As expected, the special report issued by the IUSS Committee recommends the creation of a dedicated committee overseeing science policy in the UK Government. See my report at the Guardian Science Blog:
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee issued a special report today calling on the government to safeguard scrutiny of science policy following the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The report recommends that proposals for the creation of a separate science and technology committee be put before the House of Commons as soon as possible.
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So says a committee of the UK House of Lords:
Systematic biology and taxonomy - the science of describing and identifying plants and animals - is in critical decline and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) must act before it is too late.
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I wrote to my MP and Harriet Harman. I'll post the replies (when/if I get them) on the blog.
I am writing to raise my concerns about the impending loss of any effective cross-party oversight of science policy as a result of the merging of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, as laid out by Frank Swire on the Guardian website today. The Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK has written to you recently as well to highlight their concerns that informed and objective decisions will no longer be made over decisions of scientific policy and funding as a result. I implore you to follow the recommendations of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee and support any proposal for the creation of a separate science and technology committee.
Yours sincerely,
I'll write as well, although to be honest our MP is a lost cause -- a complete lickspittle for whoever is PM.