Thank you to Nick Ramsay for bringing this statement forward on behalf of the Public Accounts Committee today, which enables me, on behalf of the Finance Committee, to endorse the thanks expressed to the auditor general. Although he works mainly with Nick's committee, of course, the governance of the auditor's office come to the Finance Committee, and we have very much appreciated the willingness of Huw Vaughan Thomas to collaborate with us, and the way in which he has facilitated that work. For a second there, when you were talking about regeneration, I thought that Huw was going to become some sort of Doctor Who and regenerate in some alternative form. But, it’s not quite that situation. But, he has certainly cast light where light needed to be cast and has ensured that our democracy here works far more successfully.

Just to remind ourselves that Huw as auditor general is one of the few lead officials within public service in Wales that we as an Assembly appoint. Therefore, it is appropriate that we officially put on record our thanks to him. He has left a legacy for the Finance Committee. He has audited under the systems governing his operations and decided that legislation needed to be improved to facilitate the work of the next auditor general and of the office in future. Therefore, he has left a legacy for us to work with too. But, the main thing to do and to say today is something that I couldn’t have done in the Parliament that I was once a Member of, and that is to turn to somebody in the gallery, who isn’t a stranger to us, and to refer to him in personal terms and to thank Huw Vaughan Thomas for all of his work as Auditor General for Wales, and to tell him, 'Don’t be a stranger to this Assembly from now on either.'