Parliament & Executive

Public Awareness initiatives

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The Office also undertakes a lot of work in promoting the work of the Legislative Assembly to the public and in schools.
A public outreach team lead by the Deputy Clerk regularly visits schools and villages to explain the work of the Assembly and the importance of public participation in the law making process.
The Office held its first parliamentary week in October 2014.This provided an opportunity for schools to visit the Assembly and meet Members.
The Office also implemented the first ever women's parliament in 2014 and regularly supports youth parliament initiatives.
Members are encouraged to participate in the various public awareness initiatives being undertaken by the Office. It provides another opportunity for Members to interact with the public.

Research assistance and secretariat support services

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Other support services* available to Members from the Office include:

Interpretation of Rules and Procedures, and Standing Orders (Clerk)
Human resource issues & travel arrangements (Deputy Clerk) (c) Queries relating to salary, allowances and benefits (Financial Controller)
Legal opinions (Legal Counsel)
Records management (Clerk Assistant Reporting) (f) Committee work support (Committee Clerks) (g)Research assistance (Parliamentary researchers) (h)IT assistance (IT officers)
Secretarial work (Members’ secretaries) (j) Library resources (Librarian)
Copies of documents (Table officer)
Appointment with the Speaker (Speaker’s PA)

(*These services are to be used only for work directly related to the roles and functions of a Member and not for other unrelated work.)

Legislative drafting support

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The Legal Counsel is available to assist Members with legislative drafting needs, particularly drafting of Private Bills.

Status of the Office and the Staff Guidelines

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Parliamentary staff are independent of the Public Service Commission. All matters relating to employment issues are under the direct control of the Speaker and the Clerk.
Since 2010, parliamentary staff have been recruited through interview committees established by the Speaker. Based on the committee’s recommendation, the Speaker then makes a recommendation for appointment to the Legislative Assembly (clause 19 of the Legislative Assembly Act).
Clause19 of the Legislative Assembly Act further states that the Clerk is responsible for setting the general guidelines for staff. A copy of the Staff Guidelines is available from the parliamentary library.
The Staff Guidelines is an important instrument because it provides the basis as to how the Office deals with work related issues.

Structure of the Office of the Legislative Assembly

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Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

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The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly is the Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Legislative Assembly. The statutory duties of the Clerk under section 19 of the Legislative Assembly Act includes:
- providing procedural, legal and administrative services to the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly;
- employing, (in conjunction with the Speaker and with the approval of the Assembly), and supervising and setting general guidelines for all staff employed at the offices of the Assembly;
- providing a secretariat to the Assembly and its committees; and
- advising the Speaker and members on parliamentary law and procedure.
The Clerk is appointed by the Speaker with the approval of the Legislative Assembly.
It is important for Members to ensure that the Office of the Legislative Assembly is well resourced since the overall work of the Assembly depends very much on the quality of support provided by the Office.

Office of the Legislative Assembly

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The Office of the Legislative Assembly is tasked with providing the secretarial and technical support services to the Legislative Assembly and to Members in their capacity as parliamentarians.

Contact Information

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Phone Contact

General Contact
Telephone: +676-24455 or +676-23565

Office of the Speaker
Telephone: +676-27911 or +676-25098

Members Office
Telephone: +676-27912

Postal Adress

Legislative Assembly of Tonga
PO Box 901
Nuku'alofa
Tonga

Street Adress

Parliament Building
Railway Road
Nuku'alofa
Tonga