Thank you, Llywydd. Today, for me, is a day of mixed emotions. I am, of course, immensely proud and honoured to be standing here again representing the people of south-east Wales in this Chamber. But these feelings are tinged with great sadness. I only wish I had this opportunity to serve, and that I could accomplish it, without the sad loss of our dear friend, Mohammad Asghar.

These are tragic circumstances under which to become a Member of this Senedd. I am grateful for this opportunity, therefore, Llywydd, to say a few words about our friend and colleague, who we knew within our party and in this Chamber, affectionately, as Oscar. 

Oscar was a kind, caring and generous man, and I know everyone in this Chamber and far beyond will miss him desperately—that wicked glint in his eye and that infectious laugh. Oscar loved his family more than anything in the world, and he treated his staff and wider community as family too. My thoughts and prayers are with Natasha and Firdaus, his family and friends, at this desperately sad time.

Oscar took his role, both here and in his work defending the communities of south-east Wales, very seriously, and was very committed to both. This became very apparent when I attended his funeral, and there were people lining the streets to honour him. I will do all I can, obviously, to honour Oscar myself, and do my utmost to continue his work and give a voice to those who I now have the responsibility to represent. I will try to champion the causes close to Oscar's heart: fairness, social justice, education, and even cricket—a shared love of ours. 

Throughout his time as an Assembly Member and a Member of the Senedd, he was guided by one belief: that everyone of any background should be able to get on in life, and he was very determined to help them. Oscar was a people person with a heart as big as the city of Newport, which he loved so much. He strongly believed in free enterprise, bringing, of course, the enterprise Bill here to this Assembly containing proposals to grow the economy. 

He was never short of ideas, and I remember one speech to the Welsh Conservatives party conference when, without any consultation, he outlined his proposals for a Welsh airline and his plans to reform the social security system to remove the need for food banks. 

Economic growth was important to Oscar, not as an end in itself but as a means to achieve what he wanted to achieve. Oscar wanted to create a successful and dynamic economy in Wales to tackle poverty, enable social mobility, and to deliver the high-quality services that people need and deserve. 

His fervent desire to help people was based in his deeply held Muslim faith. However, he respected people of all religious faiths and helped them to understand his own. 

There have been many wonderful tributes to Oscar from within this Parliament and far and wide; the leaders in the middle east, where Oscar dedicated himself to promoting peace, and from our own UK Prime Minister, thanking him for his public service and recognising that the work Oscar did will have a lasting, positive impact, which I'm sure his family are very proud of.

It was a pleasure and privilege to know Mohammad Asghar. He was a proud Welshman, a proud Briton, and proud of his Pakistani heritage. Presiding Officer, Oscar's light may have gone out, but the positive impact he had on his community and country will always remain. I will endeavour to continue his good work to the very best of my ability. Thank you. Thank you, Llywydd.