Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:06 pm on 24 January 2017.
Carwyn Jones
Labour
2:06,
24 January 2017
Bear in mind, of course, that the rules are put in place by the UK Government, not by us. But he asks would we reinforce our previous position—we will continue to do that. Our preferred position on new grid infrastructure is one of undergrounding, because we know the environmental sensitivities across much of Wales with regard to that. It’s right to say that price is not the sole determinant of whether a contract is awarded or not or whether work is carried out or not. I share his view that it’s hugely important to look at a wide range of factors when we look at the overall costs, both environmental, economic and social, when it comes to laying out new grid infrastructure. It’s why we take the view that the preferred position, the default position, should be undergrounding.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.