, agency_type =
Ministerial department
, type = Department
, logo = Wales Office logo.png
, seal =
, seal_width =
, seal_caption =
, picture = Gwydyr House, Whitehall (geograph 5590927).jpg
, picture_width =
, picture_caption =
Gwydyr House
Gwydyr House ( cy, Tŷ Gwydyr) is a Grade II* listed mansion in Whitehall, and is the London headquarters of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. The house lies on the eastern side of the street, opposite Dover House.
History
Gwyd ...
in
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...
, London
, formed = 1 July 1999
[History](_blank)
– Walesoffice.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2012,
, preceding1 =
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...
, dissolved =
, superseding =
, jurisdiction =
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 ...
, headquarters =
*Wales
** 1 Caspian Point, Caspian Way, Cardiff, CF10 4DQ
* Westminster
**
Gwydyr House
Gwydyr House ( cy, Tŷ Gwydyr) is a Grade II* listed mansion in Whitehall, and is the London headquarters of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. The house lies on the eastern side of the street, opposite Dover House.
History
Gwyd ...
, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2NP
, employees = 52 (2016–2017)
, budget = ~£4.7 million for 2016–2017
, minister1_name =
David TC Davies
David Thomas Charles Davies (born 27 July 1970) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Wales since 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Monmouth since 2005. A member of the Conservative Party, he chaired the Wels ...
, minister1_pfo =
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 ...
, chief1_name =
, chief1_position =
, chief2_name =
, chief2_position =
, child1_agency =
, website =
, footnotes =
, chief3_name =
, chief3_position =
, chief4_name =
, chief4_position =
, chief5_name =
, chief5_position =
, chief6_name =
, chief6_position =
, chief7_name =
, chief7_position =
, chief8_name =
, chief8_position =
, chief9_name =
, chief9_position =
, parent_department =
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales ( cy, Swyddfa Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru), informally known as the Wales Office (''Swyddfa Cymru''), is a
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
His Majesty's Government
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 Arms
, date_es ...
. It replaced the former
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...
, which had extensive responsibility for governing
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 ...
prior to
Welsh devolution in 1999.
History
In the past, the Office was called "Wales' voice in Westminster and Westminster's voice in Wales". However, it is significantly less powerful since the
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 (c 32) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the then-National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act creates a system o ...
: it is primarily responsible for carrying out the few functions remaining with 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 ...
that have not been transferred already 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 ...
(Welsh Parliament); and for securing funds for Wales as part of the annual budgetary settlement.
The Secretary of State for Wales has overall responsibility for the office but it is located administratively within the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
(until 2007, the Department for Constitutional Affairs).
Ministers
The ministers in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales are as follows:
Unlike
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, Wales does not have its own
Law Officers of the Crown; it is part of the
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
legal jurisdiction. The
Attorney General for England and Wales
His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales is one of the law officers of the Crown and the principal legal adviser to sovereign and Government in affairs pertaining to England and Wales. The attorney general maintains the Attorney ...
therefore advises the United Kingdom Government on its law.
Cabinet Office List of Government Departments and Ministers: Attorney General's Office
/ref> His deputy is the Solicitor General for England and Wales
His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General for England and Wales ...
.
Future
Following the 'yes' vote in the 2011 referendum on giving the Assembly direct law-making powers, some politicians in Wales, particularly from Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
, have called for the abolition of the Wales Office.[Presiding officer suggests dropping Welsh secretary](_blank)
– BBC News. Published 7 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2012 Lord Elis-Thomas
Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas (born 18 October 1946) is a Welsh politician who served as the Leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 1999 to 2021.
Born in Carma ...
, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales said:
However, Lord Elis-Thomas was accused of following a "separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
agenda" by the Conservative Cheryl Gillan, then Secretary of State for Wales. She was supported by her Labour predecessor 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 ...
, who declared that Wales "still needs a voice around the Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
in Westminster".
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Ministerial departments of the Government of the United Kingdom
Government of Wales
Politics of Wales
Organisations based in Cardiff
Government bodies based in London
1999 establishments in the United Kingdom