Parliamentary Private Secretaries appointed

Prime Minister John Key has appointed Parliamentary Private Secretaries to assist the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Ethnic Affairs.

John Hayes will be Parliamentary Private Secretary to Murray McCully for Foreign Affairs and Melissa Lee will be Parliamentary Private Secretary to Judith Collins on Ethnic Affairs.

Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS) are MPs appointed to assist Ministers but, unlike Under-Secretaries, are not part of the Executive. They receive no extra remuneration.

“This is an important position that ensures a strong link between the Minister and the caucus and gives back-bench MPs valuable experience,” says Mr Key.

“The main role of the PPS is to use their expertise, and act as a sounding board and advisor to the Minister. They would be heavily involved in the caucus policy process in the area they are working – for instance, chairing the caucus committee in the relevant area.

“The Minister can not delegate any statutory roles or function to a PPS, however it is expected that the PPS represent their Minister at public events and deliver speeches on occasions when the Minister is not available.

“I congratulate both Mr Hayes and Ms Lee on their appointments,” says Mr Key.

The appointments are effective immediately.

Related Documents

What_are_Parliamentary_Private_Secretaries.pdf (pdf 12.88 KB)