Jane Elizabeth Hutt
MS (born 15 December 1949) is a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
Labour Party politician serving as Minister for Social Justice since 2021. She has served as the
Member of the Senedd
A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd ...
(MS) for the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol C ...
since 1999.
A member of the Parliament since its creation, Hutt holds the record for the longest serving
Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...
minister and has served in every administration to date. She served continually in government from May 1999 until the November 2017 reshuffle, returning in December 2018. Hutt has held several of the most senior government offices, including
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
,
Minister for Health and Social Services
The Minister for Health and Social Services () is a cabinet position in the Welsh Government, currently held by Eluned Morgan MS.
The minister is responsible for the running of the National Health Service in Wales, all aspects of public healt ...
, and
Minister for Education.
Early years
Born in
Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
, Surrey, on 15 December 1949, Hutt's
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
-speaking grandparents are from North Wales,
and her father was the pathologist
Michael Hutt.
Hutt was educated at
Surbiton High School
Surbiton High School is a private independent school in Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It
has seven buildings overall including the Boys’ Preparatory School, Girls’ Preparatory School, the Se ...
and graduated from the
University of Kent
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
, Canterbury in 1970 with a BA (Hons), gained a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
in 1972 and an M.Sc. at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
in 1995.
Professional career
Hutt was one of the founder members of Welsh Women's Aid, a feminist organisation campaigning on behalf of women who are victims of domestic violence. She was appointed as a coordinator of the group in January 1978.
Hutt held non-political appointments as director of the equal opportunities' organisation
Chwarae Teg
Chwarae Teg (Welsh for "Fair Play") is a United Kingdom based charity working in Wales to support the economic development of women as well as working with businesses and organisations to develop and improve working practices.
History
Chwarae ...
and
non-executive director
A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of the ...
of the Cardiff Community Health Care Trust. Member New Deal Task Force. School Governor. Welsh member on the New Opportunities (UK) Fund.
Political career
Hutt was a councillor on
South Glamorgan County Council
South Glamorgan County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir De Morgannwg) was the local government authority that administered the county of South Glamorgan, Wales from its creation in 1974 until its abolition in 1996.
History
Local government in England and ...
and a former vice-chair of the Social Services Committee. She unsuccessfully stood for election to the
British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
in 1983 in
Cardiff North.
Hutt was elected to 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 ...
in 1999 and has been re-elected at every subsequent election. She served as a government minister for a total of 18 years, 5 months, 23 days (or 6,751 days) from 12 May 1999 to 3 November 2017 making her the then longest serving Labour Minister in UK history. Her record was surpassed in 2018 by
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones (born 21 March 1967) is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones served as the Member of the S ...
who served a total of 6,868 days.
She made her first appearance on the back benches on 14 November 2017.
She again returned to the government as Chief Whip on 13 December 2018.
Ministerial roles
Following the Assembly's creation in 1999 she immediately became Health Minister. She remained in post until January 2005 when she was removed from the position, following strong criticism over long hospital waiting lists. An independent report showed that even though waiting list time targets were higher than in England and Scotland, Hutt had still failed to meet them. As a result, she faced criticism from all the major political parties in Wales, with the strongest coming from within her own party. As a result, her position became untenable, as some became worried that the problems could even damage the case for further Welsh devolution.
She became Minister for Assembly Business and Chief Whip, with additional responsibility for Openness in Government; Communications Strategy; co-ordinating Government policy in relation to children and Equality of Opportunity. In the first Cabinet of the Third Assembly, she was appointed Minister for Budget and Assembly Business (31 May 2007). In the coalition, Cabinet announced on 19 July 2007 she became Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills.
She left the government during the November 2017 reshuffle, but returned as Chief Whip thirteen months later under new First Minister
Mark Drakeford
Mark Drakeford (born 19 September 1954) is a Welsh politician serving as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018. He previously served in the Welsh Government as Cabinet Secretary for Finance from 2016 to 2018 and Minist ...
. She is the only MS to have served as a Minister in every
Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...
to date.
Personal life
In July 1984, Hutt married Labour councillor Michael Trickey. They have two daughters.
References
External links
Personal websiteBiography at the Welsh Assembly GovernmentProfile on BBC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutt, Jane
1949 births
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Alumni of the University of Bristol
Alumni of the University of Kent
People educated at Surbiton High School
Members of South Glamorgan County Council
Living people
Members of the Welsh Assembly Government
School governors
Wales AMs 1999–2003
Wales AMs 2003–2007
Wales AMs 2007–2011
Wales AMs 2011–2016
Wales MSs 2016–2021
Wales MSs 2021–2026
Welsh Labour members of the Senedd
Female members of the Senedd
Ministers for Finance of Wales
Female finance ministers
Politics of the Vale of Glamorgan
20th-century British women politicians
Women members of the Welsh Assembly Government
Women councillors in Wales