1 Introduction
1. The Committee is appointed by the House of Commons
to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office
of Science and Innovation (OSI), and its associated bodies.[1]
As well as its role in advising the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA)
and the Director General of Science and Innovation (DGSI) on the
allocation of the Science Budget, OSI has a role in overseeing
science and technology policy across Government. The Committee
has a similarly broad remit.
2. This is the Committee's fourth Annual Report.
It covers the period since the appointment of the Committee on
19 July 2005 following the General Election to December 2006.
In this Report we provide an account of the ways in which our
work in 2005 and 2006 addresses our core tasks.[2]
The establishment of these tasks follows a recommendation made
by the Liaison Committee, which in turn arose from a resolution
of the House on 14 May 2002. The purpose of defining the core
tasks was to provide a clearer structure for the scrutiny of Government
by select committees. Our 12 core tasks have been adapted from
the Liaison Committee template to take account of the unique position
of the OSI within the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and
the role of the CSA in promoting the use of science across Government.
The Report also follows up some of the more general issues that
arose during 2005 and 2006.
3. During 2005 and 2006 we held 48 meetings and took
oral evidence at 40 of them. We published seven Reports and pursued
major inquiries into carbon capture and storage technologies;
scientific advice, risk and evidence-based policy making; Research
Council support for knowledge transfer; human enhancement technologies
in sport, and Research Council Institutes. The status of inquiries
conducted in 2005 and 2006 is outlined in Table 2.
Core tasks and objectives
Table
1: Relationship of inquiries and evidence sessions to objectives
and core tasks
| Inquiries/ Evidence Sessions
| Objective A
| Objective B
| Objective C
| Objective D
|
| | 1
| 2 | 3
| 4 | 5
| 6 | 7
| 8 | 9
| 10 | 11
| 12 |
| Carbon Capture and Storage
| | x |
| | |
| | | |
| x | x
|
| Strategic Science Provision in English Universities: A Follow-up[3]
| | x |
| | |
| | | | x
| x | x
|
| Research Council Support for Knowledge Transfer
| | x |
| x |
| | | x
| | | | x
|
| Watching the Directives: Scientific Advice on the EU Physical Agents (Electromagnetic Fields) Directive
| x | x
| | | x
| | | |
| | x |
x |
| Drug classification: making a hash of it?
| | x |
| | x
| | | |
| | x |
x |
| Identity Card Technologies: Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence
| x | x
| | | x
| | | |
| | x |
x |
| Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making
| | x |
| | |
| x | |
| x | x
| x |
| Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council: Introductory Hearing
| | | |
| | | | x
| x | |
| |
| Avian Influenza
| | x |
| | |
| | x |
| | |
|
| Forensic Science on Trial: Follow-up
| | x |
| | |
| | | | x
| x | x
|
| Strategic Science Provision in English Universities: Follow-up[4]
| | x |
| | |
| | | | x
| x | |
| Chief Executive of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council: Introductory Hearing
| | | |
| | | | x
| x | |
| |
| Human Reproductive Technologies and the Law
| | x |
x | |
| | | |
| x | x
| x |
| Scrutiny of the Office of Science and Innovation 2006
| x | |
| x |
| x | x
| x | |
| x |
|
| Human Enhancement Technologies in Sport
| | x |
| | x
| | | |
| | x |
|
| Research Council Institutes
| | | | x
| x | |
| x |
| | | |
| Space Policy
| | x |
| x | x
| x | |
x | |
| x | |
Status of inquiriesTable
2: Inquiries undertaken in 2005-06
| Name of Inquiry
| Number of Evidence Sessions
| Status
| Government Response
|
| Forensic Science on Trial
| 5 |
Reported March 2005 (HC 96)
| July 2005 (HC 427) |
| Strategic Science Provision in English Universities
| 4 |
Reported April 2005 (HC 220)
| July 2005 (HC 428) |
| Carbon Capture and Storage
| 3 |
Reported February 2006 (HC 578)
| April 2006 (HC 1036) |
| Strategic Science Provision in English Universities: A Follow-up
| 1 |
Reported April 2006 (HC 1011)
| July 2006 (HC 1382) |
| Research Council Support for Knowledge Transfer
| 3 |
Reported June 2006 (HC 995)
| October 2006 (HC 1653)
|
| Watching the Directives: Scientific Advice on the EU Physical Agents (Electromagnetic Fields) Directive
| 2 |
Reported June 2006 (HC 1030)
| October 2006 (HC 1654)
|
| Drug classification: making a hash of it?
| 3 |
Reported July 2006 (HC 1031)
| October 2006 (Cm 6941)
|
| Identity Card Technologies: Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence
| 3 |
Reported July 2006 (HC 1032)
| October 2006 (Cm 6943)
|
| Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making
| 5 |
Reported November 2006 (HC 900)
| Expected in January 2007
|
| Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council: Introductory Hearing
| 1 |
Evidence published October 2005 (HC 491)
| |
| Avian Influenza
| 1 |
Evidence published November 2005 (HC 713-i)
| |
| Forensic Science on Trial: Follow-up
| 1 |
Evidence published November 2005 (HC 685-i)
| |
| Strategic Science Provision in English Universities: Follow-up
| 1 |
Evidence published November 2005 (HC 576-i)
| |
| Chief Executive of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council: Introductory Hearing
| 1 |
Evidence published April 2006 (HC 808-i)
| |
| Human Reproductive Technologies and the Law
| 1 |
Evidence published (HC 1308-i)
| |
| Scrutiny of the Office of Science and Innovation 2006
| 1, plus 4x Science Question Time
| Report expected early 2007
| |
| Human Enhancement Technologies in Sport
| 4 |
Report expected early 2007 |
|
| Research Council Institutes
| 4 |
Report expected early 2007 |
|
| Space Policy
| 1, 6 expected in 2007
| Report expected 2007 |
|
Committee visitsTable
3: Committee visits undertaken since July 2005
| Location of Visit
| Date of visit
| Participants
| Purpose of Visit
|
| Home Office Scientific Development Branch, St Albans
| 22 November 2005 | 4 Members, 2 staff
| Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making
|
| E.ON UK's Ratcliffe power station & British Geological Survey
| 24 November 2005 | 5 Members, 2 staff
| Carbon Capture and Storage
|
| BP, Sunbury
| 28 November 2005 | 4 Members, 2 staff
| Carbon Capture and Storage
|
| Brussels (Conference)[5]
| 24-25 January 2006 |
1 Member (travel in a representative capacity)
| Carbon Capture and Storage
|
| Washington & New York
| 5-9 March 2006 | 5 Members, 2 staff
| Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making
|
| ASEP Meeting, Helsinki[6]
| 4-5 May 2006 | 1 Member, 1 staff
| Carbon Capture and Storage
|
| Brussels
| 10 May 2006 | 4 Members, 3 staff
| Scientific Advice on the EU Physical Agents (Electromagnetic Fields) Directive
|
| Lausanne (Conference)[7]
| 6-7 June 2006 | 2 Members, 1 staff
| Human Enhancement Technologies
|
| Research Councils, Swindon
| 20 September 2006 |
1 Member, 1 staff | OSI Scrutiny
|
| Sydney & Canberra
| 6-14 October 2006 |
6 Members, 2 staff | Human Enhancement Technologies
|
| Office of Science and Innovation
| 24 November 2006 | 5 Members, 2 staff
| OSI Scrutiny |
| Loughborough
| 29 November 2006 | 3 Members, 2 staff
| Human Enhancement Technologies
|
1 Our remit has changed to reflect the merger of the
Office of Science and Technology and the Innovation Group within
the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2006 to create the
Office of Science and Innovation. Back
2
See Box 1 and Table 1 Back
3
Science and Technology Committee, Second Report of Session 2005-06,
Strategic Science Provision in English Universities; A Follow-up,
HC 1011 Back
4
Oral evidence taken before the Committee on 2 November 2005, HC
571-i, following up the Committee's Eighth Report, Session 2004-05,
Strategic Science Provision in English Universities, HC
220, April 2005. Back
5
Joint meeting of MEPs and national Parliamentarians organized
by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European
Parliament. Back
6
Fourth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting, Helsinki Back
7
The 11th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science
(ECSS) in Lausanne Back
|
