The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee

The means by which science is dealt with across Parliament and Government is complex, involving different individuals, structures and bodies. This introduction seeks to provide an overview and a framework for the more detailed information that follows.

Parliament, Government and the Civil Service

In order to understand how science inter-relates with Parliament, Government and the Civil Service it is first important to understand the role and functions of each. Parliament does not govern. The nature of Parliaments powers lie in its "legislative supremacy". The UK does not have a basic charter or constitution; Parliament has the sole constitutional right of establishing and altering the laws, other than the willingness of the people to obey, or their power to resist. It is not possible in the UK to challenge an Act of the UK Parliament in the courts on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. One of the consequences of Parliament's legislative supremacy is that one Parliament cannot bind its successor Parliaments, which of course have equal claim to legislative supremacy.

Government conducts the business of the state, often acting within the powers and resources that have been granted by Parliament, and claiming its authority to govern by virtue of its ability to command a majority of the House of Commons. Hence, Parliament may try to influence the actions of government but it cannot micro-manage the affairs of the state. Parliament influences the actions of Government through a process of scrutiny, provision of information and advice. This is achieved for science in Parliament through the activities of the Select Committees; the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee (P&SC) and a number of other associated parliamentary bodies and the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology (POSI).

The Civil Service answers to government and not to Parliament. There is little parliamentary oversight of appointments to public office or of the control of the processes and procedures - the machinery of government. The Government, by royal proclamation summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament.

Government is managed by Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister and supported by the civil service, which is independent of the party of government. There are three levels of Ministerial rank. A Secretary of State is the top-ranking Minister in a Department and is always a member of cabinet. A Minister of State is the second rank of minister and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State the most junior of ministerial positions.

Since the Government does not have a science ministry, the highest ranking minister with direct responsibility for science is the Minister of State for Science & Innovation in the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills. Within other government departments, responsibility for science may fall to Ministers of State or the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, depending on the extent of the use of science by the different departments.

The senior officials responsible for science at the departmental level are the Chief Scientific Advisers (CSA) or equivalent. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser has direct access to, and advises the Prime Minister on science, but has no direct line management responsibility for Department CSAs.

Science at Prime Minister Level

The Prime Minister is advised on science, engineering and technology by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (to whom he has direct access) and the Council for Science & Technology (CST). The CST is the Prime Minister's top-level advisory body on medium to longer-term strategic issues concerning government policies and framework for ensuring that science and innovation meets the needs of the UK.

Science at Cabinet Level

The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills has overall responsibility for Government science policy and support for science and innovation in the cross-departmental role as Cabinet Minister for Science and Innovation. The Secretary of State is supported in this role by the DIUS Minister for Science and Innovation, the Government Office of Science and the Science and Innovation Group within DIUS.

Science at Cross Departmental Level

The Ministerial Science Group is chaired by the Minister of Science and Innovation, and its members comprise of Ministers from those Departments having a significant interest in science and innovation, including the devolved administrations. The Ministerial Science Group is an informal committee promoting a co-ordinated and coherent approach to science policy across government.

The Chief Scientific Adviser chairs the main official-level, cross-departmental forum for discussion of science, engineering and technology (SET), the Chief Scientific Advisers Committee (CSAC). The members of the committee include all departments having a significant interest in SET issues and representation is normally at the Chief Scientist level (or equivalent).

Science at the Government Department Level

The Department with overall responsibility for SET within Government is the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). An Office of Science and Technology was first established in 1992 as part of the Office of Public Service and Science under the auspices of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After re-organisation of government departments in 1995 the OST moved to the DTI and later was renamed the Office of Science and Innovation. In 2007 the OSA moved to form a significant part of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Departments having a significant interest in SET include Defence, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Home Office, Transport, International Department, Health and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury also have significant interests - the former through its social science research programme in support of policy, and the latter through the financing of SET by Government. The senior officials responsible for SET expertise in each Department are as follows:

	Defence	Chief Scientific Adviser
	Health	Chief Scientific Officer
	Home Office	Head of Science & Research Group
	FCO	Head of Science & Technology Unit
	Transport	Chief Scientific Adviser
	DEFRA	Chief Scientific Adviser
	DFiD	Chief Scientific Adviser