3. Pa asesiad y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i wneud o'r effaith a gaiff deddfau mewnfudo Llywodraeth y DU ar y ffordd y mae'r gyfraith yn gweithredu mewn cysylltiad â ffoaduriaid yng Nghymru? OAQ54101

The integration of people seeking sanctuary is a shared responsibility, even though responsibility for immigration law itself is, of course, not devolved to Wales. We work closely with local government and the third sector in Wales to monitor impacts and we regularly raise matters affecting refugees and asylum seekers with the UK Government.

Thank you for that reply. I've had contact from women who due to—immigration laws mean that they are being denied recourse to public funds. The Minister, Jane Hutt, says people can apply for destitute domestic violence concession, but this is only for people on a spousal visa for a short period of time and this isn't for everyone. Due to this particular instance, many women are being denied access, in some cases, to housing benefit and other support. And I've been told by organisations such as Women's Aid and BAWSO that these laws are making it difficult, even impossible, for them to support women in crisis, including a woman who I have raised in this Chamber before—due to the fact that she didn't know her status in this country, it meant that she couldn't gain access immediately to a refuge centre after fleeing her abusive husband. I fear this is going to put more women in danger and many may be even in a very critical situation.

So, what are you going to be doing to ensure that the Welsh Government are raising these concerns with the UK Government, especially with the loophole in the immigration position that I've outlined to you in terms of the concessions? And how will you be able to potentially right this wrong in relation to the Welsh Government's budget—i.e. would you be able to fund refuges in Wales more so that they don't have to question where the woman comes from when they enter that critical moment in time when they're fleeing an abusive relationship?  

I thank the Member for drawing attention to what is obviously a very, very important matter. We want to ensure, as a Welsh Government, that those who are refused asylum are provided with legal advice and a roof over their heads whilst they look for a sustainable solution in what are obviously extremely difficult circumstances and situations. That may include legal representation, perhaps leading to a fresh claim, or engagement with a voluntary returns process, and we've commissioned some research recently into ways to professionalise and expand the hosting sector in Wales to improve access and to improve safeguarding in that context. 

She mentions in her question the funding that the Welsh Government provides to BAWSO in particular to enable black and minority ethnic women and girls to access the support they need. The intention of that is to ensure that no victims are turned away. I do know that the Deputy Minister has been in correspondence with the Member and that these issues are, as part of the regular correspondence between the Deputy Minister and the Home Office, certainly issues that she will be continuing to raise with them to ensure that this remains on both our agenda but also the UK Government's.  

Thank you, Counsel General.