About Jane

Jane has represented the Vale of Glamorgan constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999. She served as a government Minister continually from May 1999 until November 2017, making her the longest serving Labour Government Minister in history.
Jane was re-elected on 5th May 2016, and served as Leader of the House and Chief Whip  until she stepped down from the Cabinet in late 2017.  Her ministerial roles have included health and social services, children, education and equalities. Between 2010 and 2016 she was Minister for Finance. Jane was named as one of the most influential people in Public Finance in 2015.

In December 2018 Jane returned to the Cabinet, when newly elected First Minister Mark Drakeford appointed her  Chief Whip and Deputy Minister in his Office. Her portfolio covers  the key central functions and responsibilities of the Welsh Government,  including public appointments, equalities, tribunals, crime and justice policy and the voluntary sector. Jane will also oversee relations between the Labour Government, Labour AMs and the wider Labour Party in Wales.

Jane was born in Epsom, Surrey, though her grandparents were from North Wales and were Welsh speakers. She spent part of her childhood in  Uganda and Kenya. She has lived in Wales all her adult life and is a Welsh learner. Jane was educated at the University of Kent, the London School of Economics and the University of Bristol, and is a Welsh learner. She lives in Barry and is married with two adult children.

Jane has been a key figure in the field of social justice in Wales. Before she was elected as AM, she helped establish several charities and grass roots organisations, campaigned on equalities issues and worked in a range of organisations, as well as serving as a county councillor on the former South Glamorgan County Council.

Jane was founder member and the first National Co-ordinator of Welsh Women’s Aid, one of the four UK umbrella groups responsible for support services for women and children at risk of domestic abuse and homelessness. The creation of an autonomous Welsh organisation led to the development of a range of refuges and preventative initiatives throughout Wales, which in turn helped establish specialist services for young homeless (Llamau), minority ethnic women (BAWSO) and housing and support (Hafan Cymru).

Jane was instrumental in securing funding for one of the first women-only IT training centres in the UK, the Women’s Workshop (funded by the European Social Fund), Cardiff. This was an innovative project, because it provided on-site childcare, unheard of in those days, and targeted women who wanted to return to work, but lacked skills and confidence because they had been economically inactive due to caring responsibilities. Thousands of women and children, many from the Vale of Glamorgan, have benefited from this flagship scheme.

Jane was Director of TPAS Cymru, a tenant participation organisation which ensures that tenants have a voice in the decisions that affect their homes & communities.

In 1992 Jane was appointed Director of the newly formed Chwarae Teg (Fair Play), with responsibility for expanding the role of women in the Welsh economy.

Jane was also Chair of Governors of Kitchener Road Primary School in Riverside, Cardiff, a non-executive director of the Cardiff Community Health Care Trust, a member of the New Deal Task Force, and a Welsh representative on the New Opportunities (UK) Fund.

Jane is patron of Barry Ladies’ Choir, Barry First Responders, BAWSO and of Atal y Fro.  She is Trustee of Vale People First, Vale for Africa, the Vale Youth Forum and of Ocean Watersports Barry Community Water Activities.

During her working life in the voluntary sector, Jane wrote two books – ‘Opening the Town Hall Door: An Introduction to local government’ (3 editions) and ‘Making Opportunities, a Guide for Women and Employers’ (published by National Council for Voluntary Organisations).

Jane is an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University. In recognition of her role in furthering procurement practice, Jane has been awarded an honorary Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply and a Fellowship of the Procurement Best Practice Academy. Jane has also been made an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) for her work in public finance

Dyma Jane

Mae Jane wedi cynrychioli etholaeth Bro Morgannwg ers sefydlu’r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol ym 1999. Bu’n un o weinidogion y llywodraeth o fis Mai 1999 tan fis Tachwedd 2017, sy’n golygu mai hi yw’r Gweinidog Llywodraeth Lafur sydd wedi gwasanaethu hiraf erioed.

Cafodd Jane ei hailethol ar 5 Mai 2016, a bu’n Arweinydd y Tŷ ac yn Brif Chwip tan iddi adael y Cabinet ddiwedd 2017. Mae ei rolau gweinidogol wedi cynnwys iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, plant, addysg a chydraddoldeb. Bu’n Weinidog Cyllid rhwng 2010 a 2016. Cafodd Jane ei henwi’n un o’r bobl mwyaf dylanwadol ym maes Cyllid Cyhoeddus yn 2015.

Ym mis Rhagfyr 2018, dychwelodd Jane i’r Cabinet pan gafodd ei phenodi’n Brif Chwip a Dirprwy Weinidog yn ei Swyddfa gan Mark Drakeford, y Prif Weinidog newydd. Mae ei phortffolio’n cynnwys swyddogaethau a chyfrifoldebau canolog allweddol Llywodraeth Cymru, gan gynnwys penodiadau cyhoeddus, cydraddoldeb, tribiwnlysoedd, polisi troseddau a chyfiawnder a’r sector gwirfoddol. Hefyd, bydd Jane yn goruchwylio’r cysylltiadau rhwng y Llywodraeth Lafur, ACau Llafur a’r Blaid Lafur ehangach yng Nghymru.

Ganed Jane yn Epsom, Surrey, ond roedd ei thaid a’i nain yn hanu o ogledd Cymru ac yn siaradwyr Cymraeg. Treuliodd ran o’i phlentyndod yn Uganda a Kenya. Mae wedi byw yng Nghymru gydol ei hoes fel oedolyn ac mae’n dysgu Cymraeg. Cafodd Jane ei haddysg ym Mhrifysgol Kent, y London School of Economics a Phrifysgol Bryste, ac mae’n dysgu’r Gymraeg. Mae’n byw yn y Barri, ac yn briod â dau o blant hŷn.

Mae Jane wedi bod yn ffigwr allweddol ym maes cyfiawnder cymdeithasol yng Nghymru. Cyn cael ei hethol yn Aelod Cynulliad, fe helpodd i sefydlu sawl elusen a sefydliadau llawr gwlad, ymgyrchu dros faterion cydraddoldeb a gweithio i lu o sefydliadau, yn ogystal â bod yn gynghorydd sir gyda hen Gyngor Sir De Morgannwg.

Jane oedd aelod-sylfaenydd a chydlynydd cenedlaethol cyntaf Cymorth i Ferched Cymru, un o bedwar grŵp ymbarél y DU sy’n gyfrifol am wasanaethau cymorth i fenywod a phlant sydd mewn perygl o ddioddef cam-drin domestig a digartrefedd. Yn sgil creu’r sefydliad annibynnol i Gymru, datblygwyd casgliad o fentrau lloches ac ataliol ledled Cymru, a wnaeth yn eu tro, helpu i sefydlu gwasanaethau arbenigol i bobl ifanc ddigartref (Llamau), menywod o leiafrifoedd ethnig (BAWSO) a thai a chymorth (Hafan Cymru).

Roedd Jane yn ganolog i’r gwaith o sicrhau cyllid i un o’r canolfannau hyfforddi TG cyntaf i fenywod yn unig yn y DU, sef y Women’s Workshop (a ariannwyd gan Gronfa Gymdeithasol Ewrop) yng Nghaerdydd. Roedd hwn yn brosiect arloesol, gan ei fod yn cynnig gofal plant ar y safle – rhywbeth cwbl newydd ar y pryd – ac yn targedu menywod a oedd am ddychwelyd i weithio, ond heb y sgiliau na’r hyder i wneud hynny gan eu bod yn economaidd anweithgar oherwydd eu cyfrifoldebau gofalu. Mae miloedd o fenywod a phlant, llawer o Fro Morgannwg, wedi elwa ar y cynllun blaenllaw hwn.

Bu Jane yn Gyfarwyddwr TPAS Cymru, sefydliad cyfranogiad tenantiaid sy’n sicrhau bod gan  denantiaid lais mewn penderfyniadau sy’n effeithio ar eu cartrefi a’u cymunedau.

Ym 1992, cafodd Jane ei phenodi’n gyfarwyddwr sefydliad newydd Chwarae Teg, gyda chyfrifoldeb am ehangu rôl menywod yn economi Cymru.

Hefyd, bu’n  Gadeirydd Llywodraethwyr Ysgol Gynradd Kitchener Road, Glanrafon, Caerdydd, cyfarwyddwr anweithredol Ymddiriedolaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymunedol Caerdydd, aelod o Dasglu’r Fargen Newydd, a chynrychiolydd Cymru ar y New Opportunities (UK) Fund.

Mae Jane yn noddwr Côr Merched y Barri, Ymatebwyr Cyntaf y Barri, BAWSO ac Atal y Fro. Mae’n ymddiriedolwraig Vale People First, Vale for Africa, Vale Youth Forum ac Ocean Watersports Barry Community Water Activities

Yn ystod ei hoes o weithio i’r sector gwirfoddol, ysgrifennodd ddau lyfr – ‘Opening the Town Hall Door: An Introduction to local government’ (3 argraffiad) a ‘Making Opportunities, a Guide for Women and Employers’ (cyhoeddwyd gan y National Council for Voluntary Organisations).

Mae Jane yn Gymrawd Anrhydeddus ym Mhrifysgol Metropolitan Caerdydd. Fel cydnabyddiaeth o’i rôl o ddatblygu ymarfer caffael, fe’i dyfarnwyd yn Gymrawd anrhydeddus Sefydliad Siartredig Caffael a Chyflenwi ac yn Gymrawd Academi  Arferion Gorau Caffael. Mae hefyd yn aelod anrhydeddus o’r Sefydliad Siartredig Cyllid Cyhoeddus a Chyfrifyddiaeth (CIPFA) am ei gwaith ym maes cyllid cyhoeddus.