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The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
with responsibilities for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the
Secretary of State for Wales The secretary of state for Wales ( cy, ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), 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 ...
, a post which had been created in October 1964. It was disbanded on 1 July 1999 when most of its powers were transferred to the
National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...
, with some powers transferred to the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales ( cy, Swyddfa Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru), a department popularly known as the
Wales Office , agency_type = Ministerial department , type = Department , logo = Wales Office logo.png , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = Gwydyr House, Whitehall (geograph 5590 ...
. The Welsh Office took over the responsibilities related to housing, local government and town and country planning, etc. for Wales which had previously been the responsibilities of several other government departments. Its responsibilities included
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
, which for some purposes had earlier been considered by some to lie within
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.


Precursors

Wales had been incorporated into the English legal system through the
Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 ( cy, Y Deddfau Cyfreithiau yng Nghymru 1535 a 1542) were Acts of the Parliament of England, and were the parliamentary measures by which Wales was annexed to the Kingdom of England. Moreover, the legal sys ...
. Legislation specific to Wales, such as the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 and the
Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889 The Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict c 40) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Background Elementary education had been compulsory in Wales, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, since the introduction of t ...
, began to be introduced in the late 19th century. Responsibility for Welsh education was given to the Welsh Department of the
Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
in 1907, and the following year the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire was established. The Welsh Board of Health was formed in 1919, and the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1922. A Boundary Commission for Wales was set up under the
House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944 The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944 (7 & 8 Geo.6. c.41) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that established permanent boundary commissions for each of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom, and provide ...
. A
Council for Wales and Monmouthshire The Council for Wales and Monmouthshire ( cy, Cyngor Cymru a Mynwy) was an appointed advisory body announced in 1948 and established in 1949 by the UK government under Labour prime minister Clement Attlee, to advise the government on matters of ...
was established in 1949 to monitor the effects of government policy. Government departments which had established Welsh offices or units by 1951 included the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport, and the Forestry Commission, and 1951 the office of Minister for Welsh Affairs was created. This post was vested in the Home Secretary until 1957, when it was transferred to the Minister of Housing and Local Government, assisted by a Minister of State.


Establishment and development

The post of Minister for Welsh Affairs was replaced in 1964 by the office of Secretary of State for Wales, which was given responsibility for the new Welsh Office in 1965. The Welsh Office was created to execute government policy in Wales. It took over, from other departments, functions relating to economic planning, housing, local government, sewerage, environmental health, town and country planning, Welsh national parks, historic buildings, and cultural activities. The
Welsh Language Act 1967 The Welsh Language Act 1967, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which gave some rights to use the Welsh language in legal proceedings in Wales (including Monmouthshire) and gave the relevant Minister the right to authorise the pro ...
formally dissolved the legislation which provided that references made in Parliament to England automatically included Wales, under the
Wales and Berwick Act The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 (20 Geo. II, c. 42) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that created a statutory definition of England as including England, Wales and Berwick-upon-Tweed. This definition applied to all Acts passed befo ...
of 1746. By 1969, the role of the Welsh Office had expanded to also cover responsibilities for highway construction and maintenance, tourism, water, forestry, common land, the Historic Buildings Council for Wales, and the Countryside Commission in Wales. That year it was also given responsibility for health and welfare services, and for the use of the Welsh language in the registration of births, marriages and deaths. During the 1970s, changes in central government led to the delegation of additional functions. Most responsibilities for primary and secondary education in Wales, were transferred in 1970; and most of the child care responsibilities of the Home Office were passed to the Welsh Office in 1971.Russell Deacon (2002) The Governance of Wales: The Welsh Office and the Policy Process 1964-99, Welsh Academic Press Responsibilities relating to the promotion of industry in Wales were passed to the Welsh Office in 1974-75; and in 1978 it assumed control of further education functions, and the training and supply of teachers for primary and secondary education. In 1978, it also gained sole responsibility for agriculture and fishery matters in Wales. By 1998, the Welsh Office comprised the following departments: *Agriculture *Transport Planning and Environment Group *Welsh Office Health Department *Economic Development Group *Establishments Group *Finance Group *Education Department *Health Professionals Group *Industry and Training Group *Legal Group *Local Government Group. Most of these had headquarters in Cardiff, with offices in London to help co-ordinate policies with Whitehall departments, and to provide secretariat and support services for Ministers and the Permanent Secretary.


Establishment of the National Assembly

Following the referendum on Welsh devolution in 1997, the Welsh Office was formally disbanded on 1 July 1999 and the majority of its powers were transferred to the
National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...
, now known as 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, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...
. The cabinet position of
Secretary of State for Wales The secretary of state for Wales ( cy, ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), 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 ...
was retained as the head of a newly formed
Wales Office , agency_type = Ministerial department , type = Department , logo = Wales Office logo.png , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = Gwydyr House, Whitehall (geograph 5590 ...
.


Secretary of State for Wales

:''See List of Secretaries of State for Wales''


Permanent Secretary

* Sir
Goronwy Daniel Sir Goronwy Hopkin Daniel KCVO (21 March 1914 – 17 January 2003) was a Welsh academic and civil servant. Born at Ystradgynlais, Brecknockshire, Wales, Daniel was educated at Pontardawe Grammar School, Amman Valley County School and Unive ...
KCVO (1964 to 1969) * Sir
Idwal Pugh Sir Idwal Vaughan Pugh KCB (10 February 1918 – 21 April 2010) was a civil servant who was Permanent Secretary at the Welsh Office and distinguished himself as Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for ...
KCB (1969 to 1971) * Sir Hywel Evans KCB (1971 to 1980) * Sir Trevor Hughes KCB (1980 to 1985) * Sir Richard Lloyd-Jones KCB (1985 to 1993) * Sir
Michael Scholar Sir Michael Charles Scholar, KCB (born 3 January 1942) is a British civil servant and former President of St John's College, Oxford. Personal Life and Education He was educated at St Olave's Grammar School and St John's College, Cambridge ( B ...
KCB (1993 to 1996) *
Rachel Lomax Janis Rachel Lomax (born 15 July 1945) is a British economist, banker, and former government official who served as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, sitting on the Monetary Policy Committee from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2008. Early life Lom ...
(1996 to 1999) * Sir
Jon Shortridge Sir Jon Deacon Shortridge KCB (born 10 April 1947) 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 Sec ...
KCB (May to July 1999)


References


External links

*
Welsh Office
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documentary. *
Welsh Office: 25 Years
'
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...
documentary programme page. {{Wales Office 1999 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Government of Wales Defunct departments of the Government of the United Kingdom Ministries established in 1965 1965 establishments in the United Kingdom