Govt urged to create science committee
By Alice Cannet
A group of MPs have called for a science and technology committee to be created to keep the scrutiny of science and engineering ‘a priority’ in government.
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills (IUSS) Committee warned today that the future of science scrutiny is at risk following the department’s administrative changes last week.
“Establishing a science and technology select committee is critical both to reassure the science community that proper examination of science and engineering across government remains a priority, and to ensure MPs have an effective and transparent arena in which to hold the government’s science policy to account,” Phil Willis, committee chairman, said.
On Friday 5th, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) were merged as a result of the Cabinet reshuffle.
The resulting Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, led by Lord Mandelson, will establish a single committee replacing the existing IUSS and Business and Enterprise committees.
Today’s report urged the government to propose the creation of a separate science and technology committee before the House of Commons as soon as possible to safeguard the future of science scrutiny.
Mr Willis added: “Despite all the reassurances we have heard from ministers about the importance of science and engineering in government planning and policy, yet again we face the reality that science could be lost in a black hole of this new, all-encompassing ‘super department’ of Business, Innovation and Skills.
“We urge the government to create a science and technology select committee alongside the new Business, Innovation and Skills Committee to ensure the crucial work of science scrutiny across government is maintained.
“The desire to exploit the UK’s world class science base in order to contribute to economic recovery is commendable, valid and not in dispute.”
Speaking at the science museum on Wednesday, Lord Mandelson said: “The future competitiveness of this country depends on the excellence of its science.
“Our ability to maintain and develop our strong science base through both applied and a substantial element of fundamental curiosity driven research, will be essential to our long-term economic success.”
But the MPs argued that instead of giving science a stable home at the heart of government policy, it was “treated as a bargaining chip passed around departments.”
Science should not be “neglected among administrative changes” and its spending and policy not “subordinated to the short-term needs of industry and business”, the report concluded.
