Cabinet Secretary for Transport (Wales)

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.

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

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 oversaw 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 a changing of the default speed limit on restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph,^[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]

The ascendance of Vaughan Gething to the position of First Minister saw a new Cabinet formed, and the creation of the position of Cabinet Secretary for Transport. The inaugural and current holder, Ken Skates, is also the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales.^[20]

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

• Wales portal

• Ministry