A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a junior role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament (MP). In this role, the MP acts as the Parliamentary contact for a senior minister, shadow minister, or sometimes a group of ministers. This is an unpaid^[1] position. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ...

Powers of a PPS

PPSs help the government to track backbench opinion and are considered ineligible to sit on Select Committees or propose any amendments to Government Bills which relate to their minister's department.^[2] They are subject to the following restrictions as outlined in the Ministerial Code of the British government: A Select Committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster System of parliamentary democracy. ...

• According to Article 2.7 of the ministerial code PPS 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 Private 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 will choose their own PPS but must seek the written approval for their candidate from the Prime Minister. It is also traditional procedure to consult the Chief Whip when selecting a PPS. (Article 2.8)

• The government expects PPSs to follow voting in such a way that if a PPS were to vote in opposition of policies backed by the government, that member would be automatically relieved from their role as a PPS. In accordance with this they must not appear as a representative for any special policies. (Article 2.9)

• PPSs are entitled to the same civil service travel and subsistence allowances, while on official/Departmental business, as any other MPs. This makes the PPS the only type of unpaid advisor known who receives reimbursement in the course of their duty. (Article 2.10)

• 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. (Article 2.10)

Other restrictions not in the Ministerial Code also apply: A prime minister is the very most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... The 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 Byzantine civil service in action. ...

Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Ministers (planning and non-planning) in Communities and Local Government are not allowed to be involved with making planning decisions or in the consideration of planning cases.^[3] The seniority of a PPS is linked to the seniority of the minister in question. Although PPSs are unpaid and do not hold public office, they are regarded as being part of the payroll vote and are expected to be as loyal as ministers. The Department for Communities and Local Government is a United Kingdom government department. ... Payroll vote is a term in the British Parliamentary System for the office-holders, paid or unpaid, among a partys MPs or peers who are obliged either to support their partys position in whipped votes or to resign. ...

Although not part of the cabinet, they are officially regarded as members of the government for purposes of collective responsibility, together with junior ministers.

PPSs in the present day

The number of PPSs a minister can have is not limited to one, but is dependant on the status and office of the minister. As of March 2007 the following ministers have two PPSs:

Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Secretary of State

Rt Hon Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State

Rt Hon Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Rt Hon Peter Hain, Secretary of State (with vacant PPS position)

Government practice is to move a PPS between departments in sync with any moves made by the minister to whom they are originally assigned. Vacant PPS posts are only listed a certain length of time after Ministerial changes have been made.^[4] The Right Honourable (abbreviated The Rt Hon. ... Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (November 26, 1953) is a British politician, a current member of the British cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development and Labour Member of Parliament for the West Yorkshire constituency of Leeds Central. ... Douglas Garven Alexander (born October 26, 1967) is a British politician who is Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland He is the Member of Parliament for the Scottish constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire South representing the Labour Party. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Peter Gerald Hain (born February 16, 1950, Nairobi, Kenya) is a British Labour Party politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Secretary of State for Wales. ...

Tony Blair's PPS is the Rt Hon Keith Hill. He is the only PPS who is also a member of the Privy Council. For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... Trevor Keith Hill, known as Keith Hill, (born 28 July 1943, Leicester) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ...

Of the opposition party only the Party Leader and Deputy Leader will have PPSs. The Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Deputy Leader in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. ...

In a recent vote about the renewal of Trident three MPs resigned from their PPS posts due to conflicts of interest: Ealing North MP Stephen Pound,^[5] Livingston MP Jim Devine,^[6] Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane^[7] A Trident missile launches from a submerged submarine The British replacement of Trident is a proposal to replace the existing Vanguard class of four submarines each armed with 16 Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles. ... Ealing North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Stephen Punch Pound (born 3 July 1948) is the Labour member of Parliament for Ealing North, in London, and has been MP since 1997. ... Livingston is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Jim Devine (born circa 1953) is a Scottish union official and politician. ... The Vale of Clwyd is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Christopher Shaun Ruane (born 18 July 1958) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ...

Views on the role of PPSs

After the leaking of party details in emails associated with Desmond Swayne, PPS to David Cameron, a writer of the Thirsk and Malton Labour Party Constituency Blog commented: Desmond Angus Swayne (born 20 August 1956) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom, positions he has occupied since December 2005. ... Thirsk and Malton will be a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ...

"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"^[8]

The use of PPSs has in the past been a source of comedy as seen in the series, Yes, Minister: Yes, Minister, and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, are British sitcoms that were transmitted by the BBC between 1980 and 1988. ...

"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: No. Mrs. McKay types. She's the secretary."^[9]

The role is seen as a starting point for many MPs who are looking to become ministers themselves.^[10] In 1963, Professor of Political Science Philip W. Buck at Stanford University published a journal article stating:

"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."^[11]

References

1. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretary", Explore Parliament, 2007-03-28.
2. ^ "Ministerial Code", Cabinet Office Online, 2007-03-28.
3. ^ "Guidance on propriety issues in handling planning casework in Communities and Local Government", Communities and Local Government, 2007-03-28.
4. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries", parliament.uk, 2007-03-28.
5. ^ "Third Labour MP quits over Trident", icSouthlondon, 2007-03-28.
6. ^ "MP sails into row over 'too short' Trident debate", Scotsman online, 2007-03-28.
7. ^ "MP Ruane steps down over Trident", BBC News online, 2007-03-28.
8. ^ "Monday, July 10, 2006", Thirsk and Malton Constituency Labour Party Blog, 2007-03-28.
9. ^ "Yes, Minister", IMDB, 2007-03-28.
10. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPSs)", bbc online, 2007-03-28.
11. ^ Philip W. Buck. "The Early Start toward Cabinet Office, 1918-55", The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Sep., 1963), pp. 624-632 as found on JSTOR, 2007-03-28.

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ...

External links

• BBC, A-Z of Politics
• TheyWorkForYou, List of MPs and the posts that they hold
• Ministerial code related to PPS's