Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance – in the Senedd at 1:45 pm on 6 December 2017.
Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, yesterday was Welsh budget day. Can I ask you, with regard to that budget, and the effect of it on—[Interruption.] I thought you'd like that, Simon Thomas. The effect of the budget on businesses and small businesses in Wales: can you tell us how you feel that the budget has been good for small and medium-sized enterprises in Wales and, when you take into account the fact that the Federation of Small Businesses have estimated that, for every £1 spent by a participating local authority with local SMEs it generates an additional 63p to benefit its local economy, compared to just 40p generated by larger local firms, how are you ensuring that the Welsh Government's procurement processes are aligned to get the best bang for the Welsh buck and that we're going to make sure that we are procuring locally and procuring from smaller firms, not just larger firms?