Vice-President of the Executive Council

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Vice-President of the Executive Council
Incumbent
Sebastian Vincent
since 13 March 2012
Style The Right Honourable
Nominator Matthew Jones
Appointer Geoffrey VII
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural Henry Chaytor
Formation 1 October 1907
Salary £6,780[1] (5th)

The Vice-President of the Executive Council is the deputy head of government and the second most senior member of the Executive Council of New Ingrea. The post is the third of the High Offices of State, ranking beneath the Lord High Chancellor and above the Speaker of the House of Assembly. The chief function of the Vice-President is to attend each meeting of the Executive Council, and present any business before it to the Sovereign for his approval. As it is a sinecure, the post is often combined with that of Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Assembly. The current Vice-President is the Right Honourable Sebastian Vincent MHA.

History

Origins

The role of Vice-President of the Executive Council can be traced back the Ingerish (originally English) office of Lord President of the Council, which is thought to date back at least 1529, when in the reign of Henry VIII, the office was established for the Duke of Suffolk[2].

Formation

The present office of Vice-President dates back to 1907, when the New Ingrea achieved her independence from the Ingrea. The Constitution provided for the post of President to have a deputy in the event of a death, resignation, permanent incapacity, or temporary absence of the President. More importantly, the establishment of the post followed Ingerish practice of delegating the business of the Executive Council to a trusted deputy of the Prime Minister.

From 1907, the post was always held by the person selected by the incumbent Prime Minister to be his successor. As the post of Deputy Prime Minister would not come into existence until 1961, the post of Vice-President was most often held by a senior Cabinet minister, such as Defence, Finance, or Home Affairs. It was also not until 1961 that the post would be combined with that of Leader of the House of Assembly, which has previously been held exclusively by the Prime Minister (and before that Chief Secretary) since self-government in 1854.

Function and powers

The role of the Vice-President is defined in the Constitution of New Ingrea, which is to "act for all purposes in the place of the President" (i.e. Prime Minister) at meetings of the Executive Council, until the appointment of a successor in the event of his death, resignation or "permanent incapacity", or until his return in the event of his "temporary absence"[3]. The Executive Council meets on the first Monday of every month (except January), and meets at whatever location the Sovereign may be residing at the time. The purpose of the meetings are to give formal approval to Orders-in-Council. The meetings are not large, with only the Ministers of State whose portfolio is concerned required to attend the meetings. Other councillors are able to attend the Executive Council only when invited to do so by the Government.

Given the council only normally meets once a month at most, the office of Vice-President is considered to be something of a sinecure, whose duties are not particularly onerous. Therefore, the Vice-President also holds a number of additional roles that are assigned to him by the Prime Minister. By convention, successive governments have combined the office with that of Deputy Prime Minister, who acts as Prime Minister in the latter's absence; and the Leader of the House of Assembly, who manages government business on the floor of the House of Assembly.

List of Vice-Presidents of the Executive Council

# Name
(Birth–Death)
Electoral district, et al. 		Party affiliation In office Duration Prime Minister Cabinet ministries
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

  1. ↑ The salary of the Vice-President of the Executive Council 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 Vice-President of the Executive Council receives an additional salary of £1,380.
  2. ↑ Pryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S. et al., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 145. ISBN 9780521563505.
  3. ↑ Constitution of New Ingrea (1982). §25(2)

Other links

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