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Science in Parliament & Government
Andrew MillerFormer chair House of Commons
Science & Technology Select Committee
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Parliament & Science
Science within Parliament & Government Select Committees and how they work The Science & Technology Select Committee How to influence science in Parliament
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Prime Minister and Cabinet
Secretary of State
Minister for Universities and
Science
Director General, Science and Innovation
Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA)
Government Office for Science
Ministers
Departmental Chief Scientific
Advisers
Independent Scientific Advisory
Committees
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Departments
Parliament
POST
Parliamentary and Scientific Committee
Lords S+T Committee
Commons S+T Committee
Foresight
Science in Government
(SiG)
InnovateUK
National Academies
Research Councils
HEFCE
What is a select committee?
A committee of MPs from different parties working together on common issues
Role is to scrutinise the spending, administration and policies of a Government Department and its associated public bodies
Most shadow a particular department but S+T Committee shadows GO Science and therefore interprets its remit as cross-departmental
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Members
Committee has 11 backbench MPs Roughly proportionate to seats held in House Chair elected by whole House Members elected by their parties Ministers, front bench opposition and whips cannot
be members of select committees
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Members
Chris Green
Carol Monaghan Graham Stringer Matt Warman
Dr Tania Mathias
Stella Creasy
Nicola Blackwood (Chair)
Jim Dowd
Derek Thomas Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods
Victoria Borwick
Vancancy
Committee activities
Scrutinise Government and public bodies:– Inquiries on topics/policies/legislative scrutiny– One-off evidence sessions e.g. Science
Question Times, pre/post appointment hearings
Other activities: seminars, briefings and visits
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Inquiry process
Choose inquiry topic Announce inquiry, terms of reference and call for
evidence (up to 12 weeks) Sometimes appoint special advisors Hold oral evidence sessions Draft, amend and agree report Publish report (sometimes with a press launch) There can be debates in the House Government response, usually within 60 days
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Work during 2010-15 Parliament
Session Session Session Session Total
2010-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Meetings 67 36 44 28 175
Reports 15 9 9 9 42
Special 11 6 9 4 30
Reports
Witnesses 262 104 160 142 668
Inquiries 29 14 19 14 76Written evidence 834 264 526 292 1,9169
Reports 2010-15 Parliament
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Reports during 2010-15 Parliament
Digital by default Work of the European and UK Space Agencies Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of NERC & AHRC Climate: Public understanding and policy implications Women in science Government horizon scanning Antimicrobial resistance variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Astra Zeneca Pfizer Blood Tissue & Organ screening Mitochondrial donation
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Social media data Health screening Women in science Practical science in schools GM Foods Biometrics Science at Kew Gardens Pre-Appointment BBSRC Chair Committee Legacy
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Reports during 2010-15 Parliament
Current Parliament (published)
The science budget Science in emergencies: UK lessons from Ebola inquiry The Big Data Dilemma Investigatory Powers: technology issues Zika virus EU regulation of Life Sciences Digital Skills crisis Satellites and space
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Current Parliament
Science in emergencies: chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents
Smart meters Regenerative medicine Graphene Forensic science strategy Robotics and artificial intelligence Science communication Digital skills Managing Intellectual property transfer Leaving the EU
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Dear Chancellor,
Protecting and promoting science after the EU referendum resultI wrote to you on 7 March about the science budget and other measures that the Science and Technology Committee wished to see taken forward to protect the UK science base. Following last Thursday's EU Referendum result, I am writing again to highlight the continuing importance of protecting our science and research, and to advise you that the Committee intends to move quickly to hold an inquiry into how that might best be done in the run up to leaving the EU. We propose to take evidence from ministers, including from BIS, as part of this inquiry. I would be grateful for your response on the points below in order to inform the Committee's work, and to give some assurances to the science community that the Government will not lose sight of the issues for science and research in exit negotiations.The Committee's report earlier this month on EU Regulation of the Life Sciences identified areas where, were we destined to remain in the EU, the Government should seek improvements in EU life-science regulatory processes. While we are now unlikely to have any meaningful role in that endeavour, our report highlighted significant benefits from our membership that should be preserved — an EU-wide regulatory system that drives research collaboration and allows access for UK science to the whole EU market. It is vital that the UK retains these collaboration and single market access benefits in whatever post-EU relationship we pursue, and I would be grateful for your thoughts on how this could be achieved.The UK has been a net receiver of EU research funding, and it is important that we maintain our access to EU research grants. As the Lords S&T Committee noted in its report on EU Membership and UK Science, the UK has been able to win a share of the EU's Horizon-2020 funding which greatly exceeds what we have put into that pot. TheUK has secured 15% of Horizon-2020 funding to date, second only to Germany. Some Associated Countries have been able to maintain access to Horizon-2020 funding, but the Government will need to learn from the cautionary tale of Switzerland, whose access to Horizon-2020 was much restricted after it curtailed free movement of people, undermining the country's science sector. The Government's views on the scope for maintaining access to Horizon funding will form a useful part of our inquiry.As you noted in your Fixing the Foundations report last July, "there is a clear and robust evidence of a link between R&D spending and national productivity". Whatever the uncertainties that lie ahead, a strong Government commitment to the science budget is needed along with a roadmap for increasing UK expenditure on R&D as a share of GDP towards the rates of our competitors. In our Science Budget report last year, we called for spending of 3% of GDP to be the goal. This greater investment would need to come from the private sector as well as from Government. Now, more than ever, the Government will need to demonstrate how science and research is a fundamental building block of our future prosperity, to encourage that continuing private sector investment. If that private sector investment falls because of any transitional uncertainty, however, the Government should be ready to reassess its science budget funding to at least maintain current investment levels overall. The Committee, and the science community, will appreciate a clear view from the Treasury on how funding can be safeguarded in the context of Brexit, and grown in the longer term.The UK has also benefitted enormously from scientists, researchers and students coming to work in the UK from other parts of the EU and from further afield. Whatever migration policies are now put in place, we must remain an attractive place to do research. I would be grateful if you could set out your thoughts on how the Government can make it absolutely clear that the UK remains open and welcoming to such fundamentally important contributors to our research base, our economy, and our country.I am copying this to Jo Johnson in BIS and Oliver Letwin in the Cabinet Office, and I look forward to your response. Best wishes Nicola Blackwood MPChair
How you can help Parliament
Select committees rely on evidence from credible sources
You can help the Committee in its work by:
– Submitting written evidence– Suggesting witnesses for oral evidence – Suggesting ideas for inquiries (we keep a
“long list” under regular review)– Engage with your MP16
Further information
Commons S+T Committee www.parliament.uk/science
Guide for Select Committee Witnesses www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/witguide.htm
How Parliament workswww.parliament.uk/about/how/committees/select.cfm
Select committee calendar www.parliament.uk/whats_on/hoc_news3.cfm
Twitter @CommonsSTC
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