Examination of Witnesses (Questions 94-99)
Dr Ben Cowell, Dr Miles Parker, Professor Nicola
Spence and Dr Liam Kelly
11 MARCH 2008
Q94 Chairman: Welcome to our new
set of witnesses. I think you have been listening, by and large,
to what went on so I can reduce the preliminaries to reminding
you that we are on air and what you say is being recorded and
possibly, according to that sign, being broadcast at the moment.
Also if you have further comments you want to put to us, we will
be very happy to receive them. Finally, we are predicting that
there might well be a vote in two or three minutes and we will
have to stop at that point if necessary. That being said, may
I say that I am Stewart Sutherland, Chairman of the Committee,
and we are very pleased to be in front of you and my colleagues
around the table have name labels. Would you like to introduce
yourselves so that the recorder can pick up your voice and simultaneously
your name.
Dr Cowell: I am Ben Cowell, Head of Museums
Sponsorship from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Dr Kelly: I am Liam Kelly, I am from the Rural
and Environment Research Analysis Directorate of the Scottish
Government.
Dr Parker: I am Miles Parker and I am Director
of Science at Defra.
Professor Spence: I am Nicola Spence and I am
Head of the Plant Health Group at the Central Science Laboratory,
which is an agency of Defra.
Q95 Chairman: Thank you very much.
Can I launch into the first question which is a theme that we
have been pursuing, our search for where ultimate responsibility
lies for oversight of this whole area, and that has to do, not
least in view of the witnesses we have now before us, with devolved
government and responsibilities as well as research councils which
are a Westminster responsibility. Who would like to speak on this?
Dr Parker: Perhaps I could take that up, Lord
Chairman. The written question that we received talked about fragmentation
here, and I think, if you look at it another way, what we have
is a very wide community of interest in this area. We have users,
we have basic researchers, we have those interested in the funding
of some of the major institutions, and on the whole we find it
a strength that there is a wide community here, and the emphasis
that we have put into this is on working with that community and
co-ordinating our activities with them.
Q96 Chairman: I understand the value
of a broad spread and that point was well made earlier in relation
to research funding and so on, and with one stream it may miss
the target, but, even so, there is always the danger—and
we have seen this in other reports that we have put together on
different topics—of things falling between the cracks if
you have a series of bodies with responsibility. The Government
Office of Science for example might be one source that one would
look to have an overall grasp of what is happening. Is that too
fanciful and would there be problems?
Dr Parker: I would not necessarily look to the
Government Office to focus down on any one discipline in this
way. I think again it is really important that with an area like
this we do co-ordinate across the silos and boundaries. It is
true not just of this discipline, I can think of a wide range
of others where we need to work outside, for example plant science.
Q97 Chairman: But the evidence we
have from various departments (and the non-evidence in some cases,
no response) might suggest to us that Defra takes the lead. Is
that a fair perception or would that be a mistake?
Dr Parker: I think we have a lively interest
in this area. I do not think we have a lead on all aspects of
it. On some aspects we will look to the research councils and
others we will look to other government departments or to other
institutions. What I do think we have taken a lead on is encouraging
the community concerned to get together in organisations like
the Biodiversity Research Action Group and the Global Biodiversity
Sub-Committee, which were mentioned by the previous witnesses,
and in that sense, we do take initiatives to try and promote co-ordination.
Q98 Chairman: I cannot but ask the
question about how far the devolved administrations feel that
there is adequate interchange? We find this patchy and variable
across a whole range of topics not just in science.
Dr Parker: I will turn to my colleague here.
Dr Kelly: I think the existence of UK BRAG,
in which we also participate, we find is a useful platform in
which to discuss a number of issues relating to biodiversity.
As we heard earlier, perhaps the issue is not one strictly and
directly of taxonomy, which is obviously the focus of today. However,
again without wishing to feel as if I am repeating Miles's views,
there are a number of areas across which taxonomy touches, and
so therefore I think the best way in which we can try and interact
on these, amongst other issues, is by participating in the UK
groupings that are headed up by and large by Defra and associated
departments.
Q99 Chairman: So pragmatic principles
apply?
Dr Kelly: Yes, I think very much so.
Chairman: I am pleased to hear that. Lord Krebs?
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