Just following on from what the Deputy Minister, Jane Hutt, just said at the beginning of her contribution, I'd like just to put on record as well that the Welsh Conservatives have the family of Sarah Everard firmly in our thoughts too, and we share her sentiments. The need for us to do more is sadly highlighted by her murder, and the need for us all to work collaboratively to ensure the safety of women in our country.

The Domestic Abuse Bill is a landmark piece of legislation that will transform the response of Government to victims in Wales and help bring perpetrators to justice. There are some 2.4 million victims of domestic abuse a year, aged 16 to 74, two thirds of whom are women. And more than one in 10 of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse related. We are all aware of the increased pressure—that we've highlighted many times in this Chamber—that lockdown measures introduced to combat the pandemic are having on families and relationships.

In December 2019, the UK Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to support all victims of domestic abuse and passed the Domestic Abuse Bill, originally introduced in the last Parliament. The Bill aims to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report their experiences, safe in the knowledge that the state will do everything it can both to support them and their children and pursue the abuser.

In spring 2018, the UK Government conducted a public consultation on transforming the response to domestic abuse, which attracted over 3,200 responses. The Government response to the consultation and draft Domestic Abuse Bill were published in January 2019. The Government response set out 123 commitments, both legislative and non-legislative, designed to promote awareness of domestic abuse, protect and support victims and their families, transform the justice process, to prioritise victims' safety and provide an effective response to perpetrators, and to drive consistency and better performance in the response to domestic abuse across all local areas, agencies, and sectors.

Domestic abuse is a heinous crime that threatens the lives of victims in their own homes, where they should feel safe. So, it is right that we should give victims the support they need to help them and their children rebuild their lives. So, the Welsh Conservatives will support this motion.