Bárbara Montes Díaz, new Head of the Cabinet for Social Rights and Welfare

The Department of Social Rights and Welfare has appointed Bárbara Montes Díaz as Chief of Staff to the Regional Minister, Nerea Monroy Rosal, effective October 28, 2026. The appointment was made public by the Technical General Secretariat through an announcement dated October 29, published in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA) on Friday, November 13, issue number 220, with official reference 2026-09112.

The announcement is based on Article 9.4 of the Law of the Principality of Asturias 2/2023, of March 15, on Public Employment, which requires the publication of appointments for temporary staff assigned to the cabinets of regional departments. The document is located in Section I of the gazette, under the heading “Principality of Asturias — Authorities and Personnel,” and bears the signature of the department’s technical general secretary, dated Oviedo, October 29, 2026.

A staggered transition in the Cabinet

The appointment follows the publication by the same body of the dismissal of the previous head of the Cabinet. According to the announcement of October 14 published in BOPA issue 212, of November 3 (2026-08757), Vanesa González Díaz left the position of Chief of Staff effective October 14, 2026.

This sequence leaves a two-week gap between the departure of the previous holder and the entry into force of the new appointment. Both movements are publicized using the same legal instrument: the announcement from the Technical General Secretariat that publicizes temporary personnel decisions for the Minister’s Cabinet.

Appointment Details

The details listed in the gazette are as follows:

• Position title: Chief of Staff.
• Appointed person: Montes Díaz, Bárbara.
• Position code (NJ): EV, corresponding to temporary staff.
• Effective date: October 28, 2026.
• Applied regulation: Article 9.4 of the Law of the Principality of Asturias 2/2023, of March 15, on Public Employment.
• Publishing body: Technical General Secretariat of the Department of Social Rights and Welfare.
• Publication: BOPA no. 220, of November 13, 2026, reference 2026-09112.

Mandatory publicity for temporary staff

The text does not include remuneration, dedication, or functions, as the procedure is limited to the publication of the appointment required by the regional public employment law. The record is reduced to the position title, the surnames and name of the designated person, and the NJ code identifying the temporary nature of the relationship.

The Cabinet of the department had already appeared in the bulletin this autumn. The announcement of September 11, published in BOPA number 181, dated September 18 (2026-07552), publicized three appointments effective as of September 1: the then Chief of Staff, Vanesa González Díaz, and two temporary staff positions within the Cabinet held by Blanca Rosa Gutiérrez Pérez and Rosa María Rodríguez González.

The move affects the direct trust structure of the Department of Social Rights and Welfare, a department that habitually signs orders and resolutions for grants and benefits in section I of the bulletin. The Chief of Staff is the position that coordinates the counselor’s team and their relationship with the rest of the regional Administration; therefore, the handover conditions the internal communication of the area for the remainder of the legislature.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA), no. 220, November 13, 2026, section I. Principality of Asturias — Authorities and Personnel, p. 1 (official reference: 2026-09112).