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Joyce Watson
(Elizabeth) Joyce Watson, born 1955, is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Mid and West Wales since 2007.

Background
She was educated at Manorbier School and Cosheston School and Cardigan Comprehensive. Childhood pneumonia affected her studies and she left school early, becoming a working mother at an early age. She has run several businesses, including public houses, restaurants and retail outlets.

In 1990 she went to Pembrokeshire College to take GCSE’s and A levels, then in 1993 she read Politics at Swansea University. She graduated with a 2.2.Honours degree in 1997 whilst running Labour’s successful parliamentary campaign for Preseli Pembrokeshire. She is a Welsh learner, and her children were all educated in Welsh medium schools.

Watson was manager of the Wales Women’s National Coalition with an all Wales remit and was a senior member of the Wales Gender Budget Group and the NHS Equality Reference Group.

Political career
She has been active in the Labour Party all her adult life, and has been leader of the Labour group on Pembrokeshire Council. She was a member of Dyfed Powys Police Authority and the Pembrokeshire Spatial Plan working group. She has worked on social justice projects such as the award winning Garth youth project, which she chairs.

Her political interests include Economic Development, Local government and Equalities, rural transport and road safety. Joyce is writing “From Governess to Government” to celebrate 100 years from when women were allowed to stand for local government. It will be published in the autumn.

Watson sits on three Assembly committees. They are the Finance committee, in this committee the work carried out would be to scrutinise the Budget put forward by the Government, before it goes before full Plenary. Watson also sits on the Communities and Culture Committee and the Equal Opportunities Committee.