Roles

The Deputy Speaker of ​the​ N​ational Assem​​​bly​

Hon. NAZURALLY Mohammud Zahid,
​ Elected Speaker as from
21 November 2019

At the beginning of each Parliament, the House also elects a Member to the position of Deputy Speaker, proceeding in the same manner as for the election of the Speaker. In the absence of the Speaker or whenever requested by the latter, the Deputy Speaker takes the Chair and has the same powers and functions as the Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker is also the Chairman of Committees when the Speaker chooses not to chair the Committee.

Roles

The Deputy Chairman of Committees​

Hon. NUCKCHEDDY Sanjit Kumar​,
​ Elected Speaker as from
21 November 2019

The Deputy Chairman of Committees is another official of the National Assembly elected from amongst its Members. The process of election of the Deputy Chairman of Committees is similar to that of the Deputy Speaker . In the absence of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, the Deputy Chairman of Committees presides over the Committee of the whole House.

Roles

The Leader of ​the House​

Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth,
The Leader of the House
as from 24 January 2017

The Leader of the House is normally the Leader of a Party or Alliance, who controls the majority in the House, and as such, it is the Prime Minister who assumes this role.

Roles

The Leader of ​the Opposition​

Hon. DUVAL Charles Gaëtan Xavier-Luc, GCSK, FCA,
The Leader of the Opposition

After a general election, the party or party alliance which commands a majority forms the Government, while the other party or party alliance provides the Opposition. The Leader of the second largest majority party in the Assembly becomes the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is appointed by the President. His task is usually to level criticism against the policy and administration of Government and to outline the alternative policies.​

Roles

The Whips​

At the beginning of each Parliament, a Government Chief Whip, a Deputy Government Whip and an Opposition Whip are appointed. The main responsibility of the Whips is to ensure the smooth running of the parliamentary machinery. The parliamentary work load of the Chief Government Whip is somewhat heavier by reason that he is concerned, amongst other matters, with the details of the Government business of the day, for example, to estimate the time likely to be taken by each item. He is directly responsible to the Leader of the House.

The Government Chief Whips and the Opposition Whip liaise with each other in relation to business arrangements and to matters of concern to the House such as, drawing up a list of orators for the debate in respect of a Bill, which is being presented.

The Whips keep their Members informed about the business of the House, secure the attendance of Members and act as intermediairies between the leaders and the rank and file of their parties in order to keep each informed of the views of the other.

Roles

The Clerk of the National Assembly​

The Secretariat of the Assembly is headed by the Clerk of the Assembly. She provides the Speaker and Members with secretarial assistance. She is the chief administrative officer of the National Assembly and works under the control of the Speaker. She is a permanent officer and a member of the Civil Service, having expert knowledge in parliamentary procedures and practice. She is the custodian of all documents and records pertaining to the Assembly. She advises the Speaker and Members on matters of procedure. She sits at the Table. She sends to each Member a copy of the Order Paper. The Clerk must see to it that the bills passed by the National Assembly are assented to by the President of the Republic and published in the Government Gazette.​

In the performance of her duties, the Clerk is assisted by the Deputy Clerk and two Clerk Assistants.

Roles

The Mace​

The Mace is the symbol of the authority of the House. The Mace used in Mauritius is a gift of the British House of Commons. On entering and leaving the Chamber - at the beginning and end of the sitting - the Speaker is preceded by the Mace, which is carried by the Serjeant-at-arms on his right shoulder. When the Speaker is in the Chair, that is, when the House is sitting as a House, the Mace lies on the Table of the House, resting in the upper brackets. When the House sits as a committee, that is, when the Speaker leaves the Chair, the Mace is removed into the lower brackets beneath the Table. When the Mace is not in the House, no business can be carried out.​​

Roles

The Serjeant at Arms

The duty of the Serjeant-at-Arms is to maintain order within the grounds of Parliament House. He lea​​ds the procession at the Parliament sitting, bearing the Ma​​ce on his right shoulder. ​​

He regulates the admission of the public to Parliament House and has the power to arrest, without a warrant, upon the orders of the Speaker, any person creating a disturbance in Parliament.​​

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The Secretariat

The staff of the Secretariat consists of the Clerk, the Deputy Clerk, the Clerk Assistant, the librarian, the parliamentary reporters and supporting staff.​

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The Parliament Library

​The Parliament Library is meant for the exclusive use of Members of Parliament. It is involved in the collection, organization and dissemination of information. The library has a collection of approximately 800​0 volumes, consisting of books, journals, newspapers, parliamentary publications, debates and legislation. Parliamentary business is now available online. Members of Parliament benefit also from Internet facilities.​​​

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The Parliamentary Reporters

​​The Parliamentary reporters take down, word-for-word, what is being said in the debates. These reporters take their notes in shorthand before transcribing them. The notes are then compiled and published as the Official Reports of Parliament, more popularly known as the Hansard. The reporters record in verbatim the proceedings in the House and take turns to sit in the Chamber​ for 10 minutes. The parliamentary reporters also take down the note for the meetings of the various committees of Parliament.​​​