Hywel Williams
Mr Hywel Williams MP is a member of parliament for the constituency of Arfon, currently he is a member of the Plaid Cymru Party and has been in office since 2001.
Biography
Hywel Williams was born in Pwllheli in 1953, and received his education at Ysgol Troed yr Allt, Pwllheli Grammar School and then Ysgol Glan y Môr. He studied Psychology at the University of Wales, Cardiff before qualifying as a social worker at the University of Wales, Bangor in 1977/78. He was a mental health social worker in the Dwyfor area before joining the Centre for Social Work Practice at the University of Wales, Bangor in 1985. He was a project worker at the Centre, specialising in developing practice through the medium of Welsh..
He has been a member of numerous professional bodies in relation to social work and training, and he was also spokesman for the Child Poverty Action Group in Wales. He was appointed Head of the Centre in 1993.
In 1995, he left to work as a freelance lecturer, consultant and writer in the fields of social policy, social work, and social care, working primarily through the medium of Welsh. For the next six years, he worked for a variety of universities and colleges in Wales and abroad, as well as working for public bodies, charities, private companies and local and central government, including spending time as an adviser to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee.
Political Career
He was elected to represent the Caernarfon constituency in the 2001 General Election, following Dafydd Wigley’s retirement, and again in 2005, with a significantly increased majority. In 2012, he won the new Arfon seat, which, following boundary changes, was at that time considered a Labour seat in Westminster terms.
His main political interests are social policy, work and pensions (in particular securing the rights of my constituents), health, language and the arts. He was a member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee between 2004 and 2010 and joined the Science and Technology Select Committee and the House Works of Art Committee in 2012.
In 2005 he joined the Speakers Panel of Chairs. This role involves chairing backbench debates, standing committees on legislation, committees on secondary legislation and from time to time, meetings of the whole House as a Committee in the main chamber.
Roles
Parliamentary career
- Shadow Spokesperson (Cabinet Office) (2010-13)
- Shadow PC Spokesperson (Education) (2005- )
- Shadow Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport) (2005-06)
- Shadow PC Spokesperson (International Development) (2004- )
- Shadow PC Spokesperson (Work and Pensions) (2001- )
- Shadow PC Spokesperson (Health) (2001- )
Select committees
- Welsh Affairs Committee (2014-14)
- Science and Technology Committee (Commons) (2012- )
- Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art (2010- )
- Panel of Chairs (2005- )
- Draft Mental Health Bill (Joint Committee) (2004-05)
- Welsh Affairs Committee (2004-10)
