Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:10 pm on 24 November 2020.
Llywydd, can I take this opportunity to thank Joyce Watson for the incredible work that she does, year after year, in terms of the White Ribbon campaign and in terms of being a voice for women and girls who are experiencing or are in danger of experiencing violence? I think that she's an inspiration to all of us, and I'm really grateful to Joyce for the vigil that she organised yesterday. It was an online vigil, but no less powerful for it, and also the event that I attended in the morning, which was specifically focused on women and girls facing domestic violence in rural communities, whose voices aren't always heard and who often find it more difficult to reach out for the help that they need. So, I thought that was an incredibly powerful event.
The Deputy Minister and Chief Whip will be issuing a statement tomorrow that announces the publication of the national advisers' plan, and their priorities over the next year include embedding a public health approach to violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence and also working with the honour-based abuse leadership group as two of the things that they'll be focusing on over the next 12 months.
In terms of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence, it was, of course, the Welsh Government that developed the innovative proposals for the Global Centre of Rail Excellence after identifying the need for such a facility, and we've shown the leadership that was required to bring it to this point. It's very much a made-in-Wales initiative, creating the new facility for the entire UK rail industry, and we intend it to be an attraction for jobs, skills and growth in the area. It is the case that in early July we submitted a business case to the UK Government outlining the next steps to make that centre a reality, and we do await formal endorsement by the UK Government of the business case, and, clearly, we hope for a positive announcement on that in the comprehensive spending review tomorrow.