2.4. The Undersecretaries.

These bodies, nevertheless without being part of the Government, meant in accordance with the Article 92.1 of the Constitution, they consider prominent functions of government and of administration, when the majority was gripped political collaborators respectively of the President of the Council of the Ministers and of It supplies within the bounds of their government responsibilities. The same name of Undersecretary refers to their report of collaborations with the Ministers, in past name Secretaries of state.

The Article10 of The Law 400/1988 sets the Undersecretaries as collaborators of one I supply or of the President of the Council, competing to execute “the tasks to them delegate according to ministerial decree published on the Official Newspaper”. The forecast that they could take part in the parliamentary works like represented of the Government, it is accompanied by the specification that this must happen “in accordance with the directives of the Minister”. The forecast, in the internal rule, of the Council of the Ministers, that be able to be part of Ministers' Committees, it is accompanied by the specification that must do this “to substitute or to help the respective Ministers”.²⁶

It is arrived to their appointment, by means of a “decree of the President of the Republic, on proposal of the President of the Council of the Ministers, in concert with the Minister that Undersecretary is called to help, the Council of the Ministers felt”. The same one progress has been followed in the cases of revocation.

The Undersecretary assumes his functions only after the oath that it must lend in front of the President of the Council of the Ministers, with the same oath that give Ministers.

The vice-minister's headline can “be attributed to any more than ten undersecretaries”, where particularly wide conferred delegations are been: the delegation is also approved the Council of the Ministers at proposal of the President of the Council. These special Undersecretaries can be invited “to participate in the meetings of the Council of It supplies without vow right, to make a report on argument and pertaining questions to their delegate matter”.²⁷

Detail is the position of the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council that is renowned secretary of the Council of the Ministers: at the beginning of his first meeting Council of the Ministers expresses the necessary collective consent to the proposal of President of the Council; proceeds then to his appointment and to the oath, in way to allow him to consider immediately his functions.

Not alone it “treats of the verbalization and the conservation of the register of decisions”, but on him they depend the Office of secretariat of the Council of the Ministers and also those departments and offices of President of the Council “for which the Undersecretary has received delegation President of the Council of the Ministers”.²⁸

Chapter3. Main constitutional functions of the Government