Oral Answers to Questions

Catherine Fookes Excerpts

Wednesday 29th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jo Stevens]

This Government have made economic growth their No. 1 mission. The Prime Minister is leading from the front in resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU. However, the right hon. Lady’s question highlights the stark risks associated with separatism. Those risks are why I will always be a strong and passionate advocate for a Wales that thrives as part of the United Kingdom.

[Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)]

3. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support crime prevention in Wales.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Jo Stevens)]

Our plan for change will put an extra 13,000 police officers, police community support officers and special constables on our streets across the UK, including in Wales. In December, I opened a brand-new base for Gwent police in Abergavenny, so that officers can better serve the town and restore the visible, accessible policing that our communities deserve.

[Catherine Fookes]

In Monmouthshire, domestic abuse victims and survivors tell me that their voices still are not heard by the police. They stress the need for those on the ground to be better trained in early intervention, which can prevent escalation and reduce violent behaviour and domestic abuse overall. What steps can be taken with colleagues across Government, and Welsh Government colleagues, to better embed domestic abuse prevention?

[Jo Stevens]

My hon. Friend will know that the Prime Minister’s plan for change reinforced our manifesto ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We will do everything in our power to achieve that. We will put specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force in Wales, and early this year we will start the process of introducing domestic abuse experts into 999 control rooms, so that victims can talk directly to a specialist for the advice and support that they need and deserve.