Formation 1415 Website Serjeant at Arms | First holder Nicholas Maundit | |
Reports to Clerk of the Parliaments Appointer The Crown (de jure)
Clerk of the Parliaments (de facto) Deputy Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod | ||
The Serjeant at Arms of the British House of Commons is a parliamentary official responsible for order in the House of Commons. The office dates to 1415 and traditionally included responsibility for security. The role is now mainly ceremonial.
Contents
The House of Lords also had a Serjeant-at-Arms (the title was often distinguished by the use of hyphens), dating also from the 15th Century. His duties were merged in 1971 with those of Black Rod.
Traditionally the post of Serjeant at Arms was filled by a retired military officer, but in 2008 a civil servant, Jill Pay, was selected as the first woman to hold the appointment. At the same time the job was split, with many of the duties transferred to the new post of chief executive.
In 2012 Lawrence Ward, a postman, was appointed to the role and during his tenure the security responsibilities were removed. The current (2015) holder of the post is Mohammed Amal (Kamal) El-Hajji, previously front of house security manager at the Ministry of Justice headquarters.
Duties
The duties of the Serjeant at Arms are partly ceremonial. The Serjeant at Arms carries the mace during the opening of Parliament and is also responsible for maintaining order during debates in the House of Commons, escorting Members out of the Chamber if ordered to do so by the Speaker. Another role of the Serjeant at Arms is to enforce the warrants of the Speaker in summoning a witness to testify before a select-committee of the house. While serving the warrant and encouraging a witness to attend parliament "the Serjeant or his appointee may call on the full assistance of the civil authorities, including the police."
Dress
The Serjeant at Arms wears traditional court dress and carries a sword, and is traditionally the only person allowed inside the House of Commons Chamber armed.