Mark Drakeford: First minister faces Senedd questions for final time

The first minister in Wales, and similarly in Scotland, (Northern Ireland is slightly different due to the power sharing arrangements) is the equivalent in the Welsh government of the prime minister in the UK government.

The first minister is the face of the Welsh government, the person seen as representing the character, the spirit of that administration.

The first minister is ultimately responsible for everything the Welsh government does, working with ministers and civil servants to put the policies of that administration into practice across a range of areas such as health, education, local government and agriculture.

Also, after appointing their cabinet, monitoring how ministers are performing – as well as whether they should be promoted, demoted, left where they are or dismissing – is a matter for the first minister.

You can read more about the Welsh first minister’s responsibilities here.