National Assembly for Wales
Thomas was selected to contest the Neath constituency for the new National Assembly for Wales in January 1999. [2] She was elected in the first Welsh Assembly elections later that year with a majority of 2,618 votes,with Plaid Cymru significantly outperforming prior Westminster election results to limit her majority to that. [3] She was re-elected again at the 2003 elections with a majority of 4,946, [4] 2007 elections with a reduced majority of 1,944 [5] and 2011 elections with her largest majority of 6,390. [6] In 2016,she stood down from the role,and Jeremy Miles was selected to replace her as AM for Neath.
Thomas chaired the First Assembly's Local Government and Housing committee. [7] In the second assembly,she chaired the Equality of Opportunity Committee [8] and sat on the Assembly's Standards Committee. [9] She was also appointed in December 2003 by the First Minister Rhodri Morgan,to chair a review into safeguarding vulnerable children in Wales. [10] [11] The review's report - Keeping Us Safe - was published on 3 May 2006.
Shortly after being re-elected to the Third Assembly,she was appointed as a Deputy Minister under the Minister for Health and Social Services,with responsibility for Social Services. [12] She retained the role of Deputy Minister for Social Services after the coalition between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru was formed a month later, [13] and when Rhodri Morgan was replaced as First Minister by Carwyn Jones. [14]
In the Fourth Assembly,she held the position of Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services,with her responsibilities amongst others being childcare,child trust funds and parenting programmes. [15] [16] She was removed from the cabinet in a September 2014 reshuffle. [17]
In 2015,Thomas confirmed that she was intending to stand down at the 2016 Welsh Assembly election. [18] Jeremy Miles was selected to replace her and contest the Neath constituency in October 2015. [19]
Neath,Wales