2. What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government regarding the establishment of a residential women's centre in Swansea? OQ58122

I've regularly engaged with UK Government justice Ministers, who are leading on this important programme of work, and I will continue this collaborative approach as the development of the residential women’s centre progresses.

Thank you, Minister. Obviously, you mentioned that residential women's centre in Swansea, which is set to open, hopefully, in 2024. And while I welcome the pioneering new initiative to tackle the root causes of low-level female offending, and the collaboration between Welsh and UK Governments bringing the centre to Swansea, we need to make sure that it's done in tandem with the local community in Swansea. While we all want to see the rehabilitation of the individuals involved, there is some concern from residents that these will be housed in this area with these specific settings. I'm pleased to see that the centre will tackle underlying and complex factors surrounding low-level crime, but we need to ensure that the community in Swansea are fully on board with it. We as Members know the importance of the initiative not only to women in my region, but across Wales, and what we need for this first-of-its-kind initiative, if you like, to succeed is buy-in from the local community. Without that community support, we won't see the full benefits of the project; the centre won't succeed without that buy-in. So, given it's such a new initiative, I fear doing more of the same when it comes to statutory engagement perhaps isn't the way to go here—we need more engagement from stakeholders at all levels, to highlight the importance and the benefits of such a scheme. Therefore, can I ask the Minister to commit to work with stakeholders and other partners to highlight the benefits of the scheme and to keep the community at the heart of the project, and to commit to going beyond the statutory minimum of engagement to ensure that the project becomes a reality?

I thank Tom Giffard for the question, and, indeed, for his support for this pioneering residential women's centre. And I'm sure he will join me in welcoming the fact that Wales is leading the way. This has come about as the result of a partnership. Although it's the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, I've pushed very hard for a residential women's centre to be piloted in Wales. In fact, my predecessor Alun Davies actually started these discussions. It's a key element of the women's justice blueprint, and I can assure you that there has been extensive engagement with stakeholders. Close partnership working with the Welsh Government, the Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, Wales's police and crime commissioners and local authorities have been pivotal to this work.

But, again, I take the opportunity to state what this residential women's centre will be: it is the first in Wales, and it's a pilot for the UK. It will provide accommodation for up to 12 women, with a wide range of needs, so that they may stay close to their homes and communities. It will offer services that tackle the underlying causes of offending—for example, support for domestic abuse and mental health. And it's a residential women's centre that will be supporting women—local women—to maintain contact with their children, their families and local communities, encouraging contact and visiting as appropriate. And it will provide the first community centre option for women in Wales, offering the additional support of a residential element, and also, very importantly, in terms of positive contributions to and with the local community, as they move into settled accommodation. So, I think, in terms of the opportunities that this will have, the investment that will take place and the partnership working, this will be something that will be welcomed in the community in Swansea. 

I thank Tom Giffard for his question, and I thank the Minister for all her work with regard to this valuable women's centre in Swansea. The Minister will be aware of my concerns that it's a five-year pilot not starting until 2024 at the earliest, and will only be able to support 12 women at maximum in the Swansea area. My concern is what happens to the other women in Wales. The pilot doesn't come to an end until the end of this decade, there will be an analysis period afterwards, and in all of this time Welsh women are being sent far away from their families to prisons in England. What can you do, Minister, in combination, in partnership, with the UK Government to support these Welsh women?

Thank you. Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. This is a major step forward, isn't it, to have that transformation. It can't come too soon as far as I'm concerned—2024 feels a long way off, and it cannot be then just waiting to see how this works. It is being planned so that it will work; it will offer all those services that I have described. And we need to start the pressure—thank you for the question and making the point—now to extend this provision, because I think what's going to be so important about this is it's an investment in the women and their families, and in the community, because it's going to improve their skills, their health and relationships, and they will look forward to their prospects as they leave the women's residential centre. And it's very much part of the women pathfinder approach. 

But I would also say that this is something where, in terms of the unjust way women are treated in the criminal justice system—. I spoke at a virtual summit at the end of March, where I heard that at least 57 per cent of women currently coming into contact with the criminal justice system are victims of domestic abuse. Sixty-three per cent of girls and young women serving sentences in the community have experienced rape or domestic abuse in an intimate partner relationship. I've met women in prison outside of Wales who are there basically because of poverty and austerity and domestic abuse. And, actually, at this event, I have to say that I heard from a young woman—and I'm meeting with her, Ellie Anderson—who shared her childhood experience of being a child of a woman who'd been in prison several times. Ellie grew up in Wales, and her mother was in prison outside of Wales, and I'm meeting her shortly. 

So, together, and with your support, we will press for this provision to be extended, not just in five years' time, but as soon as possible.