Although not paid other than their salary as an MP,[2] PPSs help the government track backbench opinion in Parliament. They are subject to some restrictions, as outlined in the
Ministerial Code of the British government, but are not members of the Government.[3][1]
A PPS can sit on
select committees but must avoid "associating themselves with recommendations critical of, or embarrassing to the Government", and must not make statements or ask questions on matters affecting the minister's department.[4] In particular, the PPS in the
Department for Communities and Local Government may not participate in planning decisions or in the consideration of planning cases.[5][6]
PPSs 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 normal Members. However, their close confidence with ministers does impose obligations on every PPS. The guidelines surrounding the divulging of
classified information by ministers to PPSs are rigid.[7]
Ministers choose their own PPSs, but they are expected to consult the Chief Whip and must seek the written approval for each candidate from the
prime minister.[8]
Although not on the government payroll, PPSs are expected to act as part of the
payroll vote, voting in line with the government on every
division.[9][10]
When on official Departmental business, a PPS receives travel and subsistence allowance paid out of government funds, as with formal members of the government. This makes the PPS the only type of unpaid advisor who receives reimbursement in the course of duty.[11]
Overseas travel for PPSs must be approved by the Prime Minister and is granted only in exceptional cases.[11]
The role in the career of MPs
The role of PPS is seen as a starting point for many MPs who aspire to become ministers themselves.[12] According to Philip W. Buck, a professor of political science at
Stanford University:
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.[13]
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 once more – 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.[14]
Current Parliamentary Private Secretaries
The following is a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries in the UK, since the swearing in of the
Truss ministry on 6 September 2022. The Leader of the Opposition usually has at least one Parliamentary Private Secretary as well.[15]
Johnson ministry (2022)
The following is a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries under the
Second Johnson ministry as of April 2022.[16]
^Buck, Philip W. (1963). "The Early Start toward Cabinet Office, 1918–55". The Western Political Quarterly. 16 (3): 624–632.
doi:
10.2307/444766.
JSTOR444766.