The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales ( cy, Is-ysgrifennydd Gwladol Seneddol Cymru), often referred to simply as the Welsh Office Minister, is a

junior minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

ial post (of

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of Minister (government), government minist ...

rank) in the

Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal coat of arms of t ...

, supporting 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 ...

History

A post of Minister of Welsh Affairs was created in 1951 under the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

and was upgraded to

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

level in 1954. On 17 October 1964 The post was further upgraded to Secretary of State for Wales, which was a cabinet level role, being assisted by a junior minister. Between 1964 and the establishment of

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 territories h ...

in 1999 there were regularly two junior ministers within the Welsh Office, often but not always consisting of a Minister of State and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, with each assigned specific roles (health, education etc.). Following devolution and the transfer of powers from Westminster to the National Assembly, there was only one Under-Secretary of State working directly with the Secretary of State. A second (and unpaid) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State role was created in 2012 during the

Coalition Government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

with one minister serving in the Commons and one in the Lords. This situation was maintained following the 2015 general election with two Under-Secretaries of State, one being paid by the Welsh Office and one unpaid (or paid by another government department for a joint role). Following the appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister,

Nick Bourne Nicholas Henry Bourne, Baron Bourne of Aberystwyth (born 1 January 1952) is a Conservative Party politician who served as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Party and Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales from August 1999 until May 2011 ...

resigned and no replacement Minister was appointed.

Ministers of Welsh Affairs (1951–1964)

''For a list of Ministers of Welsh Affairs see: Ministers of Welsh Affairs (1951–1964)''

Minister of State for Wales in the House of Commons (1964–1999)

*1964–1966 Goronwy Roberts *1966–1969

Ifor Davies Ifor Davies (9 June 1910 – 6 June 1982), born Ivor Davies, was a Welsh Labour politician. Davies was born in Gowerton, Swansea, the youngest of the six children of Jeffrey Davies and Elizabeth Jane Thomas. His father was employed in the loc ...

*1967–1970 Eirene White *1970–1974 David Gibson-Watt *1974–1983 ''None. Two Under-Secretary of States for Wales existed, see below'' *1983–1987

John Stradling Thomas Sir John Stradling Thomas (10 June 1925 – 29 March 1991) was a Welsh Conservative Party politician. He was also a farmer, company director and broadcaster. Biography Thomas was educated at Rugby School and the University of London. He serv ...

*1987–1994

Wyn Roberts Ieuan Wyn Pritchard Roberts, Baron Roberts of Conwy, PC (10 July 1930 – 13 December 2013) was a Welsh Conservative politician. His father was a Minister in a chapel in Llansadwrn, Anglesey, and they lived in the schoolhouse. He was Member of ...

*1994–1999 ''None. Two Under-Secretary of States for Wales were created, see below''

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Wales in the House of Commons (1974–1999)

*1974–1976

Alec Jones Trevor Alec Jones (12 August 1924 – 20 March 1983) was a British Labour Party politician. Jones was born in Clydach Vale and educated at Rhondda Boys' Grammar School. After obtaining a teaching qualification at Bangor Normal College, he ta ...

& Barry Jones *1976–1979 Alec Jones &

Edward Rowlands Edward Rowlands, Baron Rowlands (born 23 January 1940) is a Welsh politician, who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for over thirty years, including a period as a junior minister in the 1960s and 1970s. Education He attended Rhon ...

*1979–1983

& Michael Roberts *1983–1985 Wyn Roberts &

*1985–1987 Wyn Roberts & Mark Robinson *15 June 1987 - 28 November 1990

Ian Grist Ian Grist (5 December 1938 – 2 January 2002) was a British Conservative politician. Grist was Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff North from February 1974 to 1983, and for Cardiff Central from 1983 until 1992. He also served as a Ministe ...

*3 December 1990 - 20 July 1992

Nicholas Bennett Cllr Nicholas Jerome Bennett JP (born 7 May 1949) is a British politician and a former Mayor of the London Borough of Bromley. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1987 to 1992 representing the const ...

*20 July 1994 – 2 June 1996

Gwilym Jones Gwilym Haydn Jones (born 20 September 1947) is a British Conservative politician who served as Under Secretary of State in the Welsh Office. Early life Gwilym Jones was born in Chiswick, London, on 20 September 1947 and moved to Cardiff in 19 ...

Rod Richards Roderick Richards (12 March 1947 – 13 July 2019) was a British politician. He was a Conservative before joining UKIP in 2013. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Clwyd North West, in Wales, from 1992 to 1997, when he lost his ...

*2 June 1996 – 2 May 1997 Gwilym Jones & Jonathan Evans * 2 May 1997 – 28 July 1998 and

Peter Hain Peter Gerald Hain, Baron Hain (born 16 February 1950), is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State ...

and

Win Griffiths Winston James Griffiths, Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 11 February 1943), known as Win Griffiths, is a former teacher and politician, who served as a Member of the European Parliament for South Wales (European Parliament constituency), ...

* 29 July 1998 – 29 July 1999 Peter Hain and

Jon Owen Jones Jonathan Owen Jones (born 19 April 1954) is a Welsh politician. He was the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central from 1992 to 2005. He was then an unsuccessful candidate for Change UK in Wales at the 2019 Europea ...

History

Ministers of Welsh Affairs (1951–1964)

Minister of State for Wales in the House of Commons (1964–1999)

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Wales in the House of Commons (1974–1999)

Junior Welsh Office Ministers in the House of Commons (1999–present)

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Wales in the House of Commons (1999–present)

Junior Welsh Office Ministers in the House of Lords (2012–present)

Notes

References

See also