Or Home Secretary. Oh, Home Secretary's gone. [Laughter.] Sorry. 

There is a need for common sense in your dealings with the VOA. I know how frustrated you must get, because when I try to work on behalf of a constituent on valuations, it can take up to two years. I've raised it with the valuation office, and if I'm having difficulty, it must be difficult, but, somehow, you must pursue those conversations. All businesses on Mostyn Street will have to go to appeal, of course, when the new rateable values are published. And I just think that the VOA appeal process, as I've mentioned—. I've even got some businesses at the moment in Aberconwy waiting five years for their appeals to be heard. So, somehow, there has to be some liaison. Now, I've had this out over the years with the First Minister, and other Ministers, and their argument to me is, 'Oh, the VOA, it's a UK Government department'. But, I'm sorry, it's the Welsh Government that's procuring the service of the VOA from the VOA. So, in my book, if I'm tendering for or if I'm procuring a service myself, I have a say in how good or bad that service is. So, I don't think the excuse is good enough, for you as a Welsh Government to say, 'Well, it's UK Government, the VOA, it doesn't come under us'. You are procuring, using taxpayers' money, so I firmly believe that you should have some levels of expectation on the standard of their workings.

We know that we've got a climate and energy crisis. I've already mentioned today some of the unbelievable costs that some of my businesses are facing. I've had people writing to me about this, and I've had to say, 'Well, actually, energy comes under the UK Government'. But they come back to me straight away, and say, 'But I'm asking what will the Welsh Government do to help us as businesses'. And to me, business rates is a no-brainer. That is one of the ways in which you can actually help those businesses that are really suffering.

The fact remains that the businesses in Wales, the businesses across the UK, are the backbone of the economy of our country. Not only do they want to pay their own way, provide a good service, but they want to employ. It's become a lot more difficult now for apprenticeships going through retail, going through the hospitality sector—it is now, right now. There's been lots of focus on what the UK Government is doing. Where business rates are concerned, I genuinely believe that you could pioneer a way forward for businesses—that's if you have the appetite and the will to do it. Diolch.