Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:32 pm on 30 November 2016.
I think that the complexity of taking action and having unintended consequences could then make it worse for other people. It’s almost like a game of Jenga that we’re playing here—you change one thing and the whole thing could come crashing down. So, I think using the next 12 months to look at what’s going on, to get that feedback and to try and make those changes would be a good thing. But, as I say, it would be interesting to hear from the Cabinet Secretary as to what is planned.
Just to take us back to the beginning, with regard to an all-Wales enterprise zone, I would warn—and Adam Price did use this phrase—any Member against repeating the careworn phrase, ‘small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy’—it’s not only Adam and his party that have used it. This implies that owner-managers have a responsibility for economic growth, which of course they don’t. Economic growth is not their responsibility. In fact, there’s often a distinction between policy makers’ desire for small-firm job creation and the indifference of owner-managers to achieving that objective. They find alternatives to employment and, as I’ve said before, they are quite rightly reluctant employers in many cases. So, instead, we should be looking to make life as easy as possible for owner-managers, without imbuing them with the responsibility for our economic salvation. I think there’s a danger if we think, ‘Okay, we’re going to move away from inward investment to small businesses being the lifeblood of our economy.’ I think that’s a dangerous thing.
Finally, I will be spending £10 locally for Small Business Saturday—wonderful idea from the Federation of Small Business. I’ve enjoyed everybody’s videos, and I hope you’ve seen mine. This debate today is a very good way to highlight that cause.