Janet Finch-Saunders:Today’s debate focuses on one of the most integral components requiring change in order to get the Welsh economy going and growing. Indeed, never before has there been such a need to look again, examine, and decide which to accept of the many recommendations coming forward from those most affected, to include business owners, business industry support bodies, the Welsh Government and us as Assembly Members in our attempts to support our vital private sector and our business industry in Wales. The Welsh Conservatives’ motion and amendments, tabled by Paul Davies AM, intend to do just that, and my contribution today seeks to support those aims.When meeting many business owners in my constituency, the conversation always and ultimately reverts to concerns being raised as to just how difficult it is to pay the amounts that are due on an annual basis in business rates. It does not matter how large or small the business, how long the business has been trading, or even the line of business they are in. However, very recently, I spoke to one young man who was very pleased that he no longer pays business rates as a result of the business rate relief. He expressed much gratitude for this as it helped him to sustain and grow his business. I would like to acknowledge the work that the Minister has done in this regard in the time I have been here. However, we need to take a much braver step forward and look at other ways to deal with this particular old chestnut.Experience teaches me that, during a new business set-up, when one takes on a leasehold or freehold retail unit, you know what your estimated outgoings will be in terms of your annual rental or business loan. You are then presented with the business rates chargeable at that time. However, as things stand, you are powerless as a business owner to exert influence over the rises in business rates that can come your way. This can be a huge burden in terms of the overall sustainability of your business. The Welsh Government setting the multiplier each year and the Valuation Office Agency assigning the rateable value can have a huge impact on someone’s business, and I welcome the cap introduced by the UK Government and replicated here. However, it is not enough. I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government will have full responsibility for business rates once the Wales Bill has received Royal Assent. However, it is not enough. I welcome the hardship relief that is available although very little known about and applied for, but it is still not enough. The current £1,000 rate rebate that the Minister announced only recently has caused some confusion within those needy businesses in my own area. They do not know whether it is automatically applied or whether they have to apply for it, and I would like some clarification on that today.Our small and medium-sized businesses are one of our greatest assets in Wales. There are 8,300 small businesses and 2,015 medium businesses employing thousands of people across Wales. Our high streets in Wales have the highest vacancy rates in the UK, and such is the concern in the industry about this that we now have the cross-party group, which I am really proud to chair, on small shops, looking at ways to revitalise our high streets. Some support on business rates could allow businesses to employ an extra member of staff, helping to eradicate our unemployment levels in Wales. It is said that, if every business took on one, we could do away with our unemployment. Sadly, recent figures from the Centre for Retail Research forecast the disappearance of the Welsh high street within just 20 years if current closure levels remain the same. Minister, we cannot allow this to happen. The First Minister has indicated that the private sector in Wales is too small. Offering small and affordable business rates is just one way to stimulate enterprise births and, despite billions spent on European development in Wales, we have seen little or no benefit to our private sector or, indeed, our SMEs. The Confederation of British Industry says that the most important issue facing Wales is delivery. We have had a lot of talk.On the Welsh multiplier, splitting and possibly lowering it would benefit 775 of our businesses. Raising awareness of the hardship relief and placing an obligation on local authorities to advertise this more freely, as they do with council tax relief, would benefit our businesses. It would be easy to do through the council propaganda free newspapers so often put out by local authorities. Also, following the devolution of business rates to Wales, I believe that allowing each local authority the option of retaining its collective business rates, as recommended by the task and finish group, would be another way of incentivising collaboration between our local authorities and the very businesses they are collecting this money from. These are just some of the tools in the box, Minister, that you have to turn the wheels of entrepreneurial success and growth in the Welsh economy. For the sake of our businesses in Wales, I urge you to use these and also to consider and support our motion today. Diolch. Thank you.