2. Will the Minister make a statement on improving community safety? OQ57222

The Welsh Government is committed to keeping our communities safe. Through our Live Fear Free campaigns, we'll continue to raise awareness of stalking, harassment, abuse and violence against women in all aspects of life, including the street and other public places.

Thank you, Minister, for your answer there. My question is particularly in regard to, I suppose, street issues, in terms of the public highway. Often, my inbox is full of constituents concerned about the speeding of vehicles along some of our highways and trunk roads. It remains constantly an issue, and in my whole time as a Member of the Senedd. Obviously, parents are concerned, with young children in particular, along those routes, for the safety of their children, and in certain communities as well. Often what communities do is bring forward the solutions themselves, and often they ask for flashing speed indication signs. Now, I think these are particularly effective as well, because it triggers something in you as you approach these signs, having a sign tell you what speed you're going. That triggers something to say, 'Hang on, am I appropriately driving at the right speed level?' There's a variance across Wales, I notice, between local authorities in how they roll out some of these indication signs in local authority areas on highways responsible roads. But in terms of trunk roads, there is also a variance as well. I think that, in some parts of Wales, there seems to be a higher percentage of these indication signs than in other parts of Wales. But what is your advice in terms of a community—and to Members here—that want to lobby for a flashing speed indication sign for their community on a particular stretch of road? I appreciate this crosses over a number of your colleagues—it's not just your responsibility, Minister—but what discussions may you have had with your colleagues in this regard as well?

Thank you, Russell George, for that question. This is something that, I'm sure, many Senedd Members across the Chamber are involved in, in local road safety campaigns—I certainly am in my constituency. This is very much involving not just the local authority, in terms of their powers and responsibilities in terms of road safety, but the police as well, in terms of enforcement and engagement, with those GoSafe initiatives that you're mentioning, where residents and communities are working to try themselves to take the initiative, working in partnership with the police and local authorities. But also, of course, the Welsh Government, not just in terms of the road safety annual grant to local authorities, which is the responsibility of my colleague Lee Waters, as Deputy Minister for Climate Change, recognises that this is something where we need to look at it from across the whole Senedd—support for the 20 mph default arrangements that we'll have for residential areas in 2023.

But I would like to say, just in terms of my responsibilities, police community support officers play a very important role in liaising with communities, and it is the Welsh Government that has not only funded our 500 PCSOs in Wales, but is increasing them, and it was in our manifesto commitment. We're delivering another 100 because PCSOs are the eyes and ears of their communities—I think we all know that—very much taking a problem-solving and preventative approach to addressing issues within their local areas, and I know that they're at the forefront of many of these road safety campaigns. 

Rhys ab Owen.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Minister, I'm glad to see the implementation plans for female offending and youth justice blueprints. Not having an agreed time frame was a criticism in the Commission on Justice in Wales report. I was also glad to receive your written statement earlier this month, which mentioned the Visiting Mum service—children visiting their mothers in prison; it's so important to keep that link. However, we want to live in a country where no mother is sent to prison. The fact that 86 per cent of Welsh women in prison are there for non-violent offences is a national scandal, with many of them victims themselves. What is still missing in the blueprints, Minister, is the clear accountability and the real change we need within the justice system in Wales. Do you agree with me that the only effective way to make our communities safer is to align the justice system fully with health, with education and with housing? Diolch yn fawr. 

Thank you very much for the very important question. 

A really important question. Indeed, the Counsel General and I were only speaking this morning about the importance of the female offending blueprint strategy. This is an area where, I have to say, we have worked very closely with the Ministry of Justice. It's not devolved, but we are responsible, as you say, for so many of the services—preventative and then supportive—and aligning has to be the way forward, aligning those services, and, I would say, responsibilities. So, I'm delighted that we are going to pilot a women's residential centre here as an alternative to prison. We've made it absolutely clear that Welsh Government is not in favour of women's prisons. We don't want a women's prison in Wales, but we are going to pilot a women's residential centre. 

And I've visited women in prison outside of Wales because that's where they have to go, and these are women who are imprisoned for short sentences as a result of poverty, as a result of trauma in their lives. As far as I'm concerned, I think the Jean Corston report years ago, you might recall, made it very clear that women should not be in prison, particularly because of their responsibility in caring for their children and families. So, I've got great hopes for the female offending strategy, not just the women's residential centre, but everything that we can do as a whole approach of all the agencies that need to engage in this. 

Can I really welcome the Minister's opening remarks in response to Russell's question on violence to women, and particularly in this White Ribbon Week, the need for men also to speak out against violence to women—I'm sure it's something that all Senedd Members here will want to do—and to commend the work that's been done by campaigners outside, but also inside the Senedd, by Joyce Watson, our colleague, as well, on a cross-party basis?

But, Minister, can I genuinely welcome the investment now that's going into PCSOs? This is over £22 million now that Welsh Government is putting into it, with the initial £3.7 million that's been allocated going forward in this Senedd term. But they've had a tough time engaging with groups, obviously because of COVID. They've been unable to get to them, and that sort of eyes and ears you were talking about is what they do well, being out in the community. So, will you liaise with our police chief constables, and also with Alun Michael in south Wales, and others, to make sure now that they are back in the community, doing what they do really well, which is engaging with the community and stopping things getting out of control at that very early stage?

Diolch yn fawr, Huw Irranca-Davies. Can I say that the vigil that we held on Monday night, which, of course, Joyce Watson organised, and she's been organising year after year, with the National Federation of Women's Institutes, was really important? The Women's Institute took the lead, as they did at the cross-party group—the stakeholder group—earlier in the day. I just want to pause for a moment to say that it was well attended by the police force as well, and Gwent Police cadets, specialist agencies, and there was a very powerful contribution from a survivor of enduring male violence for so many years, which affected her and her children.

Can I just also thank the cross-party Members who spoke? I think it is worth spending a moment to thank those. Thank you to James Evans from Brecon and Radnor, who spoke extremely well, thank you to Rhun ap Iorwerth, who always speaks at these vigils, thank you to Jack Sargeant as well, and thank you to Jane Dodds. It's great that many of you are here today to say how powerful it is when we come together. We all said that this is something that I believe the whole Senedd is signed up to, because Wales will not be a bystander to violence and abuse. Also, we will ensure that we promote the recruitment of male ambassadors, men and boys, who have such a crucial role in clearly stating that violence against women is unacceptable, and all of you said that on Monday night.

But I will take back those positive points, Huw Irranca-Davies, about the PCSOs. It is crucially important that we are increasing the funding into this area. They have played such an important role during the pandemic and they are the face of policing on our streets. I'm chairing the policing and partnership board on 2 December. Actually, at that meeting, we're discussing substance misuse and misogyny, which is crucial. These are crucial points that the police and crime commissioners and the chief officers, the chief constables, want to discuss. They're putting it on the agenda. I will be talking about the vital role of police community support officers.