A permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant of a department or ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are the non-political civil service chief executives of government departments or ministries, who generally hold their position for a number of years (thus "permanent") at a ministry as distinct from the changing political secretaries of state to whom they report and provide advice. The role originated in the civil service of the United Kingdom and has been adopted in several Commonwealth countries as well as other countries influenced by the Westminster system.
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👉 Permanent secretary in the context of Secretary of state
The title secretary of state or state's secretary is commonly used for senior or mid-level posts in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple secretaries of state in the country's system of governing the country.
In many countries, a secretary of state is a senior or mid-level post. It is usually a politically appointed position, although in some countries, such as Germany and Sweden, it can be filled by a member of the executive bureaucracy (civil service) as a political appointment (equivalent to permanent secretary). In the Holy See, the administrative body of the Catholic Church, the cardinal secretary of state coordinates all the departments of the Roman Curia (and is in that respect equivalent to a prime minister).
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Permanent secretary in the context of Deputy minister (Canada)
In Canada, a deputy minister (DM; French: sous-ministre) is the senior civil servant in a government organization, who acts as deputy head. Deputy ministers take political direction from a minister of the Crown, who is typically an elected member of Parliament and responsible for the department.
The Canadian position is equivalent to the position of permanent secretary in the United Kingdom and the Australian position of departmental secretary. This position should not be confused with the deputy prime minister of Canada, who is not a civil servant at all, but a politician and senior member of the Cabinet.
Permanent secretary in the context of State Secretary (Netherlands)
Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is also used in other organizational settings.
In government, the position may be a junior government minister (e.g. a parliamentary secretary) who assists a secretary of state. In other cases, the position may be a senior government official, frequently a career public servant, who typically acts as a senior administrator. The senior administrator may be considered a second-in-command to a politically appointed cabinet minister or other government official (e.g. in the United States), or they may be considered a head or chief executive of a government department (e.g. a permanent secretary). Some systems of government have both types of position, as in the United Kingdom where the title has been in use since the 17th century.