The
Secretary of State for Wales ( ) is the head of
the Wales Office within the United Kingdom
cabinet. He is responsible for
ensuring Welsh
interests
are taken into account by the government, representing the
government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for
Wales. The current Secretary of State for Wales is
Peter Hain who succeeded
Paul Murphy.
Creation
In the first half of the 20th century, a number of politicians had
supported the creation of the post of Secretary of State for Wales
as a step towards
Home Rule for Wales. A
post of
Minister of Welsh
Affairs was created in 1951 under the
Home Secretary and was upgraded to
Minister of State level in 1954.
The
Labour party proposed the
creation of a
Welsh Office run by a
Secretary of State for Wales in their manifesto for the
1959 general election
and once they came to power in 1964 this could be put into
effect.
The post
of Secretary of State for Wales came into existence on the 17
October 1964, the first incumbent being Jim Griffiths, MP for Llanelli
.
The
position entailed responsibility for Wales and
expenditure on certain public services was delegated from Westminster
. In April 1965 administration of Welsh
affairs, which had previously been divided between a number of
government
department were united in a newly created
Welsh Office with the Secretary of State for
Wales at its head. As a result the Welsh Secretary came to have
responsibility for education and training, health, trade and
industry, environment, transport and agriculture within
Wales.
History
During the 1980s and 1990s, as the number of
Conservative MPs for Welsh
constituencies dwindled almost to nothing, the office fell into
disrepute.
Nicholas
Edwards, MP for Pembrokeshire
, held the post for some years, but was constantly
mocked for his upper-class appearance and accent.
On his
departure, the government ceased to look within Wales for the
Secretary of State, and the post was increasingly used as a way of
getting junior high-fliers into the Cabinet. John Redwood in particular caused embarrassment
to the government when he publicly demonstrated an inability to
sing (or even successfully mime) "
Hen
Wlad Fy Nhadau," the Welsh
national
anthem.
The introduction of the
National Assembly for Wales and
the
Welsh Assembly
Government following the
devolution
referendum of 1997 was the beginning of a
new era. On 1 July 1999 the majority of the functions of the Welsh
Office transferred to the new assembly. The Welsh Office was
disbanded but the post of Secretary of State for Wales was
retained, as the head of the newly created Wales Office.
Since 1999 there have been calls for the office of Welsh Secretary
to be scrapped or merged with the posts of
Secretary of State for
Scotland and
Secretary of State for
Northern Ireland due to the lesser powers of the role since
devolution.
List of Secretaries of State for Wales
References
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1228468.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2978760.stm
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Facts
Map
Search
