As expected, the special report issued by the IUSS Committee recommends the creation of a dedicated committee overseeing science policy in the UK Government. See my report at the Guardian Science Blog:
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee issued a special report today calling on the government to safeguard scrutiny of science policy following the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The report recommends that proposals for the creation of a separate science and technology committee be put before the House of Commons as soon as possible.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued a press release in response to the special report published by the IUSS last week:
Responding to the IUSS Committee's fourth special report of session 2008-9, "The future of science scrutiny following the merger of DIUS and BERR", Lord…
Amid the carnage surrounding Gordon Brown's cabinet reshuffle, science has lost its footing and looks like it may end up as simply another tool for business and enterprise (read: grants redirected to profitable areas of research). Over at the Lay Scientist, Martin Robbins has a fairly thorough…
Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, will tomorrow announce his intention to place science "at centre of vision of Britain's future prosperity" in a speech at the Science Museum in London.
Marking the launch of the museum's centenary celebrations, Mandelson will…
I'm in the Guardian again, talking about the Government's decision to scrap the two-year old Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills in favour of incorporating these duties into the Department for Business. Science is in a vulnerable position at the moment:
As the dust settles…
I wrote to my MP and Harriet Harman. I'll post the replies (when/if I get them) on the blog.
I am writing to raise my concerns about the impending loss of any effective cross-party oversight of science policy as a result of the merging of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, as laid out by Frank Swire on the Guardian website today. The Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK has written to you recently as well to highlight their concerns that informed and objective decisions will no longer be made over decisions of scientific policy and funding as a result. I implore you to follow the recommendations of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee and support any proposal for the creation of a separate science and technology committee.
Yours sincerely,
I'll write as well, although to be honest our MP is a lost cause -- a complete lickspittle for whoever is PM.