Secretary for Business, Industry, and Trade (Sanctaria)

Secretary of State for Business, Industry, and Trade
Sanctarian Coat of Arms
Incumbent Jeff Whitehouse since 14 December 2022
Style	The Right Honourable (formal) Mister/Madam Secretary (spoken) His/Her Excellency (in international correspondence)
Member of	House of Deputies Cabinet
Reports to	Chancellor of Sanctaria
Nominator	Chancellor
Appointer	President of Sanctaria on the advice of the Chancellor, and the consent of the Senate
Term length	At the Chancellor's Pleasure No fixed term
Formation	19 November 1974
First holder	Miles Jackson MP
Salary	S£280,000
Website	bit.gov.sct

The Secretary of State for Business, Industry, and Trade, also known as the Secretary for Business, Business Secretary, or Trade Secretary, is the head of the Sanctarian Department of Business, Industry, and Trade, which is concerned with international trade, economic growth, and business regulation and support. The current Business Secretary is Jeff Whitehouse, who was appointed on 14 December 2022.

Prior to February 2018, the position was generally known as the Secretary for Commerce. The Department itself has been renamed on a number of occasions.

Overview

The Secretary for Business is a senior advisor to the Chancellor on all matters relating to business and industry in Sanctaria. The Secretary is responsible for, among other things, forming government policy on international trade priorities, economic development, industrial strategy, and regulation.

The position was originally established in 1974 as the Secretary for Commerce, in charge of the Department of Commerce. Under the purview of this original department were also portfolios such as labour market and union regulation, innovation and science, and postal affairs. Various governments since then, however, have transferred these and other duties to other departments. In 2022, responsibility for labour markets, union regulations, and employment law were transferred back to this department.

Duties

The basic duties of the Business Secretary include, but are not limited to:

• Developing, coordinating and delivering on trade policy, including the promotion of Sanctarian goods and services abroad.
• Leading on investment promotion.
• Responsibility for consumer affairs and corporate governance.
• Corporate law reform and oversight of the competition authorities in Sanctaria.
• Development and implementation of policy regarding employment strategy.
• Regulation of, and interactions with, trade unions and workers' representation bodies.
• Responsibility for workplace safety and standards.
• Regular review and, if necessary, improvement of labour and employment laws, including minimum wage legislation.
• Responsibility for setting labour dispute mechanisms.

List of office holders

Key	Christian Union Party (CUP)      Sanctarian Conservative Party (SCP)      Democratic Left Party (DLP)
Secretary of State for Commerce
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth—Death)	Government	Term of office
1		Miles Jackson (1911—1989)	1st	19 November 1974	03 November 1981
2		Karl Adams (1929—1997)	2nd	06 December 1981	28 February 1984
3		Richard Kelsey (1907—1988)		28 February 1984	17 October 1986
4		Calum Grimshaw (1942—2015)	3rd	29 November 1986	31 January 1990
5		Karl Adams (1929—1997)		31 January 1990	06 November 1993
6		Lance Monroe (b.1941)	4th	12 December 1993	08 November 2000
Secretary of State for Enterprise & Commerce
7		Gina Salmons (b.1960)	5th	01 December 2000	18 September 2005
8		Jason Reid (b.1962)		18 September 2005	04 November 2007
			6th	13 December 2007	18 December 2010
9		Mark Kindle (b.1969)		18 December 2010	05 February 2013
10		Mark Parson (b.1952)	7th	01 March 2013	11 September 2015
Secretary of State for Commerce
11		Julie Chrisintim (b.1963)	7th	11 September 2015	12 January 2018
Secretary of State for Business, Industry, and Trade
12		Julia Griffin (b.1970)	8th	01 February 2018	23 November 2022
13		Jeff Whitehouse (b.1972)	9th	14 December 2022	Incumbent