Newport MP leads calls for women's centre to be opened
The call comes after the Independent Sentencing Review recommended more sustainable and long-term funding for women's centres.
The centres are said to "play a critical role in directing female offenders in the criminal justice system to valued practical and emotional help."
Ruth Jones, chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee and Newport West & Islwyn MP, said: "Keeping women near to their families and loved ones is vital for successful rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.
"Hearing the first-hand experiences of Welsh female offenders at HMP Eastwood Park in England made it undoubtedly clear how much a women's centre in Wales could change lives.
"The Independent Sentencing Review highlighted the benefits of providing more sustainable and long-term funding to women's centres.
"It's high time that Welsh women be afforded equivalent support within their communities as that provided to their English counterparts and the Government should move quickly to open the planned Swansea centre."
Currently, there is no women's prison in Wales, meaning Welsh female offenders are often held in prisons that are a significant distance from family, friends, and community services.
The committee intends to analyse the report's findings through the course of its prisons, probation, and rehabilitation inquiry.
The Welsh Affairs Committee is responsible for scrutinising the expenditure, administration, and policies of the Wales Office, and the policies of the UK Government as a whole that have an impact in Wales.
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