The Wales Office (Welsh: Swyddfa Cymru), previously the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (Welsh: Swyddfa Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru) from 2017 to 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]
| Welsh: Swyddfa Cymru | |
 | |
 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 |
History
editIn 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
editThe 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
editFollowing 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
