The First Minister of Wales (Welsh: Prif Weinidog Cymru), known as First Secretary of Wales from 1999 until 2000, is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal. The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Welsh Government policy. Additional functions of the first minister include promoting and representing Wales in an official capacity, at home and abroad, and responsibility for constitutional affairs, as they relate to devolution and the Welsh Government.
£148,575 per annum (2022)[1] (including £67,920 MS salary)
Website
www.gov.wales/vaughan-gething-ms
The first minister is a Member of the Senedd, and is nominated by the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru)—before being officially appointed by the Monarch. Members of the Welsh Cabinet and junior ministers of the Welsh Government, as well as law officers, are appointed by the first minister. As head of the Welsh Government, the first minister is directly accountable to the Senedd for their actions and the actions of the Welsh Government. The main office of the first minister is in Tŷ Hywel, which is adjacent to the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay.[2] An additional office is also kept at the Crown Buildings, Cathays Park, Cardiff which is the headquarters of the Welsh Government.
On 22 October 2021, Mark Drakeford, the incumbent First Minister, changed his Twitter handle from @fmwales to @PrifWeinidog, in what has been described by some media as an effort to increase usage of the shortened Welsh language term for First Minister and Prime Minister. The post remains officially and commonly known as "First Minister" in English.[9]
Nomination and appointmentedit
Candidates for the position of First Minister are nominated by the members of theSenedd.[10] The members elect the nominee for the first minister by majority vote.[11] If no one is elected by a majority of votes cast with the first set of nominations, the process continues until a majority decide to cast their vote for one candidate. This process does not require an absolute majority of the Senedd (currently 31 out of 60 members)
Once this process has occurred the presiding officer shall formally send a letter to the Monarch who must then appoint that nominee to the position of First Minister.[12]
Under the arrangements in the Government of Wales Act 1998, executive functions are conferred on the Senedd and then separately delegated to the first minister and to other Cabinet Ministers and staff as appropriate.[6]
Until the Government of Wales Act 2006, these were delegated powers of the UK government. Since that Act came into force in May 2007, however, the first minister is appointed by the monarch and represents the Crown in Wales.[7] Whilst this has little practical difference, it was a huge symbolic shift as for the first time the head of government in Wales is appointed by the Crown on the advice of the elected representatives of the Welsh people.
The first minister appoints the Welsh Ministers, Deputy Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General for Wales (collectively known as the Welsh Government), with the approval of The British sovereign.[7]
Following separation between the legislative and the executive on the enactment of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (upon appointment of the first minister, 25 May 2007), the Welsh Ministers exercise functions in their own right. Any further transfers of executive functions from the UK Government will be made directly to the Welsh Ministers (with their consent) by an Order in Council approved by Parliament.
The first minister is accountable and responsible for:
Exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government
Policy development and coordination of policy
The relationships with the rest of the United Kingdom, Europe and Wales Abroad
^ ab"The Constitution – The First Minister and Welsh Ministers: Quick guide" (PDF). Welsh Parliament. April 2007. p. 1. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
^ abc"Welsh Government | Law Wales". law.gov.wales. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
^"The Welsh Seal of the National Assembly for Wales" (PDF). Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
^"First Minister changes his Twitter handle to Welsh language 'Prif Weinidog'". Nation.Cymru. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
^"Appointing a new First Minister". senedd.wales. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
^"How is the First Minister of Wales nominated?". senedd.wales. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
^. National Assembly for Wales. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
^"Deadlock in vote for first minister". BBC. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^"Mark Drakeford confirmed as new Welsh first minister". BBC. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^"Vaughan Gething confirmed as Wales's new first minister". Sky News. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
Sourcesedit
Dates are from World Statesmen and various BBC News Online articles from 1999 to 2003.
External linksedit
Roles and Responsibilities – 4 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine
Welsh Government: Cabinet and ministers
January 01, 1970
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This article is about the office For the current holder see Vaughan Gething For a list of Welsh first ministers see List of first ministers of Wales The First Minister of Wales Welsh Prif Weinidog Cymru known as First Secretary of Wales from 1999 until 2000 is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation development and presentation of Welsh Government policy Additional functions of the first minister include promoting and representing Wales in an official capacity at home and abroad and responsibility for constitutional affairs as they relate to devolution and the Welsh Government First Minister of WalesPrif Weinidog Cymru Welsh LogoFlag of WalesIncumbentVaughan Gethingsince 20 March 2024 2024 03 20 Welsh Government Welsh CabinetSeneddStyleFirst Minister informal The Right Honourable UK and Commonwealth His Excellency international StatusHead of GovernmentAbbreviationFMMember ofSeneddWelsh CabinetPrivy CouncilBritish Irish CouncilPM and Heads of Devolved Governments CouncilReports toSeneddSeatCrown Buildings Cathays Park CardiffNominatorSeneddAppointerThe MonarchTerm lengthFive yearsFormation12 May 1999First holderAlun Michael AMSalary 148 575 per annum 2022 1 including 67 920 MS salary Websitewww wbr gov wbr wales wbr vaughan gething ms The first minister is a Member of the Senedd and is nominated by the Senedd Welsh Parliament Welsh Senedd Cymru before being officially appointed by the Monarch Members of the Welsh Cabinet and junior ministers of the Welsh Government as well as law officers are appointed by the first minister As head of the Welsh Government the first minister is directly accountable to the Senedd for their actions and the actions of the Welsh Government The main office of the first minister is in Tŷ Hywel which is adjacent to the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay 2 An additional office is also kept at the Crown Buildings Cathays Park Cardiff which is the headquarters of the Welsh Government In December 2023 Drakeford announced his intention to stand down and remained in the position until he was replaced by Vaughan Gething on 20 March 2024 as a result of the Welsh Labour leadership election 3 4 5 Contents 1 Terminology 2 Nomination and appointment 3 List of contested elections 4 Role 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksTerminology editWhere initially established under the Government of Wales Act 1998 Section 53 1 the post was known as Assembly First Secretary Welsh Prif Ysgrifennydd y Cynulliad 6 as Wales was given a less powerful assembly and executive than either Northern Ireland or Scotland The choice of title was also attributed to the fact that the Welsh term for First Minister Prif Weinidog may also be translated as Prime Minister so a different title was chosen to avoid confusion with the prime minister of the United Kingdom The change of title occurred after the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with Labour in the National Assembly in October 2000 The Government of Wales Act 2006 allowed for the post to be officially known as First Minister and also made the first minister Keeper of the Welsh Seal 7 8 On 22 October 2021 Mark Drakeford the incumbent First Minister changed his Twitter handle from fmwales to PrifWeinidog in what has been described by some media as an effort to increase usage of the shortened Welsh language term for First Minister and Prime Minister The post remains officially and commonly known as First Minister in English 9 Nomination and appointment editCandidates for the position of First Minister are nominated by the members of the Senedd 10 The members elect the nominee for the first minister by majority vote 11 If no one is elected by a majority of votes cast with the first set of nominations the process continues until a majority decide to cast their vote for one candidate This process does not require an absolute majority of the Senedd currently 31 out of 60 members Once this process has occurred the presiding officer shall formally send a letter to the Monarch who must then appoint that nominee to the position of First Minister 12 List of contested elections editFurther information List of first ministers of Wales Previous nominations Party key Welsh Labour Plaid Cymru Welsh Conservatives First minister nominative elections Parliamentary term Date Candidates Votes received 5th Assembly 11 May 2016 13 Carwyn Jones 29 Leanne Wood 29 12 December 2018 14 Mark Drakeford 30 Paul Davies 12 Adam Price 9 6th Senedd 20 March 2024 15 Vaughan Gething 27 Andrew RT Davies 13 Rhun ap Iorwerth 11Role editUnder the arrangements in the Government of Wales Act 1998 executive functions are conferred on the Senedd and then separately delegated to the first minister and to other Cabinet Ministers and staff as appropriate 6 Until the Government of Wales Act 2006 these were delegated powers of the UK government Since that Act came into force in May 2007 however the first minister is appointed by the monarch and represents the Crown in Wales 7 Whilst this has little practical difference it was a huge symbolic shift as for the first time the head of government in Wales is appointed by the Crown on the advice of the elected representatives of the Welsh people The first minister appoints the Welsh Ministers Deputy Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General for Wales collectively known as the Welsh Government with the approval of The British sovereign 7 Following separation between the legislative and the executive on the enactment of the Government of Wales Act 2006 upon appointment of the first minister 25 May 2007 the Welsh Ministers exercise functions in their own right Any further transfers of executive functions from the UK Government will be made directly to the Welsh Ministers with their consent by an Order in Council approved by Parliament The first minister is accountable and responsible for Exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government Policy development and coordination of policy The relationships with the rest of the United Kingdom Europe and Wales Abroad Staffing Civil Service See also editList of First Ministers of Wales List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Deputy First Minister for Wales Welsh GovernmentReferences edit Determination on Members Pay and Allowances 2022 2023 PDF Senedd Cymru 9 April 2022 Retrieved 10 December 2022 Tŷ Hywel senedd wales Retrieved 27 April 2023 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford resigns BBC News 13 December 2023 Retrieved 13 December 2023 Vaughan Gething to become next first minister of Wales after winning Welsh Labour leadership race Sky News Retrieved 16 March 2024 https record senedd wales Plenary 13746 a b The Constitution The First Minister and Welsh Ministers Quick guide PDF Welsh Parliament April 2007 p 1 Retrieved 27 April 2023 a b c Welsh Government Law Wales law gov wales Retrieved 27 April 2023 The Welsh Seal of the National Assembly for Wales PDF Welsh Parliament Retrieved 27 April 2023 First Minister changes his Twitter handle to Welsh language Prif Weinidog Nation Cymru 22 October 2021 Retrieved 19 December 2021 Appointing a new First Minister senedd wales Retrieved 27 April 2023 How is the First Minister of Wales nominated senedd wales Retrieved 27 April 2023 Appointing a new First Minister National Assembly for Wales Archived from the original on 26 October 2020 Retrieved 17 February 2019 Deadlock in vote for first minister BBC 11 May 2016 Retrieved 19 September 2023 Mark Drakeford confirmed as new Welsh first minister BBC 12 December 2018 Retrieved 19 September 2023 Vaughan Gething confirmed as Wales s new first minister Sky News Retrieved 20 March 2024 Sources editDates are from World Statesmen and various BBC News Online articles from 1999 to 2003 External links editRoles and Responsibilities Archived 4 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine Welsh Government Cabinet and ministers Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title First Minister of Wales amp oldid 1215467814, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
