The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and deputy ministers. It is led by the first minister, usually the leader of the largest party in the Senedd, who selects ministers and deputy ministers with the approval of the Senedd. The government is responsible for tabling policy in devolved areas for consideration by the Senedd and implementing policy that has been approved by it.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is a department of His Majesty's Government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the UK, such as broadcasting. Its main offices are at 100 Parliament Street, occupying part of the building known as Government Offices Great George Street.
The First Minister of Wales, 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.
Jane Elizabeth Hutt is a Welsh Labour Party politician serving as Welsh Government Chief Whip since 2023 and Trefnydd of the Senedd since 2024. She has served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for the Vale of Glamorgan since 1999.
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language is a member of the Cabinet in the Welsh Government. The current officeholder is Jeremy Miles MS.
Jeremy Miles is a Welsh Labour Co-op politician, serving as Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language since 2024. He previously served in the Welsh Government as Counsel General for Wales from 2017 to 2021, Brexit Minister from 2018 to 2021, and the Minister for coordinating Wales’ recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021. Miles has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Neath since 2016.
Mark Drakeford is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2018 to 2024. He previously served in the Welsh Government as Cabinet Secretary for Finance from 2016 to 2018 and Minister for Health and Social Services from 2013 to 2016. Drakeford was first elected as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Cardiff West in 2011 and is considered to be on the soft left of Labour.
Kenneth Christian Skates is a Welsh Labour politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport since 2024. Skates has represented the constituency of Clwyd South in the Senedd since the election of 2011. He is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, and worked as a journalist prior to becoming a politician. In September 2014 he became the deputy minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport. From May 2016 to December 2018 he was the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills, and was the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales until he stood down on 13 May 2021.
Julie James is a Welsh Labour politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government, and Planning since 2024. James has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Swansea West since 2011. She served as Minister for Housing and Local Government from 2018 to 2021.
Rebecca Mary Evans is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Cabinet Office since 2024. She has served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Gower since 2016, and a Member for Mid and West Wales from 2011 to 2016.
Dawn Alison Louise Bowden is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist serving as Minister for Social Care since 2024. She previously served as Chief Whip of the Welsh Government from 2021 to 2023 and Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport from 2021 to 2024. Bowden has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney since 2016.
Regional economy in Wales is centred on four regional economic boards in Wales. Each board oversees a city or growth deal, signed between 2016 and 2022, lasting 10–15 years. Two of the deals are city deals signed and proposed by their respective economic boards, and their areas are described as "city regions"; the Cardiff Capital Region and Swansea Bay City Region. Whereas in North Wales, the North Wales Economic Ambition Board negotiated a North Wales growth deal signed in 2020, and in Mid Wales, the Growing Mid Wales Partnership, led negotiations for a Mid Wales growth deal signed in 2022. The programmes are based on the City deal and Growth deal initiatives set up by the Coalition UK Government in 2012, to promote the decentralisation of the UK economy, by stimulating local economic growth.
The objectives of the international relations of Wales are the promotion of Wales and Welsh interests abroad, the development of the Welsh economy and the positioning of Wales as a globally-responsible nation. Responsibility for Welsh international relations lies with the First Minister of Wales, as of 2023 Mark Drakeford, who took over the international relations portfolio in 2020. Relations are primarily undertaken through a network of 21 international offices operated by the Welsh Government, with representation in London, Belgium, Canada, China, Ireland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and in five offices across the United States. Additionally the Welsh government has signed agreements or memoranda of understanding with other countries and regions including the Basque Country and the Ōita Prefecture in Japan. This permanent representation is supplemented by overseas visits undertaken by the First Minister, and other officials, often timed to coincide with Saint David's Day, the feast day of the Welsh patron saint, and by an annual focus on a specific nation, "Wales in Germany" in 2021, "Wales in Canada" in 2022 and "Wales in France" in 2023.
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport is a minister of the Welsh Government. The current officeholder is Ken Skates, since March 2024.
The Minister for Social Partnership is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice. The current officeholder is Hannah Blythyn since May 2021.
The Minister for Social Care is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the cabinet cabinet secretary for health and social care. The current officeholder is Dawn Bowden since March 2024.
The National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales is a proposed branded network of art galleries distributing Wales' existing contemporary art collection. It is being developed by a partnership of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh Government and the National Library of Wales. The gallery is also proposed to have a main site, alongside a network of existing venues, although due to budget constraints having a main site is being reconsidered or to be delayed.
The Gething government is the Labour-led government of Wales formed on 21 March 2024 following the appointment of Vaughan Gething as First Minister on 20 March 2024.
The Cabinet Secretary for Housing is a member of the Cabinet in the Welsh Government. The current officeholder is Julie James since March 2024.
