Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:49 pm on 13 October 2021.
Thank you very much. And of course, in the meantime, it's important that this Government does turn over every stone in order to create the revival that we all want to see. The Federation of Small Businesses, for example, is proposing a package of possible measures that would contribute to that, through using procurement. They also talk about encouraging more start-ups, and including the employment levy, and so on. But procurement, certainly, that you do already have as a Government here in Wales, could have that transformative impact that I'm sure that we all want to see with regard to the economy. Now, we've all argued that we need to increase how much public procurement funding stays in Wales from around the current 52 per cent. We as a party have said that we would want to aim towards 70 per cent, and of course, with every 1 per cent in addition, that means 2,000 jobs, so an increase of 20 per cent would mean an increase of 40,000 jobs, and that would be achieved without spending more money. That money is being spent already, but we'd be able to do that in a much smarter way. So, what are you going to do to achieve that potential and fulfil it, and will you commit to a target, as Plaid Cymru is aiming towards, to maximise the value of the Welsh pound, which would have such a positive impact on the economy and on people's lives?