Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:32 pm on 8 March 2022.
Diolch yn fawr, Joyce Watson, and can I just thank Joyce for being such a lead champion for women in Wales? Before you become a Senedd Member, it's been your adult life commitment.
But it is important to focus on the theme, 'breaking the bias', in terms of International Women's Day, and I have responded to many points about breaking the bias already, but I just want to acknowledge as well that women's health—. Everything that we do in Welsh Government has a bearing on women's lives, and health and well-being are crucially important, so it is good to see progress being made through the women's health implementation group, set up by the former health Minister, to look at issues around endometriosis and to see that we now have this recruitment of a network of specialist endometriosis nurses in each health board, developing those national pathways, because it is a crucial issue for women's lives in terms of their economic activity and every aspect of their lives.
Just in terms of an update, because we know, in terms of the women and children, the refugees, who are now escaping the horror in Ukraine, that it will be mainly women and children who we want to welcome to Wales as a nation of sanctuary, so we have asked and called consistently, as the First Minister has said today in contributions this afternoon, for that fast, simple legal route to enable us—the welcoming that's coming from families, but also from local authorities.
So, Rebecca Evans, the Minister for Finance and Local Government, and I met with all leaders last week. What we saw was a strength of committed, compassionate leadership at that meeting. We were also joined by the Wales Strategic Migration Partnership, by the Interfaith Council for Wales, by refugee support agencies as well. So, what they have already done since that meeting last week is met as—. Housing is crucial, obviously, so the cabinet members for housing across Wales have met. They've met with our housing officials. They're looking at different levels of co-ordination that they need to offer, in terms of taking up the many offers from people who want to provide space in their own homes, but also recognising that this will also need temporary accommodation, hotels and temporary accommodation, very much building on the experience from the Afghan evacuation, the team Wales approach. But the Welsh Local Government Association themselves are very frustrated by the lack of progress in terms of routes into Wales and have also, as the First Minister said, been calling for a way in which we can have a bespoke community response here in Wales. So, it is going to be today, as we think of the women and girls of Ukraine. Some also are fighting in Ukraine. I know that Mick Antoniw and Adam Price, when they visited Ukraine, they met women who were at the front line, as well as women and children who have left and want to be reunited with their menfolk when this appalling war is over.
So, thank you, Joyce, for bringing this important point to this International Women's Day statement today.