Appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General

I endorse all the remarks that have been made about Sir John Bourn and the distinguished service that he has provided to the nation. As my hon. Friend is moving on to the subject of the Public Accounts Committee in relation to the NAO, may I reaffirm that it is essential that the chairmanship of the PAC is in the hands of the main Opposition party? That also deals with the question of parliamentary control, to which the Father of the House referred. Above all else, there must be maximum independence in such a vital constitutional area.