
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
, and it is traditional procedure to consult the
Chief WhipThe Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
.
PPSs are expected to act as part of the
payroll votePayroll vote is a term in the British Parliamentary System for the office-holders, paid or unpaid, among a party's MPs or peers who are obliged either to support their party's position in whipped votes or to resign...
, voting in line with the government on every division, and regarded as members of the government for purposes of collective responsibility. Similarly, they must not appear as a representative for any special policies.
When on official Departmental business, PPSs travel and subsistence allowances are paid out of government funds, as with formal members of the government. This makes the PPS the only type of unpaid advisor who receives reimbursement in the course of their duty.
As a last resort for ministers who must pull out of an event for whatever reason, a PPS may stand in for the minister at the event. This will only happen in exceptional circumstances and must be justified by the minister in charge of the department. If this event is overseas it again requires the Prime Minister's consent.
The role in the career of MPs
The role of PPS is seen as a starting point for many MPs who are looking to become ministers themselves. In 1963, Professor of Political Science Philip W. Buck at Stanford University published a journal article stating:
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- "Nine-tenths of the M.P.'s who first won seats in the House of Commons in 1918 or thereafter, and who held some ministerial office in the years from 1918 to 1955, began their progress towards posts in a ministry or a Cabinet by serving as parliamentary secretaries or as junior ministers... Recruitment to the front bench clearly begins with these two offices."
After the leaking of party details in emails associated with
Desmond SwayneDesmond Angus Swayne TD is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency of New Forest West in Hampshire, and is currently the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron.-Early life:He was educated at Drumley...
, PPS to
David CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom. He has occupied both positions since December 2005....
, a writer of the Thirsk and Malton
Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
ConstituencyA constituency is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity, goals, or loyalty. Constituency can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves...
Blog commented:
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- "A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a thankless job. Despite having risen to the rank of MP, those with Governmental ambitions will need to pay their dues oncemore - as a bag carrier. Admittedly, PPS is a bit more than that - you are supposed to be the eyes and ears, reporting back to your boss all the gossip, what people are saying about your work in the bars and cafes of Westminster"
The use of PPSs has in the past been a source of comedy as seen in the series,
Yes MinisterYes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Sir Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC television and radio between 1980 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988...
:
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- "James Hacker: Who else is in this department?
- Sir Humphrey Appleby: Well briefly, Sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary. Woolley here is your Principal Private Secretary, I too have a Principal Private Secretary and he is the Principal Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary. Directly responsible to me are ten Deputy Secretaries, 87 Under Secretaries and 219 Assistant Secretaries. Directly responsible to the Principal Private Secretary are plain Private Secretaries, and the Prime Minister will be appointing two Parliamentary Under Secretaries and you will be appointing your own Parliamentary Private Secretary.
- James Hacker: Do they all type?
- Sir Humphrey Appleby: None of us can type. Mrs. McKay types. She is the secretary."
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