Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:14 pm on 16 March 2022.
Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. I'm as impatient as you, I can assure you. It is about partnership working with the UK Government, and the residential women's centre is going to be piloted in Wales. It's a key element of the female offending blueprint. As I said, I met with the Minister very recently. I hope we can have some news very shortly in terms of this centre, because it is crucial to tackle that injustice that women face in terms of the criminal justice system. I've visited women in English prisons. They shouldn't be there, they're separated from their families. They're often in prison because of poverty and abuse, and we want them to be supported in our women's residential centre in Wales, providing accommodation for up to 12 women to stay close to their homes and communities, and actually, then, tackle the causes, particularly relating to abuse and poverty, that meant that they were in the criminal justice system. I'm impatient, and I'm getting on with it.