National Assembly for Wales, Executive and Successors: Cabinet Secretariat: Cabinet...

This series contains records of the National Assembly for Wales's Cabinet, Cabinet Sub-Committees, Cabinet Working Groups and Informal Ministerial Groups. The records cover the first (1999-2003) and second (2003-2007) devolved administrations and include agendas, discussion papers and minutes, alongside more general records pertaining to the remit and administration of various sub-committees, working groups and Ministerial groups. The records in this series were created by officials from the Cabinet Secretariat, which provided administrative support to the Welsh Cabinet.

Ascending file reference order.

Following the dissolution of the Welsh Office and creation of the National Assembly in 1999, 'A-' was added to most existing prefixes to distinguish between files created by the Welsh Office and files created by the National Assembly. Cabinet Secretariat files were initially given the prefix 'CAB' but were not created by the Welsh Office.

Please be aware that some records may contain papers, minutes, or agendas – in draft or published format – which fall outside of the dates provided. Original file order has been preserved, meaning contents may not always be arranged chronologically.

• National Assembly for Wales, 1999-1999
• National Assembly for Wales, Cabinet Secretariat, Cabinet and Constitution Unit, 1999-2005

From 2025 Welsh Government

The Government of Wales Act 1998 established the National Assembly for Wales as a corporate body with the power to create secondary legislation in specific areas, including agriculture, fisheries, education, housing and highways. The Act provided for an elected First Secretary who had the power to appoint Assembly Secretaries and delegate areas of responsibility to them. Collectively, the Act designated the First Secretary and Assembly Secretaries as the 'Executive Committee'; in practice, however, they were known as 'the Cabinet' from the outset. The first ever meeting of the Welsh Cabinet was held on 13 May 1999.

In October 2000, the term 'Ministers' replaced the term 'Secretaries' and the title of 'First Minister' was introduced. By 2002, the names 'Welsh Assembly Government' and 'National Assembly' were being used to distinguish between the executive branch (which included the Cabinet and officials) and the legislative branch of the National Assembly for Wales. A de facto separation between the executive and legislature branches would exist until 2006, when a revision of the Government of Wales Act established the Welsh Assembly Government and the National Assembly for Wales as separate legal entities.

The Cabinet is the main decision-making body of the Welsh Government. It meets to discuss and make decisions regarding policy, legislation and other strategic or financial matters which engage Ministers collectively. The decisions made by the Cabinet provide overarching direction to the work of the Welsh Government and affect the lives of all people in Wales. Cabinet Committees, Sub-Committees, Working Groups and Ministerial Groups exist to provide a forum for more focused and strategic consideration of specific issues and policy areas, though the Cabinet remains the ultimate decision-making authority.

A Cabinet Secretariat was established in 1999 to support the activities of the National Assembly for Wales's Cabinet. The Cabinet and Constitution Unit sat within the Cabinet Secretariat and primarily managed the administrative affairs of the Cabinet, Cabinet Sub-Committees, Working Groups and Ministerial Groups. The Cabinet and Constitution Unit's responsibilities included arranging meetings, circulating papers and agendas and drafting and publishing minutes. In 2006, the Cabinet and Constitution Unit was replaced by the Cabinet Unit which had the same responsibilities as its predecessor. The Cabinet Unit no longer sat within the Cabinet Secretariat, instead existing alongside it.