Cabinet Secretary for Transport (Wales)

Cabinet Secretary for Transport of Wales
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth (Welsh)
Incumbent Ken Skates MS since 21 March 2024 (2024-03-21)
Welsh Government
Style	Welsh Cabinet Secretary
Status	Cabinet Secretary
Member of	Senedd Cabinet
Reports to	the Senedd and the First Minister of Wales
Seat	Cardiff
Nominator	First Minister of Wales
Appointer	The Crown
Term length	Five years Subject to elections to the Senedd which take place every five years
First holder	Sue Essex AM
Website	gov.wales/ken-skates-ms

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport (Welsh: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth) is a minister of the Welsh Government. The current officeholder is Ken Skates, since March 2024.

Holders of the role

Name		Picture	Entered office	Left office	Other offices held	Political party	Government	Notes
Secretary for Transport
	Sue Essex		22 February 2000	16 October 2000	Secretary for Environment	Labour	Michael administration	[1]
					Secretary for Planning		Interim Rhodri Morgan administration
Minister for Transport
	Sue Essex		2000	2003	Minister for Environment	Labour	First Rhodri Morgan government	[2]
					Minister for Planning
Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Transport
	Brian Gibbons		13 May 2003	10 January 2005		Labour	Second Rhodri Morgan government	[3]
	Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsey		14 January 2005	2007		Labour	Second Rhodri Morgan government	[3]
Minister for Transport
	Brian Gibbons		7 June 2007	2007	Minister for the Economy	Labour	Third Rhodri Morgan government	[4]
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure
	Ken Skates		May 2016	2017		Labour	Third Jones government	[5]
	Cabinet Secretary / Minister for Transport
	Ken Skates		2017	2021	Minister for the Economy	Labour	Third Jones government	[6][7]
					Minister for North Wales		First Drakeford government
Deputy Minister for Climate Change
	Lee Waters		13 May 2021	20 March 2024		Labour	Second Drakeford government	[8]
Cabinet Secretary for Transport
	Ken Skates		21 March 2024		Cabinet Secretary for North Wales	Labour	Gething government	[9]

Background

Following the 2021 Senedd election, First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford announced in the formation of the next Welsh government, that he would form a "super-ministry" centred on climate change, combining the portfolios of the environment, energy, housing, planning and transport. It would be headed by a Minister for Climate Change (announced to be Julie James MS), with a deputy minister assisting the government division.^[10][11]

The position partly oversees transport in Wales, with the position also referred to by derivatives of the old name such as "transport minister".^[12][13][14]

Waters, the holder from 2021,^[15] oversaw during his period in the position, the increased introduction of 20 mph zones in Wales,^[16] conducting a roads review involving scaling back new road construction,^[17][18] and overseeing the impact of COVID-19 on public transport in Wales, such as buses.^[19]

Responsibilities

See also: Politics of Wales and 2021 Senedd election

The responsibilities of the post are:^[8]

• Transport
  • Transport policy
  • Transport for Wales
  • Roads, including road construction and improvement, as well as the maintenance of trunk roads and motorways.
  • Bus services
  • Rail services through management of the Wales and Borders franchise
  • Overseeing Cardiff Airport at an arms-length
  • Active travel
  • Road safety; such as creating safer routes to schools; overseeing children's and young people transport; the regulation of on-street parking and pedestrian crossings.

See also

• Ministry

References

1. "Key Events in the Development of the National Assembly for Wales First Assembly: 1999 - 2003" (PDF). senedd.wales. National Assembly for Wales.
2. Wallace, Jennifer (5 December 2018). Wellbeing and Devolution: Reframing the Role of Government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Springer. p. 75. ISBN 9783030022303.
3. "Key Events in the Development of the National Assembly for Wales Second Assembly: 2003 - 2007" (PDF). senedd.wales. National Assembly for Wales.
4. "Gibbons is Welsh Assembly's new transport minister". www.transportxtra.com. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
5. "Ken Skates MS". senedd.wales. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
6. "Ken Skates on imposter syndrome, stepping back and how the pandemic changed his priorities". ITV News. 16 November 2021.
7. "Welsh Government cabinet reshuffle: Who is in and out?". BBC News. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
8. "Lee Waters MS: Deputy Minister for Climate Change | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
9. "Wales' new First Minister Vaughan Gething announces his cabinet". ITV News. 21 March 2024.
10. "Drakeford creates 'super-ministry' to combat climate change". The Planner. 14 May 2021.
11. Mosalski, Ruth (13 May 2021). "Live updates as Mark Drakeford overhauls Welsh Government cabinet". Wales Online. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
12. "Welsh Minister for Climate praises grassroots 'community rail' groups supporting green and inclusive travel - Community Rail Network". communityrail.org.uk. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
13. "Highways Magazine - Welsh transport minister: You win some engineers you lose some". www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
14. Richardson, Perry (6 October 2023). "Welsh Transport Minister proposes new national standards for taxis and PHVs to tackle cross-border". TaxiPoint Taxi News. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
15. "Mark Drakeford overhauls cabinet as Vaughan Gething replaced as health minister". ITV News. 13 May 2021.
16. "Wales 20mph: Lee Waters to face Tory no confidence vote". BBC News. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
17. "Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters sets the direction for the future of transport in Wales | Road Safety Wales". www.roadsafetywales.org.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
18. "Wales road-building plans have been 'simply unaffordable', according to deputy climate minister". Sky News. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
19. Evans, Alan (22 February 2023). "Deputy Minister for Climate Change under fire over end of Bus Emergency Scheme - Carmarthenshire News Online". Retrieved 2 January 2024.