Minister for Climate Change (Wales)

Minister for Climate Change of Wales
Y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Incumbent Julie James MS since 13 May 2021 (2021-05-13)
Welsh Government
Style	Welsh Minister
Status	Cabinet Minister
Abbreviation	Minister
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	Peter Law AM (as Secretary for Housing)
Deputy	Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Website	gov.wales/julie-james-ms

The Minister for Climate Change (Welsh: Y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd), formerly the Minister for Housing (Welsh: Y Gweinidog Tai),^[1] is a member of the Cabinet in the Welsh Government. The current officeholder is Julie James since May 2021.

Ministers

Name		Picture	Entered office	Left office	Other offices held	Political party	Government
Secretary for Housing
	Peter Law		22 February 2000	16 October 2000	Secretary for Local Government	Labour	Interim Morgan administration	[2]
Minister for Housing
	Jane Davidson		19 July 2007	2011	Minister for Sustainability Minister for Environment (from December 2009 under Jones)	Labour	Fourth Morgan government First Jones government	[3]
Minister for Housing, Regeneration & Heritage
	Huw Lewis		13 May 2011	2013		Labour	Second Jones government	[4][5]
Minister for Housing
	Julie James		13 December 2018	2021	Minister for Local Government	Labour	First Drakeford government	[6][7]
Minister for Climate Change
	Julie James		13 May 2021	Incumbent		Labour	Second Drakeford government	[8][9]

Responsibilities

The post's responsibilities are:^[10]

• Housing and planning responsibilities
  • Overseeing housing and its related activities conducted by housing associations and local authorities, such as the management of housing and the allocation of affordable and social housing.
  • The supply and quality of market-sector, affordable and social housing.
  • Second homes in Wales
  • Housing advice and homelessness
  • Private rented sector housing matters, and registered social landlord regulation
  • Aids and adaptations, such as the Physical Adaptation Grants and Disabled Facilities Grants
  • Housing-related support provision, excluding Housing Benefit payment
  • Local authority-led commercial tenancies regulation
  • National Infrastructure Commission
  • Planning acts implementation and oversight, as well as the oversight and implementation of all aspects of Wales' planning policy and the determination of called-in planning applications and planning appeals.
  • Planning gain, and using Town and Country Planning Act 1990 section 106 agreements.
  • "Developments of National Significance", determining planning applications and any connected consents.
  • Building regulations
  • Future Wales: the national plan 2040
  • Regeneration, including the use of Strategic Regeneration Areas; legacy regeneration; Transforming Town Centres programme and provision of sites and premises, derelict land and environmental improvements relating to regeneration
• 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.
• Climate change, natural resources and energy responsibilities
  • Marine and freshwater planning, biodiversity, conservation and licensing
  • Ensuring land policy is used optimally and most versatile, advise on the restoration of mineral sites, Agricultural Land Classification and implementing EIA (Agriculture) Regulations
  • Energy policy, which includes small and medium-scale energy production, domestic energy and energy efficiency
  • Renewable energy in Wales
  • Climate change, addressed with carbon budgets and emission reduction targets
  • Natural resources management, including oversight and implementation of the Environment (Wales) Act, as well as overseeing Natural Resources Wales
  • Cross-cutting mitigation and adaption measures relating to climate change, including the involvement of water, flooding (and coastal) risk, land drainage, and controlling marine and air pollution.
  • Coal tip safety in Wales
  • Water
  • Forestry policy and legislation, including restocking and the monitoring of the health of trees, and "forest reproductive material"
  • National Forest for Wales
  • Biodiversity policy, including the Nature Recovery Plan's implementation
  • Sustainable use of resources, and waste management
  • Managing the quality of the local environment, including litter, fly-tipping, the Deposit Return Scheme, noise policy and regulation
  • National Parks
  • Leading allotment and urban green infrastructure strategy
  • Community Green Spaces
  • Countryside, coast, right of way, and waterways/water bodies access
  • Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The post has a Deputy Minister for Climate Change, accountable to it.^[11]

See also

• Government of Wales

• Ministry

References

This page was last edited on 13 February 2024, at 19:51