Parliamentary State Secretary

A Parliamentary State Secretary (Parlamentarischer Staatssekretär, PStS) is a member of the Bundestag given a portfolio to assist a Minister with running a government ministry. The position is roughly analogous to deputy ministers.[1]

The position was first introduced in 1967 to help younger politicians gain experience for future ministerial roles.[2] In 2021, there were 36 parliamentary state secretaries in the Merkel IV Cabinet.

  1. ^ Langenbacher, Eric; Conradt, David P. The German Polity (11th ed.). New York: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 272.
  2. ^ "Die Finanzierung der Parlamentarischen Staatssekretäre – Die wichtigsten Fakten". Bund der Steuerzahler Deutschland [de].