Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I thank Members for their contributions, especially the Member for Caerphilly for bringing this important debate forward today?

We know that microbusinesses and SMEs are the lifeblood of the economy here in Wales. They support more than 62 per cent of people in employment across the country, and they account for more than 90 per cent of enterprises across Wales. They provide a vital role in creating jobs, in increasing productivity and, of course, in driving growth across Wales, in rural and urban areas.

This debate, I think, is timely, given that this is Global Entrepreneurship Week, with thousands of events and activities taking place across the UK to celebrate entrepreneurship and to inspire our new and future entrepreneurs. And last year, of all of the events that took place across the UK, 18 per cent were here in Wales. That was a great success story, and I'm hopeful that, this year, as many events have been hosted on Welsh soil. As part of the celebrations, I attended the Institute of Directors’ south Wales business leaders’ breakfast just this morning to say a few words about the Welsh Government’s commitment to encouraging and supporting entrepreneurs. This morning, I also attended a round-table discussion with a group of young business leaders and entrepreneurs, arranged by the Federation of Small Businesses, to hear their views on the role of business and entrepreneurship. To me, the role of Welsh Government is in supporting businesses and entrepreneurs. It is very clear that we need to make Wales the very best environment it can be in which to start, to run, and to grow a business. That means that we need to be there to give the right support at the right times to business.

One of our key initiatives for supporting business is through our Business Wales service. The latest phase of the service was launched in January of this year, with the aim of creating 10,000 new businesses and more than 28,000 new jobs by the end of this decade. The latest figures show that, between January and September, Business Wales had helped to create over 2,100 jobs, it's safeguarded 350 jobs, supported over 2,200 people seeking advice, and provided information and direction to more than 5,000 customers. Business Wales also supports smaller employers to explore new markets, which could be international trade or public sector supply chains for the many infrastructure projects that are being put in place across Wales. Examples include rail electrification, the Newtown bypass, which I was pleased to cut the sod of with the Member, Russell George, just on Monday, and, of course, the £12 billion Wylfa Newydd project, which will be the largest energy infrastructure project in Wales over the next 10 years, and bigger than the 2012 London Olympic Games. We also continue to support indigenous business and have seen a record number of active enterprises headquartered in Wales. In fact, the latest figures show that Wales has the highest number of new businesses in over a decade.

Another key issue for Welsh Government is in supporting businesses to access finance. Work continues on the establishment of the development bank for Wales, which will improve the ability of SMEs to access finance, building on the experience and expertise of Finance Wales. Its objective will be to provide greater levels of funding to SMEs, whilst also improving the integration of the provision of advice and support to businesses by working more closely with Business Wales.

As a Government, we don't pretend to have all the answers, which is why I have also been engaging with business to seek views on the economic priorities that will inform the development of four cross-cutting strategies that will underpin ‘Taking Wales Forward’, our programme for government. I've done this because I want our Government to be a pro-business Government that makes it a priority to talk to businesses large and small about their views on developing the right approach to grow prosperity and deliver greater financial security for businesses and individuals across our country. More than ever, we need to ensure that the resources we have at our disposal are used to secure maximum impact and the best outcomes for Wales. And our focus remains on delivering programmes and ensuring stability and confidence for businesses large and small.