Mark Drakeford
Mark Drakeford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Welsh Assembly for Cardiff West | |
| In office 6 May 2011 – 6 April 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Rhodri Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Vacant (election in progress) |
| Majority | 5,901 (23.1%) |
| Minister for Health and Social Services | |
| Assumed office 14 March 2013 | |
| First Minister | Carwyn Jones |
| Preceded by | Lesley Griffiths |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Wales |
Mark Drakeford (born 19 September 1954) is a Welsh politician and academic, who is the Minister for Health and Social Services in the Welsh Government, and the Welsh Labour Assembly Member for Cardiff West since 2011.
Biography
Mark Drakeford was born and brought up in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, before moving to Cardiff more than thirty years ago. Since then he has lived in the Pontcanna area of Cardiff West, with his wife and children.[1] He worked as a probation officer, youth justice worker and Barnardo's project leader in the Cardiff West districts of Ely and Caerau.[1] After a period working as a lecturer at Swansea University,[2][3] he returned to work in Cardiff, where he has been Professor of Social Policy and Applied Social Sciences at Cardiff University since 2003.[3] He has written and published a number of books and journal articles on various aspects of social policy.[4]
Political career
Drakeford has always been interested in politics, which he says was part of the fabric of life in 1960s Carmarthenshire.[5] He was the Labour councillor on South Glamorgan County Council from 1985 – 1993 for Pontcanna, specialising in education issues, including Welsh medium education.[5]
Between 2000 and 2010 he worked as the Cabinet’s health and social policy adviser at the Welsh Assembly Government, and was latterly head of the First Minister’s political office during Rhodri Morgan’s tenure as First Minister.[1][3] Drakeford entered the National Assembly when he won the Cardiff West seat in May 2011, succeeding Rhodri Morgan. Shortly after his election, he became Chair of the Assembly’s Health and Social Care Committee, as well as the Chair of the All-Wales Programme Monitoring Committee for European funds.[6]
Drakeford was appointed Minister for Health and Social Services following a cabinet reshuffle on March 14th, 2013. His appointment was welcomed by the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.[7] In July 2013, Drakeford guided the Human Transplantation (Wales) Act through the Senedd, which resulted in Wales becoming the first part of the United Kingdom to introduce presumed consent for organ donors. He called it “an historic day for Wales”, and “a progressive policy for [a] progressive nation”.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Profile of Mark Drakeford". Welsh Labour. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Mark Drakeford Interview". New Political Centre. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ a b c "Mark Drakeford Biography". Cardiff University. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Mark Drakeford Bibliography". Cardiff University. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Mark Drakeford Interview". Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Mark Drakeford Biography". Welsh Government. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Welsh government reshuffle: Mark Drakeford new health minister". BBC News. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Organ donation opt-out system given go-ahead in Wales". BBC News. Retrieved 12 November 2013.