undersecretary
/ʌndəˈsɛkrətri
/noun (plural undersecretaries)
A subordinate official, in particular (in the UK) a junior minister or senior civil servant, or (in the US) the principal assistant to a member of the cabinet.At present, all Cabinet Ministers have several undersecretaries who are paid money on top of their remuneration as MPs....
- The undersecretaries operate in individual portfolios - they're not just undersecretaries for the prime minister in general.
- After other parents had made similar allegations, the local member of parliament persuaded the undersecretary of state for health in the House of Lords that a government inquiry was required.