Diolch. Dirprwy Lywydd, I wanted to take the earliest opportunity to update Members following my written statement at the start of Easter recess in response the UK Government's shifting position on an LGBT conversion therapy ban. The UK Government has repeatedly made commitments to end the discredited practice of conversion therapy—in the Queen's Speech, by the Prime Minister, by UK Government Ministers, in recent consultations and through public announcements. It was also a commitment made directly to the Welsh Government, and we acted in good faith that this commitment was a sincere attempt to right a very clear injustice. They stated that their proposals would be universal and protect everyone whatever their sexual orientation and whether they are transgender or not.

When a document outlining the UK Government's proposed approach to abandon a legal ban on conversion therapy made it into the public domain, it described the likely outrage that would come from our LGBTQ+ community as 'noise', and decided our voices, as for generations before, were something to be dismissed, disregarded and diminished. But that noise turned out to be not so manageable as the Prime Minister undertook a rapid u-turn on plans to shelve altogether legislation to outlaw conversion therapy. Shamefully, on Transgender Day of Visibility, Prime Minister Boris Johnson chose instead to abandon every single transgender person in England and Wales.

Excluding trans people from the UK Government’s much-delayed proposals on ending this ineffective and harmful practice is causing very real and widespread distress. There's no clear rationale for this exclusion of trans people from the protections provided by the proposed ban; in fact, the opposite is the case, as the UK Government’s own LGBT survey found that trans people are nearly twice as likely as lesbian, gay and bisexual people to be subject to conversion therapy. It goes against the advice of independent experts, the medical profession and the Anglican Church.

So-called conversion therapy, which attempts to change or alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, is an abhorrent, draconian and wholly unacceptable practice founded in deep-rooted homophobia and transphobia that should have no place in our communities and country. It is carried out under the false pretext of 'therapy', inflicts severe pain and suffering on LGBTQ+ people, and often causes long-lasting physical and psychological harm. When what somebody needs the most is support, to be empowered and to be loved for who they are, they are worn down to believe who they are is fundamentally wrong and something to be cured.

The Welsh Government is completely opposed to this practice, and is doing all we can to make it and the harm it causes history. We made a commitment in our programme for government to use all available powers to ban all aspects of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, and seek the devolution of any necessary additional powers. I am pleased that we will be pursuing this with Plaid Cymru as part of our co-operation agreement. Here in Wales, we stand together in solidarity with and within our LGBTQ+ communities. None of us are equal while any of our rights are up for discussion or barter.

In recent weeks, I have met many members of our LGBTQ+ communities, especially those from trans communities, to better understand their concerns and fears, as well as their justified sense of anger at this betrayal by the UK Government. Today, I want to further reaffirm and offer reassurance that the Welsh Government is committed to banning conversion practices for everyone in our LGBTQ+ communities. We will do everything possible within our devolved powers and seek the devolution of any necessary additional powers to achieve this. The Welsh Government will protect and value every LGBTQ+ person. Action speaks louder than words, and it is clear we cannot trust the UK Government to deliver the protections that every member of the LGBTQ+ community deserves.  

Today, I can announce the next steps this Welsh Government is taking, and will take, towards making conversion therapy a thing of the past, by the commissioning of legal advice to determine all the levers we have in Wales to end the practice of conversion therapy unilaterally. I want to know what we can do, not just what we can’t do. We will educate and raise awareness of the horrors and ineffectiveness of conversion therapy practices by establishing a dedicated campaign in Wales. The campaign will highlight existing support services for survivors of conversion therapy, but alongside this we will design and commission research to better understand the impact of conversion therapy on survivors to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of support services. We will establish a working group of experts, to include representatives from faith communities, the health and social care sector, and children and young people’s representatives, alongside LGBTQ+ people, to help with this work and advise on key elements as a ban is developed and taken forward.

In addition to this, I’m pleased to be able to announce that NHS Wales has signed up to the memorandum of understanding on banning conversion therapy. Organisations who sign the memorandum and work in the provision of mental or psychological health delivery or commissioning, such as the NHS, commit to ending the practice of conversion therapy by actively ensuring they do not commission or provide conversion therapy. We are committed to building on these steps and to end to conversion therapy in Wales. There is widespread support for a ban, and I have received messages of support from a range of individuals and organisations, from the health sector to faith settings. Together, we can make conversion therapy history. Together, we can make sure Wales is the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe, where no-one can or will be left out or left behind.