Clerk of the House - Mrs Debroah Alexander-Charles

In the House itself, the Clerk may be looked upon as its “Chief Servant”.  One of his/her great qualities is a love for the traditions of the House, and because of his/her experiences he/she is advisor to the Speaker in these respects.

The Clerk is also expected to assist in the interpretation of the Rules of the House, to see that new Members are properly inducted into the practices and procedures of the House since new Members can be thoroughly confused by these.  Members “learning the ropes” in Parliament is the responsibility of the Clerk to a large measure.

In addition, except for the possession of a strong sense of humour, the qualities of a Clerk are as expected of the Speaker – patient, trustworthy, of strong character, be upright, et cetera.

The Clerk may be regarded as Secretary to Parliament; indeed, in some countries he/she is called the Secretary General.

The duties of the Clerk are:

1. To attend all Sittings of the House, read the Order (Agenda) of the Day and whatever else is required to be read from the Table.

2. To sign all Orders of the House, including any order of Suspension, and Addresses, and Votes of thanks.

3. To keep the Minutes.

4. To circulate these to Members before the following meeting (Sitting).

5. To keep in safe custody all Votes, Records, Bills and other documents laid before the House.

6. To prepare the agenda for a Sitting of the House.

7. To give due notice to Members of the Sittings of the House.

8. To ensure the dispatch of all documents for each meeting at least seven (7) days in advance.

But apart from serving the House in such capacities, the Clerk is a Civil Servant and heads the Departments whose general day-to-day functions are similar in nature to those of other departments of Government.

Former Clerks of the House of Assembly

Ms. Nicole Herbert

  Mr. Clement J. Noel

  Appointment of Clerk (Ag.): 5th September 1975 - 31st December 1978
  Clerk/HOA (Retirement): 1st January 1979 - 16th November 1988
  Clerk/HOA (on contract): 17th November 1988 - 2nd January 1990 

  Mrs. Theresa Adams

   Assistant Secretary/HOA: 2 October 1989
   Clerk/HOA: 17 November 1989 – 28 February 2002.