The position was established under section 64 of the Constitution of the Solomon Islands of 1978, when the country became independent from the United Kingdom.
It is similar to the position of Speaker of the House of Commons in the U.K.; the Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm and maintains a Westminster system of government.
He vacated his seat as MP for North East Guadalcanal upon assuming the duties of Speaker; the resulting by-election led to Hilda Kari becoming the first ever woman in the Solomon Islands Parliament.
[1] The speaker is expected to "ensure that Members conduct themselves in accordance to the Standing Orders of National Parliament".
John Moffat Fugui, Independent MP for Central Honiara, was elected Deputy Speaker on 17 December 2014, with 29 votes to David Tome's 21.