I'm not going to tell everyone where I get my hair cut, we'll be here all day.

COVID lockdowns have made us realise how important our local businesses are; they've been a lifeline for rural communities in my constituency. The visit to the local shop or the pub could be the only face-to-face conversation and contact that some people have every week, and I do have to declare an interest here, Deputy Llywydd, as I do still drive our delivery van from time to time, delivering prime quality venison, but other establishments are available.

The need to buy local top quality produce is greater now more than ever. We need to help the environment by cutting back on transport miles and this was echoed in my colleague, Peter Fox's Bill last week. And food producers in my constituency of Brecon and Radnor do their utmost to produce high quality locally sourced food that is environmentally friendly. I've long championed the need to buy local and support local businesses on our high streets long before I came to this place, leading on growing the economy of Powys by the Powys pound scheme and many other incentives when I was going around meeting many small businesses right across Powys. The importance of our small businesses to our economy is huge and this is evident in the statistics. There are 265,000-plus micro, small and medium-sized businesses in Wales, which collectively make up 99.4 per cent of all enterprises operating in the country.

SMEs turn over £46 billion a year—that's a huge amount of money—and they deliver growth and jobs in rural areas and right across Wales. But their value is more than a statistic; it's more than money. It is supporting our local communities, our friends and our neighbours who own small businesses or who work in a business or supply the business. It is our sense of identity as a country and we all know the local butcher, like W.J. George Butchers Ltd in Talgarth or the greengrocer like Grenfell's & Sons Grocers in Crickhowell and others who go above and beyond to support their communities with charity work and donations for very important events. But we have seen many village shops and pubs close across my constituency in recent years, and it has left a hole in the hearts of many of our communities, but it's so positive to see that there are communities that come together, like Llangors Shop in my community, which is working together to create a shop for that community, it's absolutely fantastic.

But many businesses are not back to trading levels yet, pre pandemic. Many businesses are seeing lower footfall as a result of the introduction of the Welsh Government's COVID pass and a change to shopping habits. Business rates are the highest cost to most small businesses after rent and staff wages, and I do welcome that the Government is supporting our small and medium-sized businesses by continuing the holiday and I hope that you'll follow the UK Government in your budget and do more to support our small businesses. So, I urge everybody to think about your local businesses in your communities going forward. It may be cheaper and more convenient to do your Christmas shopping on Amazon or somewhere else, but spare a thought for the local traders and the invaluable services that they offer that go far beyond the provision of goods and services. So, this weekend, get out and support your community and support Small Business Saturday.