I’d like to thank the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and members of the committee as well for their diligence this year, but also the auditor general for shining a democratic light in some pretty dark corners. The Assembly year has ended as it began, with damning reports from the auditor general into Labour Wales. In this instance, we’re here to talk about the actions of Natural Resources Wales.

It really comes to something when a timber contract is contentious. A £39 million contract given out without the company even tendering for it and, as the Chair said, state-aid rules may also have been broken, so now NRW may be open to legal challenge, and the accounts have not been given a clean bill of health. Thirty-nine million pounds without competition—it’s good work if you can get it—and no proof of value for money either. No proof of value for money. No business case. No business case. Thirty-nine million pounds, and no business case.

The chief executive of Natural Resources Wales told the Public Accounts Committee in the first meeting that a full business case had been provided. Then, in the following meeting, the same chief executive conceded that there was no business case in fact, but there was a briefing paper with not a single financial figure in it. That’s worth repeating: a £39 million contract given out, with no business case, and a briefing with not a single figure in it. And then suddenly we hear that the chief executive of NRW is riding off into the sunset and taking early retirement without questions being answered.

It feels like I’m in this Chamber every week almost, pointing out a new waste of money. Just a few months ago, the chair and deputy chair of Sport Wales were sacked after a Deloitte investigation showed some companies were given specifications for tender before other companies, and those privileged companies were then given the contracts. You’ve had the issue this week as well of the health board, very similar things there.