1 Introduction
1. Our Committee is appointed by the House of Commons
to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office
of Science and Technology (OST) and its associated public bodies.[1]
The OST is a small department, part of the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI) since 1995. It is divided into two parts:
- The Transdepartmental Science
and Technology Group, which supports the Chief Scientific Adviser
(who is head of OST) in his role of advising the Prime Minister,
the Cabinet, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and
the Minister for Science and Innovation on science, engineering
and technology matters; and
- The Science and Engineering Base Group, which
supports the Director General of the Research Councils in allocating
the Science Budget and in securing the successful operation of
the seven Research Councils, which are the OSTs principal associated
public bodies.
2. The wide responsibility of the OST for furthering
science and technology in the UK means that our Committee has
a similarly wide brief to examine science and technology issues
across Government and outside; but examining the work of the OST
and the Research Councils is our primary role. This is manifested
in the regular scrutiny of the Research Councils (each will be
considered in the course of this Parliament) and the annual scrutiny
of the OST. In the course of each session, to inform our annual
scrutiny report, we aim to hold evidence sessions with the Secretary
of State for Trade and Industry (with Cabinet responsibility for
science), the Minister for Science and Innovation, the Chief Scientific
Adviser (CSA) and the Director General of the Research Councils
(DGRC). On 26 March 2003, Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State
for Trade and Industry, appeared before us (alongside Charles
Clarke, Secretary of State for Education and Skills).[2]
On 11 November 2003, Lord Sainsbury, Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State for Science and Innovation, appeared with Sir John Taylor,
DGRC, and Sir David King, CSA, and the transcript is published
with this Report. It had been anticipated that this latter session
would consider the Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration
and the DTI's Innovation Review but these were only published
on 4 December and 17 December 2003 respectively and will be considered
in our OST scrutiny report for 2004.
3. In advance of the session with Lord Sainsbury
on 11 November, we submitted a number of preliminary questions
as a basis for cross-examination. We are grateful to the OST for
providing rapid and considered responses. These are published
with this Report.
1 House of Commons Standing Order No. 152 Back
2
Minutes of Evidence, Science and Technology Committee, Session
2002-03, The Implications for Science of the Higher Education
White Paper, 26 March 2003, HC 416-I Back
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