Diolch, Llywydd. I do very much welcome this debate to note the importance of Small Business Saturday and to, of course, recognise the vital contribution that small businesses make in sustaining local economies, developing communities and creating jobs. And as others have already said, SMEs are the lifeblood of the Welsh economy and make up over 99 per cent of Welsh businesses, accounting for almost 63 per cent of total employment.

And we could all show our support for local businesses by giving them our custom, and events such as Small Business Saturday are an important reminder that, by shopping locally, we can directly support our SMEs and ensure that a proportion of our money is invested straight back into our local economies. That's something that I've been doing in my constituency, as I know other Members have been, and what I will be doing in highlighting and promoting that this weekend. Like James, I'm not going to go down the road of listing all the wonderful businesses in my constituency, other than the hairdresser called Hairport that's been turning my hair purple over the last few months. But this also includes supporting our social businesses in Wales that do form a dynamic, diverse sector, which has demonstrated considerable growth over the last few years. Currently, there are 2,309 social businesses identified in Wales, which employ an estimated 59,000 people, and it's important that we learn from the values and the principles of social enterprises and co-operatives that have helped us through the pandemic to build that fairer, greener and more prosperous tomorrow, and that was something that was set out by Cefin Campbell in his short debate last week.

Now, I am proud of our track record in developing a strong entrepreneurial culture, and entrepreneurship and innovations are key to growing the economy in Wales. We're committed to nurturing entrepreneurial spirit in our small business owners and future generations, supporting the introduction of innovative technologies, new products and services to help businesses remain competitive, create jobs, and capitalise on opportunities arising to grow their businesses. Through Business Wales, the Welsh Government is actively focused on engaging and supporting our microbusinesses and SMEs, particularly those that are grounded in their local communities and are invested in Wales for the long term. That's why we are investing £20.9 million from 2023 to 2025 in our Business Wales service, to continue to ensure that businesses have access to the information, guidance and business support that they need to start, to grow and to prosper. This will build on the success of the Business Wales service that we've seen to date.