Wales Office
| Welsh: Swyddfa Cymru | |
 | |
.jpg) Gwydyr House in Whitehall, London | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 July 1999[1][2] |
| Preceding Department | |
| Type | Ministerial department |
| Jurisdiction | Wales |
| Headquarters |
|
| Employees | 52 (2016–2017) |
| Annual budget | ~£4.7 million for 2016–2017 |
| Secretary of State responsible | |
| Parent department | Ministry of Justice[citation needed] |
| Website | www |
| This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
| Politics of Wales |
|---|
 |
The Wales Office (Welsh: Swyddfa Cymru), known as the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (Welsh: Swyddfa Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru) between 2017 and 2024, is a department of His Majesty's Government. It replaced the former Welsh Office, which had extensive responsibility for governing Wales prior to Welsh devolution in 1999.[1]
History
[edit]In the past, the Office was called "Wales's voice in Westminster and Westminster's voice in Wales". However, it is significantly less powerful since the Government of Wales Act 2006: it is primarily responsible for carrying out the few functions remaining with the Secretary of State for Wales that have not been transferred already to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament); and for securing funds for Wales as part of the annual budgetary settlement.[3]
The Secretary of State for Wales has overall responsibility for the office, but it is located administratively within the Ministry of Justice (until 2007, the Department for Constitutional Affairs).
Ministers
[edit]The ministers in the Wales Office are as follows, with cabinet members in bold:[4][5]
| Minister | Portrait | Office | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rt Hon. Jo Stevens MP | 
|
Secretary of State for Wales | Overall responsibility; Welsh Government and Senedd Liaison; Foreign Affairs; Defence. |
| Nia Griffith MP | 
|
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales | Supporting the Secretary of State in their duties |
Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales does not have its own Law Officers of the Crown; it is part of the England and Wales legal jurisdiction. The Attorney General for England and Wales therefore advises the United Kingdom Government on its law.[6] His deputy is the Solicitor General for England and Wales.
Future
[edit]Following the 'yes' vote in the 2011 referendum on giving the Assembly direct law-making powers, some politicians in Wales, particularly from Plaid Cymru, have called for the abolition of the Wales Office.[7] Lord Elis-Thomas, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, said:
Now that the responsibility of Ministers for administration of policy and indeed for legislation is here, it makes more sense for us to be organised in a proper inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary way. That is, Assembly to Westminster, Government to Government.[8]
However, Lord Elis-Thomas was accused of following a "separatist agenda" by the Conservative Cheryl Gillan, then Secretary of State for Wales. She was supported by her Labour predecessor Peter Hain, who declared that Wales "still needs a voice around the Cabinet in Westminster".[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b History Archived 3 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Walesoffice.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2012
- ^ "Service Delivery Agreement 2000". Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. 2000. Archived from the original on 25 February 2001. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ About the Wales Office Archived 1 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Walesoffice.gov.uk. Last modified 14 December 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2012
- ^ "Our ministers". GOV.UK. Wales Office. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Ministerial appointments: November 2023". UK Government. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Cabinet Office List of Government Departments and Ministers: Attorney General's Office
- ^ a b Presiding officer suggests dropping Welsh secretary – BBC News. Published 7 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012
- ^ Lord Elis-Thomas says the Wales Office should be scrapped – WalesOnline. Published 7 March 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2023
External links
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