Hansard

On occasions such as this there is the temptation to say, "Oh, for goodness' sake give him the watch and crack open the sherry." [Laughter.] However, that would not do justice to the distinguished service that the Presiding Officer has rendered to Parliament in its first session. I am very pleased indeed to associate my colleagues and me with the First Minister's and Mr Swinney's generous tributes and with the terms of the motion.

When writing his memoirs, the Presiding Officer will no doubt reflect on some of the trials and tribulations of his job. On day one, of course, the Presiding Officer was handed the poisoned chalice of the Holyrood project, which is a responsibility that he has shouldered with commendable commitment but occasionally, some of us might think, with an unwise degree of enthusiasm. The Holyrood project has been a labour of Hercules—unfinished—of which the Presiding Officer will be delighted, no doubt, to be well shot.

Presiding Officers and Speakers in Parliaments are, of course, akin to football referees and it is a measure of Sir David's authority that, after four years, there have been few bookings for dissent and no red cards—yet. Indeed, with the benefit of hindsight, I have to thank the Presiding Officer for preventing me on one occasion from asking questions in the Parliament, which probably did much more for my credibility than if I had actually asked them—such are the ironies and contradictions of politics.

As chair of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, the Presiding Officer has been responsible for the Parliament staff and in thanking him for his contribution over the past four years I would also like to express our thanks to the Parliament staff for the outstanding support and service that they have given to us all in every department and in every respect. [Applause.] I would also like to extend my best wishes to members who, like the Presiding Officer, will retire from Parliament before the election. I thank them for their contributions, particularly those of my colleagues John Young and Ben Wallace.

As the First Minister said, Presiding Officer, you have given outstanding service to public life in Scotland over many years and you will, as John Swinney noted, make an early return to the Assembly Hall in your capacity as Lord High Commissioner to the forthcoming General Assembly. That will be yet another eminent title to add to your burgeoning collection.

And so, Sir David, I say to you: go back to your constituency and prepare for retirement—although that is a prospect that we may all have to face on 1 May. It has been a pleasure to have worked with you over the four years of the Parliament, Sir David, and all of us wish you and Judy many happy and fulfilling years ahead. [Applause.]