Edwina Hart

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Edwina Hart
Minister for Local Government and Regeneration
In office
17 June 2000 – 1 May 2003
First MinisterRhodri Morgan
Preceded byPeter Law
Succeeded bySue Essex
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for Gower
In office
6 May 1999 – 6 April 2016
Preceded byNew Assembly
Succeeded byRebecca Evans
Majority4,864 (18.2%)
Personal details
Born (1957-04-26) 26 April 1957 (age 67)[citation needed]
Gowerton, Wales
Political partyWelsh Labour
SpouseBob Hart
Children1 daughter

Edwina Hart,

Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science
from 2011 to 2016.

She was the runner up to Carwyn Jones in the 2009 Welsh Labour leadership election.

Background

Hart was born and raised in Gowerton, Swansea, where she attended Gowerton Girls' Grammar School. She especially enjoyed English and Music and became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Today Edwina lives in Gowerton with her family; she has one daughter.[1]

Professional career

Hart has worked in banking, where she became active in the trade union movement. As a result of this work she was elected as the first female president of the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union, serving from 1992 to 1994. She also served as chair of the Wales TUC (as did her husband, Bob Hart, in another year). Hart later received an MBE for Trade Union services. In 1998 Edwina also served as a member of the Broadcasting Council for Wales and sat on the board of the Wales Millennium Centre.[2] She also sat on the Employment Appeals Tribunal, was a member of the South West Wales Economic Forum and a director of Chwarae Teg. Edwina is a member of T&GWU and Community as well as a life member of Amicus.

Political career

Hart was elected to the First Assembly with 35.4% of the vote in

Gower
. She became the Assembly's first Finance Secretary. In 2000, this was changed to include responsibility for local government and she became Minister for Finance and Local Government.

She was re-elected to the Second Assembly in

Minister for Social Justice
and Regeneration Minister, whose responsibilities include community safety, youth justice, police relations, fire service, alcohol and drug abuse, social economy, anti-poverty, housing, social housing, the voluntary sector, issues relating to asylum and immigration, liaison for armed forces in Wales, veterans, regeneration of communities, and development.

In 2004, in her role as Minister for Social Justice, Hart commissioned an independent report on charity All Wales Ethnic Minority Association's projects.[3] The report stated no new projects should be funded until AWEMA demonstrated improved project and performance management,[4] and that as a result AWEMA should be graded "high risk" by as a publicly funded institute.[5]

She was once again re-elected to the Third Assembly in May

Labour and Plaid Cymru was announced on 19 July.[citation needed
]

In October 2009, Hart announced that she would stand for leadership of the Labour party in Wales after

Clear Red Water" of Rhodri Morgan.[6] Whilst she secured backing from a number of Unions and prominent figures such as Finance Minister Andrew Davies, Hart finished second in the Leadership contest. She retained her position as Minister for Health in the cabinet appointed by First Minister Carwyn Jones.[7]

In September 2010, Hart was accused by Welsh Liberal Democrats of withholding a consultants' report that criticised the leadership of the NHS by the Welsh Government.[8]

The Media

Hart was nominated the best-dressed Welsh politician of the year.[citation needed] According to Peter Black AM, Hart beat some other competition to take this prize including Welsh Secretary Peter Hain.[citation needed] Hart also controversially ruled out a review of NHS spending in Wales on 12 November 2009, declining Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams request to review how £1 billion has been spent on NHS services, following evidence to the Welsh Assembly's Finance Committee that claimed £1 billion was 'wasted' in the Welsh NHS each year.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b Assembly Member details – Edwina Hart AM, National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. ^ Edwina Hart worked as director at WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE from 12 September 1997 to 24 May 1999 - http://www.cbetta.com/director/edwina-hart
  3. ^ Matt Withers (7 February 2012). "Welsh Government was advised to stop funding Awema in 2004, new report reveals". Western Mail. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  4. BBC Wales
    . 7 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  5. BBC Wales
    . 31 January 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Hart commits to 'clear red water'". BBC News. 15 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Carwyn Jones reveals new cabinet". BBC News. 10 December 2009.
  8. ^ "Health Minister Edwina Hart 'withheld NHS report'". BBC News. 21 September 2010.
  9. ^ BBC – Betsan's Blog: Come again?
  10. ^ Row over 'no' to NHS cash probe BBC News, 12 November 2009. Moved and formatted 8 April 2016

External links

Offices held

Senedd
New post
Gower
1999–2016
 Succeeded by
Political offices
New post Minister for Finance
1999–2000 		post abolished
New post Minister for Finance and Local Government
2000–2003 		Succeeded by
New post
Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration

2003–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Health and Social Services
2007–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science
2011–2016 		Succeeded by
Trade union offices
Preceded by
David White
 President of the Wales TUC
1997–1998 		Succeeded by
Denise Carter
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