Drakeford planning balanced cabinet mix
The man who is expected to be the next First Minister of Wales has said he plans to have a 50-50 gender split in his new cabinet.
Mark Drakeford is set to take up the role that Carwyn Jones has held for nine years on Wednesday.
AMs will be invited to nominate him in the Senedd when the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru will also put their leaders forward – however, Mr Drakeford is expected to win.
The new Labour leader made the pledge, which had featured in his manifesto, during an interview on the BBC’s Sunday Politics Wales. Currently, three of the nine cabinet positions are held by women – Julie James, Kirsty Williams and Lesley Griffiths.
AMs Hannah Blythyn, Rebecca Evans and Eluned Morgan are ministers.
“Assuming that I am First Minister – there’s a vote to win on the floor of the Assembly and that’s what this week will be about – then if I am in a position to form a cabinet, and I said in my manifesto, I fully intend to deliver a gender-balance cabinet at the Welsh Government,” he said.
Meanwhile, language campaigners have called on Mr Drakeford to take on the responsibility for the Welsh language himself.
Responsibility for the language currently lies with a minister who does not sit in the Cabinet.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, has suggested that the incoming First Minister should take the portfolio himself as an overarching issue that each cabinet secretary would then contribute towards.
The group has also called for the unit in the civil service working on language policy to be upgraded.
Osian Rhys, who chairs Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, said: “We need all the power of government behind the target of a million Welsh-speakers.
“The language isn’t getting the status or consideration it needs by the government at the moment. We feel that only leadership from the top will give us the change we need.
“It’s vital that all government departments are working to meet the target of a million Welsh-speakers, with each cabinet secretary taking responsibility for the language’s vitality in their own areas.
“The way to achieve that is for the First Minister to take the main responsibility for the language himself.
“We are also calling for a full department, rather than a minor unit, to be responsible for the language in the civil service.”
“To ensure the success of the government’s language strategy, it is essential to increase the capacity of officials who will need to work with the First Minister to create a million Welsh-speakers.”