7945 SIP AUTUMN 09 5/10/09 10:21 Page 1 Medical Testing SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT Designs for Life Nanotechnology Carbon Capture and Storage sip Autumn 2009 The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee www.scienceinparliament.org.uk 7945 SIP AUTUMN 09 5/10/09 10:21 Page 2 ‘ Now more than ever we need to celebrate our country’s achievements in science and we need to foster new generations that understand, appreciate and practise scientific method. Hurrah for the Science Museum!’ Stephen Fry Actor, writer, comedian, presenter www.sciencemuseum.org.uk 7945 SIP AUTUMN 09 5/10/09 10:16 Page 3 The Government has listened; the HoC Science and Technology Committee SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT is re-established and meets for the first time in October. It will have the same Chairman and membership as the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee had, which it replaces, although the Whips will need to do a bit of work to fill the vacancies that exist. On 23 September I attended the joint 10th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Manchester Incubator Company (UMIC) and 5th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Manchester’s Intellectual Property Commercialisation Company (UMIP). However their success is measured this ’portfolio of incubators, based around the Manchester city region, sip catering for companies in the medical/life science and high technology The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific sectors’ has been remarkably successful. Congratulations to all those Dr Brian Iddon MP Committee. pioneers who were brave enough to launch the first Manchester Chairman, The Committee is an Associate Parliamentary bioincubator in 1999, one of the first of its kind. Editorial Board Group of members of both Houses of Science in Parliament Parliament and British members of the The requirement for Full Economic Costs (FEC) in research grants in the UK European Parliament, representatives of appears to be shifting some industrial research money away from British scientific and technical institutions, industrial universities to universities abroad. In any case, what are our Vice-Chancellors organisations and universities. doing with this money currently? When the call comes, will they be able to produce it to keep their laboratories and workshops at the cutting edge, which was the reason for requiring FEC in the first place? As we enter the final straight leading to the General Election the dominant discussion appears to be how each party will address the need for cuts to pay for the debts caused by the ’credit crunch’. Will the science budget remain ring fenced, even if Labour can earn a fourth term? In talks with academics and other professionals in the education and health sectors I get the impression that they are looking for cuts now. For example, the Science in Parliament has two main objectives: University and College Union tell me that they are engaging in some 1. to inform the scientific and industrial vigorous discussions with some of our Vice-Chancellors, who are proposing communities of activities within Parliament significant ’restructuring’ in their universities. of a scientific nature and of the progress of relevant legislation; According to the Trans Atlantic Think Tank for Toxicology at John Hopkins 2. to keep Members of Parliament abreast of University in Baltimore the cost of REACH compliance may be six times scientific affairs. previous estimates and use twenty times more animals. It comes as no surprise therefore that animal rights activism is on the rise again. Novartis employees have been targeted recently in France and Switzerland, with renewed demands that the company severs its links with Huntingdon Life Science. CONTENTS BIOETHICS AND DEMENTIA 2 CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE – POTENTIAL HAZARDS OF Professor Albert Weale WILL IT WORK? 20 NANOTECHNOLOGY 38 SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AT THE Addresses to the P&SC by Charles Hendry MP Professor Vicki Stone and Dr Rob Aitken HEART OF A FUTURE CONSERVATIVE and Dr Andy Read SUSTAINABLE ELECTRICITY, GOVERNMENT 3 ERGONOMICS AT 60 – TRANSPORT FUELS AND HEAT 40 Adam Afriyie MP A CELEBRATION 24 Gordon Taylor STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE 4 Reg Sell HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT Sir Alan Langlands POSTCARD FROM AUSTRALIA 26 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 42 REGULATING FORENSIC SCIENCE Robert Freer QUALITY STANDARDS 6 CHINA – SCIENCE AND INNOVATION 27 HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND Andrew Rennison Dr David Bacon TECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEE 43 THE GRAND OPENING OF YOUR MIND8 SCIENCE AND EDUCATION AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY Dr Michael Dixon EDEN PROJECT 28 SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT SECTION 44 KEW’S MILLENNIUM SEED BANK 10 Professor Sir Ghillean Prance PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE Simon Linington BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY 30 AND TECHNOLOGY 45 MEDICAL TESTING – DO WE WANT Professor Charles Sheppard SELECTED DEBATES AND MORE OR LESS OF IT? 12 DESIGNS FOR LIFE 32 PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS AND Addresses to the P&SC by Professor Michael Baum THE PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC ANSWERS 47 and Professor Karol Sikora COMMITTEE 34 EURO-NEWS 54 NANOTECHNOLOGY – SHOULD WE BE EPSRC IMPACT! 35 WORRIED? 16 SCIENCE DIRECTORY 55 Addresses to the P&SC by Dr Alec Reader, ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY LINKS PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC Dr Mike Fisher and Dr Stephanie Lacour DAY 36 COMMITTEE NEWS 63 SCIENCE DIARY 64 Science in Parliament Vol 66 No 4 Autumn 2009 1 7945 SIP AUTUMN 09 5/10/09 10:16 Page 4 OPINION BIOETHICS AND DEMENTIA: A CHALLENGE FOR SCIENCE Hope, Professor of Medical However, these criteria alone are Scotland but not in England or Ethics at Oxford, spent almost not enough to make sure that Wales. The Council will be two years considering the there is a fair distribution of discussing these findings with difficult dilemmas that people research funding between the the major funders of research with dementia, their carers and needs of very different parts of and others in the coming weeks. healthcare professionals have to the population. We concluded THE FUTURE OF face on a day-to-day basis. that the major research funders DEMENTIA CARE These include: should explain more clearly how and why they divide their The report ties in with current • deciding when and how to research funds between areas of policy discussions. A Green communicate a diagnosis; Paper ‘Shaping the Future of Professor Albert Weale FBA research that have the capacity Chair of the Nuffield Council on • balancing a person’s safety to benefit very different groups Care Together’, published in Bioethics and Professor of with their need for of the population. If necessary, July, sets out long-term reform Government, University of Essex independence and freedom; they should take active steps to proposals on how we as a support and encourage society provide care for older • deciding what is in the best Chairing the Nuffield researchers to carry out high- people. To help them prepare interests of the person with Council on Bioethics, a quality research in dementia. for future debate around adult dementia, for example when More research into the care, Parliamentarians and other position which I was making decisions about their experience of living with policy makers are invited to honoured to take up care and treatment; discuss the issues raised by in January 2008 for dementia and how people with • recognising that the needs of dementia can be supported to caring for people with dementia five years, is an the person with dementia may live the best possible lives is at the Council’s annual exciting and unique sometimes conflict with the particularly needed. ‘Bioethics in Parliament’ event in opportunity for needs of others, especially the Houses of Parliament. The RESEARCH someone like me who carers; event, to be held on 10th PARTICIPATION November 2009, is supported by works on social values • tackling discrimination against Evan Harris MP, Brian Iddon MP, and public policy. people with dementia; and People with dementia who understand what is involved in a Earl Howe and Lord Harries of • deciding what priority to give It allows me to debate particular research project Pentregarth, and will entail to dementia research. cutting-edge issues in science decide for themselves whether presentations and debate, and medicine, and to do so with The Working Party published or not to take part. Those who followed by a drinks reception. some of the most interesting its report Dementia: ethical cannot decide for themselves For more information contact (and pleasant) people in the issues in October 2009. It found may be able to take part as long Catherine Joynson at UK. Eminent lawyers, scientists, that there are many ways in as a number of legal [email protected]. clinicians, journalists and which we can work together as requirements are met. We Over the next two years the philosophers are brought a society to help people with concluded that more should be Council will be considering the together. After a thorough dementia, and their carers, have done to make it easier for those rise of genetic testing and online process of consultation and a better quality of life. who have expressed a wish to medicine; the implications of deliberation, the Council take part in research to do so. RESEARCH PRIORITIES advances in biofuels; and the publishes reports that aim to For example, clinical trial donation and use of bodily clarify bioethical issues and One important conclusion networks, which bring together material such as gametes, blood, influence the development of was that the amount of funding doctors and people with tissue and organs in medical policy. available for dementia research dementia who want to take part treatment and research. At a appears low, given both the in research, should be time when the biosciences THE ETHICS OF encouraged; and the possibility DEMENTIA number of people with present us all with challenges dementia and the effect of giving welfare attorneys the and opportunities, all those on Most recently, the Council dementia has on people’s lives.