Former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna bid his farewell to parliament on Tuesday, ahead of his resignation to become governor of the Central Bank. 

He said it had been a pleasure to serve in the House for the past 12 years and he was pleased that during his time as finance minister the economy had been transformed. 

He thanked all those who had helped him and also called for better relations between the government and the opposition. He said that even in his new role he would do his best to bring about a normalisation in this regard.

He also urged the House and politicians, in general, to remain open to people who had made a success of their profession and wished to serve in parliament, but were discouraged by the political climate. The House, he said, should not be depleted of such people.

He also said that the national institutions should be transparent, but should not be undermined from within by certain attitudes which brought about instability.