In the
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...
government, a
Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the
Secretary of StateIn the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department ....
or
MinisterMinister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves in theory at His/Her Majesty's Pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown...
. The senior civil servant in charge of administering the department is usually entitled the
Permanent SecretaryThe Permanent Secretary, in most departments officially titled the Permanent Under-Secretary of State , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
, and may also have a Private Secretary.
A Private Secretary is normally of middle management level, and can be assisted by one or more Assistant - and or Deputy Secretaries, or even head a whole office in which those may be section chiefs.
In the
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...
government, a
Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the
Secretary of StateIn the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department ....
or
MinisterMinister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves in theory at His/Her Majesty's Pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown...
. The senior civil servant in charge of administering the department is usually entitled the
Permanent SecretaryThe Permanent Secretary, in most departments officially titled the Permanent Under-Secretary of State , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
, and may also have a Private Secretary.
A Private Secretary is normally of middle management level, and can be assisted by one or more Assistant - and or Deputy Secretaries, or even head a whole office in which those may be section chiefs. Where the Private Secretary is a member of the Senior Civil Service, they will be referred to as a Principal Private Secretary, making the order of precedence Principal Private Secretary, Senior Private Secretary, Private Secretary, and Assistant Private Secretary.
Depending upon the seniority of their political principal, a Private Secretary may him or herself be regarded as an important official in their own right: the
Queen's Private SecretaryThe Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
and the
Downing Street10 Downing Street is the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury and hence Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
's Private Secretary to the
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government...
are the most important.
A
Parliamentary Private SecretaryA Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister 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...
(PPS) is a
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...
appointed to act as unpaid assistant to a Minister. The PPS allows the Prime Minister, or minister, to reward party colleagues without cost, and test potential future ministers, and strengthens the
WhipThe whip is a role in party politics whose primary purpose is to ensure control of the formal decision-making process in a parliamentary legislature. Whips are party 'enforcers', who typically offer both inducements and punishments to party members...
system as a PPS is expected to support the government's policies and vote for them in the parliament, regardless of their personal opinions.