Select Committee on Science and Technology Written Evidence


APPENDIX 7

Memorandum from Biosciences Federation[30]

SOURCES AND HANDLING OF ADVICE

  1.  The recently updated OST guidelines provide an excellent framework for the use of scientific expertise in formulating public policy. The guidelines recommend that Departments develop more direct links with learned societies as a means of broadening the range of the evidence base. We hope to see more evidence of this in the future.

  2.  The installation of departmental Chief Scientific Advisers has seen a major improvement in the quality of scientific input into the decision-making process. However, we strongly support detailed evaluation of departmental policy procedures under OST Science and Innovation Strategy Assessments. OST should examine significant policy documents of each Department to ensure adherence to the guidelines and to assess the breadth, quality and evaluation of the evidence that is being used to shape policy.

  3.  Good policy making depends on a strong scientific culture within Departments. Departments must ensure that they employ well-qualified scientific staff, and that these staff maintain and extend their competencies and their awareness of current scientific issues. Defra in particular is failing to maintain a high class of scientific expertise and there is a danger that policy is driven by popular opinion rather than scientific evidence.

  4.  The Defra example raises another concern that is specific for those areas of Government that commission research. Defra commissions research primarily to support and inform policy. Thus, such research and will inevitably reflect the interests of the current policy staff. Although some of these staff have scientific qualifications they often do not possess the depth of knowledge and expertise necessary for horizon scanning and strategic planning. In such a highly sensitive area as agriculture and food, where the public have many concerns, it is essential that both the commissioning of research and its evaluation are conducted in an exemplary and transparent manner.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENTIFIC ADVICE AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT

  5.  The relationship between scientific advice and policy development must be made more transparent. The Home Office took no advice from scientific experts before formulating Clause 21 of the Drugs Bill 2005 which makes it illegal to possess fresh psilocybe or "magic" mushrooms as well as in the prepared state. Suggestions of establishing a working party to formulate tenable definitions of "fresh", "prepared", "produce" and "product" were ignored by the Home Office. The statutory instruments, defining how the new law will work in practice, were not available for parliamentary scrutiny or any external consultation before the Bill was passed.

  6.  The recent intervention by the Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt, on the use of Herceptin as a treatment for early stage breast cancer was a striking example of a "knee-jerk" reaction to the findings of preliminary scientific studies. This intervention at ministerial level represents a substantial deviation from the procedures set up to recommend therapies for use in the NHS.

  7.  Where new evidence has a radical impact on existing bodies of evidence, it is essential that this evidence is shared with, and replication sought by, experts in the relevant knowledge base. Changes in policy should only occur after thorough consideration of all the evidence and a detailed risk assessment.

OPENNESS

  8.  The Biosciences Federation is pleased for this response to be publicly available and will be shortly placing a version on www.bsf.ac.uk.[31]

January 2006

Annex

MEMBER SOCIETIES OF THE BIOSCIENCES FEDERATION


Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Biochemical Society

British Andrology Society

British Association for Psychopharmacology

British Biophysical Society

British Ecological Society

British Lichen Society

British Mycological Society

British Neuroscience Association

British Pharmacological Society

British Phycological Society

British Society of Animal Science  

British Society for Cell Biology

British Society for Developmental Biology

British Society for Immunology

British Society for Medical Mycology

British Society for Neuroendocrinology

British Society for Proteome Research

British Toxicological Society

Experimental Psychology Society

Genetics Society

Heads of University Biological Sciences

Heads of University Centres for Biomedical Science

Institute of Animal Technology

Institute of Biology

Institute of Horticulture

Laboratory Animal Science Association

Linnean Society

Nutrition Society  

Physiological Society

Royal Microscopical Society

Society for Applied Microbiology

Society for Endocrinology

Society for Experimental Biology

Society for General Microbiology

Society for Reproduction and Fertility

Universities Bioscience Managers Association

UK Environmental Mutagen Society


ADDITIONAL SOCIETIES REPRESENTED BY THE INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY


Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Association for Radiation Research

Association of Applied Biologists

Association of Clinical Embryologists

Association of Clinical Microbiologists

Association of Veterinary Teachers and
  Research Workers

British Association for Cancer Research

British Association for Lung Research

British Association for Tissue Banking

British Biophysical Society

British Crop Production Council

British Grassland Society

British Inflammation Research Association

British Marine Life Study Society

British Microcirculation Society

British Society for Ecological Medicine

British Society for Parasitology

British Society for Plant Pathology

British Society for Research on Ageing

British Society of Soil Science

Fisheries Society of the British Isles

Freshwater Biological Association

Galton Institute

Institute of Trichologists

International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and
  Biotechnology

International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation
  Society

International Biometric Society

International Society for Applied Ethology

Marine Biological Association of the UK

Primate Society of Great Britain

PSI—Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Royal Entomological Society

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

Scottish Association for Marine Science

Society for Anaerobic Microbiology

Society for Low Temperature Biology

Society for the Study of Human Biology

Society of Academic & Research Surgery

Society of Cosmetic Scientists

Society of Pharmaceutical Medicine

UK Registry of Canine Behaviourists

Universities Federation for Animal Welfare


ADDITIONAL SOCIETIES REPRESENTED BY THE LINNEAN SOCIETY


Botanical Society of the British Isles
Systematics   Association






30   The Biosciences Federation was founded in 2002 in order to create a single authority within the life sciences that decision-makers are able to consult for opinion and information to assist the formulation of public policy. It brings together the strengths of 38 member organisations, including the Institute of Biology, which represents 45 additional affiliated societies (see Annex). The organisations that have already joined the Biosciences Federation represent a cumulative membership of some 65,000 bioscientists and cover the whole spectrum from physiology and neuroscience, biochemistry and microbiology to ecology and agriculture. The Biosciences Federation is a registered charity (no 1103894). Back

31   www.bsf.ac.uk/responses/sciadvice.pdf Back


 
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