Leader of the House of Assembly
| Leader of the House of Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Nominator | Matthew Jones |
| Appointer | Geoffrey VII |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Inaugural | Edward Creighton |
| Formation | 29 April 1854 |
| Salary | £6,780[1] (5th) |
The Leader of the House of Assembly is a senior post in the Cabinet of New Ingerland responsible for arranging government's business and legislative agenda in the House of Assembly. The position is not of Cabinet rank by itself, so those who hold the office must simultaneously hold another portfolio in order to sit in the Cabinet. For most of the post-independence period the post has been held by the Prime Minister. However, since 1961 the post has usually been combined with the offices of Deputy Prime Minister and Vice-President of the Executive Council, the latter of which is a Cabinet position. The present Leader of the House of Assembly is the Right Honourable Sebastian Vincent MHA.
History
Function and powers
The Leader of the House of Assembly is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Assembly. Because the government almost invariably holds a majority in the House of Assembly, the chamber devotes approximately three quarters of its time to Government business, such as bills introduced by the government and ministerial statements. The Leader of the House, along with the chief whips of the various political parties, is responsible for organising the government business and providing time for non-government business to be put before the Assembly, and announces the forthcoming schedule each week the Assembly is sitting.
Historically, the position was usually held by the Chief Secretary, and later the Prime Minister. However in recent years, the present arrangement of combining the post with that of Deputy Prime Minister and Vice-President of the Executive Council has become the norm.
List of Leaders of the House of Assembly
| # | Name (Birth–Death) Electoral district, et al. |
Party affiliation | In office | Duration | Chief Secretary | Cabinet ministries | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Creighton (23 May 1808 - 30 August 1871) MHA for Albanyshire |
Moderate[2] | 29 April 1854 - 7 February 1859 | 4 years, 9 months, 9 days | The Earl Deveraux | 1st; 2nd; 3rd | ||
| Sebastian Vincent (born 18 June 1945) MHA for Sapphire Beach |
Democratic Party | 13 March 2012 - Present | Incumbent | Matthew Jones | 56th | |||
See also
References and notes
- ↑ The salary of the Leader of the House of Assembly is derived from his position as a member of Parliament and as a holder of a ministerial office. As of the opening of the 56th Parliament, all Senators and MHAs receive a salary of £1,170, plus a £47 per sitting day (not including a per diem amount for expenses). In addition, the Leader of the House of Assembly receives an additional salary of £1,380.
- ↑ Although formally non-partisan, politicians before 1890 tended to belong to either the moderate, progressive, or radical factions.