The Science and Technology Committee is appointed to examine on behalf of the House of Commons the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office of Science and Technology (and any associated public bodies). Its constitution and powers are set out in House of Commons Standing Order No. 152.

  The Committee has a maximum of eleven members, of whom the quorum for any formal proceedings is three. The members of the Committee are appointed by the House and unless discharged remain on the Committee until the next dissolution of Parliament. The present membership of the Committee is as follows:[1]

Dr Michael Clark MP (Conservative, Rayleigh)[2]
Mr Nigel Beard MP (Labour, Bexleyheath and Crayford)[2]
Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas MP (Labour, Crosby)[2]
Dr Ian Gibson MP (Labour, Norwich North)[2]
Mr Robert Jackson MP (Conservative, Wantage)[3]
Dr Lynne Jones MP (Labour, Birmingham Selly Oak)[2]
Mr Nigel Jones MP (Liberal Democrat, Cheltenham)[2]
Dr Ashok Kumar MP (Labour, Middlesborough South and East Cleveland)[2]
Mr Ian Taylor MP (Conservative, Esher and Walton)[4]
Dr Desmond Turner MP (Labour, Brighton Kemptown)[2]
Dr Alan W Williams MP (Labour, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)[2]

On 30 July 1997, the Committee elected Dr Michael Clark as its Chairman.

The Committee has the power to require the submission of written evidence and documents, to examine witnesses, and to make Reports to the House. In the footnotes to this Report, references to oral evidence are indicated by 'Q' followed by the question number, references to the written evidence are indicated by 'Ev' followed by a page number.

The Committee may meet at any time (except when Parliament is prorogued or dissolved) and at any place within the United Kingdom. The Committee may meet concurrently with other committees or sub-committees established under Standing Order No. 152 and with the House's European Scrutiny Committee (or any of its sub-committees) for the purpose of deliberating, taking evidence or considering draft reports. The Committee may exchange documents and evidence with any of these committees, as well as with the House's Public Accounts, Deregulation and Environmental Audit Committees.

The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/s&thome.htm. A list of Reports of the Committee in the present Parliament is at the end of this volume.

All correspondence should be addressed to The Clerk of the Science and Technology Committee, Committee Office, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general inquiries is: 020 7219 2794; the Committee's e-mail address is: scitechcom@parliament.uk.