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Welsh Government Civil Service

Office
Our civil servants serve Welsh Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers, helping them improve the overall wellbeing of people and communities in Wales.

In this section you can find out about what we do, how we approach our work, and how we manage our organisation.

Who we are

The Welsh Government civil service has come a very long way since devolution in 1999. It has grown from a government department serving a Secretary of State in Westminster, into an organisation of approximately 5,590 employees serving Welsh Ministers based in Cardiff Bay from offices throughout Wales.

Our mission

As an organisation, we put the principles of sustainable development at our heart. In Wales, sustainable development means enhancing the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people and communities, achieving a better quality of life for our own and future generations. These principles guide the long term decisions we make that affect the communities people live in, the education and jobs they have access to, and the sort of society they grow up in.

The work we do

Our people work in over 25 different professions. We provide Welsh Ministers with the wide range of expertise required for effective legislation and policy making, and developing and delivering public services. We work closely with local government, the third sector and a range of other organisations in Wales. We also work with UK Government Departments in Whitehall to join up our work and share expertise.

Our work influences most aspects of public life in Wales, from transport to healthcare, tourism to education. 

Our offices

Our offices are based in the communities we serve across Wales. Between 2006 and 2010, we opened major new offices in Merthyr Tydfil, Aberystwyth and Llandudno Junction as part of a building programme designed to bring our work closer to the people of Wales. Over the same period we have rationalised our estate to get the best value from the buildings we use.

We are committed to ensuring that our offices are energy efficient and help us hit carbon reduction targets. For more information on our achievements so far and plans for the future, read our State of the Estate Report 09/10.