Welsh Assembly Government
Encyclopedia
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...

, the legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales. The National Assembly for Wales was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998
Government of Wales Act 1998
This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998 This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998...

.

The Welsh Government and the National Assembly for Wales were established as separate institutions under the Government of Wales Act 2006
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...

. The Government is referred to in that Act as the Welsh Assembly Government, but to prevent confusion about the respective roles and responsibilities of the National Assembly and the Government, the devolved administration became known as the Welsh Government in May 2011, following the precedent set by the Scottish Government re-name in 2007.

The Welsh Government consists of the First Minister, usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly for Wales; up to twelve ministers and deputy ministers, appointed by the First Minister; and a Counsel General
Counsel General for Wales
The Counsel General for Wales advises the Welsh Government on Welsh legislative matters and advises on legislative competency. The position of the Counsel General for Wales is described in the Government of Wales Act 2006 and controlled in Standing Order 5 ....

, nominated by the First Minister and approved by the National Assembly.

The current First Minister is Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of...

, formally appointed by the Queen on 12 May 2011, who appointed ten ministers and deputy ministers. The Counsel General is Theodore Huckle.

1999 to 2007 (Executive Body of the National Assembly)

As initially established, the Welsh Government had no independent executive powers in law (unlike, for instance, the Scottish Ministers and Ministers in the UK Government). The National Assembly was established as a body corporate by the Government of Wales Act 1998
Government of Wales Act 1998
This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998 This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998...

 and the executive, as a committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...

 of the Assembly, only had those powers that the Assembly as a whole voted to delegate to Ministers.

The Government of Wales Act 2006
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...

 formally separated the legislature (National Assembly for Wales) and the Welsh Government, giving Welsh Ministers independent executive authority, this taking effect after the May 2007 elections
National Assembly for Wales election, 2007
The 2007 National Assembly election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament election took place...

. Following separation, the Welsh Ministers exercise functions in their own right. Further transfers of executive functions from the UK Government can be made directly to the Welsh Ministers (with their consent) by an Order in Council approved by UK Parliament.

Separation was designed to clarify the respective roles of the legislature and the executive. Under the structures established by the Government of Wales Act 2006, the role of Welsh Ministers is to make decisions; develop and implement policy; exercise executive functions and make statutory instruments. The 60 Assembly Members in the National Assembly scrutinise the Government’s decisions and policies; hold Ministers to account; approve budgets for the Welsh Government’s programmes; and enact Assembly Acts on subjects within devolved legislative competence.

The result mirrored much more closely the relationship between the UK Government and UK Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 and that between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

.

Legal Separation

The new arrangements provided for in the Government of Wales Act 2006
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...

 created a formal legal separation between the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature comprising the 60 Assembly members, and the Welsh Government, the executive, comprising the First Minister, Welsh Ministers, Deputy Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General. This separation between legislature and executive took effect on the appointment of the First Minister by Her Majesty the Queen following the Assembly election on 3 May 2007.

Separation should help to clarify the respective roles of the legislature and the executive. The role of the executive is now to make decisions; develop and implement policy; exercise executive functions and make statutory instruments. The 60 Assembly members in the National Assembly scrutinise the Welsh Government’s decisions and policies; hold Ministers to account; approve budgets for the Welsh Government’s programmes; and have the power to enact Assembly Measures on certain matters. Assembly Measures can now go further than the subordinate legislation which the Assembly had the power to make prior to 2007.

Transfer of Functions

The Assembly’s functions, including those of making subordinate legislation, in the main, transferred to the Welsh Ministers upon separation. A third body was also established under the 2006 Act from May 2007, called the National Assembly for Wales Commission. It is responsible for employing the staff supporting the new National Assembly for Wales and for holding property, entering into contracts and providing support services on its behalf.

Welsh Ministers

The 2006 Act made new provision for the appointment of Welsh Ministers. The First Minister
First Minister
A First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...

 will be nominated by the Assembly and then appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. The First Minister subsequently appoints the Welsh Ministers and the Deputy Welsh Ministers, with the approval of Her Majesty. The Act created a new post of Counsel General for Wales
Counsel General for Wales
The Counsel General for Wales advises the Welsh Government on Welsh legislative matters and advises on legislative competency. The position of the Counsel General for Wales is described in the Government of Wales Act 2006 and controlled in Standing Order 5 ....

, the principal source of legal advice to the Welsh Government. The Counsel General is appointed by the Queen, on the nomination of the First Minister, whose recommendation will need to be agreed by the National Assembly. The Counsel General may be, but does not have to be, an Assembly Member. The Act permits a maximum of 12 Welsh Ministers, which includes Deputy Welsh Ministers, but excludes the First Minister and the Counsel General. Accordingly, the maximum size of the Welsh Government is 14.

Functions and areas of competence

Following the yes vote in the referendum on further law-making powers for the Assembly on 3 March 2011, the Welsh Government’s functions now include being able to propose Bills to the National Assembly for Wales on subjects within twenty fields of policy. Subject to limitations prescribed by the Government of Wales Act 2006, Acts of the National Assembly may make any provision that could be made by Act of Parliament. The 20 areas of responsibility devolved to the National Assembly for Wales (and within which Welsh Ministers exercise executive functions) are:
  • Agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development;
  • Ancient monuments and historical buildings;
  • Culture;
  • Economic development;
  • Education and training;
  • Environment;
  • Fire and rescue services and promotion of fire safety;
  • Food;
  • Health and health services;
  • Highways and transport;
  • Housing;
  • Local government;
  • National Assembly for Wales;
  • Public administration;
  • Social welfare;
  • Sport and recreation;
  • Tourism;
  • Town and country planning;
  • Water and flood defences;
  • Welsh language.

Department of the First Minister & Cabinet

The Department of the First Minister
First Minister for Wales
The First Minister of Wales is the leader of the Welsh Government, Wales' devolved administration, which was established in 1999. The First Minister is responsible for the exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government; policy development and coordination; relationships with the...

 & Cabinet is in Tŷ Hywel and the Senedd
Senedd
The Senedd , also known as the National Assembly building, houses the debating chamber and three committee rooms for the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff. The Senedd building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 March 2006 and the total cost was £69.6 million, which included £49.7M in...

 in Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...

, however, an office is also kept at the Welsh Government building
Crown Building, Cathays Park
The Crown Buildings aka Cathays Park Buildings, are the Welsh Government's main offices in Cardiff, Wales. The buildings were formerly used by the Welsh Office and are situated in Cathays Park...

 in Cathays Park
Cathays Park
In addition to the large lawn in front of the City Hall, Cathays Park includes three formal gardens. All of the spaces are within conservation areas and many of the surrounding buildings are listed. The open spaces are very important to the image of the city. Several important buildings overlook...

 where the majority of Cardiff-based Welsh Government civil servants are located.

Offices

The Welsh Government has a total of 86 offices throughout Wales, and a number overseas. Traditionally, most Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...

 staff were based in Cardiff, especially in Cathays Park. However, in 2002, the Fullerton Review concluded that "the Assembly could no longer sustain having the majority of its operational functions located in and around Cardiff." Since 2004, Welsh Government civil servants have been relocated across Wales as part of the Location Strategy, which involves the creation of new offices at Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....

 and Llandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction , once known as Tremarl, is a small town in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the east of the walled town of Conwy, which is on the opposite side of the River...

. In 2006, the mergers of ELWa
ELWa
ELWa was an Assembly Sponsored Public Body responsible for post-16 learning in Wales, active from 2000 to 2006. ELWa's functions are now exercised by the Assembly Government's Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills....

, the Wales Tourist Board and the Welsh Development Agency
Welsh Development Agency
The Welsh Development Agency was a QUANGO and later an Assembly Sponsored Public Body established in 1976 to encourage business development and investment in Wales, to clear derelict land and to encourage growth of local businesses...

 into the Welsh Government brought these agencies' offices into the Welsh Government estate.

Current Welsh Government

The current structure of the ministerial team is formed by Welsh Labour.

Cabinet

Office Name Term Party
First Minister
First Minister for Wales
The First Minister of Wales is the leader of the Welsh Government, Wales' devolved administration, which was established in 1999. The First Minister is responsible for the exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government; policy development and coordination; relationships with the...

Rt. Hon Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Finance and Leader of the House Jane Hutt
Jane Hutt
Jane Hutt AM is a Welsh Labour politician and a Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government. Hutt has represented the Vale of Glamorgan constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology & Science Edwina Hart
Edwina Hart
Edwina Hart, MBE, AM is a Welsh Labour politician who has represented the constituency of Gower since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999. Hart was appointed Minister for Health and Social Services in the Welsh Government in May 2007.-Background:Hart was born and raised in...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Education and Skills
Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills
The Department for Education and Skills is a department of the Welsh Government.It is responsible for education, training and children's services in Wales under powers devolved from the Department for Children, Schools and Families of the UK government under Schedule 5 of the Government of Wales...

Leighton Andrews
Leighton Andrews
Leighton Andrews is a Welsh Labour politician, currently the National Assembly for Wales member for Rhondda since 2003...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Environment & Sustainable Development John Griffiths
John Griffiths
John Griffiths AM is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician and the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Health and Social Services Lesley Griffiths
Lesley Griffiths
Lesley Griffiths AM is a Welsh Labour politician. She worked as a secretary to John Marek and the constituency assistant to Ian Lucas, successive Members of Parliament for Wrexham, and was elected to the National Assembly for Wales from the Wrexham constituency in 2007...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Housing, Regeneration & Heritage Huw Lewis
Huw Lewis
Huw Lewis AM is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician. Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Lewis has represented the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999.-Early life:...

 AM
2011– Labour
Minister for Local Government & Communities Carl Sargeant
Carl Sargeant
Carl Sargeant AM is a Welsh Labour politician and the Minister for Social Justice & Local Government in the Welsh Assembly Government...

 AM
2011– Labour
Office holders given special provisions to attend Cabinet
Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...

Janice Gregory
Janice Gregory
Janice Gregory AM is a Welsh Labour politician, who has represented the constituency of Ogmore since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999...

 AM
2011– Labour
Counsel General for Wales
Counsel General for Wales
The Counsel General for Wales advises the Welsh Government on Welsh legislative matters and advises on legislative competency. The position of the Counsel General for Wales is described in the Government of Wales Act 2006 and controlled in Standing Order 5 ....

Theodore Huckle QC 2011– Labour

Deputy Ministers

Office Name Term Party
Deputy Minister for Children & Social Services Gwenda Thomas
Gwenda Thomas
Gwenda Thomas AM is the Labour Assembly Member for Neath. Mrs Thomas was first elected to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and re-elected in 2003, having almost doubled her majority. She is a fluent Welsh speaker...

 AM
2011– Labour
Deputy Minister for Skills Jeff Cuthbert AM 2011– Labour
Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries & European Programmes Alun Davies AM 2011– Labour

Permanent Secretary

The Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...

 heads up the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....

 of the Welsh Government and chairs the Strategic Delivery and Perormance Board.

The Permanent Secretary is a member of the Home Civil Service, and therefore takes part in the Permanent Secretaries Management Group of the UK Civil Service and is answerable to the most senior civil servant in the UK, the Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary
A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...

, for her professional conduct. She remains, however, at the direction of the Welsh Ministers.
  • Sir Jon Shortridge
    Jon Shortridge
    Sir Jon Shortridge KCB is a British Civil Servant. He served as the Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Office in March 1999 and of the National Assembly for Wales on its creation in May 1999. He became Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Assembly Government on its establishment as a separate...

     KCB (May 1999 to April 2008)
  • Dame Gillian Morgan
    Gillian Morgan
    Dame Gillian Morgan, DBE . Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Assembly Government from 1 May 2008.-Healthcare:Morgan's career has been mainly in healthcare, both in medicine and management and includes a period as Chief Executive of North and East Devon Health Authority...

     DBE (from May 2008)

Directorates

  • Department of Business, Enterprise, Technology & Science
  • Department of Education & Skills
  • Department of Health, Social Services & Children
  • Department of Local Government & Communities
  • Directorate of People, Places and Corporate Services
  • Directorate of Strategic Planning, Finance and Performance
  • Directorate of Sustainable Futures
  • Non-Directorate Services
    • Legal Services
    • Permanent Secretary's Division
    • Department of the First Minister & Cabinet

Strategic Delivery & Performance Board

The Strategic Delivery & Performance Board translates the strategic direction set by the Welsh Cabinet and its Committees into work that is joined up across Welsh Government departments and makes the best use of its resources. The Board is made up of 7 Directors General and 2 Non-executive Directors, and is chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Dame Gill Morgan.

Strategic Delivery and Performance Board members are appointed at the discretion of and by the Permanent Secretary. Membership is not wholly dependent on functional responsibilities; it is designed to provide balanced advice and support to the Permanent Secretary, and collective leadership to the organisation as a whole.
Position Name
Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...

Dame Gillian Morgan
Gillian Morgan
Dame Gillian Morgan, DBE . Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Assembly Government from 1 May 2008.-Healthcare:Morgan's career has been mainly in healthcare, both in medicine and management and includes a period as Chief Executive of North and East Devon Health Authority...

 DBE
Director General, Strategic Planning, Finance & Performance Michael Hearty
Director General, Education & Skills Dr. Emyr Roberts
Director General, Business, Enterprise, Technology & Science James Price
Director-General, Health, Social Services & Children and Chief Executive of NHS Wales David Sissling
Director General, Local Government & Communities Dr. June Milligan
Director General, Sustainable Futures Clive Bates
Director General, People, Places and Corporate Services Bernard Galton
Non-Executive Director
Non-executive director
A non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...

Elan Closs Stephens
Elan Closs Stephens
Elan Closs Stephens CBE is a Welsh educator and civil servant, the Wales representative on the BBC Trust.Born in Talysarn in the Nantlle Valley, Gwynedd, she was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle and Somerville College, Oxford....

Non-Executive Director
Non-executive director
A non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...

James Turner

Welsh Government sponsored bodies

The Welsh Government is responsible for a number of Welsh Government sponsored bodies. These are respectively, Non-departmental public bodies. These include executive WGSBs (e.g. Arts Council of Wales
Arts Council of Wales
The Arts Council of Wales is a Welsh Government sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales.Established by Royal Charter in 1946, as the Welsh Arts Council , when it merged with the three Welsh regional arts associations...

); advisory WGSBs (e.g. Historic Buildings Council for Wales); and tribunals (e.g. Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales). These are staffed by public servants, rather than civil servants. The Welsh Government is also responsible for some public bodies which are not classed as Welsh Government sponsored bodies, such as NHS Wales, the Welsh Offices of England and Wales legal offices and other institutes.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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