Parliamentary Secretary
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A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament who is assigned to assist a Minister of State with his or her duties in the Parliament of New Ingerland. The title is the most junior of three ministerial ranks in New Ingerland, ranking below that of Minister of State and Deputy Minister. Parliamentary secretaries may be a member of either the Senate or the House of Assembly.
There are currently fifteen parliamentary secretaries in the Jones Ministry, with one assigned to the Prime Minister and each of his Ministers of State.
Function and role
Whilst the actual function and roles assigned to parliamentary secretaries depends on the personality and priorities of the Prime Minister of the day, most premiers have seen the post as a training ground for backbenchers to prove themselves as potential future ministers. Typically, the role and duties of a parliamentary secretary is to answer questions on notice and to table reports on behalf of ministers when their ministerial commitments prevent them from personally attending either the Senate or House. However, it should be noted that parliamentary secretaries are never called upon to answer Questions Without Notice, with this role usually assigned to an Assistant Minister when the Minister of State is not in attendance.
In the order of precedence, parliamentary secretaries rank just below the government whips and immediately above ordinary backbenchers.