Wales' Deputy First Minister said transgender people “feel under siege” as she faced questions on gender identity guidance in schools and the implementation of single-sex spaces during her first appearance at Questions to the Deputy First Minister.

Serving as both Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Equality, Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd MS Sioned Williams was questioned by opposition politicians on 10 June, about the Welsh Government's response to the Cass Review and the implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling on single-sex spaces.

Reform UK MS Catherine Cullen asked how the Welsh Government would work with education ministers to prioritise “objective, evidence-based safeguarding standards” in Welsh schools.

She said: “We sit here today with one non-negotiable duty: the absolute safety of Welsh children in schools.

“When the Cass review explicitly warned that social transition - that is, changing a child's name, pronouns or uniform at school - is not a neutral act and carries severe psychological risks, Plaid Cymru voted against these recommendations.”

She continued: “[Plaid’s] manifesto demands a de-medicalised self-declaration system that actively pushes gender identity theories through the school system.”

In response, Ms Williams told members that education officials had developed draft guidance for schools on supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-questioning learners and said the Cabinet Secretary for Education recognised the need to proceed with “leadership and sensitivity”.

Questions then turned to the implementation of single-sex spaces following the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act.

Reform UK MS Art Wright asked about the Welsh Government's plans to implement single-sex spaces across Wales, while Conservative MS Natasha Asghar accused the previous Labour administration of “dragging its heels” in responding to the judgment.

Ms Asghar said she had received correspondence from a Welsh Government employee claiming staff were still working under policies that allowed “men who identify as women to use women's single-sex spaces from the first day of self-identification”.

She said: "A government cannot pick and choose which laws it follows, yet that is exactly what seems to be happening within the Welsh Government itself."

Responding, Ms Williams said the Welsh Government respected the Supreme Court ruling and was working to ensure devolved policies and practices complied with the law.

“This work has to be done carefully and consistently, and across a range of devolved areas,” she said.

However, the Deputy First Minister also emphasised that the Equality Act continues to protect people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment from discrimination and harassment.

She added: “This is a community that feels under siege at the moment, and we must be sensitive to that.

“We need to look at the practical steps that we can take whilst complying with the Supreme Court ruling, and then, in seeing the code of practice that will come forward, if it is passed in Westminster, we will need to consider how we do that.”

Ms Williams said work was continuing across government departments to ensure Welsh Government policies comply with the law while maintaining protections for transgender people.