The Welsh Government ( ) is the executive arm of the

devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...

government of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The government consists of

cabinet secretaries A cabinet secretary is usually a senior official (typically a civil servant) who provides services and advice to a cabinet of ministers as part of the Cabinet Office. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powe ...

and

ministers Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. It is led by the

first minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

, usually the leader of the largest party in the

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

(Welsh Parliament; ), who selects ministers with the approval of the Senedd. The government is responsible for

tabling Tabling is a technique first developed for natural language processing, where it was called Earley parsing. It consists of storing in a table (a.k.a. chart in the context of parsing) partial successful analyses that might come in handy for future ...

policy in devolved areas (such as health, education, economic development, transport and local government) for consideration by the Senedd and implementing policy that has been approved by it. The current Welsh Government is a Labour minority administration, following the

2021 Senedd election The 2021 Senedd election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021 to elect 60 members to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). It was the sixth Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved general election since the Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for ...

. It is led by

Eluned Morgan Mair Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely, (born 16 February 1967), is a Welsh politician who has served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2024. Morgan is the first woman, and first member of the House of Lords to ho ...

who has been the first minister of Wales since August 2024.

History

The Welsh Office

Prior to

devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...

in 1999 many executive functions for Wales were carried out by the

Secretary of State for Wales The secretary of state for Wales (), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Ki ...

and the

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 wh ...

. The Welsh Office was a department in the

Government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

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. The post however had no Welsh electoral mandate, and over the ensuing years there were complaints of a "democratic deficit". For eleven years prior to 1997 Wales had been represented in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom by a Secretary of State who did not represent a Welsh constituency at Westminster. These factors led to growing calls for political devolution. The Welsh Office was disbanded on 1 July 1999 when most of its powers were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales.

Executive Committee of the National Assembly for Wales 1999 to 2007

The National Assembly was created by the

Government of Wales Act 1998 A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

, which followed a referendum in 1997. As initially established, the Welsh Government had no independent executive powers in law (unlike, for instance, the Scottish ministers and British government ministers). The National Assembly was established as a ''

body corporate In law, a legal person is any person or legal entity that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for the term "''legal'' person" is t ...

'' by the

and the executive, as a

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

of the assembly, only had those powers that the assembly as a whole voted to delegate to ministers. On 27 November 2001, First Minister Rhodri Morgan announced that the brand "Welsh Assembly Government" would be used going forward for the committee, to more clearly delineate the division of functions within the Assembly. The

Government of Wales Act 2006 The Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the then-National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act creates a system ...

formally separated the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government, giving Welsh ministers independent executive authority, this taking effect following the May 2007 elections. Following separation, the Welsh ministers exercise functions in their own right. Further transfers of executive functions from the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

can be made directly to the Welsh ministers (with their consent) by an

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

approved by the

British parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

. Separation was designed to clarify the respective roles of the assembly and the government. Under the structures established by the

, the role of Welsh ministers is to make decisions; develop and implement policy; exercise executive functions and make statutory instruments. The remainder of 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 acts of assembly on subjects that have been

to the Welsh administration. The result mirrored much more closely the relationship between the British government and British parliament and that between the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

and the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

After the 2007 election of the National Assembly for Wales

Legal separation

The new arrangements provided for in the

created a formal legal separation between the National Assembly for Wales, comprising 60 assembly members, and the Welsh Assembly Government, comprising the first minister, Welsh ministers, deputy ministers and the counsel general. This separation between the two bodies took effect on the appointment of the first minister by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

following the assembly election on 3 May 2007. Separation was meant to clarify the respective roles of the assembly and the government. The role of the government 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 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 that 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 employs the staff supporting the new National Assembly for Wales, and holds property, enters into contracts and provides support services on its behalf.

Welsh ministers

The 2006 Act made new provision for the appointment of Welsh ministers. The

is nominated by the Senedd and then appointed by His Majesty the King. The first minister then appoints the Welsh ministers and the deputy Welsh ministers with the approval of the monarch. The Act created a new post of

Counsel General for Wales The Counsel General for Wales () is the Welsh Government's Law Officer (akin to the role of Attorney general in other jurisdictions using the Common law), which means the government's chief legal adviser and representative in the courts. In a ...

, the principal source of legal advice to the Welsh Government. The counsel general is appointed by the monarch, on the nomination of the first minister, whose recommendation must be agreed by the Senedd and who cannot be dismissed without the Senedd's consent, but automatically leaves office when a new first minister is nominated. The counsel general may be, but does not have to be, a member of the Senedd. 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. In Acts of the Senedd and of the UK Parliament, the expression "the Welsh Ministers" is used to refer to the Welsh government in similar contexts to those where "the Secretary of State" would be used to refer to the British government; it is defined to include only the first minister and ministers, not the deputy ministers or the counsel general.Government of Wales Act 2006, s. 45(2). "... the First Minister and the Welsh Ministers appointed under section 48 ..."

2011 referendum on law-making powers

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 is now entitled to propose bills to the National Assembly for Wales on subjects within 20 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 social 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

Renaming

The Welsh Assembly Government was renamed Welsh Government (') in practice in 2011, and in law by the

Wales Act 2014 The Wales Act 2014legislation.gov.uk
Wales Act 2014 (c. 29) is an

The government is composed of cabinet secretaries and ministers. The current government is a minority by

Welsh Labour Welsh Labour (), formerly known as the Labour Party in Wales (), is an autonomous section of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK), Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears have won a p ...

. The current cabinet was formed on 11 September 2024, replacing the interim cabinet formed by Morgan when she was appointed First Minister in August 2024, which was largely a continuation of Gething's. In the September reshuffle, new positions were created, while all existing ministers remained in cabinet (except the Counsel General-designate) but most with amended roles. The September 2024 cabinet is as follows:

Ministers

Cabinet secretaries and ministers were known as ministers and deputy ministers respectively before 2016, and under Mark Drakeford from 2018 to 2024. They returned to their current names in May 2024 following the appointment of Vaughan Gething.

Civil service

The Welsh Government also includes a civil service that supports the Welsh ministers. As of March 2018, there are 5,015 full-time equivalent civil servants working across Wales. The civil service is a matter

reserved Reserved is a Polish apparel retailer headquartered in Gdańsk, Poland. It was founded in 1999 and remains the flagship brand of the LPP (company), LPP group, which has more than 2,200 retail stores located in over 38 countries and also owns su ...

to the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

: Welsh Government civil servants work within the rules and customs of

His Majesty's Civil Service In the United Kingdom, the Civil Service is the permanent bureaucracy or secretariat of Crown employees that supports His Majesty's Government, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, which is led by a cabinet of ministers chosen ...

, but serve the devolved administration rather than the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Permanent secretary

The

Permanent secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

heads the civil service of the Welsh Government and chairs the Strategic Delivery and Performance Board. The Permanent Secretary is a member of

, and therefore takes part in the Permanent Secretaries Management Group of the Civil Service and is answerable to the most senior civil servant in Britain, the

Cabinet Secretary A cabinet secretary is usually a senior official (typically a civil servant) who provides services and advice to a cabinet of ministers as part of the Cabinet Office. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powe ...

, for professional conduct. The permanent secretary remains, however, at the direction of the Welsh ministers. * Sir Jon Shortridge (May 1999 to April 2008) * Dame Gillian Morgan (May 2008 to August 2012) * Sir Derek Jones (October 2012 to February 2017) * Dame Shan Elizabeth Morgan (February 2017 to 31 October 2021) * Andrew Goodall (November 2021 to date)

Departments

*First Minister's Group **

Office of the First Minister The Office of the First Minister was a portfolio within the Scottish Government. The office was responsible for the running of the government. Executive agencies The Historic Scotland and National Archives of Scotland Executive agencies An ...

**Office of the Permanent Secretary **Propriety and Ethics Directorate **Constitution & Justice Directorate **

Office of the Legislative Counsel The Office of the Legislative Counsel of the United States House of Representatives is a nonpartisan government organization which assists the House with the drafting and formatting of laws. The Office was first created as the Legislative Drafting ...

*Chief Operating Officer's Group **Finance Directorate **Welsh Treasury **Legal Services Directorate **People and Places Directorate **

Care Inspectorate Wales The Care Inspectorate Wales (formerly known as Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales) () is a scrutiny body which supports improvement. They look at the quality of care in Wales to ensure it meets high standards. Where improvement is nee ...

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) (, AGIC) is the national healthcare improvement organisation for Wales. It is a public body which is part of NHS Wales and created in April 2004. History The function of this body is to implement the healthc ...

**Commercial and Procurement Directorate **Continuous Improvement Directorate **Digital, Data & Technology & Knowledge and Analytical Services Directorate *Local Government, Housing, Climate Change & Rural Affairs Group **Local Government & Planning Directorate **Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability Directorate **Housing & Regeneration Directorate **Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer **Rural Affairs Directorate **Finance and Operations Directorate *Economy, Energy & Transport Group **Economic Strategy Directorate **International Relations & Trade Directorate **Regional Investment & Borders Directorate **Welsh Government Office for Science **Business & Regions Directorate **Social Partnership, Employability and Fair Work Directorate **Tourism, Marketing, Events & Creative Directorate **Energy Directorate **Transport & Digital Connectivity Directorate **Finance and Operations Directorate *Education, Culture & Welsh Language Group **Education Directorate **Culture, Heritage, Sport & Welsh Language Directorate **Communities & Social Justice Directorate **Tertiary Education Directorate **Risk, Resilience and Community Safety, Group Operations & North Wales Directorate *Health, Social Care & Eary Years Group **Office of the Director General **NHS Planning & Performance Directorate **Office of the

Chief Medical Officer for Wales In the United Kingdom, a chief medical officer (CMO) is the most senior government advisor on matter relating to health. There are four chief medical officers in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments: * Gover ...

**Quality & Nursing Directorate (Office of the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales) **Social Services & Integration Directorate & Office of the Chief Social Care Officer for Wales **Public Health Protection Directorate **NHS Finance Directorate **Primary Care, Mental Health & Early Years Directorate **Digital, Technology & Innovation Directorate **NHS Workforce Directorate **CAFCASS Cymru

The Board

The Welsh Government 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 six directors general, six directors and four non-executive directors, and is chaired by the permanent secretary. 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.

Welsh Government sponsored bodies

The Welsh Government is responsible for a number of Welsh Government sponsored bodies (WGSBs). These are, respectively, *executive WGSBs, which are

non-departmental public bodies In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of na ...

such as the

Arts Council of Wales The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; ) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts Council (), its English name w ...

; *advisory WGSBs, which are non-departmental public bodies; and *tribunals such as the

Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales Mental may refer to: * of or relating to the mind Films * ''Mental'' (2012 film), an Australian comedy-drama film starring Toni Collette * ''Mental'' (2016 film), a Bangladeshi romantic-action film starring Shakib Khan * ''Mental'', a 2008 docu ...

. WGSBs are staffed by public servants rather than civil servants. The Welsh Government is also responsible for some public bodies that are not classed as WGSBs, such as

NHS Wales NHS Wales () is the publicly-funded healthcare system in Wales, and one of the four systems which make up the National Health Service () in the United Kingdom. NHS Wales was formed as part of the public health system for England and Wales crea ...

, and the Welsh Offices of England and Wales legal offices.

Estate

The Welsh Government has a total of 18 core and operational offices across Wales. It also has an office based in Westminster. Additionally, it has 7 specialist properties across Wales, which include stores, traffic management centres and the pavilion at the Royal Welsh Showground. The Government also has 21 offices located in 11 countries outside the United Kingdom: Belgium; Canada; China; France; Germany; Ireland; India; Japan; Qatar; United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. Historically, most

staff were based in Cardiff, especially in

Cathays Park Cathays Park () or Cardiff Civic Centre is a civic centre area in the Cardiff City Centre, city centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, consisting of a number of early 20th century buildings and a central park area, Alexandra Gardens. It ...

. 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 involved the creation of new offices at

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

and

Llandudno Junction Llandudno Junction (), once known as Tremarl, is a town in the Community (Wales), community of Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Llandudno Junction and neighbouring Deganwy are both part of the built-up area and community of Conwy. It take ...

. In 2006, the mergers of Education and Learning Wales, the

Wales Tourist Board Visit Wales () is the Welsh Government's tourism organisation. Its aim is to promote Welsh tourism and assist the tourism industry. History The Wales Tourist Board was established in 1969 as a result of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 a ...

and the

Welsh Development Agency Welsh Development Agency (WDA; ) was an executive agency (or QUANGO) and later designated an Assembly Sponsored Public Body (ASPB). Established in 1976, it was tasked with rescuing the ailing Welsh economy by encouraging business development and ...

into the Welsh Government brought these agencies' offices into the Welsh Government estate. The office of the

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

is in

Tŷ Hywel is a building in Cardiff, Wales, used by the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ; formerly the National Assembly for Wales). It is named after the medieval king (''Howell the Good''), King of Deheubarth in South West Wales. The building was previousl ...

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

; an office is also kept at the Welsh Government building in

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

Budget

Wales receives a budget allocation from the UK GovernmentWelsh Government , Budgets
Wales.gov.uk (8 July 2013). Retrieved on 24 August 2013. determined by the

Barnett formula The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by the Treasury in the United Kingdom to automatically adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public se ...

, which makes up roughly 80% of the Welsh budget. The remaining 20% comes from devolved taxes such as non-domestic rates, land transaction tax, landfill disposal tax and the Welsh rates of income tax. These taxes are collected and managed by the

Welsh Revenue Authority The Welsh Revenue Authority () is a non-ministerial department of the Welsh Government responsible for the administration and collection of devolved taxes in Wales. The Welsh Revenue Authority is accountable to the Senedd. History For over 80 ...

, except for income tax which is collected by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs on behalf of the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government sets out its spending and financing plans for the forthcoming financial year in the autumn. The

scrutinises the budget and associated taxation and spending plans.

List of successive Welsh Governments

References

External links

*
Welsh Government Ministers

Law Wales website – Home
{{Authority control Irish animation studios 1999 establishments in Wales Economy of Wales Organisations based in Cardiff Politics of Wales Articles containing video clips

History

The Welsh Office

Executive Committee of the National Assembly for Wales 1999 to 2007

After the 2007 election of the National Assembly for Wales

Legal separation

Transfer of functions

Welsh ministers

2011 referendum on law-making powers

Functions and areas of competence

Renaming

Ministers

Civil service

Permanent secretary

Departments

The Board

Welsh Government sponsored bodies

Estate

Budget

List of successive Welsh Governments

See also

References

External links