2. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for white ribbon day? OAQ54653

The Welsh Government was, and remains the only Government in the UK to have been White Ribbon accredited. We're renewing our accreditation and I encourage all men, all male staff members and Assembly Members to consider becoming White Ribbon ambassadors and women to become champions.

Can I thank the Minister for that response? Perhaps I should declare I am a White Ribbon ambassador, thanks to my friend Jack Sargeant, who sent me all the information to become one. But when I speak on issues like these, it is much more as the father of a 21-year-old woman than as a politician. Violence against women is always unacceptable. We all need to stand up and speak out when we see it. I wear my White Ribbon with pride. How can the Welsh Government promote White Ribbon Day across the whole of the public sector in Wales?

Well, I thank Mike Hedges for bringing this question and standing up and speaking as an ambassador, and also, obviously, reflecting on Jack Sargeant's impact and influence on this. We, of course, will be very shortly working towards the day where we acknowledge White Ribbon Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. That's on 25 November, and I also look forward to joining Joyce Watson, and I'm sure many of you will, on the twenty-fifth, when we have a cross-party stakeholder event. I hope this is very much recognised cross-party in this Chamber today. But also recognising that the Welsh Government has a national strategy in terms of implementing our pioneering Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015. I think it's so important today that we take on board that message of, 'Don't be a bystander,' in terms of domestic violence and violence against women. Wales won't stand by. That's linked very closely to the White Ribbon campaign message.

But in terms of the public sector, there are four local authorities, two fire and rescue services, two police forces and one town council in Wales that are accredited, as well as the Older People's Commissioner for Wales. I think we can use this year to, again, strengthen recognition and awareness raising amongst the public sector to ensure that we move on from the 28 White Ribbon ambassadors that we've had, many of whom are in key leadership roles within the Welsh Government.

Thank you to the Minister for those responses.