Trinidad and Tobago

Senate

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Parliamentary mandate

Start and end of mandate

Date of start of mandate for newly elected members
No information available
Not applicable. Members of this parliament/chamber are not elected.
Yes
Start of the parliamentary mandate for appointed members
At the time of appointment
Date of start of mandate for appointed members
No information available
End of the parliamentary mandate
On the last day of the chamber’s term (including in the case of early dissolution)
Date of end of mandate
No information available

Speaker

Mode of designation of the Speaker
The Speaker is elected from among the members of parliament/chamber
Authority that designates the Speaker when the Speaker is designated from outside parliament.
Not applicable
Rank of the Speaker in the hierarchy of the State
Fourth
Speaker becomes interim Head of State in the event of the latter’s death or incapacity
Yes
Speaker's mandate continues between legislatures
Yes

Speaker terms

The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house
Yes
Speaker's term
5 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any
No information available

Immunity and code of conduct

Parliament’s authorization is required for the detention or prosecution of members
No
There is a Code of conduct for members
No

Salaries and allowances

Members are paid salaries by parliament
Yes
(2020)
Basic salary, per year
156,720 TTD
(2020)
Basic salary, per year in PPP
41,351
(2020)
Basic allowances
Click for historical data
Basic allowance in PPP
14,438
Names of the basic allowances

Transport

Members pay income tax on salaries
Yes
Members pay income tax on allowances
Yes
Members can have remunerated employment outside parliament
Yes
Members are required to declare income from other employment to parliament
No
Additional salaries and allowances provided for leadership positions
Yes

Facilities, services and allowances for constituency work

Personal staff to work directly for the parliamentarian
Yes
Office at parliament
Yes
Constituency office
No
Housing
Yes
Other cash or in-kind allowances for constituency work
Yes

Notes:

Tobago Constituency Allowance

Constituency Allowance

Additional salaries and allowances for leadership positions
List of salaries and allowances for leadership positions
Salary Allowances
Speaker Yes Yes
Committee Chair Yes No

Notes:

Basic annual salaries:

President: 357,240 TTD + additional housing allowance

Vice-President: 219,360 TTD

Parliamentary Secretary: 282,000 TTD

Committee Chairs: 208,920 TTD

Salary of the Speaker
357,240 TTD
Salary of the Speaker in PPP
94,259
Parliament determines the amount of salaries
No
Name of the institution outside parliament which determines the amount

Ministry of Finance

Parliament determines the amount of allowances
No
The parliamentary salary is determined in reference to another salary scale
Yes
Reference scale used for parliamentary salaries
Civil service salary scale

Notes: Prior to independence, under US administration, women were granted the right to vote on 2 April 1979. This right was confirmed at independence.

Information on salaries and allowances on the parliamentary website

Not available.

Year data was last reported

2020

Participation in the government

Members of the government must also be members of parliament
Can be a member of parliament
Number of members of the parliament/chamber who are also members of the government
29
(2023)
Members for whom data is available
31
(2020)
Percentage of members of parliament/chamber who are also members of the government
90.6%
(2023-01 - 2023-12)

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No