6. What measures is the Welsh Government taking to support small businesses in Monmouth? OAQ52274

Through Business Wales and the development bank, we are committed to supporting entrepreneurs, of course, and small and medium-sized enterprises across Wales. And our focus remains on innovation-driven entrepreneurs, jobs and the economy.

Diolch, First Minister. Can I ask you, there was great concern about the introduction of the rate revaluation recently—last year, I should say. That revaluation had a mixed effect across Wales: some areas were far better off, others were not so good. Areas like mine in Monmouthshire and also the Vale of Glamorgan, Cowbridge, were badly affected. There is one business in Chepstow in my constituency that has seen its business rates rise from £4,500 per year to almost £8,000. I know that there were packages of support that were available, but those haven't helped all businesses, particularly that business in Chepstow, which is now in very serious difficulty. Can you tell me if you're going to revisit the rate revaluation and see how you can better provide support for businesses that have been badly affected like this?

The difficulty is that if you revise the revaluation or go back to the former valuation, you end up with people having to pay more as a result of the fact that they pay less now. There are always people who pay more and there are always people who pay less. We've known that through revaluations over the years. What we look to do then, of course, is to provide support for those who need it most. I don't know the ins and outs of the situation of the business that the Member has described, but what I can say is that during the course of this year, we'll be providing around £210 million of rates relief to support businesses and other rate payers, and that means that more than three quarters of rate payers in Wales will see a difference. Indeed, more than half will pay no rates at all.