THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR WALES

This post created in the mid 1960's in response to demand for devolution of power to Wales.

The Secretary of State for Wales has responsibility for a number of departments and ministries that in England are exercised by different departmental Ministers. The areas of competence of the Welsh Office (as the department is usually referred to) includes:

The Secretary of State for Wales is responsible for the appointment of the members of quangos in Wales (Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations) which are which are increasingly used to administer Wales rather than elected bodies (a trend that is seen through out the UK), QUANGOs allow the Government to delegate some of its power to a separate body, the government believes that they provide greater efficiency and results. However, these QUANGOs are not directly democratically accountable to the people themselves and are for this reason controversial.
These quangos include: the Welsh development Agency, The Development Board for Rural Wales, The Wales Tourist Board, The Health Authorities, The Cardiff Bay Development Board, The Land Authority for Wales, The Welsh Language Board, members of the Court of Governors of the National Library and the National Museum of Wales etc.

The Secretary of State for Wales is a member of the Cabinet, appointed by the Prime Minister. The Secretary of State is a member of the governing party, irrespective of that party's standing in Wales. The Secretary of State is assisted by two non-cabinet ministers (known as Under Secretaries of State). In addition, he is also assisted by a Parliamentary Private Secretary, which is the lowest rung in the government, a non-ministerial appointment.

The creation of a separate Department of State for Wales has lead to separate policies being followed in Wales to England. Even under the first three Secretaries of State for Wales in the Thatcher government, Wales was run in a more interventionist Keynsian way - quite independent of the Monetarist policy of the government as a whole.

Copyright Lyn David Thomas 1996

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