No. 31 • September 2024
New Minister for the Welsh historic environment
When Prif Weinidog, Eluned Morgan MS, reorganised her cabinet on 11 September, the historic environment portfolio was passed to Jack Sergeant MS who is Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership under Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning.
Cadw will remain in the Culture, Heritage and Sport Directorate, along with arts, museums and libraries, in the Education, Culture and Welsh Language Group.
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Date set for commencement of the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023
On 16 August, Jane Hutt MS, then Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, made the Commencement Order which appointed 4 November 2024 as the date when the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023 (‘the 2023 Act’) will come fully into effect.
When the 2023 Act comes into force, it will repeal and replace the existing legislation for the historic environment — most importantly the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 — in Wales. For further information, see the news story on the Cadw website.
Regulations made to support the 2023 Act
It has been fifteen months since the 2023 Act received Royal Assent, and during that time the implementation work has largely focused on the preparation of the secondary legislation needed to support the Act. Much of that work came to fruition on 9 September when Jane Hutt MS, then Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, signed six sets of regulations, which were laid before Senedd Cymru two days later.
Five of these restate existing secondary legislation in light of the 2023 Act, while the sixth makes amendments to other secondary legislation that are consequential on the 2023 Act. Unless the Senedd objects within 40 days of laying, these regulations will come into force alongside the Act on 4 November. The five sets of substantive regulations are, like the 2023 Act, part of the historic environment code. See the Cadw website for a news story with further information on the regulations.
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