Background
Cuthbert was born in Glasgow to a Welsh mother and Scottish father, but brought up in Cardiff, where he attended Whitchurch County Secondary Modern followed by studying mining engineering at University College, Cardiff.
Member of the National Assembly for Wales
Cuthbert was born in Glasgow to a Welsh mother and Scottish father, but brought up in Cardiff, where he attended Whitchurch County Secondary Modern followed by studying mining engineering at University College, Cardiff.
Cardiff University.
He began his career in the mining industry and later worked for the Welsh Joint Education Committee (as it was then) as Head of the Asset to Industry Unit. He joined the Labour Party in the mid-1960s. As a mining engineer he worked at Markham and Oakdale pits.
He was a governor of the Lewis School, Pengam, and served as Principal of a part-time Adult Education Centre at Aberbargoed.
In the 2003 election to the National Assembly for Wales, Cuthbert was selected at the last minute to replace Ron Davies who had been involved in a second sex scandal and was forced to stand down. Despite the party"s negative tabloid publicity he increased the Labour majority in the Caerphilly constituency.
Cuthbert was appointed Chair of the Objective One Programme Monitoring Committee for Wales in 2004, and subsequently Chair of its All-Wales successor body in 2007. He is a Chair of the Assembly"s Cross-Party Groups on Healthy Living and the Built Environment.
And is co-Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Beer and the Public.
As an active trade unionist, he is co-ordinator of the UNITE Group of Labour Assembly Members. In June 2013 he was appointed Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty in the Welsh Government stepping up from Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology. In September 2014 he announced his decision to stand down as Caerphilly Department of Administration and Management at the 2016 elections.
Because of that, he also stood down from the Welsh Government Cabinet.
Welsh Labour, Labour Party.
At the 2007 election he successfully defended his seat after Ron Davies, a long-time favourite of the pro-devolution Welsh media, challenged to regain it as an Independent candidate. At the 2011 Welsh General Election, Cuthbert successfully defended his seat once again. More than doubling his majority and easily seeing off another challenge from Davies, who this time stood for Plaid Cymru amidst much media hype.
A member of the Militant group from the mid-60s to early-80s, Cuthbert later became Chair of Caerphilly Constituency Labour Party. He left the mining industry to develop qualifications for Modern Apprenticeships with WJEC, and became a Corporate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
