Cabinet
Minister for Finance
Key interests and achievements
Elin is a member of the Senedd since 1999. She represented
Ceredigion until 2026, and since then represents Ceredigion Penfro. Since 1999
Elin has specialised in several areas within the Senedd from economic
development to health.
Personal history
Elin was born and raised on a farm in Llanwnnen, near
Lampeter. Elin still lives in Ceredigion.
Professional background
An Economics graduate of Cardiff and Aberystwyth
Universities, she worked for the Development Board for Rural Wales, and the
Welsh Development Agency (WDA) before she was elected in 1999.
Political history
Elin was Minister for Rural Affairs in the One Wales
Coalition Government between 2007 to 2011. She was Deputy Leader of Plaid Cymru
between 2021 and 2026. From 2016 to 2026 Elin was the Senedd’s Llywydd
(Presiding Officer) – during Brexit and Covid.
Other
In her decade as Llywydd she worked on the full Senedd
reform program – and during her time achieved the establishment of the Senedd
Youth Parliament, voting rights for 16-17 year olds, renaming the Assembly to
Senedd, increasing the number of members to 96, and creating a more
representative voting system.
