Wales cannot and will not be a bystander to abuse, and that's why the report and its recommendations are so welcome. I'm really pleased that the report includes the important works and makes the connections with our commitment to Wales being a nation of sanctuary. I've long been clear that our nation of sanctuary approach demonstrates our Welsh Government values. The nation of sanctuary plan contains clear cross-Government commitments to reducing the inequalities faced by sanctuary seekers, and this includes supporting survivors of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

On Friday, I attended the online session organised by the cross-party group on digital rights and democracy in Wales, and the meeting explored the impact of data sharing on migrant women facing domestic violence, and it was an excellent opportunity to discuss the inequalities faced by migrant women fleeing domestic abuse and sexual violence, recognising the fears and concerns that many migrants have about who might have access to their personal information and how that information might be used in different ways. These concerns are very understandable, especially when we consider the situations and regimes that some migrant women have escaped from.

Nevertheless, as the committee's inquiry found, efforts to support migrant women can be frustrated by a lack of robust data. To enable migrant women to access the protection and support that they need, there will be occasions where data will need to be shared between organisations. So, our response as a Welsh Government to the Equality and Social Justice Committee's report put forward a number of recommendations relating to data and data sharing, and in our response, we identified additional measures that could be put into place to ensure better outcomes for victims of gender-based violence. We do understand the concerns around data sharing between organisations, which, again, have been discussed today, but we also recognise the importance of ensuring that victims of abuse need to have a clear understanding of what happens with their data and, where appropriate, give their consent to data being shared.

In 2021, the Welsh Government, in collaboration with partners from the specialist violence against women sector, established a steering group to review the support available to those fleeing violence and abuse with no recourse to public funds. This group is chaired by the national advisers for gender-based abuse, and it's central to finding solutions that work for Wales. While immigration is not devolved, we're committed to working with partners within Wales and to raising our concerns with the UK Government to find solutions that can address these inequalities.

We're still awaiting the evaluation of the Home Office's support for migrant victims scheme, and while this scheme has provided a lifeline for the victims fleeing abuse, the problems of people with no recourse to public funds are entirely of the UK Government's making. This scheme has its limitations, and we don't intend to wait for the Home Office report. Instead, we will put victims and survivors first, and we've accepted the committee's recommendation relating to a fund to support migrant victims with NRPF. My officials are currently scoping the best approach for Wales, and we're committed to meeting the needs of this group of victims and survivors.

As has been said today, the unimaginable trauma that migrant women face—this is where we have to respond to this, and I believe, in accepting that recommendation, the work, I can assure Members, is already under way. I want to assure Members that, actually, work on all the recommendations is now under way. They really inform the way we're taking forward our new and refreshed national strategy for tackling violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

I think it's important that I do co-chair the national partnership board with Dafydd Llywelyn, this is a blueprint approach with devolved and non-devolved. Yes, there's a huge jagged edge here, isn't there, and I recognise that, but we have got to move that forward in terms of understanding and holding to account the roles and powers of devolved and non-devolved authorities and organisations. We've already invited the Welsh Refugee Council to sit on the national partnership board—that's part of the governance structure to take forward our strategy, published in May. BAWSO already sits on the board. And can I pay tribute to BAWSO for the specialist work that they do? They, actually, are part of the Home Office pilot as well. They're fundamental to Wales and, of course, they ensure that migrant women do have an important survivor voice. 

We've included our work on no recourse to public funds in the upcoming annual violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence report; it's being published in December. That's a statutory requirement under the VAWDASV Act, and we will continue to report on our work to support victims and survivors in future years.

We've also engaged with safeguarding boards regarding the committee's findings in relation to reviewing the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014, and that will help both us and the safeguarding board partners to reflect on their responsibilities. 

So, just finally, Deputy Llywydd, this is a testament—this report today—to the urgency that we all, I think, united here today, have placed upon protecting victims. We will play our part as a Welsh Government. I welcome the call to action in the committee's report, and this is an ambition that's set out in our programme for government, which clearly states that we want Wales to be the safest place in Europe to be a woman. And let's be clear, we don't just mean for some women, we mean all women: women who've had to flee conflict, women who have no recourse to public funds, women who are seeking asylum, women who are refugees. And as part of our nation of sanctuary commitment, we seek to strengthen and advance equality and human rights in Wales, and that is our message to the UK Government.