Appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. As has been mentioned, the fact that the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is an Opposition Member provides a degree of balance within the system. If that role is diminished to any extent, we need to consider the issue of balance. In the context of the Tiner review, it is entirely understandable that the appointment of Mr. Burr is only temporary. A full explanation has been provided by the Prime Minister. Without any criticism of Mr. Burr—a man of integrity and incisiveness, as we heard from my hon. Friend the Chairman of the PAC—we should acknowledge that short-term appointments can weaken the perception of independence. When appointees are waiting for a decision from the Executive as to reappointment, there may be a perception that that official is not entirely independent and that he is in some respect beholden to the Executive. In the current economic conditions, the point is particularly relevant to the delayed appointment of the Governor of the Bank of England, but I shall not dwell on that. The point should be taken into account in any appointment process where independence from the Executive is crucial. Finally, I welcome Mr. Burr to his new role. As we have heard this afternoon, those who know him speak highly of him. He has already given a number of years of distinguished service to the National Audit Office. I know that going from No. 2 to No. 1 in an organisation is not always easy, as the Prime Minister may agree. None the less, we wish Mr. Burr well for the future.