Andrew Miller looks at science in parliament and government, focusing particularly on the role of select committees, who forms them and hopw they work.

1. Science in Parliament & Government
Andrew Miller
Former chair House of Commons
Science & Technology Select
Committee
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2. 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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3. 3
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

4. 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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5. 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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6. 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

7. 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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8. 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 days8

9. 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 76
Written
evidence 834 264 526 292 1,9169

10. Reports 2010-15 Parliament
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11. 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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12.  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

13. 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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14. 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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15. 15
Dear Chancellor,
Protecting and promoting science after the EU referendum result
I 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. The
UK 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 MP
Chair

16. 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 MP
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17. Further information
 Commons S+T Committee www.parliament.uk/science
 Guide for Select Committee Witnesses
www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/witguide.htm
 How Parliament works
www.parliament.uk/about/how/committees/select.cfm
 Select committee calendar
www.parliament.uk/whats_on/hoc_news3.cfm
Twitter @CommonsSTC17

18. Andrew.1949@outlook.com
Thank you
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