7. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership: Conversion Therapy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:57 pm on 26 April 2022.

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Photo of Sioned Williams Sioned Williams Plaid Cymru 4:57, 26 April 2022

(Translated)

Thank you, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you to the Deputy Minister for her robust statement this afternoon. I'd like to identify myself and my party entirely with what you have said about the disgraceful stance of the Westminster Government on this issue. Having the powers to improve the lives of trans people in Wales and to safeguard those people is crucially important if we are to ensure fairness and end prejudice and inequality.

This issue has clearly demonstrated why we can't trust in the Westminster Government to safeguard the interests of the people of Wales. We have a Senedd to serve the people of Wales. The Welsh Government must do everything within its power and call for all powers necessary from Westminster as a matter of urgency so that we can deliver our ambition of ensuring that Wales will be the most LGBTQ+ friendly community in Europe.

Without the necessary powers, we are at the mercy of Westminster and reactionary Governments such as the one that we have, led by Boris Johnson at the moment, which can't be trusted at all in terms of tackling inequality and ensuring fairness. It's clear that this is one of a number of threats to, and attacks on, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, and is part of a broader ideological agenda by the Johnson Tories to target minority groups for political reasons. It is entirely disgraceful and we shouldn't accept this.

The devolution settlement does restrict our powers to protect the LGBTQ+ community fully here in Wales. With powers over justice, we could deliver against that aim without having to bring influence to bear and to argue our case and to find alternative ways of ensuring fairness and equality for our people. I welcome the Deputy Minister's statement, and Plaid Cymru entirely supports the stance of the Welsh Government in ensuring that conversion therapy is banned entirely, and ensuring that nobody is under pressure to hide or to change who they are in terms of their sexuality or their gender identity, or both. Plaid Cymru supports the steps that have been outlined to try and ban conversion therapy in Wales, and through the Plaid Cymru agreement with the Government, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate on this issue.

It's also good to hear of the steps taken to raise awareness of the horrors and the inefficiency of conversion processes, and to improve accessibility to support services. I'd therefore like to ask whether the Deputy Minister could explain in more detail how the objectives that we share can be achieved in ensuring a full ban on conversion practices and to safeguard every LGBTQ+ person in Wales from the damage and trauma that these therapies cause, and do so once and for all. What legislative processes or methods are being considered that could deliver this, and what is the timetable that the Deputy Minister anticipates? What's the Government's intention if it isn't possible to achieve its ambitions, having received the legal advice that she has commissioned? Thank you.