Parliament scrutinises the work of government, government produces legislation, Ministers are advised, the public are consulted and while the vast majority of these processes and procedures are conducted in and accessible to the public. The following sections outline a number of processes and procedures of relevance to the scientific community.

The Science and Technology Select Committee Inquiry Process

The Committee determines its own programmes of inquiry (typically the Committee publishes 10-15 inquiry reports). The Committee publishes its intention to hold an inquiry with a public call for evidence (monitor the following website for up to date information: (www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_and_technology_committee.cfm ). The notice outlines the nature of the inquiry and invites written evidence from individuals and organisations on a specific list of issues/topics, the deadline and submission details (www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/witguide.htm). The Committee welcomes submissions from both individual and organisations but is not obliged to accept the evidence submitted.

The written submissions are considered before oral evidence sessions are held. These are public sessions that individuals may attend. Contact the Committee Office Information line on 020 7219 2033 to confirm the venue the day before the meeting.

The objective of the oral evidence session is to enable the Committee to explore the issues in more detail and to draw out the themes that have emerged from the written evidence. The same weighting is given to written evidences irrespective or not of whether the organisation who submitting it is asked to give oral evidence.

The Committee may appoint impartial Special Advisors for an enquiry whose expertise may assist in explaining technical issues and provide briefing material and background information.

When all the evidence has been taken and considered the Committee produces a report of its conclusions and recommendations. These are generally directed at the Government but the Committee can comment on and draw conclusions relevant to other parties e.g. industry, individual researchers.