Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd.

People who enter the criminal justice system in Wales are often some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. Too frequently, people are caught up in the criminal justice system because they have been failed earlier in their lives, suffering multiple adverse childhood experiences. Sometimes, these experiences continue well into their adult lives.

The Wales Governance Centre report at the beginning of the year highlighted that Wales has the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe. The report helped us establish a much clearer picture of sentencing and custody in Wales, and it is already influencing our current and future work around offending. In Wales, we are ideally placed, through our Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, to focus on the root causes of offending and to prioritise prevention through collaboration, integration and long-term planning.

The blueprints and implementation plans for youth justice and female offending being published today set out our approach to the delivery of justice services in Wales. This approach has a clear focus on early intervention and prevention, one that focuses on how we provide support to divert people away from crime in the first place, but also one which takes a holistic and rehabilitative approach to those who slip through that net. I would like to thank my predecessor, Alun Davies, for the work he carried out to bring us to this significant point of progress.

I wish also to recognise the work of the Thomas commission, which is considering the future operation of the justice system in Wales. I look forward to seeing Lord Thomas's report, which we are due to receive this autumn, and will, of course, factor that important work into our work on the blueprints moving forward.

While responsibility for the justice system in Wales rests with the UK Government, delivery of justice services here is inextricably linked to devolved services—health and social services, education, learning and skills, and housing. All of these services play a vitally important role in both the prevention of offending, but also in the rehabilitation of offenders. I welcome last week's announcement on the renationalisation of the probation service. This Government is fully supportive of the reunification of the probation service in Wales, which will take place before the end of this year.

We recognise, of course, the importance of working in partnership with the UK Government to deliver a collaborative approach to crime and justice. The Welsh Affairs Committee report on prison provision in Wales is very timely. We are moving forward with the implementation of the blueprints, whilst giving consideration to the issues arising from the report that relate to our responsibilities. I also welcomed David Hanson’s review of offender education in Wales, and will continue to work closely with Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service on the recommendations and seek to make improvements in those areas.