Ministerial role

Secretary of State for Wales

Contents

Responsibilities

The Secretary of State is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Wales Office.

Responsibilities include:

  • Overall Strategic Direction
  • Constitutional and Electoral Issues
  • Economy and Business
  • Budget
  • Infrastructure
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Steel
  • Swansea City Deal / Tidal Lagoon
  • North Wales Growth Deal / North Wales transport modernisation
  • Broadcasting
  • Exiting the EU

Current role holder: The Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP

Alun Cairns was appointed Secretary of State for Wales on 19 March 2016. He was elected as Conservative MP for the Vale of Glamorgan in May 2010 (re-elected 2015).

Education

Alun attended the University of Wales and has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Political career

  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales and a Government Whip July 2014 to March 2016
  • appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Wales Office 2014
  • elected as MP for the Vale of Glamorgan 2010
  • elected as Assembly Member to the Welsh Assembly 1999

Career outside politics

Before being elected to the Welsh Assembly, Alun worked for Lloyds Bank for more than 10 years, mostly in business development, with his last role in financial services compliance.

Personal life

Alun lives in his constituency with his wife Emma, who runs her own small business, and their son Henri. His father was a welder in British Steel and his mother was a shop-keeper.

He enjoys running and has completed 4 London Marathons in aid of local charities and was the fastest MP to complete the 26 mile course in 2015.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon Stephen Crabb

    • 2014 to 2016

  2. The Rt Hon David Jones MP

    • 2012 to 2014

  3. The Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan

    • 2010 to 2012

Announcements

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  1. Tomorrow’s office, today - Alun Cairns opens UK’s first energy-positive office in Swansea

    • Press release

  2. Wales’ compound semiconductor tech prowess must go global

    • Press release

  3. Alun Cairns: “Wales’ independent TV producers are an international success story”

    • Press release

  4. Welsh Secretary hails outstanding individuals in the Queen's Birthday Honours list

    • Press release

  5. Welsh goods exports increase by 7.1% to £16.4bn

    • Press release

  6. Alun Cairns congratulates Welsh digital firm One Team Logic on Queen’s Award for Enterprise accolade

    • Press release

  7. Alun Cairns: “This is a time when the nation needs to come together to secure the best EU Exit for every part of the UK”

    • News story

  8. Welsh Secretary: Heathrow Aiport expansion is the right move for Wales

    • Press release

  9. Wales and South West England’s joint innovation strengths highlighted in a new index produced by Data City

    • News story

  10. “Wales can play its part in a renaissance of UK manufacturing”

    • Press release
View all announcements