This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of a secretary of state for Wales.
I am Welsh. I was born, raised and educated in Wales and my first job after university was working for a Welsh member of parliament. But I believe the settled will for devolution and the constant need to make the most of government resources mean the role, and the Wales Office itself, should be retired.
First, devolution changed the nature of the job making it now effectively ceremonial. Since the Welsh assembly was established in 1999, health, education and numerous other policy areas previously controlled by the secretary of state have been devolved to Cardiff Bay. With Whitehall’s powers only likely to flow west along the M4 in the future the role will diminish even further. A recent poll showed only 14 per cent want the Assembly to have fewer powers or be abolished. This move would reflect the new political landscape, and demonstrate a commitment to devolution.
A Wales bill is currently passing through the House of Lords, but this and future legislation could be managed by a junior minister, rather than a whole department. Legislation made in Westminster affecting day-to-day life in Wales is made by departments like the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Department for Energy and Climate Change, rarely by the Wales Office.
Second, it is harder and harder to justify the status of the role. Today Wales has a population of just over 3 million, and is represented by a secretary of state, a junior minister and the entire staff of the Wales Office. There are also currently 4.6 million military veterans in the United Kingdom, over 11 million people living with a limiting long term illness or disability, and one in six British citizens are pensioners, yet these groups’ interests are only represented at minister of state level in larger departments. London with a population of 8.2 million has no ministerial representation at all.
Under Labour Peter Hain acted as a ‘part-time’ Welsh secretary, serving as secretary of state for Work and Pensions at the same time. Similarly Des Browne spent over a year as both secretary of state for Defence and Scotland. Considering these are two of the highest spending and most important government departments, I suspect they monopolised their minister’s time.
Third, it is an unnecessary cost at a time when money is tight. The annual accounts show the department’s total expenditure was nearly £13.5m. This may not sound like much, but taken with the Scottish and Northern Ireland Offices it adds up to almost £40m. Not to mention the grand Gwydyr House, the department’s headquarters, on Whitehall next to the MoD. Significant savings could be made and duplications avoided by combining these departments into a Department for Devolved Nations, or bringing them into another ministry like the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Governments have a moral obligation to squeeze the greatest value from every penny of tax payers’ money. Chris Leslie’s zero-based spending review will be an important tool in cutting waste, and reassuring voters of our economic competency, even if his essential role does make him the “most hated man in the cabinet”.
On a positive note, if he were to include scrapping the Wales Office in his recommendations, he would have one less colleague to jar with.
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Rowan Ree is a former researcher to a Welsh Labour member of parliament. He tweets @RowanRee
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