Secretary of State
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a government official. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the government.
In many countries, a secretary of state is a mid-level official. In the United Kingdom and the Holy See, a secretary of state is a senior official. In the federal government of the United States, the Secretary of State is the official responsible for foreign policy.
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[edit] Belgium
As in France, a Secretary of State in Belgium is a junior minister who is responsible to a minister or the Prime Minister. For example, Vincent Van Quickenborne is a Secretary of State charged with the simplification of the administration, and in this role he is accountable to the Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt.
[edit] Canada
The Canadian Cabinet used to have a Secretary of State for External Affairs who acted as the country's Foreign Minister, but this position was abolished in 1993 and a new position of Minister of Foreign Affairs was created. From 1867 to 1993 there was also a Secretary of State for Canada who was a Cabinet minister whose duties varied over time but who was responsible for the Department of Secretary of State until the position was abolished. From 1993 to 2003, junior ministers were styled Secretary of State, were assigned specific policy areas, and assisted Cabinet ministers. However, these junior ministers were not themselves members of Cabinet. In the current Cabinet these positions are styled Minister of State.
[edit] Germany
The German Staatssekretär is a Beamter (civil servant) who is second only to the minister in a state or federal ministry. The office of Staatssekretär is similar that of vice minister or deputy minister in other countries. It is a political office, meaning that it is assigned by appointment based on political criteria such as party affiliation, rather than by career progression as a civil servant. The German Foreign Office uses a slightly different title, and calls its secretaries of state Staatsminister (Minister of State).
A special case is the Parlamentarische Staatssekretär (parliamentary secretary of state), which is a member of parliament who is appointed to a ministry as a Staatssekretär. Such posts, which were intended to improve the connection between a ministry and the parliament, have recently become subject of some controversy. Critics claim that parliamentary secretaries of state are usually given little to no influence and responsibility within their ministry. All the while they are paid very generously due to receiving two salaries, both as secretary of state and as member of parliament. For example, when interviewed about his post as a parliamentary minister of state in the German Foreign Office during an investigation into visa abuse, Ludger Volmer claimed that he had been cut off from the workflow within the ministry, and called the Staatsminister office an "Unding" (an absurdity).
[edit] Netherlands
In the Netherlands a staatssecretaris (plural: staatssecretarissen; English: state secretary) is a deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister . Staatssecretarissen are members of cabinet, who work under a minister. They fall under the responsibility of the minister, but are separately responsible to parliament. They take over part of the minister's portfolio. Some staatssecretarissen have clearly defined portfolios like culture, science or the environment, while others' portfolios overlap with their minister's. Staatssecretarissen almost always have a different political affiliation than their minister. Staatssecretarissen do not attend the weekly council of minister unless asked to do so.
[edit] United States
[edit] Federal government
In the United States federal government, Secretary of State has the unique meaning of the official responsible for foreign policy. In most other countries, this official is called the foreign secretary or foreign minister. The U.S. Secretary of State is head of the United States Department of State. In the presidential line of succession, the Secretary of State is the highest-ranking member of the Cabinet, and fourth overall. The current U.S. Secretary of State is Condoleeza Rice.
[edit] U.S. States
In most of the individual states of the United States, the Secretary of State is an administrative officer responsible for certain governmental functions. The specifics depend on the constitution and laws of the particular state, but often include responsibility for overseeing elections within the state. In three states (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), the position is called "Secretary of the Commonwealth".
