Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. I thank the Member for raising this important issue here today. She is quite right to point out a growing and serious risk. My best wishes to your mum, as well, in terms of her home being refurbished.

Although fires and fire casualties are falling significantly, Llywydd—by around half since responsibility was devolved in 2005—we and the fire service are very proud of that, but there is no room for complacency. We’ve heard details of that today. In particular, dwelling fires from nearly all known causes have reduced, but electrical fires show a steady and sustained rise over the past 15 years or so. They are now the second commonest source of house fire after cookers.

In response, our fire services provide extensive help and advice on preventing electrical fires. For instance, over the past two years, they’ve distributed nearly 6,500 pieces of electrical safety equipment to households in need free of charge and funded by Welsh Government.

However, as we’ve heard, that hasn’t been enough to counter the worrying and sustained increase in electrical fires. Trends on this scale probably reflect underlying social change. It’s vital that we understand those changes if we are to respond effectively. And Dawn is right; the amount of chargers in properties, and gaming machines, et cetera, in these properties, has grown significantly over these years. The reasons may seem obvious, as the Member points out—all the amount of portable devices, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, e-cigarettes, cameras and so on—and recharging these is perfectly safe if it's done properly with a suitable charger. But people may be tempted to cut corners and they might use the same charger for very different devices, or a replacement charger that might be cheap but isn't safe, like Mike Hedges alluded to. Or they might overload their electric circuits by using multi-plug adapters to charge several devices at once.

A lot of the focus, Llywydd, here has been on counterfeit or unbranded electrical goods, and I recognise the safety risks that they can pose. And I welcome the work of groups like Electrical Safety First, whose campaign to raise awareness of those risks is well known. But fake products are not the only problem; they may not even be the main problem. We've heard all about the legitimate, branded products, from tumble dryers to tablets, which have recently had to be recalled because of fire risks also. What's more, fire safety is at least as much about changing behaviour as it is about product design, and I wouldn't recommend anybody going to sleep with a phone charger under their pillow; it can lead to very warm ears at the very least. Almost all products are safe if they're used properly, Llywydd, but none of them, legitimate or counterfeit, is safe if misused, or, if they're not repaired when faulty, it's important not to overlook that message.

So, the answer isn't as straightforward, and it isn't helped by the weakness in the data we have. The UK-wide system that the fire service uses to record fires and causes hasn't been kept up to date with the social and technological changes that we’ve seen, and I will look at that in detail. For instance, we know from the system exactly how many house fires started from trouser presses or welding equipment, but we don't know how many started from phone chargers or e-cigarettes, and that's certainly a sign of the times. We will continue to press for improvements in that system. To cut through this, we have started to commission some in-depth research into the problem, involving both our fire services and Electoral Safety First. It will aim to identify the causes of recent trends and the best way of tackling them, and I will keep Members informed of those details.

In the meantime, there are some simple steps that people can take to stay safe. I'd urge people to seek out and follow the advice that they get from the fire service or Electrical Safety First, and those who are particularly vulnerable or at risk should get a full home safety check from the fire service. This covers a wide range of risks, including electrical fires, and includes free safety equipment for those who need it also. Llywydd, it's a really important debate that Dawn Bowden has raised today, and it could happen to anybody and anywhere. In closing, I'd like to reiterate my thanks to Dawn for raising the issue, and I can assure her and the Assembly that we, and our colleagues in the fire service, are aiming to tackle it as swiftly and as effectively as possible. Thank you.