Suitability
13. The MRC is entering a period of change as the
Cooksey Review recommendations are put into effect. The new Chairman's
career recordin particular his experience in managing change
and translating research into marketable productsindicates
that he should be well suited to a non-executive Chairman's
role at this stage in the MRC's evolution. We
note that Sir John assured us that "I am [
] very much
a non-executive chairman".[18]
We expect the Chairman to fulfil this undertaking, and the MRC
Council to ensure that he does.
14. At our introductory hearing Sir John appeared
to us to show a lack of focus and clarity. He was vague about
the process of his appointment and evasive when discussing the
process of appointing Ernst & Young to help with the Joint
Review.[19] He was unable
to explain adequately some of the details of the Joint Review,
such as how MRC staff and other stakeholders were consulted, his
role as chairman of the Steering Group and the reasons for reducing
the size of the MRC Council.[20]
His explanation for the policy decision to increase contingency
funding was unsatisfactory and he lacked the necessary knowledge
to discuss the MRC's relationship with the other Research Councils.[21]
We do not consider that these shortcomings were resolved fully
in his supplementary written evidence.[22]
For the reasons set out in
this paragraph, we have serious reservations as to whether Sir
John is the right person to guide the MRC Executive through the
coming period of change.
Scrutiny of Research Council appointments
15. On 3 July 2007 the Government published a Green
Paper on the Governance of Britain which said that Parliament,
through its select committees, should play a role in scrutinising
some public appointments through pre-appointment hearings.[23]
We are
pleased that the Government is taking steps to involve select
committees more fully in the scrutiny of public appointments.
We believe that pre-appointment hearings with the relevant Select
Committee will improve accountability and help ensure that the
right people are appointed to key positions. We recommend that
Chairpersons and Chief Executives of the Research Councils be
included in the proposed list of appointments that should be subject
to these hearings.
1 Science and Technology Committee, First Report of
Session 2006-07, Work of the Committee in 2005-06, HC 202,
Box 1 Back
2
First Report of the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House
of Commons, Session 2001-02, Select Committees, HC 224-I,
para 34 Back
3
Sir John Chisholm's biography on www.mrc.ac.uk/AboutUs Back
4
Qq 2-3, Ev 6 Back
5
Ev 6 Back
6
Sir David Cooksey, A review of UK health research funding,
HM Treasury, December 2006 Back
7
Review of MRC Role Structures and Operations, Ernst &
Young and MRC, June 2007, p 6 Back
8
Ev 6 Back
9
As above Back
10
The Public Contract Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/5); Ev 6 Back
11
Ev 6 Back
12
Review of MRC Role Structures and Operations, Ernst &
Young and MRC, June 2007, p 47 Back
13
Q 59 Back
14
Ev 2, 4, 5 Back
15
Q 67 Back
16
Q 69 Back
17
'New cash to ease birth of Chisholm's new MRC', Research Fortnight,
23 May 2007 Back
18
Q 14 Back
19
Qq 2-3, 23-29, 44-46 Back
20
Qq 33, 47-49, 53-61 Back
21
Qq 82-83, 90 Back
22
Ev 6 Back
23
Ministry of Justice, The Governance of Britain, Cm 7170,
July 2007, pp 28-29 Back