Deputy Minister for Climate Change of Wales
Y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Incumbent Lee Waters MS since 13 May 2021 (2021-05-13)
Welsh Government
Style	Welsh Deputy Minister
Status	Deputy Minister
Abbreviation	Deputy Minister
Member of	Senedd Cabinet
Reports to	the Senedd, the First Minister of Wales and the Minister for Climate Change
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	Lee Waters MS
Website	gov.wales/lee-waters-ms

The deputy minister for climate change (Welsh: y dirprwy weinidog newid hinsawdd), formerly the minister for transport (Welsh: gweinidog yr trafnidiaeth), is a deputy minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the Welsh cabinet minister for climate change. The current officeholder is Lee Waters, since May 2021. The position has the partial responsibility of overseeing transport in Wales.

Deputy ministers

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 Secretary for Planning	Labour	Michael administration Interim Morgan administration	[1]
Minister for Transport
	Sue Essex		2000	2003	Minister for Environment Minister for Planning	Labour	First Morgan government	[2]
Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Transport
	Brian Gibbons		13 May 2003	10 January 2005		Labour	Second Morgan government	[3]
	Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsey		14 January 2005	2007		Labour	Second Morgan government	[3]
Minister for Transport
	Brian Gibbons		7 June 2007	2007	Minister for the Economy	Labour	Third 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 Minister for North Wales	Labour	Third Jones government First Drakeford government	[6][7]
Deputy Minister for Climate Change
	Lee Waters		13 May 2021	Incumbent		Labour	Second Drakeford government	[8]

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.^[9][10]

The position partly oversees transport in Wales, with the position also referred to by derivatives of the old name such as "transport minister".^[11][12][13]

Waters, the current holder since 2021,^[14] oversaw during his period in the position, the increased introduction of 20 mph zones in Wales,^[15] conducting a roads review involving scaling back new road construction,^[16][17] and overseeing the impact of COVID-19 on public transport in Wales, such as buses.^[18]

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the post are:^[8]

• Some 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, such as 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.
• Some 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.
  • 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

See also

• Ministry

References