Parliament Secretariat
The administration of Parliament is managed by its Secretariat. Among other things, the Secretariat organizes the business of Parliament and its committees, managing tasks such as the simultaneous interpretation of debates in the House and the preparation of Hansard (the official reports of Parliamentary debates). The Secretariat also assists with the work of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization.
The Clerk of Parliament is the Chief Executive of the Secretariat. As of 2009, the Clerk is Ms. Ng Sheau Jiuan. She is the principal adviser to the House on parliamentary procedures and practices. When Parliament is sitting, she is stationed at the Clerk's Table below the Speaker's Chair, and reads the orders of the day. The Clerk is appointed by the President after consultation with the Speaker and the Public Service Commission. She is supported by a Deputy Clerk, Principal Assistant Clerks and Assistant Clerks. The independence of the Clerk and her staff are protected to some extent by the Constitution. The Clerk can only be removed from office on the grounds of inability to discharge the functions of the office (whether arising from an infirmity of body or mind or any other cause) or for misbehaviour, and a parliamentary resolution that has received the affirmative votes of not less than two-thirds of all MPs is required. Further, the staff of Parliament are not eligible for promotion or transfer to any other office in the public service without the Speaker's consent.
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