SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT

The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee sip SPRING 2015

This is not an official publication of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its Committees. All-Party Groups are informal groups of members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in this Journal are those of the Group. This Journal is funded by the members of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. www.scienceinparliament.org.uk A century of energy professionalism

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Follow us: Join us: @EnergyInstitute Energy Institute snooker players who can skim is giving in to lobbying by the black into the pocket, but vested interests and I hope the SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT this is something else. science community protests Somebody likened it to loudly. Sadly, it remains the throwing a hammer in the air case that some politicians sip in London and hitting a nail in (including in the UK) put Beijing! personal prejudice ahead of By the time you are reading evidence based policy. this we may have started to I will finish on a positive note. The Journal of the Parliamentary and Andrew Miller MP Scientific Committee. Chairman, Parliamentary and understand what has been In 2014 we celebrated our The Committee is an Associate Scientific Committee uncovered about the history of 75th anniversary. HRH The Parliamentary Group of members of both Houses of Parliament and British the solar system, but what a I am writing this in Duke of Edinburgh has been members of the European Parliament, story it will be. an Honorary Member for more representatives of scientific and November because it has technical institutions, industrial been a momentous week At the same time, we than 50 years, and served as organisations and universities. discovered that the EU is our President in 1989. We Very few scientific dispensing with scientific were delighted that he agreed experiments take ten years. advice as a basis for decision to host a reception at But today we learned that a making. Anne Glover will be Buckingham Palace on 11th 300 million mile journey of an returning to the UK (since November to mark this. 150 object the size of my fridge Scotland remains part of it!). representatives of our had successfully landed on a members were able to marvel Anne, like all balanced Science in Parliament has two main meteor travelling at more than at the works of art in the objectives: scientists, has taken a positive 30,000 mph, ten years after it Picture Gallery, and to enjoy 1. to inform the scientific and industrial approach to GM crops, and communities of activities within left Earth. wine, canapés, music and Parliament of a scientific nature and the Select Committee, which I company. of the progress of relevant I have always had a sneaking chair, will be producing a legislation; report on this topic. It is little The P&SC is in good shape 2. to keep Members of Parliament admiration for darts players abreast of scientific affairs. who can hit the target, or short of disgraceful that the EU for its next quarter century.

CONTENTS

HOOKING UP HULL 2 ANNUAL LUNCHEON OF THE ENERGY STORAGE 28 Mac Andrade PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC Addresses to the P&SC by Dr Jonathan Radcliffe and COMMITTEE 16 Professor Toby Peters 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 3 CAN CONSISTENT APPRENTICESHIP DEMENTIA 32 Addresses to the P&SC by Professor Alistair Burns, FRANCE BANS USAGE OF PESTICIDES 6 EXPERIENCE BE ACHIEVED TO DRIVE Dr Claire Mouchot Dr Simon Ridley and Professor Martin Knapp PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE? 18 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE Professor Sa’ad Medhat HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEE 38 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SOIL 2015? 8 CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD SECURITY Matt Aitkenhead, Willie Towers, Helaina Black and Liz Baggs AND BIG DATA 19 HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE Irina Calos, SIN Officer, Los Angeles ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 39 PUTTING UK PHARMACOLOGY ON UK & BRAZIL: PARTNERS IN SCIENCE, THE MAP 10 PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE Katharine Richardson SPACE & INNOVATION 20 AND TECHNOLOGY 42 Dr Julia Knights, SIN Director, Brazil MEDICAL PHYSICISTS AND BIOMEDICAL HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY SCIENCE ROYAL SOCIETY PAIRING SCHEME 22 ENGINEERS 12 AND ENVIRONMENT SECTION 45 Professor Ruth Aylett and Ian Murray MP Dr Anna Barnes and Dr Elspeth Bartlett SELECTED DEBATES 47 DOES THE UK HAVE THE POWERING HUMAN PROGRESS – PAST, INFRASTRUCTURE IT NEEDS? 24 PRESENT AND FUTURE 14 SCIENCE DIRECTORY 47 Address to the P&SC by Nick Baveystock Ian Marchant SCIENCE DIARY 56 EBOLA VIRUS – AN UPDATE 26

The covers of this issue are sponsored by the British Society of Soil Science, the Energy Institute, the New Engineering Foundation and the British Pharmacological Society.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 1 HOOKING UP HULL: THE HULL ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT

What makes the Hull WHAT ELECTRIFICATION and, ultimately, the delivery of Electrification Project (HEP) WILL BRING services. stand out from almost all other Electrification will bring the It is essential that the electrification schemes is that it opportunity to run more efficient momentum of the Hull is intended that the initial electric rolling stock with higher Electrification Project is development and construction passenger capacity. It will link up maintained so that it can be costs will be almost entirely the new line to other parts of delivered as soon as possible. the ‘electric spine’, improving privately funded, with FirstGroup journeys between Hull and the The HEP team is committed to securing major funding from capital, as well as to Leeds, an ambitious timetable and is infrastructure group Amey. Manchester and Liverpool – and working with its stakeholders, including MPs along the route, Mac Andrade As well as delivering a better even more so once HS2 and Director of Infrastructure at service to users of the railway – TransPennine electrification come and partners in Network Rail, to FirstGroup meet this. But it is also and the wider economic into force. incumbent upon the benefits that it will bring to Hull As well as the long term Government to agree a – the HEP is therefore good for benefits of both temporary guaranteed price with the HEP the UK taxpayer, protected from (construction) workers and before the end of this Last March the the up-front capital expense and permanent job creation that Parliament. financial risk involved with such would come with an expanded Secretary of State A commitment from the a project. Hull to London service, for Transport, electrification will also help attract Chancellor of the Exchequer to Patrick McLoughlin, WHY HULL? investment, and can be an electrify the Hull to Selby line in the Budget on 18 March would Until the conception of the important driver of growth to the announced Hull and Humber Region. ensure the Project’s long-term Hull Electrification Project, Hull Already enjoying a greater profile progress and help mitigate Government support was the only major city in the as the host of the 2017 City of against political risks involved – by way of a £2.4m north of England for which there Culture, Hull is undergoing an with any major infrastructure was no plan to electrify its main grant – for the economic and cultural scheme that coincides with a electrification of 33 railway line. What made this renaissance, something that general election and a change in more significant was that the FirstGroup – through First Hull government. miles of railway diesel services running to and Trains and the HEP – is proud to between Hull and from Hull would be be a part of. WIN-WIN incompatible with the lines The electrification of the Hull to Selby. Welcomed by In order for the city to realise its being electrified across the wider Selby railway line is a win-win for potential, modern railway the tax-payer, the Government, all, this was north, between Selby and infrastructure is needed. The the rail passenger, and the city of Liverpool and York, via testament to the speedy delivery of the HEP can Hull; its residents and Manchester and Leeds. Far from Department for only further the ambitions of the businesses, as well as those who benefiting Hull, this inequality of city and its businesses. Transport’s live and work throughout the infrastructure would have had a Humber region. prioritisation of negative impact on the city’s URGENCY: MAKING It is essential that the Project economy. ELECTRIFICATION railway HAPPEN progresses as swiftly as possible electrification for First Hull Trains, which currently Patrick McLoughlin’s to ensure benefits are delivered operates on the line between announcement last March without any unnecessary delay. 2014 to 2019. Hull and London King’s Cross, is represented a milestone for the FirstGroup prides itself on the already one of the highest- HEP. way it works with its partners ranked operators in terms of With Government support, it and stakeholders. Our Hull customer satisfaction. The meant FirstGroup’s work to Electrification Project team will addition of electrification will secure nearly £100m of private continue to work in partnership enable First Hull Trains to make funding can be released to in order to make Hull major improvements on its progress the Project through the electrification a reality. excellent service. feasibility phases, construction

2 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee has often been described as the “doyen” of APPGs. It is certainly the oldest – having celebrated its 75th anniversary last year.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

It is best known for its monthly discussion meetings on scientific topics where leading exponents engage with Parliamentarians. It is proud that its first report addressed “the Nutritive Value of Bread” – a vital topic throughout WWII. One of the members was Sir Jack Drummond, the man responsible for the absence of bananas during the war. Their nutritional value was not great enough to justify the hazard to the merchant navy of shipping them to Britain. It is probably the only APPG to have had a Nobel Laureate as a President. (Sandy) Lord Todd was probably also the tallest President! Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, it is gratifying that it has spawned more than 600 APPGs at the latest count. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh has been an Honorary Member for more than 50 years, and has been Guest of Honour at the Annual Lunch on no less than three occasions. He has also served as our President.

The Committee was therefore delighted that he agreed to host Dr Stephen Benn, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Emily Benn and a reception in the glorious surroundings of the Picture Gallery in Daniel Benn

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 3 Dr Stephen McGinness, Dr Stephen Benn, Stephen Metcalfe MP, Andrew Miller MP, Stephen Mosley MP

Buckingham Palace. He personally greeted Chairman Andrew Miller, President Lord Oxburgh, Deputy Chairman Stephen Metcalfe, Hon Secretary Stephen Mosley as well as one of our senior members, Dr Peter Jost CBE. Looked upon by the Gallery’s Rembrandt, van Dyke, Titian and other greats, HRH mingled and talked with members. More than150 guests representing many of the member bodies, enjoyed canapés and wine. Music being the food of everything, it was accompanied by Mozart, Haydn and Elgar played by a delightful string quartet. For more than an hour His Royal Highness conversed with a wide range of scientists in a relaxed atmosphere. This was enjoyed by all present, including Prince Philip, we were told. In his words of gratitude to His Royal Highness, the President Lord Oxburgh emphasised how appreciative the Committee was for his support, and reminded him that in addition to his own three visits, David Youdan, Paul Jackson and Sir Peter Williams we had also received the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal.

Lord Oxburgh, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Andrew Miller MP, Dr Peter Mrs Louise Kingham, Professor John Loughhead, Jost, Stephen Metcalfe MP and Stephen Mosley MP Nigel Fine and Professor John Perkins

4 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 Chairman, Andrew Miller, MP for Ellesmere Port said: “A glance at the guest list at this celebration shows the high esteem in which the P&SC is held amongst leading scientists, learned societies and industrialists.” He concluded that the Committee was in fine fettle and looking forward to the next quarter century. Since the foundation of the P&SC much has changed, especially the effects of ever rapidly changing Science and Technology. This anniversary has therefore provided an opportune starting point for the P&SC to review its activities. Its aim is to be of use to the next Parliamentarians. In areas of non party, non political and non commercial activities, the P&SC will continue to excel. Lord Waldegrave of North Hill and Clare Campbell and All photos © John Deehan Sir Peter Bottomley Professor Lesley Yellowlees

The Earl of Cranbrook and Ms Katy Schneider Stephen Grinham, Alex Connor and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Dr Sue O’Hare, Dr Kirsten Pullen, Dr Linda Thomas Dr Tony Whitehead, Lord Oxburgh and Kirsten Bodley

Dr Guy Hembury, John Slater and Dr Graham Clayton Dr Matthew Frost, Dr Bev Mackenzie and Dr Ben North

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 5 FRANCE BANS USAGE OF PESTICIDES IN TAXPAYERS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES GARDENS A new Bill aiming at “creating a better framework for the use of plant protection products within the National borders”

A bill (known as No 2014- the exception of fighting mechanic and hand held cutters, 1101) passed in Parliament in against propagation of saving 130,000 litres of January 2014 states that as of harmful species. Non- pesticides and £25,500 2020, plant protection products compliance with the law will annually. In Nantes and Rennes will be banned for use in French incur penalties (Article 2). (Brittany) usage of pesticides local authority public gardens has decreased in the last 10 This second article targets and in private gardens two years years by 95% and 90%, Dr Claire Mouchot specifically the 45% of French Science and Technology later. respectively. Department citizens who own a garden or an French Embassy, London The draft bill which was allotment, which represent The French Government proposed by the approximately 5-10% of pushes on several fronts environmentalist Senator Joël pesticides usage in the country to accelerate the Labbé was designed to establish – the remaining 90-95% being demise of pesticides a better framework regarding the used in the agricultural sector. usage use of plant protection products The Secretary of State for Many environmentalists within national borders. In Agriculture, Mr Stéphane Le Foll, believe this is a small victory in essence, the Act bans plant has proposed amendments on the fight against the blanket use protection products, commonly a draft bill on the future of of pesticides with the new law called pesticides (insecticides, agriculture, food and forestry becoming the cornerstone that fungicides, herbicides, which have been well received will change people’s attitude and parasiticides, etc): by MPs in July 2014 and the behaviour towards these Senate in the Autumn. In its • from 1st January 2020 for products. current wording, the bill their use in maintenance of Having said that, approximately proposes that spreading plant green spaces, forests and 40% of French towns and cities protection products will only be footpaths open to the public, haven’t waited for this new law permitted in areas close to with the exception of specific to start the “green revolution” schools, nurseries, nursing areas such as airports, rail toward more environmentally homes, hospitals or health tracks, etc. (Article 1); friendly maintenance of public centres when specific safety • from 1st January 2022 for green spaces. In Versailles, for measures have been put in their sale, use and storage for instance, pesticides have been place to reduce drastically non professional usage with entirely replaced by thermal, exposure of vulnerable people.

PESTICIDES, A HETEROGENEOUS “CLASS” OF PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS Of approximately 1,000 products that have accessed the market, 309 are authorised for use in France. These vary according to their mode of action, target, chemistry and half-life period in the environment. They are to be found everywhere in the environment: in the air inside and outside as dust; in underground, surface or littoral waters; in the ground and even in some food, including drinking waters. Professional exposure generally occurs via cutaneous way but can also take place via the respiratory system in fumigation or usage in close environment. In the general population however the most common route is oral exposure via food intake.

6 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 Among these measures were several pathologies including existence (or new planting) of cancers, neurological diseases, hedges or spreading at specific reproductive effects. Experts times and days. Failing this, from different backgrounds spreading will not be permitted (epidemiologists in health- in a specific area surrounding environment or occupational the location, the size of which health, cellular and molecular will be determined locally on a toxicologists) worked in case by case basis. collaboration to produce a thorough report which was If the co-chair of the published in June 2013 2. The Environment party, Barbara results (in French), confirm the Pompili, indicates that Mr Le possibility of a positive Foll’s amendments wording is a association between “compromise” that represent “a professional exposure to good start” she insists that the Jardin des plantes in Nantes Credits: cc-BY-SA 3.0, Stefi123 pesticides and various adult use of pesticides is “a challenge diseases such as Parkinson for public health issues that and at the end of 2015 for These new laws are disease, prostate and several affects all parties – farmers, their rice and some vineyards; supported not only by hematopoietic cancers. Similarly, families and the general public - the promotion of natural the French public but exposure to pesticides during that lives nearby”. Given that products for plant treatment also by new scientific prenatal and perinatal periods arable land represents and maintenance via their evidence seems to show increased risks approximately half of the French acceleration of regulatory All these measures come at a for the infant’s development. territory, this accounts for a lot of approval for marketing time of growing discontent people. authorisation; among the French population The second meta-analysis, regarding the use of pesticides: titled “systemic pesticides pose In parallel three items of - extending the action «Terre a petition asking for restriction of global threat to biodiversity and another draft Bill, this one on saine, communes sans their use in areas close to ecosystem services” was Biodiversity proposed by Mrs pesticide» (Healthy schools and habitations has published by The Task Force on Ségolène Royal, Secretary of ground/earth, pesticide-free registered nearly 100,000 Systemic Pesticides3 on 24th State for Ecology, were passed towns) and bringing forward signatures in less than a week June 2014. The conclusions in the Assemblée Nationale. by 4 years the expected and an increasing number of confirmed that pesticides These concerned: starting date at which the law GPs voice their anxiety. In neonicotinoids and fipronil should enter into force from - the outright ban of aerial addition, two meta-analysis of cause significant damage to a 1st January 2020. application of pesticides from scientific publications were wide range of invertebrate the end of July 2014 for species (including earthworms, crops such as sweet corn, ... environmentalists believe this is a insect pollinators such as bees popping corn and banana small victory ... and butterflies and fresh water snails and water fleas) and are measured in significant published within a year. concentrations in wider areas In the first, the French due to spreading via natural Government (Directorate water systems. General for Health) commissioned the French References 1 http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/ National Institute for Health and affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT0000 Medical Research (Inserm) for a 28571536&dateTexte=&categorieLien= meta-analysis of scientific id 2 http://presse-inserm.fr/pesticides- publications of the last 30 years effets-sur-la-sante-une-expertise- in order to obtain more collective-de-linserm/8463/ evidence-based information 3 http://www.tfsp.info/wp- content/uploads/2014/06/WIA-PR- regarding the health hazard REL.pdf posed by pesticides, in particular Family garden in Versailles Credits: cc-BY-SA 3.0, Patrick.charpiat on their suggested links with

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 7 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SOIL 2015?

Matt Aitkenhead conservation value. There are its own characteristics with a importance of soils to life on major management and capacity to support a range of Earth, and to raise awareness of Willie Towers restoration challenges to be ecosystem goods and services. the numerous ways in which Helaina Black tackled to ensure that we Our highest value agricultural soil impacts on our daily lives. maintain a soil capital that is soil is typified by a balance of Around the world, organisations Liz Baggs adequate, both in terms of mineral materials, organic matter involved with soil education, soil stocks and in terms of quality, to and nutrients. Our best carbon research or soil use and Representatives of the meet these multiple and storing soil is peat which is management will be showcasing British Society of Soil contrasting needs of people into predominately made up of their work to a variety of interest Science the future. At present the global decomposing soil organic groups. These events around soil capital is being eroded and matter, accumulated over many the world can be found at the lost rather than preserved and 1000s of years and can be Global Soil Partnership (GSP) restored. Over one-third of the many metres deep. All soils website: http://www.fao.org/ world’s agricultural soils are retain carbon to some degree globalsoilpartnership/iys- Soil is fundamental degraded and require and soil is the largest terrestrial 2015/en/. The Global Soil to life on Earth but rehabilitation or restoration while store of carbon. Soil has a Partnership was founded in human pressures on expanding urban and industrial pivotal role in climate change 2012 with the support of the development is reducing the mitigation as well as future FAO (Food and Agriculture soil resources are stock of soil capital at an adaptation. How soils around Organisation of the United reaching critical alarming rate1. Assuming a the world respond to a changing Nations) as an interactive, limits. Soil is as continuing trend, in the next global climate will dictate the responsive and voluntary 100 years, we would lose soil availability of food and water in partnership, open to essential as air and over an area comparable to the the future. governments, regional water but rarely surface of Hungary. organizations, institutions and receives the same other stakeholders. The first GSP Plenary Assembly in 2013 attention. endorsed the formation of the Intergovernmental Technical WHY DOES SOIL Panel on Soil which is now MATTER? working to produce the first The importance of soil to World Soil Resources Report for people around the world should publication in 2015. The second ideally be obvious to the casual GSP Plenary in 2014, involving observer, but is often ignored in the FAO Member Countries as political and economic debates. well as non Governmental We often take for granted that organisations and institutions, soil will be able to maintain endorsed an updated World Soil food production into the future Charter and Plans of Action to: but this narrow perception is • Promote sustainable Not all soils are the same. Only being challenged as we strive THE INTERNATIONAL management of soil resources. for food security alongside a relatively small proportion YEAR OF SOIL 2015 pressing issues of water, energy, (ca 14%) of the world’s soils It is for these reasons that the • Encourage investment, climate change and biodiversity can grow food without major United Nations Assembly technical cooperation, policy, conservation. We now intervention. There are declared 3 2015 as the education awareness and recognise that soil has a central approximately 32 groups of soil International Year of Soil and the extension in soils. role in delivering water quality, around the world 2, and many 5th December every year as • Enhance the quantity and flood regulation, climate thousands of subtle variations World Soils Day. 2015 is an quality of soil data and regulation and habitats of high within these. Each of these has opportunity to celebrate the information.

8 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 • Support harmonization of The UK has a thriving soils methods, measurements and research community with a indicators for sustainable soil strong international reputation management across all terrestrial exemplified by the British ecosystems. Society of Soil Science winning the bid to host the World WHAT DO WE NEED Congress of Soil Science in FROM SOIL SCIENCE? 2022. The UK science Soil is one of the most community needs the right complex natural systems known. funding opportunities to foster This complexity is one of the collaborative transdisciplinary greatest assets of soil since it research to match the advances confers the ability to deliver made elsewhere such as the multiple benefits and a degree Human Genome Project or of resilience to disturbance. Climate Modelling. Many soils can continue to around the world, and to raise the UK, and plan more of this maintain food production while REPRESENTING SOIL awareness of the importance of throughout the year. We will be in a highly altered or even SCIENTISTS AND soils to the UK economy and strengthening our relationships degraded state. However the PROMOTING SOIL Society at large. and coordinating activities with social, economic and SCIENCE other societies, both national environmental consequences for The British Society of Soil HOW CAN YOU and international, such as the other ecosystem goods and Science (BSSS 7), a learned CONTRIBUTE TO THE Nigerian Soil Science Society, services are now becoming society, was formed in 1947 INTERNATIONAL YEAR and organising a series of equally recognised as we strive and is now an established OF SOIL? school, public engagement and to achieve water, energy, climate international membership There are several high-level policy events. You can find out and conservation needs organisation and charity conferences and meetings in more about these activities on alongside food production. Soil committed to the study of soil in 2015. These include the 3rd the BSSS website is unique in being the its widest aspects. Our broad Global Soil Week 9 in Berlin, (http://www.soils.org.uk/), or interconnection between these membership enables the BSSS which is a multi-stakeholder follow us on twitter demands. Without successful not only to represent the skills platform for dialogue between (https://twitter.com/Soil_ soil use and management for and expertise of soil scientists policy-makers, scientists, NGOs Science), and we look forward multiple benefits we will not within the UK, but also to deliver and other stakeholders on soil to hearing from you in what meet the needs for future training. In 2011, the BSSS matters in relation to food promises to be a 8 generations. launched “Working with Soil” as security, rural development, groundbreaking year for soil. Scientists have been studying ... soil has a central role ... soil for over a hundred years. References Even Charles Darwin was 1 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ a competency scheme to growth, energy production, and soil/pdf/guidelines/EN%20- fascinated by the formation of establish professional standards the competition for soil %20Sealing%20Guidelines.pdf soils 4 . Today, soil scientists for people in the UK and resources. Soil science will be 2 World reference base for soil resources come in many different guises Europe. Working with Soil is now well represented in Austria at 2014. International soil classification as soil science is truly a multi- system for naming soils and creating endorsed by over 50 the European Geosciences disciplinary science. Researchers legends for soil mapsWorld Reference organisations including Union General Assembly (April Base. FAO 2014. from natural sciences, social Government bodies, 12-17, 2015). The EGU is 3 The 68th UN General Assembly science and economics are agribusiness, research, attended by over 12,000 (A/RES/68/232). working to tackle soil challenges. consultancies and NGOs. As part scientists from all over the world 4 Darwin, C.R., 1881, The formation of Advances in molecular biology vegetable mould, through the action of of its goals, the BSSS is to one meeting covering all and mathematical modelling are committed to increasing the worms, with observations on their disciplines of the Earth, planetary habits. London: John Murray. being applied to soils to uncover awareness of soils and in and space sciences. 5 http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food- and simulate how complex promoting education across all security/2014/141013-pr-protect-soils- biological, chemical and physical sectors of society. As part of this, Within the UK, BSSS has a safeguard-food-security.aspx interactions enable soil to the BSSS supports two broad programme of events 6 http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/funded support diverse ecosystem international journals. The through the year in partnership /programmes/soilsecurity/ goods and services. A few of International Year of Soils is an with other learned Societies, 7 http://www.soils.org.uk/ these soil challenges have been ideal platform for the BSSS to organisations, Government and 8 http://www.soils.org.uk/working-soil- taken up in the recent UK demonstrate the breadth and schools. We launched the year professional-competency Research Council funded depth of UK soils research with a soil digging-tree planting 9 http://globalsoilweek.org/global-soil- week/gsw-2015 programmes and studentships 5,6. which is applied in UK and event held at 30 schools across

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 9 PUTTING UK PHARMACOLOGY ON THE MAP – FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE

The British Pharmacological • Marischal College, pharmacology has been Society has, at its heart, the The University of Aberdeen recognised with this award. It development and promotion of Heather Wallace, Professor of could be argued that, through pharmacology and of its Biochemical Pharmacology and his pioneering studies on the members who are training and Toxicology at the University of chemistry of drug action, Alfred J working in academia, Aberdeen, said: “The University Clark was both Chair of government, industry and the of Aberdeen has been at the Pharmacology at Edinburgh and health service. The Society takes forefront of research and the father of the modern great pleasure in celebrating innovation throughout its 500 subject. That aside the ground these achievements and year history. Pharmacology has breaking work of Edinburgh campaigns for pharmacologists researchers has been of high Katharine Richardson been part of that history for over Head of Communications and to continue to benefit the health 50 years and the University can impact across the decades. This Membership, and wealth of the UK. claim the rare distinction of two is highlighted by the outstanding British Pharmacological Society British Pharmacological Society contributions of Sir John THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF Wellcome Gold Medal winners. Gaddum and Marthe Vogt on UK PHARMACOLOGY This research on opioids and neurotransmitters that continues Pharmacologists have The British Pharmacological cannabinoids was carried out at to aid our understanding and improved the lives of Society recognised the Marischal College by Professors treatment of mental illness. millions of people in achievements of UK Kosterlitz and Pertwee and their Work by Eric Horton on Pharmacology with the the UK and worldwide. teams. We are delighted the prostaglandins opened the door announcement of its annual Thanks to their ‘Putting UK Pharmacology on the ... benefit the health and wealth of the UK ... knowledge and Map’ vote in Parliament on 15 expertise, the over December 2014. importance of that early, and to advances in the treatment of 3,500 members of the The vote selected sites of indeed continuing, work has pain and inflammation that British special scientific interest linked to been recognised in this way. continues to this day.” Our research continues with Pharmacological achievements in pharmacology • The Department of vigour at the Institute of Medical Society have a track based on a ballot of MPs, peers Molecular & Clinical Sciences on our Foresterhill and senior members of the Pharmacology, the University record of tackling the health campus.” scientific community. For the of Liverpool most pressing second year Andrew Miller MP • The Department of Professor Munir Pirmohamed, problems facing kindly took on the role of Pharmacology, the University from the University of Liverpool’s society. Returning Officer and revealed of Edinburgh: Institute of Translational the names of the winning sites, Mark Evans, Professor of Medicine, commented: “We are judged to have made Cellular Pharmacology at the delighted to have been chosen outstanding contributions to the University of Edinburgh, as one of the winning sites for discovery and development of explained: “The University of Putting UK Pharmacology on the medicines: Edinburgh has a long tradition Map. The Department of of discovery and innovation in Molecular and Clinical the field pharmacology. I am Pharmacology in Liverpool has delighted that its contribution to maintained its identity, and

10 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 continues to promote leading Frank Doran MP congratulating working within much larger faces increasing demand for edge research with seamless the team from Aberdeen; and universities or companies. services and a decreasing working between basic and Louise Ellman MP congratulating budget. Evidence shows that clinical scientists. Its multi- the winners from Liverpool. • Leadership: the achievements clinical pharmacology is going to disciplinary approach with of these sites can often be be vital if we are to meet this collaborative working with RECENT CAMPAIGNS traced to the effectiveness of challenge, but the speciality has 1. Advancing pharmacology in academia, healthcare and their charismatic, imaginative perhaps been a little too shy in industry is key to its success.” the UK coming forward. I am therefore and determined leaders. pleased to help draw attention • Sir William Dunn School of To coincide with the ‘Putting Pathology, the University of UK Pharmacology on the Map’ Oxford result, the Society identified what ... help the NHS surmount the biggest it believes are the secrets of Professor Christoph Tang of the financial challenge ... success for sites where cutting Sir William Dunn School of edge research is nurtured in the • Adequate resources: while to this under-recognised group Pathology at Oxford University UK. scientists have been able to of doctors and the steps needed said: “In the 1940s, treatment work creatively within to increase their number.” with penicillin seemed nothing “These sites of special limitations, confidence in the short of miraculous. The pharmacological interest have Clinical pharmacologists make longer-term availability of discovery banished the threat made outstanding contributions a particularly valuable resources, including funding, is posed by many infectious to the discovery and contribution to the NHS in areas important. diseases that were leading killers development of medicines, and including: of the time. The dedicated work also to the health and economy • Championing talent: • Providing specialist and at the Dunn School by the team of the UK. By learning from our successful sites have attracted generalist patient care and developed skilled ... research on opioids and cannabinoids ... scientists. • Leading clinical toxicology services The Society is a committed of Florey, Chain and Heatley rich history, we can ensure that member of the Drug Discovery • Advising on medicines policy ushered in the age of modern the UK remains at the cutting Pathways Group, which works to and management medicine, and paved the way edge of research,” explained develop solutions to the needs for drug discovery since then. I Professor Humphrey Rang, • Providing education and of the wider medicines research am delighted that this President of the British training for undergraduates community in three main areas: remarkable achievement has Pharmacological Society. “The and postgraduates industry-academia partnerships, been recognised with this UK has been a world-leader in knowledge and skills. • Working with industry to prestigious award, and I am medicines research and enhance the development of proud to accept it on behalf of development, but recent 2. Advancing clinical innovative new medicines the scientists and staff at the changes have put this position pharmacology in the NHS Dunn School.” under threat. Where are the next The British Pharmacological • Bringing innovation to the NHS breakthroughs going to come through experimental These winning sites joined four Society launched a new report in from? There are obvious medicine sites previously elected to the November calling for an increase similarities in the sites that have initiative in 2013: in the number of clinical In 2012, there were only 77 been successful in the Putting pharmacologists across the four CPT consultants in the UK, with • AstraZeneca, Alderley Park UK Pharmacology on the Map UK nations (available from: startling inequalities in provision • The James Black Foundation, ... treatment of pain and inflammation ... across different regions, and King’s College London significantly fewer than the 440 • The University of Strathclyde vote for the last two years. I bit.ly/NHSandCPT). The medical recommended by the Royal • Wadham College, hope these will be encouraged specialty of clinical pharmacology College of Physicians. The University of Oxford by team leaders, employers, and therapeutics (CPT) is the The Society is calling for a The back page of this issue funders and policy-makers in only one focusing on the safe, substantial increase in the includes the Society’s members order to nurture future effective and economic use of number of registrar training posts and parliamentarians who were breakthroughs.” medicines, and is well placed to and believes an increase in the able to join the celebrations: The secrets of success identified help the NHS surmount the number of consultants to 150 Stephen Metcalfe MP and by the Society were: biggest financial challenge since over the next decade is Andrew Miller MP on behalf of its creation. achievable – and necessary if the House of Commons Science • Team identity: successful sites the NHS workforce is to meet and Technology Committee; have benefited from distinct Lord Robert Winston kindly current and future demands. Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing identities, whether as hosted a reception to launch the MP; Dame Anne Begg MP and standalone organisations or report and noted, “The NHS

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 11 MEDICAL PHYSICISTS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERS: Unsung Innovators of the NHS

The NHS has always been a NHS is exported, helping the creative thinkers and a driving world leader in healthcare UK’s economic growth. It is force behind NHS innovation. innovation: constantly important to understand how Medical physics and biomedical developing or improving this innovation comes about, in engineering have long been technologies, treatments and order to nurture and promote it. major research strengths for the UK and many of the healthcare ways of working. Doctors are The Institute of Physics and technologies now being used in usually perceived to be the Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) the NHS and worldwide have prime source of this represents about 4,000 people their origin in discoveries by innovation. Indeed, the working in medical physics and IPEM members. Medical Innovation Bill put biomedical engineering. Most of Dr Anna Barnes before Parliament in 2014 our members work in the NHS Clinical imaging has changed Vice-President External focuses solely on the role of although we also have members the face of medicine and Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine the doctor. Meanwhile, the in academia and industry. revolutionised diagnosis and contribution of NHS physicists and engineers continues to be ... world’s first fully articulated bionic hand ... substantial. With this article, we celebrate the vital role Physicists and engineers have treatment. British physicists and they play in keeping the NHS important roles within the NHS. engineers have been creative, productive and Our members help to ensure responsible for, or made major forward-looking. that patients are correctly contributions to, the most widely diagnosed and safely treated for used medical imaging The NHS depends on illnesses such as cancer and techniques: Computerised innovation to improve stroke. They maintain and Tomography (CT), Magnetic productivity, keep down costs manage medical equipment and Resonance Imaging (MRI), and deliver better outcomes for help ensure the safety of both Positron Emission Tomography Dr Elspeth Bartlett Formerly External Relations patients. Knowledge and patients and staff. However, they (PET), Single Photon Emission Manager technology developed within the are also trained scientists, Computed Tomography (SPECT) Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine

Dr Robin Holmes of University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust has been developing the use of 3D printers to produce low cost, anatomically correct brain phantoms for testing Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and other scanners.

12 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 and medical ultrasound. The CT Medical physicists have been commercialised, enabling elsewhere. Four of our projects and MRI pioneers Godfrey vital to implementing this new thousands of users worldwide to are outlined in the box below. Hounsfield and Peter Mansfield technology safely and are now perform delicate, individual They provide a snapshot of the received Nobel prizes for their developing new and improved finger movements and wide range of research and work, while ultrasound pioneer treatments, made possible by complicated grips not possible development undertaken by our (and former IPEM President) IMRT. with previous prostheses. members and the considerable Peter Wells was recently improvements it can bring to Biomedical and clinical Medical innovation is not all awarded a Royal Medal by the patient outcomes, cost engineering is one of the fastest about ground-breaking Queen. effectiveness and quality advancing areas of healthcare developments and Nobel prizes. assurance. Intensity Modulated science, covering areas such as NHS physicists and engineers Radiotherapy (IMRT) is an medical implants, joint are constantly finding creative Physicists and engineers advanced form of cancer represent a rich scientific treatment, which precisely ... non-invasive optical techniques ... resource embedded within the targets radiation at the tumour, health service. In these while minimising the amount replacements, robotic surgery, solutions and new approaches increasingly demanding times, going to surrounding healthy rehabilitation devices and tele to deal with everyday challenges the pioneering advances they tissues. Medical physicist and care. The world’s first fully to effective patient care. Since deliver, working with doctors and IPEM Fellow, Professor Steve articulated bionic hand was 2012, IPEM’s Research and other healthcare staff, are vital to Webb, was one of the key invented by NHS clinical Innovation awards have been help the NHS keep its world- researchers behind its invention. engineer and IPEM Fellow, providing small grants for such leading position. The use of IMRT is now rapidly David Gow, who was recently front-line work and especially for expanding across the NHS, with appointed CBE for his work. His early-stage, speculative or niche the help of the Government’s revolutionary, modular design for research projects that would Radiotherapy Innovation Fund. the i-Limb has been successfully struggle to find funding

FOUR RESEARCH PROJECTS ASSISTED WITH IPEM FUNDING. 1. Quick and accurate mapping of skin cancer lesions Megan Duffy is one of a team of scientists at St Thomas’s Hospital, London developing a new technique that could enable skin cancer tumours to be mapped accurately, quickly and cheaply for the first time. They are using advanced non-invasive optical techniques to detect cancer-affected areas under the skin and accurately map them before surgery. The system will help surgeons remove all the cancerous tissue from a patient whilst minimising skin damage and disfigurement. The new technique will be a huge improvement over existing practice, which requires taking repeated cuts of tissue from the patient’s skin for microscopic examination. It is expected to cut operating times dramatically.

2. Better brain scans with the help of 3D printers A wide range of illnesses and conditions are detected or assessed with the help of medical scanning. Medical physicists use test objects called phantoms to check that the scanners are operating correctly. This is important, in order to ensure that any potential abnormalities detected are real and not due to variations in scanner performance. Dr Robin Holmes of University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust has been developing the use of 3D printers to produce low cost, anatomically correct brain phantoms for testing Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and other scanners. With better phantoms, scan reporting for conditions such as neurodegeneration will become more objective and accurate, reducing uncertainty and enabling earlier diagnoses.

3. Safer seatbelts for passengers with spinal deformity There are currently no car passenger restraints on the market designed specifically for those with severe or complex spinal deformities. Paul Harrington of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS trust has been developing car restraints for better protection of wheelchair users. He has designed and tested a wheelchair-integrated system which incorporates both a lap belt and an upper torso restraint. Recent crash tests have found that his new system provided better protection and met international safety standards regarding the level of restraint provided. Paul is now developing a commercial product with a manufacturer.

4. Wider access to self-administered pain relief When patients are allowed to administer their own pain relief, it has been found to reduce the requirement for costly nursing and to be more effective at relieving pain. However, an estimated 20% of patients who would benefit from Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) are physically unable to operate the handsets. Dr Thomas Stone and Sonya Sireau of Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, working with Ian Hosking of the Cambridge University Engineering Design Centre are developing several different PCA handsets for disabled patients. They believe that, with the right devices, almost every patient should be able to access PCA. Their first prototypes are now being tested with patients.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 13 POWERING HUMAN PROGRESS – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

In 2014, the Energy Institute (EI) celebrated its centenary as the professional body for anyone working in or studying energy, and this milestone has provided us with an opportunity to reflect on how energy has contributed to human progress over the past century, as well as take a hard look at future challenges.

Energy has always been a key used as the quickest means of cause adverse consequences on enabler of economic bringing news. Now we can the others. Reconciling these needs for sustainability, security Ian Marchant FEI, President, development, but it has also instantly contact people around Energy Institute shaped today’s society. The and affordability is the “energy the globe, whilst the world looked very different in trilemma” that the industry has development of the internet 1914 and energy has been at been tackling for some time the forefront of this change. It enables us to share events on a now and that all stakeholders has transformed our existences global scale and in real time. must resolve. and the towns, cities, countries ... we can instantly contact people in which we live. It has been around the globe ... fundamental to improving comfort in the home, efficiency None of this could have been With climate change in our work and diversity in our possible without the growth of considered to be one of the the energy sector to power it all. leisure time. It has played a greatest threats in human history, extensive research must be major part in improving the POWER TO THE PEOPLE health of individuals and nations. continuously undertaken and However, to continue this In 1914, in the UK alone, 63% technical developments progress for the benefit of of people died before the age of deployed to produce new and society, we will have to 60. Now it is less than 12%. cleaner energy – and there overcome very complex should be enough of it to challenges. Barely a week goes Energy has also turned the provide uninterrupted supply for by without some aspect of planet into a global village, decades to come. The cost of energy making headlines, as providing access both generating this energy must also ... Energy has always been a key enabler be controlled to ensure that of economic development ... people can comfortably integrate its use into their daily lives. geographically and through politicians, regulators and the communications to every corner business community grapple But there is still another huge of the world and beyond. It has with three objectives that challenge for the industry to been instrumental in bringing frequently pull in different meet: that of providing for the technological change on the directions: energy costs need to one billion people in the world ground, in the air and into be low for both businesses and who still lack access to clean space, enabling us to travel families; energy supply needs to energy, which has become an faster and further, reaching new be secure for the economy and essential commodity alongside frontiers well beyond our social wellbeing and it needs to food, water and shelter. Back in grandparents’ wildest dreams. be sustainable to safeguard the 1914, the global population was When the EI was created, the environment. These factors estimated at 1.8 billion. Today it use of telephones was in its frequently conflict and decisions stands at 7 billion and the infancy and telegrams were designed to achieve one can forecast is for the world to hit

14 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 11 billion inhabitants by 2100. sector’s history is full of heroes: on people development, operational good practice in Not only must the energy the well-known such as James providing the skills and partnership with industry and industry work tirelessly to help Watt, Thomas Edison and William knowledge needed for regulators, the EI acts as a create a more secure and Armstrong, but also many individuals to achieve the convening authority to stimulate sustainable environment for unsung ones. Every day, a whole highest level of competence in an open and informed debate people to live in, it has to do so range of energy professionals do their field. Access to energy and about trade-offs, conflicts and for everyone. amazing things, from fitters on a the human progress that it technologies, and we can help North Sea oil rig and linesmen generates relies on these highly develop a better understanding POWER FROM THE out in all weathers keeping the skilled people whose dedication of the energy industry as a PEOPLE lights on, to engineers solving to the task not only helps single integrated system. If our We generally think of energy today's problems and scientists sustain society but also inspire predecessors who gathered 100 as a natural resource, but it working on tomorrow's. new generations to join the years ago to start this work were requires considerable human Organisations such as the EI, as sector. around now they would be amazed at the way energy has Professional bodies also play a ... whole range of energy professionals transformed so many aspects of key part in encouraging debate our lives for the greater good. do amazing things ... about the challenges facing They would be impressed with industries and society. Those ingenuity to find it, extract it, well as governments, businesses the technological advances that debates in the energy sector are and academic bodies, have a have been achieved and the distribute it, deploy it and as fierce, relevant and difficult as key role to play in helping, wellbeing that these have manage its use. Throughout the they have ever been. As an encouraging and recognising brought. last century, the development of independent organisation these energy heroes. 'human capital' has taken bringing sound science and I hope the same can be said central place in everything the Much of the focus of any evidence-based knowledge to in another 100 years. energy industry has done. Our professional institution is, rightly, the table, as well as developing www.energyinst.org. ENERGY INSTITUTE CELEBRATES CENTENARY AT PGES SUMMER RECEPTION

Throughout last year and until March 2015, the Energy Institute (EI) has been celebrating 100 years since its founding organisation the Institution of Petroleum Technologists was formally launched by its first President Sir Boverton Redwood.

(l-r) Ian Liddell-Grainger MP and Katrina Williams join EI President Ian Marchant FEI and EI Chief Executive Louise Kingham OBE FEI in celebrating the Energy Institute’s Centenary

To mark this milestone, the EI sponsored the 2014 Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies summer reception, hosted by Ian Liddell-Grainger MP and featuring Katrina Williams, Director General for International, Science and Resilience at the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and EI Sir Boverton Redwood President Ian Marchant FEI as keynote speakers.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 15 Annual Luncheon of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee

The Guest of Honour at the Annual Lunch on Wednesday 26th November was the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP.

“The first thing I want to say is to wish you a very Happy Birthday. You’ve done extremely well to keep going in Parliament for this many years and you’ve had an extraordinary impact on Parliament, so Happy Birthday and thank you for what you have done. Andrew Miller MP, Stephen Mosley MP, Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Lord Oxburgh and Dr Stephen Benn I should start with an apology incredibly proud of. Think of the one of our greatest strengths is The second point is there is because I am an Arts Graduate inventions – everything from the our science base, and our ability so I feel a bit of a fraud. The something I want you to help us world wide web to penicillin, to to go on pushing the only science I did was one of with. There is a danger in our the jet engine, to the television, boundaries, inventing and the dismal sciences – reading country and across the to the Higgs Boson, to the exploiting science. Politics Philosophy and European Union. We can unravelling of DNA – we have Economics at Oxford so I’m not I see this as a key part of our sometimes let an anti-science an incredibly proud science sure I am really qualified. future and the work that you do culture grow up. We see this in heritage. to connect Parliamentarians to all sorts of different ways. We I want to make a couple of But the real reason I wanted to science is vital. That is the most are at the forefront of making points. The heritage we have in come and say a few words is significant thing I want to say. I sure that we cure genetic this country of science is that I think science is going to see this as a very important part diseases by having a permissive something we should be be even more vital to our future of what we do. That is why we regime by looking at stem cell than it has been to our past. We have not cut the Science and other sciences. have to compete with otheir Budget; we have increased it. Nuclear power is a vital countries for our share of That is why we are investing in scientific area of endeavour, a success in the world. The only science in our schools and vital industry for our country, but way you win a race is to play to encouraging people to study I sit at those European Council your strengths. When you think STEM subjects. That is why we meetings and I see country after what Britain’s strengths are – we are looking at how to improve country, including now, sadly, can all name a few, apart from the teaching of science, not least Germany, arguing against our weather and our ability to computer sciences. Teaching nuclear power. lose at sports we invented. We coding in our schools is vitally have the English language, we important. This is vital to our I don’t like the word fracking, I have got our great Universities, future. Keep on doing what you prefer “unconventional gas”, but our tradition of finance and are doing. we should be doing all we can Lord Oxburgh and Andrew Miller MP trading around the world but to make sure we recover

16 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 unconventional gas as well as universities, professors, conventional gas. Again we face researchers to step up to the a slightly anti-science culture in plate and make the argument Europe when we try to do it. too – otherwise the argument on nuclear, on GM, on The fourth area I would unconventional gas on mention would be GM. We have embryology will all go the wrong some of the finest areas of way. scientific endeavour in terms of making sure that we can feed a I hope you have a lovely lunch. planet of what will one day be 9 I am sorry to tell you that as billion people. Again there is a soon as you have finished your slightly – very – anti-GM culture Ian Taylor and Rt Hon Lord Jenkin of Roding sometimes in Britain but a lot in Europe. lunch you’ve got to get back to I’ve named four areas. You are work. The point of Committees scientists. You can name a lot like this is to have a forward- more where we need to take on looking agenda and I hope I’ve the doubters, and often some given you an idea of what I who are actually quite ignorant think that agenda needs to be: about these issues and really take on the doubters, take on make a campaign and have a the arguments, win for science fight about it. and you’ll be winning for Britain Science is essential to our as well. Thank you very much future. Keep doing what you are indeed.” doing and help us win the battle in arguing for scientific advance. Politicians cannot do it on our own. We need scientists, Professor Peter Silley and Dr Lucy Harper

Sir William Stewart and Dr Richard Worswick Marijke Smith, Tony Harding and Andrew Furlong

Lord Kirkwood and Lord Walton of Detchant

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 17 Can consistent apprenticeship experience be achieved to drive performance excellence?

a robust educational alternative The Apprentice Assured uses a • Do apprentices understand the through a workplace route, then six-category Framework to assess demands of their industry and the apprenticeship standards the apprenticeship quality. The customer needs? should enable progression to first Award is for the employer. The • Do apprentices develop high- degree or postgraduate level that focus of the Framework is on the value transferable and cross-sector have parity of esteem with their learner experience: how far is the skills? academic counterparts. apprenticeship geared to qualifying the apprentice to be of real value • Does the apprenticeship WHAT IS NEEDED? to an employer? Is the apprentice encourage innovation, creative Beyond what the apprenticeship of value not just to the employer problem solving and design? frameworks prescribe at different but to the wider industry? This is a • Does the apprenticeship levels, there is no instrument to chance to avoid apprenticeships encourage commitment to benchmark the consistency in the that are an exercise in certifying – professional recognition? quality of the apprentice’s by box-ticking, taking the ‘route Professor Sa’ad Medhat experience. Research 3 has one’ approach to obtaining funding • Are the intended impacts CEng FRSA FIKE demonstrated that the economies and hitting targets at least cost. achievable, add value and improve Professor Medhat is the founder & of the future will need workforces performance? CEO of NEF with an established The Apprentice Assured reputation for driving forward that offer higher functioning The development of the Framework categories are initiatives from policy through to capabilities – digital, logic, design Apprentice Assured Standard is identified in Figure 1: implementation. and interactions together with supported by the members of the dexterity and sensory skills; ability A sample of the type of Innovation Council of over 40 chief to operate in different sectors; questions that the Apprentice officers from different industry WHAT IS THE ISSUE? adaptable to technological change Assured Standard tests for include: sectors of the economy. They act 1 The Heseltine Report made it and possessing entrepreneurial as members of the independent clear: we need to achieve the mind-sets. By having these • Is the Apprenticeship designed to validation panel as part of the highest standards in education to capabilities, employers will achieve deliver the impacts? assurance process to enable not raise our game on socio-economic greater productivity and increased • Does the Apprenticeship only objectivity in the assessment, prosperity. The message from the innovation. There are many but also to encourage the transfer 2 programme plan the experience so Richard Review is that excellent apprenticeship of sector-to-sector best practice. apprenticeships are no exception as to maximise learning? programmes that go a long way to to this. They need to set higher References: meet these qualities. However, to • Is the purpose of the standards so that they are held in 1 No Stone Unturned in pursuit of ensure a strong foundation for the Apprenticeship clear to the learner? high esteem by employers, growth Oct 2012. future economy, these exemplars apprentices and society at large. • Does the training provider and 2 The future of apprenticeships, need to become the norm and Major reforms have followed from the employer understand their Nov2014. not the exception. The only way to the Richard’s Review. However, the roles and act on these? 3 Workforce 2020, Building a strategic achieve this successfully is through issue that remains is that of workforce for the future, Oxford providing a structured, coherent • Are learning experiences consistency in the quality of the Economics 2014; Global Human Capital and consistent learning experience structured to provide a coherent apprentice’s experience. Trends 2014, Deloitte 2014; Inventing the curriculum of a consistent high Theoretically, it should make no for the apprentice benchmarked Future: Transforming STEM Economies, standard? difference as to whether the to the highest standards globally. NEF 2014. apprentice has gone to a large or small company. The apprenticeship THE APPRENTICE Fig. 1 programme should be designed in ASSURED such a way as to provide an Building on NEF’s extensive experience that is consistent and experience in developing quality impactful, irrespective of employer standards and conducting size or industry sector. In practice, assurance in multiple sectors (eg the quality of the apprentice’s education, nuclear, construction, experience is highly variable, and engineering, defence, energy, life consequently may have a negative sciences), NEF has designed a impact on the individual unique, new standard that assures apprentice, and also on the sector the consistent quality of the and the economy as a whole. In Apprentice’s experience – the addition, if the intention is to create Apprentice Assured.

18 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD SECURITY, AND BIG DATA

production are particularly risk to farmers, industry are to conduct in depth analysis of vulnerable to climate change increasingly interested in using plausible worst case scenarios of and secondary impacts such as data to aid farmers. In 2013, disruption to the global food pathogens, pests, weeds, Monsanto, a large agrochemical system caused by extreme drought, and catastrophic and agricultural biotechnology weather events. In October, the weather. Given that agricultural company, acquired Climate Met Office committed £97 operations often have very low Corporation for nearly $1 billion. million to developing a new profit margins and farmers Climate Corporation’s 200 supercomputer for highly cannot just pack up and move, scientists work to improve accurate weather forecasting both the public and private weather analytics to help and climate modelling academic sector have renewed their focus farmers avert weather-related research. The Food and on helping the agricultural sector losses, providing weather, soil, Environment Research Agency to remain productive. and crop data at the field level has also paired with the Irina Calos University of York’s York Securing funding for climate directly to farmers through a Science and Innovation Officer, Environmental Sustainability Los Angeles change mitigation is notoriously smart phone app. (The US is Institute for Fera’s Initiative in difficult in the US, but Federal certainly not alone in this field – Agrifood Resilience. Under the and private programs are finally the British Geological Survey’s UK’s Strategy for Agricultural working on empowering the mySoil application similarly uses Without significant advances Technologies the UK agricultural sector to adapt to location-based data to help in agricultural technology, the Government committed £90 climate change and ensure farmers optimise their American agricultural sector million to establish a number of continued food and financial production.) IBM and Intel also and associated jobs are at risk Centres for Agricultural security. By providing access to have weather analytics units due to threats presented by Innovation, which will launch in open climatalogical and working on everything from climate change. However, 2015. The first Centre will be a agricultural data, the Federal reducing water usage, recent advances in the use of £10 million Centre for government is encouraging maximising production, and data analytics for agriculture Agricultural Informatics and the partnerships between the minimising environmental and research partnerships Metrics of Sustainability. The UK government, private industry, impacts. spell promise for the sector. Government committed a and agriculturalists. Through its There are a number of further £70 million to establish More than 21 million Open Government Partnership, opportunities – and reasons – an Agri-Tech Catalyst. The Americans – 15 per cent of the the US Federal government is for UK stakeholders to engage Catalyst supports collaborative total workforce – produce, working to connect independent with the US to improve food research between scientists and process, and sell the nation’s stakeholders to harness open security. The Global Alliance for businesses to springboard agri- agricultural goods, which data on www.data.gov to inform Climate-Smart Agriculture, of tech projects from the lab to the contributed over £500 billion agricultural production to which the US and UK are both market place and drive ($776 billion) – 4.8 per cent of increase food security. founding members, seeks to agricultural innovation. To date, the nation’s GDP – to the US In July, the President unveiled promote greater international over 50 projects worth economy in 2012. According to the Climate Data Initiative’s Food engagement on reducing £43 million, which includes the US’ National Climate Resilience Theme, which is agriculture’s impacts on the £13 million co-investment from Assessment released in May, leveraging the government’s climate. The Agricultural Model industry, have been supported. climate disruptions to agriculture open data resources to stimulate Intercomparison and have already begun. For With the needs for adaptation innovation and entrepreneurship Improvement Project works to example, higher night-time to climate change growing ever that can empower farmers and improve climate and economic temperatures have reduced more acute, the “big data make food systems more modelling with agricultural data. maize yields, and the number of revolution”, as many call it, can’t secure. With the launch of the such hot nights in these regions The US is certainly not alone in come too soon. However, recent Theme, the White House is projected to increase by a its efforts to harness big data to advances in computing and announced a number of further 30 per cent. comprehend better agriculture’s nascent partnerships between commitments between US Furthermore, climate change is evolving needs. This year the national and international Federal agencies and the private already reducing rainfall in much Science and Innovation Network stakeholders lend hope to the sector to support food resilience of the country’s thirsty in the US launched a UK-US idea that the agriculture sector using public data. agricultural regions. In addition task force in partnership with the will continue to innovate. to the primary stress of warming Because climate change Research Council’s cross-council temperatures, livestock and crop increases weather variability and initiative on Global Food Security

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 19 UK & BRAZIL: PARTNERS IN SCIENCE, SPACE & INNOVATION Deep beneath the Andes an underground lab is being constructed to detect dark matter. Agua Negra Deep Experiment Site (ANDES) is a joint project between Brazil, Chile, Argentina & Mexico and is due for completion by 2021.

Less than three degrees from powerhouses. Federal and State enforcement. Links between the equator, the Alcântara Government spending on academia and industry are still in Launch Center sits on Brazil’s Science, Technology and the early stages of development. northern Atlantic coast. The Innovation in 2013 was These are all opportunities for Dr Julia Knights earth spins fastest here so less estimated to be around $31 UK business and academia to Director of Science and Innovation Network (SIN) – Brazil fuel is required for launches, billion USD, amounting to offer expertise. making it an attractive prospect around 1.2 % of Brazil’s GDP. If you would like to receive our for UK satellite launches for monthly newsletters, produced ... opportunities for UK business and academia jointly with SIN Mexico and SIN communication. to offer expertise ... Chile, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at [email protected] In Rio de Janeiro,a vaccine In 2013, Brazil published The Brazilian Government is aimed at protecting against 46,306 articles in Elsevier investing heavily in Brazilian Schistosomiasis – the most scientific journals, representing industrial development and devastating parasitic infection in more than two-thirds of South developing a skilled labour force. the world after malaria – is America’s entire research output. President Dilma Rouseff has being developed by scientists at The impact and quality of increased the powers and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Brazilian research is world-class funding of FINEP, the Brazilian equivalent to Innovate UK. In These are just a few of the in many areas, with citations June 2014 she launched the £5 exciting innovative projects of three times greater than the billion “Knowledge Platform the UK’s Science and Innovation world average in Agricultural National Program” over ten Network (SIN) in Brazil. Based in Sciences (8.8% of the world years that will invest in research the British Embassy in Brasilia scientific output), plant and on health, oil, basic engineering, ... one of the world’s science powerhouses ... robotics, monitoring technology for the Amazon rainforest, and the British Consulate in Sao animal science (6.6%), genetics and biotechnology. Paulo, SIN Brazil fosters world- environment and ecology (3%), class science partnerships with and biology and biochemistry This rapidly developing Brazil whilst informing UK (2.6%). Pockets of excellence landscape provides significant stakeholders of new science are also emerging in avionics, opportunities to further UK-Brazil policies, funding mechanisms engineering and oil and gas. science and innovation co- and opportunities for research operation as well as commercial However, the country still faces and commercial partnerships opportunities for British a number of challenges with Brazil. institutions and companies. including a lack of research BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT scientists and engineers, a need BRAZIL’S NEW SCIENCE INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE for expertise in innovation, and a MINISTER Brazil is rapidly becoming one legal and commercial framework Space and Innovation are the of the world’s science to support it with IP law new priorities for Brazil’s new

20 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 Science, Technology and We will use this to showcase UK Campinas last year. The that could be funded, revealing Innovation Minister, Aldo Rebelo, expertise on disaster monitoring mosquitoes are designed to the strong interest on both who took office at the beginning with the UK’s Satellite control against dengue fever and sides. Seventy projects on of this January. Rebelo, a long Applications Catapult and the the Chikunguna virus. Oxitec health, future cities, biodiversity standing member of the Space Agency. began as a start-up at Oxford and economic development and Communist Party of Brazil, was University and SIN-Brazil welfare reform will be funded in Sports Minister for the FIFA OPPORTUNITIES IN facilitated its internationalisation 2015. Three further calls for World Cup 2014 in Dilma’s last INNOVATION and development in Brazil. 2015 are under way including a government. This brings the In partnership with UKTI, SIN ... producing transgenic mosquitoes has increased dialogue with Science Ministry greater political in Campinas ... importance as his party has different levels of the Brazilian UK BRAZIL £27M £3 million joint call on energy, been loyal to the coalitions in government on innovation NEWTON FUND PROJECT waste and water between power since 2003. policy, working on sharing best- Innovate UK and the National practice and increasing the SIN Brazil is also developing Service for Industrial Training in OPPORTUNITIES IN dialogue with key local partners Innovation partnerships in Brazil. SIN-Brazil will continue to SPACE to influence policy-making. This health, future cities, neglected help negotiate new calls Brazil is a key place to launch includes the Brazilian Innovation diseases, biodiversity and between Brazilian partners and satellites thanks to its main Agency, the Brazilian Ministry of climate through the UK’s £27m Newton Fund (Overseas the UK’s Newton Fund delivery ... creating five new launch pads ... Development Assistance partners (RCUK, British Council, funding). Launched by the the Academies and Innovate launch facility, Alcântara Launch Development, Industry and Chancellor last year, we have UK). Center. Several Space Foreign Trade, and State and secured a further £27 million SCIENCE WITHOUT superpowers are already Municipal governments in Sao from the Brazilian BORDERS partnering with Brazil’s Space Paulo. We have also used recent government.To date, five new Further innovation partnerships programme. China launched a recognitions such as the UK’s innovation calls have been are being fostered through $250 million Earth Resources second place in the Global successfully launched in 2014. Brazil’s Science without Borders Satellite last November joint with Innovation Index to foster Exciting examples include mobility programme. The UK Brazil, with another launch due interest in large Brazilian digitising the entire Brazil plant has also welcomed over 8,500 2017. Russia and Brazil are innovative companies looking to collection held at the Royal students under “Science Without designing a family of next- carry out R&D in the UK. Botanical Gardens at Kew for Borders”, Brazil’s education generation rockets and creating In 2014 we have seen an the benefit of Brazil. Partners mobility scheme. A third of five new launch pads as part of increased interest and involved in digitising the these students are already on a their Southern Cross Project. investment of UK universities collections include the Rio research or industrial placement Their first rocket will launch in and research centres in Brazil. 2022. ... specimens collected by Charles Darwin ... The University of Edinburgh and The Science and Innovation King’s College London opened Botanic Garden, the Brazilian in the UK, paving the way for Network (SIN-Brazil) will create local offices in Brazil in 2014, National Research Council and future innovation collaborations. new partnerships to increase joining Universities of Brazilian universities. The Reflora The Brazilian government is sales of small satellites and Birmingham, Nottingham, De project, as it is known, includes keen to send more students on launch satellites such as Montfort and Cambridge specimens collected by Charles courses that offer placements, Cubesat on existing missions Assessment with a presence in Darwin and will not just benefit so the UK government and from Alcântara. We will do this the country. Brazil but also future generations Universities UK are working with by encouraging UK companies around the world. British companies to make this to apply for grants from the UK Strong opportunities in possible. Space Agency’s new £32m biotechnology exist for UK A £6m joint research call International Partnership Space companies. The UK’s biotech between the Research Councils Programme. Brazil is also due to firm Oxitec of Oxford opened UK and the Brazilian Council of host the Disaster Charter the first factory producing State Funding Agencies attracted Organisation in Autumn 2015. transgenic mosquitoes in four times the number of bids

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 21 ROYAL SOCIETY PAIRING SCHEME

Every year the Royal Society arranges partners between parliamentarians and civil servants with scientists. Its annual Pairing Scheme starts with the ‘Week in Westminster’ in late November, a programme of activities for the scientists including seminars, workshops, shadowing opportunities and a tour of Westminster. The week gives the scientists a taste, not only of the approach to science policy, but of Parliament and the Civil Service in general. Professor Ruth Aylett Professor of Computer Science, As a researcher in artificial I was paired with Ian Murray, politician’s timescales. Ian gets Heriot-Watt University intelligence and robotics, and a the Labour MP for Edinburgh 700 emails a day, and though Professor of Computer Science South, who went into Parliament he now has a clerical assistant at Heriot-Watt University in at the last election after working helping him to deal with them, it Edinburgh, I am often frustrated in a variety of small businesses. is clear he doesn’t have very by public perceptions of my He is part of the shadow BIS much time for mastering new area. These seem often driven team, the new name for what I materials. Moreover there is zero by wildly sensationalist media remember being the DTI at one training for MPs, so picking publicity for ideas such as point, and thus the department things up as they go along ‘robots will take over the world’ responsible among other things seems very much the rule. or The Singularity, after which for research funding, higher Ian was very committed to the artificial intelligences will keep education, and technology- pairing exercise and took me humans as pets, if we are lucky. transfer programmes. everywhere he went, though understandably there were a ... Westminster makes you think of couple of private meetings I a museum ... couldn't attend. I did however witness an informal meeting This was one motivation for I met Ian on the Tuesday of with a couple of managers from applying to the Royal Society my week in Westminster outside the Post Office in the Portcullis Pairing Scheme, in which the Millbank Tower, where he House canteen. Ian is concerned scientists are linked to MPs or was deputising for a colleague at that the Royal Mail sell-off could civil servants. What if policy was a technology transfer event. This result in total destabilisation of made on the back of such was a conference run by a the Post Office, which was not inaccurate ideas? What if real North-East-based tech transfer part of that sell-off, and along issues of privacy and security company called CPI (Centre for with the managers, was already visible in the use of AI Process Innovation), who as examining new activities that technologies on the web were might help Post Offices succeed. to be ignored in favour of these their name suggests, specialise improbable fantasies? And so in in process industry technology. Prime Minister’s question time November 2014 I watched the Ian took this on at short notice was just as much a circus from Northumbrian coast go by as my ... there is zero training for MPs ... train took me to London for a week in Westminster. and as a result was presenting a the Visitor’s Gallery as it looks on If you are used to the Scottish speech written by his colleague, television. Ian felt that, oddly, all parliament in its nice new who’d been called away from the MPs know how bad this building with electronic voting London unexpectedly. looks to the general public, but it and high-tech desks for MSPs to This need to react and perform goes on anyway. He was down sit at in the debating chamber, off-the-top–of-the-head seems to ask a question in the session, Westminster makes you think of not untypical of an MP’s life, and which moved with bewildering a museum. Of course it is also a underlines how hard it is to speed, like much parliamentary workplace. mesh the academic’s and the activity.

22 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 The Commons Select maybe one has to follow some A fascinating week, and a lot out that their Board meeting Committee on Science was page on the Government learned. Whether I can put any early next year will indeed more tractable an event for an website to see them. of this to practical use remains consider such a POST Note as to be seen: for an individual one of various possibilities. We academic, as MPs interviewed On our final day, GO Science – had a long chat about what witnesses in some depth, in this the Government Office for scientist to have much effect on such a Note might cover, and if case on biometric technologies. I Science – presented their the political dramas of it does happen then I would be wondered how they managed mechanisms for scientific advice Westminster seems about as able to feel I had some small to ask sensible questions – in crisis situations. We worked easy as jumping through a door effect on the process. My pair remember, no training – but the through a group-based exercise in a fast moving train. Still, one Ian Murray will come and see MPs at this session seemed very around the floods of early this of the things I learned was that our Robotics Labs in February, conscientious and did a year, and with my IT hat on I as well as GO Science, and the and hopefully this will build a reasonable job. Acting as an was astonished – and not in a select committees of the two longer-term relationship: Houses, there is also a assuming that is, he is re-elected ... they had been using photocopied maps ... Parliamentary Office of Science in May. Time horizons look very and Technology – POST – that expert at a select committee is different for an MP than for a good way – that they had been serves the parliamentarians at certainly one way of bringing using photocopied maps as a scientist – and that is the large. They produce POST Notes science into the decision-making way of representing key data. challenge for more lasting on specific topics, and so I processes, though it was less But lessons can be learned just meetings of minds. emailed them suggesting one clear how one would get to be as quickly as everything else it on AI and Robotics. called as an expert. seems, since now there is a Opportunities are apparently quite reasonable GIS system for A few weeks later one of their advertised somewhere, but use in the next such crisis. team gave me a ring – it turns

Professor of Computer Science shocking realities of geopolitical We both have the responsibility at Heriot Watt University in realities of the time to break the to promote dialogue, Edinburgh. I have to admit that I “unbreakable” enigma code. It is engagement and – hopefully – didn’t know much about Ruth’s said that their work contributed respect and understanding area of expertise prior to to the shortening of the war by between politicians and meeting her. The extent of my two years, possibly saving scientists. engagement with robots and millions of lives. A As an MP who represents the artificial intelligence was only on mathematician, logician, University of Edinburgh King’s the cinema screen so it was computer scientist and Royal Buildings and the Research excellent to be able to learn Society fellow whose influence Centres at Little France I take a more about her area. came to bear far beyond the close interest in the Pairing Ian Murray realm of his fellow scientists. Scheme. It is thoroughly Member of Parliament for Science usually meanders low Edinburgh South and Labour’s under the national politics radar. Just think – where would be enjoyable and increased my Shadow Minister for Trade and We must recognise that it today without ‘Turing’s Machines’ knowledge of key scientific areas Investment should be placed at the centre This is the third year I have of our debates. We need to ... Science usually meanders low under the participated in the Royal understand that the decisions national politics radar ... Society’s Pairing Scheme and, government and elected yet again, it was a hugely representatives make in the or the field of artificial in the last three years from rewarding experience. It’s a lobbies of the House of intelligence? The debt of Carbon Capture and Storage to very important scheme and Commons have a direct impact gratitude he is owed makes it all artificial intelligence. As a one that I would encourage on the development of our the more horrifying that he was Shadow Business Minister it has my colleagues to take up in science sector, and in turn the treated so inhumanely. also been very useful to see the things those scientists and contribution science makes to the future. Indeed, it’s My involvement in the scheme researchers can contribute to the the UK economy and why it incumbent on all elected over recent years has made me lives of our constituents. should be supported by representative to be better value the link between science Government. informed about science issues Nothing encaptures that more and politics. But we need to and to encourage scientists to than the story of Alan Turing and make it stronger. MPs and I hope to visit Ruth at Heriot understand how they can his team, and the pivotal part scientists have a responsibility to Watt in the near future so that I influence science policy. they played in the war effort. engage with each other to get can get further insight into her This time, I had the pleasure of This saw the application of the best possible scientific work – I’m sure there will be a pairing with Ruth Aylett, science hand in hand with the advice into public policy making. lot to learn.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 23 DOES THE UK HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IT NEEDS? Meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 21st October DOES THE UK HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IT NEEDS?

ICE launched its State of the increased recently, it remains All of this has to be delivered Nation: Infrastructure report in low compared with other in a way that is affordable to June 2014, which assesses the developed countries. consumers. The National Audit condition and capacity of the Office report in 2013 estimates The Autumn Statement UK’s economic infrastructure, its an increase of £221 in the highlighted that the next level of resilience, the Government will have to reduce average household energy bill governance and regulatory public spending even further. between 2013 and 2030 in real arrangements in place and This means less money for terms. investment and funding issues. government departments and The key to achieving this aim is Our report found that the UK’s local authorities, which means infrastructure requires attention for Parliament to continue to less money for infrastructure. – and raised the question of create the conditions to Nick Baveystock, This will increase the need for whether the UK can afford the incentivise generation, maximise Director General, Institution of private investment and enhance Civil Engineers infrastructure we want, 24 hours investor confidence and ensure the Government’s role in a day, 7 days a week, 365 days sufficient capacity to meet peak reducing risk for investors Nationally a year. demands. Thankfully we have through stable, long term significant now seen some progress FUNDING AND legislation and regulation. through implementation of Otherwise investment will find a infrastructure FINANCING Electricity Market Reform. home elsewhere. projects are, by their We need to decide what we Policymakers also need to nature, political and can afford. Infrastructure is an SECTORAL CHALLENGES resolve political uncertainties enabler, not an end in itself. Too around the lack of a clear Energy subject to a decision often, policymakers are more decarbonisation target and the making process, concerned with specifying an Significant quantities of the future of the carbon price floor. input, rather than an outcome: “I UK’s existing electricity with public and Water want a bridge”, rather than, “I generation capacity will retire parliamentary want to get goods from A to B.” soon, with major implications for The pressures from climate involvement. This If we can create less, better security of supply unless the change and population growth infrastructure then we can conditions to attract investment mean that water availability will will become provide greater value for money. in new generation are provided. be less predictable in the future. increasingly difficult This is exacerbated as the use of The manner in which water is We need to build more electricity for transport and abstracted and used will have to as we are faced with efficient, smarter infrastructure, residential heat increases. change. challenges such as but we also need to fund it somehow – either through tax The best way to meet demand The changing nature of climate change, or user charging. The balance is is to reduce it through demand weather patterns is also which will a choice for the Government of side management. With this in impacting on water availability. In necessitate choices the day. Irrespective of where it mind for the UK to meet its the south east, we have a water comes from, funding is limited legally binding targets for scarcity issue while the area will over the resilience and decisions on where decarbonisation beyond 2020, it see an increased demand from of infrastructure, resource is directed must be must transform the way that it a population that is set to grow generates and uses energy. The aligned to our strategic around 23% over the next 20 and population UK is bound by domestic targets objectives. Investment requires a or so years. We also have an to reduce greenhouse gas growth, which will return. Without investment, we increasing demand from emissions and, by EU directives, place greater can neither build infrastructure, multiple users. Demand from to reduce energy consumption nor maintain what we already electricity supply is the largest demand on our vital and increase its share of have. Although investment in user of water. Domestic use renewables to 15% by 2020. networks. infrastructure has slightly comes second.

24 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 Management of water and its The strategic approach to flood third of traffic and two-thirds of products’ usage – extracting interdependencies with food, management which has been freight. More severe congestion maximum value, reducing waste energy and the environment established over the last two is anticipated in the longer term and increasing reuse. (including flooding) is vital for decades needs to be reinforced. as stronger economic growth This change requires political This combines flood defences returns alongside population future water security. The leadership and we already see with management of fluvial and growth. Scottish Hydro Nation concept this in devolved countries; links the importance of water to surface water flood risk, and Britain’s rail network has seen a however, Government policy for economic and business growth. upstream catchment measures doubling in passenger kilometres waste is currently spread across The Welsh government is to improve building and over the past two decades, a number of departments in currently developing a specific infrastructure resilience to floods. resulting in capacity constraints. England. We believe the water strategy to link economic Managing at catchment scale Track and signalling faults establishment of an Office for growth to water resource so that we can reduce and slow continue to be the main sources Resource Management, situated management. ICE recommends down the water actually getting of infrastructure-related delay. within BIS, would show a clear that Defra adopts a similar into our sewerage systems can Table ES.1: 2014 Infrastructure pipeline, by sector, 2014-15 onwards approach for England through have a significant benefit. We Sector No of No of Pipeline Value the National Water Resources welcome the Environment Projects Programmes £bn Group. Agency (EA)’s catchment Communications 1 5 11.0 Energy 77 70 274.9 We have been left an excellent management pilots and hope (of which Oil&Gas) 0 1 53.0 infrastructure legacy by the that these continue to gain Flood 5 21 3.7 government support. Science and Research 18 4 1.4 Victorians; however, leakage is Transport 141 129 142.3 still too high and the type of Flood management requires Waste 20 0 2.0 infrastructure we need to Water 1 59 30.9 investment. This has been a Total 263 288 £466 manage our water effectively is particular issue in maintenance, (excluding Oil&Gas) 263 287 £413 changing. where maintenance grants from Figure 2 – The updated National Infrastructure Plan pipeline (December 2014) Severe weather incidents in the indication from Government that winter of 2013/14 emphasised we need to reduce waste and the need for greater resilience. see it as a business resource.

Local transport governance is CONCLUSION often weak and fragmented, In answer to the question with funding inadequate to ‘Does the UK have the deliver the system we need. Infrastructure it Needs?,’ my Responsibility for most roads answer is ‘Not yet – but remains with local highways progress is being made.’ Tough authorities, which in major urban political choices lie ahead. Figure 1 – ICE’s State of the Nation: Infrastructure 2014 sector assessment areas are often small with Policymakers now need to grades shrinking budgets. Bus services ensure that the improved policy What is needed now is a mix the EA will be 22% lower in are deregulated in most of the climate will translate into of supply side measures to 2014/15 than they were in UK, albeit with major public tangible impacts on improve resilience in the water 2010/11. While we now have a subsidy. infrastructure. sector, including welcome long term capital ICE believes that city-regions interconnections between water commitment to flood projects, are often the most appropriate companies, extra storage, from maintenance is lagging in terms ‘larger than local’ scale for large scale reservoirs to small The second speaker at the of vision and importance. understanding and managing scale community storage. meeting should have been Transport travel behaviour, and the trend Charlotte Holloway, Head of Flood management towards devolution to English Our strategic road, rail and air Policy, techUK; unfortunately she One key area of concern for city-regions should be networks are capacity was taken ill and ICE, and the one which accelerated. constrained at critical points, Professor Brian highlights the vulnerability of all undermining their contribution Waste and resource Collins, Professor our physical infrastructure to prosperity and quality of life. management of Engineering networks and assets, is in flood The vast majority of UK travel The transition to a ‘circular Policy, Director, management and the need to is by road. England’s strategic economy’ requires a shift in the International build resilience into our road network (SRN) constitutes way we think of our waste – Centre for Infrastructure Futures, infrastructure networks. less than 3% of total road from the ‘take-make-dispose’ UCL, agreed to take her place length, but carries around one- model to one that extends two hours before the meeting.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 25 EBOLA VIRUS – AN UPDATE Meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 4th November The situation in Africa (and the threat for the UK) persuaded us to organise a briefing meeting at very short notice. An early morning meeting was held on Tuesday 4th November, summarised below by Professor Alan Malcolm.

We were delighted to welcome:

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, England

Dr Christine McCartney (Director of Microbiology) Dr Andrew Simpson, Public Health England

Professor John Edmunds, Dean of Faculty, Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Dr Huw Taylor, Professor of Microbial Ecology, University of Brighton

The following points were made in answer to questions from the audience:

WHERE HAS THE DISEASE EMERGED? entry screening, together with follow up and monitoring where necessary. However all such surveillance is kept under constant HOW WERE PAST EPIDEMICS ELIMINATED? review. There is almost certainly an Animal reservoir. HOW DO YOU CATCH IT? This may be fruit bats or possibly monkeys. It can only be caught by intimate contact with bodily fluids, Eating bush meat is a likely entry point into humans. especially blood. In the past such epidemics affected rural communities. It is not airborne and as an RNA virus it will not mutate. It is not like A combination of excellent public health, coupled with early influenza which mutates all the time. diagnosis and isolation enabled the epidemics to be kept under Bleeding from wounds is particularly dangerous, and many burial control. practices are very “dodgy” to say the least. The difference here was that it broke out in a new part of Africa. For example, two burials in Sierra Leone infected a further 68 It took time to identify, by which time disease had spread. people.

There was also significant transmission in hospital. A lot of work had gone into working with the community to educate them. Sadly hospital workers and burial workers are at greatest risk. The Reproduction Number is the number of cases which each patient then infects. For the current outbreak this is currently 1.4. However the organism is very fragile, and will not survive long Anything above 1.0 is worrying. outside the human body. While its survival will depend on precise conditions, it will not live on hard surfaces. Isolation is easy if there are only a few cases, but very difficult if there are many cases. Dealing with faeces is a very particular problem.

Transmission then takes over. Corpses are buried in a double layer of tough polythene. A large part of the daily work of the CMO is myth busting. There BRITAIN’S CONTRIBUTION has been far too much scaremongering. There is no need to cancel The NHS does not recruit from West Africa and we hope that our flights to affected countries, and indeed this would deny them NHS staff will volunteer. access to skilled help, thus aggravating the situation. The affected countries have excellent exit screening, and the UK has appropriate It is essential that recruits understand the culture as well as the

26 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 disease. Volunteers undergo two weeks training at Porton Down. Early diagnosis is essential, but such tests need to be sensitive and specific. We can be proud of the contribution which the UK is making – probably more than the rest of the EU put together, although other A false positive could be a death sentence. countries are increasing their input significantly. We need to perform such tests quickly and transmit the results Britain has not only provided health care workers, but our military rapidly. contribution has been huge. In addition to the provision of Because few have survived the disease, it is too early to know helicopters, our soldiers have been building hospitals and isolation whether sufferers can contract the disease again. units. The CMO confirmed that tackling antibiotic resistance should be regarded as one of our millennium goals.

DEFENCE Defence against Ebola requires soap, water and chlorine. It would be a mistake to change a routine which is effective. Changes often give rise to new errors.

It was not necessary to provide immigration officers with protective clothing. The system deals with those who become ill on the plane. If the traveller is not showing symptoms then (s)he is not a hazard. Those returning are told to take their temperature twice a day, and We have also led in the modelling of the disease progression and report any untoward symptoms. transmission. Similarly, our knowledge of ship movement and arrivals enables Our Public Health Laboratory Service is unique in having two high appropriate monitoring to be in place. category facilities to enable research to be undertaken. In November, 316 returning passengers were being followed up. In Liberia, it is the US which is the lead country.

One concern is social breakdown in UK communities. There have been suggestions of banning some children from school.

SCIENCE AND THE TRUTH The CMO emphasised that the only way to deal with such incidents is to emphasise the scientific truths.

Three potential vaccines are well under way in development and testing.

However there is still a great shortage of hospital and isolation beds. We may need hospital ships.

The safety of medical workers also gets in the way. Médecins Sans Frontières will not allow intravenous rehydration, because of risk to One major issue in affected countries was the effect of diminishing workers. other aspects of health care. Vaccination programmes were being seriously affected. It could even give rise to other major epidemics There is a shocking lack of research into support care for patients. as a result. Rehydration is vital, and not enough work has been done on how to achieve this. We (and the WHO) were undoubtedly too slow to respond in the early days of the outbreak. We will be It is important to remember that other quicker next time. haemorrhagic fevers also need vaccines. The US is doing a lot of work in this area. The Congo has revised its funeral practices.

Previous outbreaks have been contained by Modelling has now been done to anticipate outbreaks public health measures. in major centres of population.

Because they were mainly in rural areas, All the speakers were thanked for giving such contact tracing was possible. information and assurance in only 70 minutes.

Now the disease is in urban areas, contact tracing is not usually possible.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 27 ENERGY STORAGE Meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 18th November ENERGY STORAGE: Technology and Policy Innovation

Energy systems are coming output. When excess electricity is 2030, and using that low carbon under pressure to be more available at times of low power for heating and transport flexible, with greater reliability demand, such as during the needs, displacing fossil fuels, in and to meet changing or night, water is pumped from a subsequent decades. increasing demands, all within lower to higher reservoir. Later, We are now going through a tight economic constraints and the energy is recovered by period of rapidly increasing over short time periods. Energy letting it flow back down the hill generation from renewables, storage is being viewed as one through turbines, meeting the especially wind. With cost of the key enabling technologies peaks whilst the conventional reductions, solar PV is likely to that will allow the infrastructure plant runs efficiently at a far exceed previous predictions, to meet these challenges.1 In constant output. For a few and be placed on distribution the UK, as generation from hours, the output from pumped Dr Jonathan Radcliffe networks, rather than under the variable renewables increases, storage can be equal to that of a Senior Research Fellow, University control of the system operator, of Birmingham and our use of energy changes, power station; though around National Grid. Early in the storage could allow a more 20% of the initial energy will 2020s, it could be common to efficient system to be have been lost. have variable renewable capacity developed. However, there are Hot water tanks provide covering more than half of total both technical and non-technical essentially the same service, but demand. barriers to be overcome if new technologies are to play a major ... energy storage can reduce system costs ... role. on a distributed basis and At the same time, if heating is THE CURRENT ROLE OF providing thermal, rather than to be electrified, we need to STORAGE electrical, energy. Nearly 50% of recognise that with the changing Energy storage is not a new the UK’s energy consumption weather, demand can quadruple concept: we have long had goes on some form of heating.2 between summer and winter; stocks of coal or reservoirs of With 14 million tanks installed in and by half over a period of a natural gas serving power homes, the total stored energy day or two. Transferring stations or homes, reducing is three times that from pumped provision from natural gas to exposure to variations in the hydro. electricity generation capacity supply chain and allowing would mean adding ten or For decades, the demand for responses to varying demand more large power stations with energy has been largely over daily and annual cycles. A low utilisation rates. pile of coal next to a power predictable, generation has been station can exceed one million responsive and mechanisms These changes in supply and tonnes, equivalent to about two have evolved (driven by varying demand will have an impact on months’ electrical output. combinations of engineering the power network and wider and politics) to ensure supplies energy system across timescales ‘Rechargeable storage’ gives have been available at the right of seconds (and less) to the extra functionality of times. months. absorbing energy or power that is instantaneously available, and THE FUTURE ENERGY ENERGY STORAGE AS A being able to return it at a later SYSTEM SOLUTION time (of course with an energy To meet climate change ‘Energy storage’ encompasses cost). Pumped hydro was built mitigation targets, most a broad family of technologies, alongside the nuclear scenarios for the UK favour covering chemical, programme, as nuclear plant has reducing emissions from power electrochemical, thermal, limited ability to change its generation to near zero by mechanical and electrical forms

28 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 of energy. 3 Each has rapidly. challenge. 6 as both a generation asset and characteristics for delivering its consumer, energy storage can Battery technologies sit in the On top of this, the different energy or power, over different be subject to double jeopardy middle – they can deliver high roles of each organisation can timescales, with varying physical when it comes to a number of power and large quantities of make it hard to focus on the features of the devices environmental levies – energy. But increasing the objectives of support – whether themselves. effectively being charged twice amount of stored energy means it is for the benefit of industry, for ‘green’ tariffs. This is a rather The most obvious services having more batteries, and so is the energy system or science. perverse consequence, as the which will avoid the need to an expensive option for large Coordination to achieve aim is to improve the efficiency build generation plant that would applications. In some cases cost common goals is essential, of a system with more variable otherwise meet peak demand at is less of a factor (including for something the UK has struggled renewable generation. low utilisation rates are: the demonstration of energy with in the past. 7 storage operation in principle), The risk is that energy storage • Daily arbitrage: absorbing and given their availability (from Excellence in some of the withers in the UK whilst other, energy in periods of low electric vehicle production) underlying science and more progressive, markets demand or excess supply batteries are often chosen. engineering behind energy promote its early adoption. (when prices are low), and storage technologies has meant Without mechanisms to delivering back when As well as energy storage, the UK has several companies recognise the potential, demand increases or supply there are other ways of meeting developing new technologies generation from gas or coal is drops (when prices are high). the supply/demand challenges: that could be exported into likely to crowd out the market in installing more responsive • Balancing: providing reserve other markets. the short term, when energy generation supplies, increasing power to balance supply and storage may offer longer term network capacity (including to POLICY INNOVATION demand, or maintain the cost, carbon and system other markets), and making Whilst the benefits of energy system frequency, over short benefits. demand more responsive. Any storage are being recognised, timescales. National Grid decision to deploy a technology and the technologies are forecasts their Short Term must consider the alternatives. emerging, being able to access FOOTNOTES Operating Reserve capacity to However, studies have shown the system value and build a 1 E.g. Energy Research Partnership increase from 3.5 to 6.5 GW (2011) The future role for energy that energy storage can reduce business case for deployment is in 2020, with market value storage in the UK. Technology Report, system costs, compared to the not yet viable. A report for May 2011 increasing from £200m to 4 other options. Government has identified nearly £1bn. 2 Eames, P., Loveday, D., Haines, V. and Much analysis is now focused energy storage as having the Romanos, P. (2014) The Future Role of At a more local level, existing on assessing which technologies highest occurrence of market and Thermal Energy Storage in the UK infrastructure could be Energy System: An Assessment of the could fit different applications, innovation system failures from maintained even if demand for Technical Feasibility and Factors give their costs and across a number of technologies Influencing Adoption - Research Report electricity increases, by ‘peak 8 performance, and – critically – and business areas. (UKERC:London) lopping’. This would push energy what value can be gained from 3 Jonathan Radcliffe (2013) Energy through constrained networks In part this is due to the their operation. currently low value of the storage technologies. Ingenia, March and store it until required by the 2013 user, reducing the size of the flexibility offered by energy TECHNOLOGY storage, but which will become 4 Goran Strbac et al (2012) Strategic capacity required. INNOVATION Assessment of the Role and Value of more significant as generation Energy Storage Systems in the UK Low Many energy storage In 2012, energy storage was from variable renewables Carbon Energy Future. Report for the selected as one the technologies are able to operate increases over the next ten Carbon Trust, June 2012 such that they can meet more Government’s ‘Eight Great years. Many technologies are 5 David Willetts (2013) Eight Great Technologies’. 5 Major than one of the challenges that too expensive and at pre- Technologies. Policy Exchange report will be experienced, but some investments have since flowed, commercial stages of 6 Jim Skea (2013) Energy Research and including from the Research are better-suited to certain development; but the aim is for Training Prospectus. Report for the Councils, the Department of applications. Technologies such this to improve, with innovation Research Councils Energy Programme, Energy and Climate Change November 213 as pumped hydro, liquid air, support reducing costs and de- (DECC) and the energy compressed air, flow batteries risking further investment. 7 House of Commons Energy and and hydrogen can increase the regulator, Ofgem. So whilst Climate Change Committee (2014) amount of energy held at public funding for research, At the same time, specific Innovate to accumulate: the development and demonstration policy and regulatory issues Government's approach to low carbon relatively low cost, and is mostly innovation. Report, August 2014. dependent on availability of activities has increased in recent affect how energy storage can 8 Department for Business, Innovation physical space. For more power- years, it is still at relatively low operate. Providing multiple and Skills (2014), ‘The Case for Public services, and gaining revenue based technologies, such as levels – funding for energy Support of Innovation’ flywheels, superconducting innovation overall in the UK is from each market, is not always magnetic energy storage or behind that of other countries, compatible with existing supercapacitors, these discharge and low given the scale of the regulatory frameworks. Classed

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 29 ENERGY STORAGE ENERGY STORAGE AND THE ‘COLD ECONOMY’ Professor Toby Peters

Energy storage has long been recognised as vital to a decarbonised and secure electricity grid and low carbon transport. But conventional technologies – batteries, pumped storage, compressed air – all have their drawbacks. Now the idea of storing energy as cold and power – in the form of liquid air or nitrogen – is rapidly gaining support. This is not a panacea but would allow ‘wrong time’ energy and waste cold to be recycled into zero-emission peak power, cooling and even transport fuel. Liquid air technologies now being developed in Britain would help balance intermittent renewable generation, reduce emissions and cost,

Toby Peters is Visiting Professor of and could eventually form a joined-up ‘Cold Economy’. Power and Cold Economy Birmingham Energy Institute, the Founder and Senior Group Cold is the Cinderella of the truck’s fuel, but also emit up to would give off enough waste Managing Director of Dearman energy debate. Governments 29 times as much particulate cold to provide cooling for over Engine Company, and the founder have developed policies matter (PM) and up to six times 4 million refrigerated trucks – of Highview Power Storage. governing most sectors – as much nitrogen oxide (NOx) more than the current global electricity, heat, transport – but as a modern propulsion engine. fleet. The trick is to find a means the energy consumed for Such local air pollution causes of storing, transporting and cooling gets much less attention. 29,000 premature deaths in harnessing that cold, and one Yet cooling underpins many vital Britain each year; 400,000 in exciting new idea is liquid air. aspects of modern life: air the EU; and 600,000 in India. conditioning; data centres; superconductors; medicine; ... the solution to the intermittency industry; and the ‘cold chain’ of of renewable generators ... refrigerated warehouses and vehicles needed to preserve Leaks of TRU refrigerant gases Air turns to liquid when food from farm to fork. Cooling have a grossly disproportionate refrigerated to -196C, and can already consumes 15% of impact on greenhouse gas be conveniently stored in global electricity, and demand is emissions; the most commonly insulated but unpressurised soaring worldwide – nowhere used ‘F-gas’ is almost 4,000 vessels. Exposure to heat – more so than in emerging times more potent than CO2. including ambient – causes markets – causing higher The global fleet of refrigerated rapid re-gasification and a 710- emissions of greenhouse gases trucks is forecast to double to 9 fold expansion in volume, which and air pollution. Global cooling million by 2025 – so we must can be used to drive a turbine demand in 2030 could equate find a way to ‘do cold better’. or piston engine. Re-gasification also gives off lots of usable and to three times the current Even as cooling demand is valuable cold. generating capacity of the UK. soaring, vast amounts of cold The pollution from cooling is are lost to the environment. The The key to exploiting liquid air little recognised but poses a biggest source is the cold is a novel piston engine growing threat. One particular required to turn natural gas into invented by Peter Dearman, an culprit is the transport compact Liquefied Natural Gas archetypal British ‘garden shed’ refrigeration unit (TRU) – the at -160C for transport by ship, inventor. Cryogenic expansion secondary diesel engine that which is simply discarded when engines have existed for over a powers refrigeration on trucks the LNG is re-gasified at the century, but the Dearman worldwide. TRUs not only import terminal. The projected engine is innovative because the consume up to 20% of the global trade of LNG in 2030 liquid air mixes with a ‘heat

30 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 exchange fluid’ (water and demand peaks. Diesel gensets generators such as wind and emerging economies such as glycol) to promote rapid and are reliable and cheap, but like solar: absorbing and storing India and China, which suffer efficient re-gasification inside the TRUs they also emit large ‘wrong time’ or surplus appalling levels of local air engine cylinder. amounts of carbon, NOx and renewable energy to use on pollution, and post-harvest food PM. With Britain’s grid capacity losses of up to 50%. On current The Dearman Engine demand in grid or transport margin down to just 4%, such trends, India may produce barely Company is developing the applications. Liquid nitrogen is backup generation is more vital 60% of its own food by 2030, engine for a range of delivered to industrial users daily than ever to ensure security of but if developing countries had applications that will reduce cost by road tanker, so the supply. Yet as concern over the same level of cold chain and carbon emissions, and distribution system already urban air pollution grows, relying capacity as do developed eliminate NOx and PM. The first exists, and can be supplied at on diesel gensets will become countries, they could save 200 is a highly efficient TRU, prices that make the technology increasingly untenable – they million tonnes each year that currently being tested on a competitive with diesel – liquid are already banned for grid currently goes to waste. Both vehicle by MIRA (formerly the support in the City of London. air would be even cheaper to India and China are investing Motor Industry Research Providing reserve services in produce. A liquid air TRU would furiously to expand their Association), and is due to start Britain with a Dearman liquid air cost broadly the same as a insufficient cold chains and may fleet trials in 2015. Because zero-emission genset would diesel system to build but have to add over a million diesel TRUs are so polluting, the reduce annual CO emissions £1,200 per year less to operate, refrigerated vehicles by 2025 to impact of even a modest fleet of 2 by 100-500 tonnes of CO per as well as being zero emission. meet demand, so they badly Dearman units could be huge. 2 Modelling suggests 13,000 Dearman TRUs would reduce PM emissions by the same amount as taking 367,000 Euro VI trucks off the road – more than three times the entire UK articulated truck fleet – or more than 2 million modern diesel cars. ... Cooling already consumes 15% of global electricity ...

The next is a ‘heat hybrid’ combination of a Dearman engine with a diesel engine, in which waste heat and cold are How waste cold from LNG re-gasification could power the 'Cold Economy' in India. Source: E4tech exchanged to raise the efficiency MW installed, a saving of 35- Liquid air or nitrogen need a zero-emission alternative of both, and reduce fuel 54%, which would rise further production plants could be to diesel TRUs. At the same consumption by 25%. A heat as grid decarbonisation targets integrated with LNG import time, their LNG import capacity hybrid bus would cut carbon are met. It would also eliminate terminals to harness the waste is expanding rapidly, raising the emissions by as much as an NOx and PM emissions – cold given off during re- possibility of producing cheap, electric hybrid but at a fraction allowing it to operate gasification. This approach lower carbon liquid air or of the cost. A consortium led by unconstrained in urban areas – reduces the electricity required nitrogen to fuel a more Dearman has been awarded and provide ‘free’ cold for to produce liquid air, and its sustainable cold chain. India’s nearly £2 million by Innovate UK businesses with high cooling carbon intensity, by two thirds. projected LNG imports of 60 (formerly Technology Strategy loads such as supermarkets and The LNG waste cold resource is million tonnes in 2022 could in Board) to build a heat hybrid data centres. vast: we estimate the cold given principle produce enough liquid prototype by 2016. off by the Isle of Grain LNG air to fuel over half a million Liquid air is not yet produced terminal over the course of a zero-emission Dearman TRUs. In Dearman is also developing an commercially, but liquid year would be enough to fuel December, Dearman visited electricity generator to displace nitrogen, which can be used in London’s entire 7,600 strong India to present its technology the diesel ‘gensets’ that provide the same way, is already widely bus fleet as liquid air ‘heat and the Cold Economy to the emergency power – often for produced for industrial purposes. hybrids’ more than six times country’s National Center for cooling – to many hospitals, Both are produced by electric- over. Cold Chain Development and data centres and companies, powered plants, so either could Automotive Research and which also supply electricity provide the solution to the Liquid air cold chains could be Association. to the grid to meet the highest intermittency of renewable particularly effective in rapidly

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 31 DEMENTIA Meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 9th December THE CHALLENGE OF DEMENTIA

Dementia affects about 800,000 people in the UK. When you include people around a person with dementia, that number can be multiplied by two, three or four. Almost everyone knows of someone with dementia.

Awareness of dementia is at its diagnosis of dementia (Sir Terry Alzheimer Society website highest. The Prime Minister’s Prachett continued to write his (alzheimers.org.uk), or the challenge was launched in very successful novels and was dementia friends website March 2012 which highlighted knighted while he had (dementia friends.org.uk). the need for improved dementia). Look at the

Alistair Burns CBE diagnosis, more research and Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, reducing stigma. Dementia Diagnosis University of Manchester Consultant Psychiatrist, Manchester • On average, in England, Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Just over half the estimated 58% of people with dementia receive a National Clinical Director for number of people with diagnosis Dementia, NHS England dementia receive a formal • There is significant variation across the diagnosis and there is significant country

variation across the country • NHS England have a national ambition that (figure 1). NHS England has an two thirds of people with dementia receive a ambition that two thirds of the diagnosis and post diagnostic support Dementia: state of the nation report estimated number of people https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ with dementia receive a dementia-care-and-support Figure 1 diagnosis and post diagnostic support. Dementia Research Research funding has also • 50% increase in funding since increased 2010/2011 • The MRC announced the For people over the age of 50, world’s biggest research cohort involving 2 million dementia is the most feared people • Alzheimer’s Research UK - illness, more than cancer or £100 million research pledge. • Alzheimer’s Society - £100 heart attacks. Figure 3 outlines million over 10 years some of the effects that • UK Dementia Platform dementia can have on people. www.JoinDementiaResearch.nihr.ac.uk “Dementia friends” (dementia friends.org.uk) is a nationwide Figure 2 initiative which is a social movement to raise awareness of 40% lost friends dementia and reduce the stigma 48% said they were a burden to family associated with it. The ambition 19% said they were a is to have one million “dementia burden to friends friends” by March 2015. This 61% felt lonely emphasises that there is more 77% felt anxious or depressed to a person than dementia, that Two thirds of people dementia is not an inevitable say they were living well with dementia part of ageing, and that people can live well after receiving a Figure 3

32 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 Three things are important in much more regularly (most depression or physical illness down the progression of the dementia: how do we days), tends to get worse over a present, this can usually be disease but in some they do not diagnose it, how do we treat period of months, and is noticed treated in a simple and seem to have any effect. The it and can we prevent it? by others, is less likely to be part straightforward way. There is no fourth drug (memantine) acts First, the diagnosis. Dementia of normal ageing. If a person is specific drug treatment for on the glutamategic receptors. is a way of simply describing a worried, they should seek advice vascular dementia although the There are also non-drug group of symptoms (of which from their own doctor in the first following will help, both in terms approaches to symptoms and people sometimes complain) instance. People with vascular of reducing further memory these tend to be very popular and signs (which clinicians dementia tend to develop the impairment, but also in reducing but the evidence base for them notice). The commonest cause symptoms much more suddenly the risk of heart attacks and is not quite as strong as for of dementia is Alzheimer's and these may be more related strokes: controlling high blood medications. However, it is disease (probably in just over important to support people half of people) followed by ... symptoms of dementia vary ... with dementia and their carers vascular dementia (where the following diagnosis of dementia. blood supply to the brain is to inabilities to perform tasks of pressure and high cholesterol; There is good evidence that severely restricted which may everyday living rather than just treating any sugar diabetes; giving people support can also cause strokes). Other memory problems. People with encouraging people to lose improve the stress and strains of causes are less common such Lewy body disease also tend to weight if necessary; to take being a carer and also can as Lewy body dementia (where develop symptoms quickly and more exercise and; to stop improve the symptoms, and can there are some symptoms there can be episodes of smoking. In terms of the prevent a crisis happening. related to Parkinson’s disease confusion and symptoms of and a person may have Parkinson’s disease persecutory ideas and episodes ... what can be done to treat dementia? ... of confusion) and dementia of When a person presents to the frontal lobe type (where the their GP with symptoms, there treatment for Alzheimer's Treatments like bright-light front part of the brain is are several things which need to disease, there are four drugs therapy, aromatherapy, cognitive which are available – three are stimulation therapy and ... dementia is the most feared illness ... from the same class of agent reminiscence therapy all fall into (cholinesterase inhibitors which the category of ‘talking are drugs that stop the treatments’ which can be helpful selectively affected and the main be investigated. Sometimes, breakdown of acetylcholine in in alleviating symptoms. symptoms are related to depression in older people can the brain therefore raising its changes in personality and give rise to symptoms similar to Third, in terms of prevention of level and improving symptoms). behaviour). dementia (low mood, lack of dementia there is much that can enjoyment in things, loss of The three drugs currently be done. There is evidence that The initial symptoms of weight, early morning wakening, available are donepezil, reducing vascular risk factors like dementia vary depending on its crying and not looking forward galatamine and rivastigmine. The the ones mentioned above, can cause. For example, symptoms drugs are modestly effective reduce the rate of strokes and of Alzheimer's disease usually to the future) and these when you examine a group of heart attacks and reducing these start very gradually with loss of symptoms need treating people with Alzheimer's disease medical conditions will reduce memory. It can sometimes be a energetically. Also, there could the rate of dementia. There is challenge to decide whether ... evidence base for them is not also evidence to suggest that it these are symptoms of memory quite as strong ... will reduce the rate of loss, which can occur with Alzheimer’s disease as well as normal ageing or if it is the early be a physical cause of the but, often, the response of vascular dementia. In addition to signs of Alzheimer's disease. symptoms such as a low level of individuals can be very the measures mentioned above, vitamin B12 or an underactive pronounced. The improvement Generally speaking, minor there is some evidence that, in thyroid gland, diagnosed with a in symptoms is seen over lapses of memory which occur general cardiovascular terms, simple blood test and easily from time-to-time and do not weeks and months rather than drinking a moderate amount of treated. get worse very quickly are part hours or days. In some people, alcohol is of benefit to you, but of the normal process of ageing. Second, what can be done to the symptoms improve, in drinking to excess will cause a Something which happens treat dementia? If there is others the drugs seem to slow form of dementia.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 33 DEMENTIA DEMENTIA RESEARCH: Progress and Challenges

WHY IS DEMENTIA other types of research are symptoms. Researching the early RESEARCH NEEDED; offering the prospect of risk events in the brain which lead to WHAT MIGHT IT reduction 2. Much evidence dementia is difficult since it is ACHIEVE points towards risk reduction not clear who is undergoing The impact of dementia upon which approaches that for other these changes, and therefore individuals – those who are chronic illnesses. While these whom to ask to volunteer. living with it as well as their approaches will not work for Despite the unmet need, families and dependents – can everyone, even a modest dementia research is seen as be devastating. The wider proportional reduction in risk at small, underfunded and societal and economic impacts a population level could have a unattractive. Previous work are also very significant (nearly positive impact on a large Dr Simon Ridley commissioned by Alzheimer's £24 billion a year in the UK 1) number of individuals. This will Head of Research Research UK suggested that for Alzheimer’s Research UK and are likely to increase. The benefit from a stronger evidence every one researcher working in impacts of dementia will put base. dementia, six work in cancer even greater strains upon health research 3. This is true of and social care systems. Whilst WHAT CHALLENGES academic research funded by remedial planning and action DOES DEMENTIA government agencies and are needed here, and this will RESEARCH PRESENT? charities. Recent history within be neither simple nor cheap, From a scientific point of view, Pharma shows a very high failure research into the causes of one of the greatest challenges is rate of candidate treatments, dementia offers a solution to that dementia is a disorder of and, given the complexity of reducing these impacts. the brain, our most complex development, the risk/reward ... depends on an accurate and ratio is often deemed too high, timely diagnosis ... despite the huge potential rewards should a treatment be Dementia presents a great organ and one which is even moderately efficacious. unmet medical need. Current inherently difficult to study and Dementia research has been treatments are limited both by to treat. Dementia is not a single viewed as difficult and the degree and duration of their disease, or even a disease at all unattractive across all sectors. effectiveness, helping some with – it is a syndrome, a collection dementia with some of their of symptoms which result from WHAT HAVE WE symptoms for some of the time. underlying and varied causes. LEARNED SO FAR ABOUT Access to current treatments (or The most common of these is THE DISEASES WHICH to any improved treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Most CAUSE DEMENTIA? the future) depends on an dementias are associated Like many other chronic accurate and timely diagnosis. strongly with increased age and illnesses, a complex interplay of Whilst progress is being made, so are complicated by other genetic and environmental risk the limitations of current processes or conditions which factors are behind the diagnostic procedures present a can also accompany the ageing development of dementia. Age remains the biggest single risk clear need for research-led process. In Alzheimer’s disease improvement. factor in most cases. and in other dementias, there is Taking a public health a long and silent phase during Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s perspective, the results of which changes in the brain disease (which can often lead to epidemiological studies and occur before the onset of any dementia) as well as rarer

34 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 dementias such as Dementia WHAT IS NEEDED TO new treatments for dementia: Dementia Council have been appointed, with a remit to with Lewy Bodies, ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF • The environment, support support co-operative work Frontotemporal dementias and BIOMEDICAL DEMENTIA and infrastructures for between G7 countries, and prion disease (CJD) are RESEARCH? challenging types of clinical beyond, to incentivise characterised by the damage to, If we wait until we fully trials with a vulnerable patient investment in research. and death of, nerve cells in the understand all the science group behind dementia before trying Despite the large and many brain caused by an abnormal • Incentivising investment from to develop new treatments, we challenges, we must capitalise build up of specific proteins. This Pharma/Biotech. will be waiting too long. We on these opportunities. The UK process is called should keep looking for new This could be through is well placed to play its part. We neurodegeneration. The type of treatments based upon what we private/public partnerships in owe it to the 44m people protein and the parts of the know already – and most of this which early findings from worldwide who currently have brain affected define the disease knowledge is of Alzheimer’s academic research have a clear dementia and to future type and the symptoms. disease. However, there is an and facilitated path towards generations. commercial drug discovery and ... Dementia is not a single disease ... development. Regulatory incentives may also be needed. The second most common urgent need to investigate new • Funding streams to attract dementia is vascular dementia, disease mechanisms and and retain researchers in which results from damage to, consequentially, to accelerate References dementia research and to and death of, brain cells the identification of new drug 1 The Trajectory of Dementia in the UK – promote the translation and following impaired blood supply. targets. In parallel, we need to Making a difference (2014); Lewis et implementation of outputs. al, the Office of Health Economics/ There is some overlap here with develop new ways of detecting Alzheimer’s Research UK Alzheimer’s Research UK is stroke but rather than a dramatic and measuring different http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/ and sudden event, the damage dementia pathologies in people committed to addressing many siteFiles/resources/documents/reports/ seen in vascular dementia can who may not being showing of these points 4 but the scale of OHE-report-Full.pdf be low-level, but cumulative. overt symptoms or who are in ‘Mixed dementia’ of more than the earliest stages. Whilst these ... Brain imaging is already making one cause or type is not may eventually have some significant progress ... uncommon (eg Alzheimer’s and clinical diagnostic or prognostic challenge demands a variety of 2 World Alzheimer Report 2014: vascular). This presents an use, more immediate uses are responses and participants. In Dementia and Risk Reduction; additional challenge for any in research – such as the Alzheimer’s Disease International recent years there has been treatments. In dementia, as with identification and stratification of http://www.alz.co.uk/research/world- unprecedented interest and a range of other chronic participants in clinical trials as report-2014 activity surrounding dementia illnesses, there is increasing well as tracking the efficacy of 3 Defeating Dementia (2012); and dementia research. In the recognition of a role for the new treatments. Brain imaging is Alzheimer's Research UK UK, the Prime Minister’s inflammation which may already making significant http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/ Challenge on dementia has defeating-dementia exacerbate disease process. progress to these ends. Efforts brought additional research 4 The Power to Defeat Dementia 2015- ... inflammation which may funding. The UK used its recent 2020; Alzheimer’s Research UK exacerbate disease ... G8 presidency to raise the Manifesto http://www.alzheimers international profile of dementia researchuk.org/siteFiles/resources/ These dementias are are taking place to find other research, culminating in a documents/reports/Alzheimers Manifesto_Webversion.pdf progressive and irreversible. It ‘biomarkers’, for example in pledge to find a cure or would be very attractive to think cerebrospinal fluid or even in ‘disease-modifying’ treatment by of a single ‘cure-all’ treatment blood. Neuropsychological tests 2020. The G7 countries which could protect nerve cells may also offer more sensitivity subsequently spearheaded three from dying in any dementia. and specificity in measuring Global Action Against Dementia However, the common subtle, early cognitive changes events focused on harnessing underlying mechanisms are not the momentum created by the caused by dementia. well understood and most UK presidency and galvanising attention has been focused on Beyond the purely scientific, activity across the globe. To the different upstream causes, there are other important sustain this legacy a World particularly in Alzheimer’s disease. considerations if we are to see Dementia Envoy and World

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 35 DEMENTIA DEMENTIA: ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS

COSTS people with dementia in the UK attainment. Norton et al (2014) The annual cost of dementia in today, and that number will estimate that ‘around a third of the UK today exceeds £26 double in 25 years. Even though Alzheimer’s Disease cases billion (Prince et al 2014). Costs the age-specific prevalence rate worldwide might be attributable to the NHS are substantial, might be slowing (Matthews et to potentially modifiable risk equivalent to almost 4% of total al 2013), the total number with factors’. dementia will still grow rapidly health spend in the country, but Another strategy would involve as the population ages. costs to the social care sector more timely identification of Consequently, unless we can do are 2.5 times higher. More than dementia and better screening something to change those half the social care cost falls (ie faster responses to early signs trajectories, there will need to be Professor Martin Knapp directly to the people who use of dementia, and better Personal Social Services Research even greater reliance on unpaid services (as self-funders or screening tools to improve Unit, London School of Economics carers and big increases in and Political Science & NIHR School through user charges). But the diagnostic accuracy). This would for Social Care Research health and social care service largest cost is the time spent undoubtedly help individuals to costs. providing care and support by plan their lives and should also unpaid family members and Dementia is costly. RESPONDING TO THE enable them to get better health other carers. and social care support, although The costs (to the CHALLENGE Some of these costs are The figures summarised above access remains variable across public purse as well welcome, others not. The ‘good are just aggregates. They are not the country. Timely diagnosis as to individuals) costs’ represent the appropriate, cost-effectiveness findings. They might therefore also head off will get considerably evidence-based treatment and do not tell key decision-makers some crisis-related costs. greater as the care responses to assessed what they might do to improve Post-diagnostic support is population ages. where most of the costs of ... we surely want to shift the balance ... dementia arise: this support This has focused the encompasses all community and minds of many other health and social care needs. The ‘bad costs’ result the situation for individuals services that people with the governments on from late or no diagnosis, affected by dementia, or how to ways to contain unavailability of effective care, make better use of resources. condition might use, plus unpaid crisis admissions to hospital and support from carers. It also those costs, whilst There are several options for unnecessarily long inpatient includes costs of care home reducing future costs and ensuring that people stays. It is hard to calculate the residence and hospital inpatient improving lives. One is risk- with dementia and relative sizes of the ‘good’ and admissions. Those latter costs reduction: reducing the number ‘bad’ costs, but as a society we can be huge, but the benefits for their carers can live of people who develop surely want to shift the balance quality of life and health can also well. What needs to dementia, or delaying the age at from the latter to the former, by be substantial. which the condition interferes be done to achieve developing, and making more significantly with their lives. We now have a small body of that important goal? widely available, good quality Known risk factors for the robust evidence on what works (evidence-based) treatment and development of Alzheimer’s in post-diagnostic support. care arrangements. disease and other dementias Research has focused on areas The need to shift the cost include diabetes, mid-life such as carer support, staff skills, balance is obvious if we look at hypertension, mid-life obesity, symptomatic medications, future projections of dementia physical inactivity, depression, psychosocial treatments, better prevalence. There are 816,000 smoking and low educational home-based care (including

36 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 growing interest in, but not much or positive) on people with bring down the total cost ‘bill’ of over a 25-year period, exploring evidence on assistive and dementia (illness severity, dementia by any noticeable a wider range of potential information technologies) and neuropsychiatric symptoms or amount. interventions (including risk- quality of life). And START was reduction), and carrying out care co-ordination. We also now On the other hand, a disease- more exacting analyses. have a body of economic clearly cost-effective. Although modifying treatment – or, evidence, helping us to recognise service costs went up over time indeed, a risk-reduction strategy This is the MODEM study. It is what resource consequences for people in both the – that delayed onset by a year funded by the Economic and might flow from those intervention and control groups - or longer would bring down Social Research Council and the interventions (Knapp et al 2013). which is not surprising given costs substantially. Slowing the National Institute for Health how dementia usually progression of the disease Research. It will start to generate SUPPORTING FAMILY progresses – overall, the START would also potentially reduce findings in the next couple of CARERS intervention was no more costly costs, because it would delay years, and provide a platform of An example of new evidence than standard support the need for people to go into evidence to inform decisions that can provide guidance to arrangements. care homes or hospital. There about how the country can would also be gains in health develop affordable, effective and ... more timely identification of dementia ... and quality of life for the cost-effective systems of care individuals at risk of developing and support. commissioners and other NEW SCENARIOS dementia and their families. decision-makers comes from a My colleagues and I recently However, disease-modifying POLICY RESPONSES study of START: an intervention examined the economic treatments do not yet exist, and In England we have been to help family carers of people consequences of different it is difficult to conjecture when fortunate over recent years to with dementia to develop better scenarios for future dementia they might become available. It have had two well-structured coping strategies. It was care (Knapp et al 2014). Some is also difficult to know what policy frameworks: the National delivered by psychology scenarios looked at the wider they might cost per patient. A Dementia Strategy (Department graduates, with each carer availability and use of evidence- high price for a new disease- of Health 2009) and the Prime having eight one-to-one based interventions, while others modifying medication, for Minister’s Challenge on sessions. Carers were given looked at the consequences of example, would considerably Dementia (Department of information on where to get introducing a disease-modifying reduce (indeed perhaps Health 2012). A new dementia emotional support, and taught treatment (as yet undiscovered) ... understand the aetiology of with the potential either to slow (personalised) techniques to the various dementias ... improve their understanding and disease progression or to delay manage the behaviours of the its onset. completely wipe out) the policy (‘Vision’) is currently being person they cared for, change When we looked at the wider savings on care costs that would discussed for England, offering unhelpful thoughts, promote availability of interventions such be suggested by slowed suggestions for how society can acceptance, improve as anticholinesterase inhibitors, progression or delayed onset. best respond to dementia over communication, plan for the cognitive stimulation therapy, the coming years. future, relax and engage in case management and carer MODEM With colleagues at LSE and In parallel, on the international meaningful enjoyable activities. support, we found that the other universities, I have recently stage, the G8 countries – along with the OECD and WHO – ... head off some crisis-related costs ... started a study which will be projecting numbers of people have committed to collaborative with dementia from now to action to address the dementia START was evaluated over 24 overall impact nationally was 2040, the costs of supporting challenge. This includes setting months in a randomised actually rather modest in cost them and the quality of life up the World Dementia Council. controlled trial in North London terms, although with important outcomes under present care, The Council (of which I am a and Essex. Results were very improvements in health and support and treatment member) is looking for ways to positive. Carers who received quality of life. In other words, arrangements. We will then improve finance for investments START had significantly better more widely implementing what explore what would happen in in new treatments, better care, health-related quality of life and we know today to be effective cost and outcome terms if research collaboration (across better mental health by the 24- and cost-effective would better interventions were more governments, academics and month follow-up point than definitely improve the situation widely available. We will run industry), harmonised regulatory carers who got usual support. for people with dementia and/or through the scenario exercise pathways to accelerate drug There were no effects (negative their carers, but it would not described, but now projecting development, sharing data,

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 37 identification and dissemination necessarily include the (often The policy imperatives are Knapp M, Comas-Herrera A, Wittenberg R et al (2014) Scenarios of Dementia Care: of best practice, and awareness- hidden) burden falling on clear, if slightly daunting. If the What are the impacts on costs and quality raising with respect to the unpaid family and other carers. overarching objectives are to of life? PSSRU, LSE: London, economic and social challenges achieve better health and quality Efforts to understand the Livingston G, Barber J, Rapaport P, Knapp of dementia. of life for people with dementia M et al (2014) Long-term clinical and aetiology of the various cost-effectiveness of START (STrAtegies for – indeed for everyone – and to A THREE-PRONGED dementias need as much RelaTives) psychological intervention for make the best use of resources, family carers and the effects on cost of FUTURE support as we can muster, as do then we need a three-pronged care for people with dementia: a I have mostly concentrated on efforts to find biomarkers and randomised controlled trial. Lancet strategy to reduce risk, improve Psychiatry, 1(7), 539-548 economic issues, although set in treatments. We urgently need to care and find a cure. their wider context. We know understand what risk-reduction Matthews F, Arthur A, Barnes L et al (2013) A two-decade comparison of that dementia is a major, world- strategies might be effective, prevalence of dementia in individuals aged 65 years and older from three References geographical areas of England: results of ... START intervention was no more costly ... Department of Health (2009) Living Well the Cognitive Function & Ageing Study I With Dementia: a national dementia and II. Lancet, 382, 1405-12. strategy. Department of Health: London. Norton S, Matthews F, Barnes D, Yaffe K, wide challenge for health and and how best to implement Department of Health (2012) Prime Brayne C (2014) Potential for primary care systems, and for societies them. We also need to know Minister's challenge on dementia - prevention of Alzheimer's disease: an more generally. Unless someone what care and support Delivering major improvements in analysis of population-based data. Lancet Neurology, 13(8), 788-794. suddenly discovers an affordable arrangements work best. Then dementia care and research by 2015. Department of Health: London. Prince M, Knapp M, Guerchet M, et al cure, those challenges will get we need to assess whether they (2014) Dementia UK: second edition. Knapp M, Iemmi V, Romeo R (2013) considerably bigger over the represent cost-effective uses of Alzheimer’s Society: London. Dementia care costs and outcomes: a next 40 years. The costs of society’s always scarce systematic review. International Journal of dementia will also increase resources. Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(6), 555-561. considerably. That will

HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEE

Resilience of Electricity Infrastructure main priorities for scientific research. No report In July 2014, the Committee launched an was produced but evidence was taken in public inquiry into the resilience of electricity and transcripts were published and brought to infrastructure. The inquiry is focusing on the the Government’s attention. resilience of the UK’s electricity infrastructure to Behaviour Change peaks in demand and sudden shocks. It is In May and June 2014, the Committee took interested both in the short term (to 2020) and oral evidence from a small number of witnesses in the medium term (to 2030) as electricity to follow up on its 2011 report into behaviour generation is decarbonised. Oral evidence was change and assess what progress has been The members of the Committee taken until late January 2015 and the made in this area. This focused on the two (appointed 12 June 2014) are Lord Committee will report by the end of the Dixon-Smith, Baroness Hilton of behaviour change case studies that the Session. Eggardon, Lord Hennessy of Committee had investigated in its original Nympsfield, Lord O’Neill of 2025: Priorities for Scientific Research inquiry: modal shift in transport and obesity. The Clackmannan, Baroness Manningham-Buller, Lord Patel, Lord In July 2014, the Committee conducted a Committee wrote to the Minister for Peston, Lord Rees of Ludlow, Viscount short inquiry looking at the key challenges that Government Policy, Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, in Ridley, the Earl of Selborne the Government’s forthcoming Science and July, making a number of observations and (Chairman), Baroness Sharp of posing a series of questions, and received a Guildford, Lord Wade of Chorlton, Innovation Strategy should tackle and the UK’s Lord Willis of Knaresborough and reply. Lord Winston.

38 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 International STEM students replace current feedstocks, and the potential contribution this In January 2014, the Committee launched a short follow up could make to a bioeconomy. Oral evidence sessions were held inquiry to its 2012 report on higher education in science, across autumn 2013 and early 2014. The Committee published technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The its report on 6 March 2014. A Government response was inquiry focused on the effect on international STEM students of received in June and a debate held in Grand Committee on immigration policy. Forty or so written submissions were received, 10 December. seven oral evidence sessions were held in February and March, and a report published on 11 April 2014. A Government FURTHER INFORMATION response was received in July. A debate is pending. The reports, Government responses, written and oral evidence to the Committee’s inquiries mentioned above, as well as the Waste and the bioeconomy Calls for Evidence and other documents can be found on the The Committee launched an inquiry into waste and the Committee’s website. Further information about the work of the bioeconomy in July 2013. The inquiry collected evidence on the Committee can be obtained from Chris Clarke, Committee Clerk, technology used to exploit bio-waste and waste gases in order to [email protected] or 020 7219 4963. The Committee generate high-value products. The inquiry aimed to assess the Office email address is [email protected]. potential for this technology to enable bio-waste and waste gas to

HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The Science and Technology Committee is charged with the scrutiny of the expenditure, administration and policy of the Government Office for Science, a semi-autonomous organisation based within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The members of the Science and Technology Committee are: Dan Byles (Conservative, North Warwickshire), Jim Dowd (Labour, Lewisham West and Penge), David Heath (Liberal Democrat, Somerton and Frome), Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative, South Basildon and East Thurrock), Andrew Miller (Labour, Ellesmere Port and Neston), Stephen Mosley (Conservative, City of Chester), Pamela Nash (Labour, Airdrie and Shotts), Sarah Newton (Conservative, Truro and Falmouth), Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackley and Broughton) and David Tredinnick (Bosworth).

Andrew Miller was elected by the House of Commons to be the Chair of the Committee on 9 June 2010. The remaining Members were appointed to the Committee on 12 July 2010. Caroline Dinenage, Gareth Johnson, Sarah Newton and Hywel Williams were appointed to the Committee on 27 February 2012 in the place of Gavin Barwell, Gregg McClymont, Stephen McPartland and David Morris. Jim Dowd was appointed to the Committee on 11 June 2012 in the place of Jonathan Reynolds. David Morris was re-appointed to the Committee on 3 December 2012 in the place of Gareth Johnson. David Tredinnick was appointed to the Committee on 4 February in place of Caroline Dinenage. David Heath was appointed to the Committee on 25 November 2013 in place of Roger Williams. Hywel Williams was discharged from the Committee on 20 October 2014. David Morris was discharged from the Committee on 24 November 2014. Dan Byles was appointed to the Committee in place of David Morris on 1 December 2014.

CURRENT INQUIRIES Health England, Dr Michael Moore, Royal All evidence (written and oral) is on the College of General Practitioners, Professor Alison Committee’s website. Holmes, Imperial College London and Dr Susan Antimicrobial resistance Hopkins, Royal College of Physicians; John Hardcastle, Novolytics, Dr David McIntosh, On 18 December 2013 the Committee took Novartis, Professor George Lewith, University of evidence from Dr Pat Goodwin, Society of Southampton Medical School and Doris-Ann Biology, Professor Laura Piddock, British Society Williams, British In Vitro Diagnostics Association. for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Professor John Threlfall, Society for Applied Microbiology, and On 29 January 2014 the Committee took Professor Sharon Peacock, Cambridge Infectious evidence from Phil Sketchley, National Office of Diseases Initiative, University of Cambridge. Animal Health, John FitzGerald, Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance, Catherine On 8 January 2014 the Committee took McLaughlin, National Farmers’ Union and Cóilín evidence from Professor Anthony Kessel, Public Nunan, Alliance to Save our Antibiotics.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 39 On 26 February 2014 the Committee took evidence from National health-screening programmes Professor Jeremy Farrar, Wellcome Trust, Professor Sir John Savill, On 7 May 2014 the Committee took evidence from Professor Research Councils UK, Kush Naker, Universities Allied for Essential Jane Wardle, Academy of Medical Sciences, Jessica Kirby, Cancer Medicines UK and Professor Sir Anthony Coates, Antibiotic Research UK and Dr Sian Taylor-Phillips, Warwick Medical School. Discovery UK; Dr Louise Leong, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, James Anderson, GlaxoSmithKline, On 11 June 2014 the Committee took evidence from Robert Dr David Williams, Discuva and Michael McIntyre, European Meadowcroft, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Professor Michael Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association. Baum, Advocates for Honesty and Transparency in Breast Screening and Steve Hannigan, Children living with inherited On 12 March 2014 the Committee took evidence from metabolic diseases (Climb); Síle Lane, Sense About Science, Dr Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Sally Margaret McCartney and Dr John Middleton, UK Faculty of Public Wellsteed, Department of Health, and Nigel Gibbens, Chief Health. Veterinary Officer; George Eustice MP, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jane Ellison MP, Department On 25 June 2014 the Committee took evidence from Dr Hilary of Health, Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Burton, PHG Foundation, Professor Ian Cree, Warwick Medical Professor Peter Borriello, Veterinary Medicines Directorate. School representing the Early Cancer Detection Consortium, Professor Ian Jacobs, PROMISE 2016, Owen Sharp, Prostate A report was published on 7 July 2014. The Research Councils Cancer UK; Dr Kevin Dunbar, National Chlamydia Screening response was published on 21 October 2014 and the Programme, Dr Sharon Hillier, Public Health Wales, Dr Anne Government published its response as a Command Paper Mackie, UK National Screening Committee, Jamie Waterall, Public (Cm 8919). Health England.

Blood, tissue and organ screening On 9 July 2014 the Committee took evidence from Jane Ellison On 5 February the Committee took evidence from Mark Ward MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, and Joseph Peaty, TaintedBlood, Liz Carroll, Haemophilia Society, Department of Health and Professor David Walker, Deputy Chief Dr Matthew Buckland, UK Primary Immunodeficiency Network Medical Officer for England. and Christine Lord; Professor Marc Turner, Advisory Committee on A report was published on 29 October 2014. The Committee is the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs Prion Group, Dr Roland awaiting a response from the Government. Salmon, Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens and Dr Sheila MacLennan, UK Blood Services Joint Professional Practical science in schools Advisory Committee. The Committee held two evidence sessions to discuss the On 5 March 2014 the Committee took evidence from proposals from Ofqual to change the practical assessment of Dr Steven Burton, ProMetic Biosciences Ltd, Dr Kelly Board, science at A level. DuPont Chemicals and Fluoroproducts, Dr Alex Raeber, Prionics On 12 May 2014 the Committee took evidence from Professor AG, Nigel Talboys, Terumo BCT and Professor John Collinge, MRC Julia Buckingham, SCORE, Dr Sarah Main, Campaign for Science Prion Unit. and Engineering, Professor Ian Haines, UK Deans of Science and On 26 March 2014 the Committee took evidence from Malcolm Trobe, Association of School and College Leaders; Professor Richard Knight, National CJD Research and Surveillance Dennis Opposs, Ofqual, Glenys Stacey, Ofqual and Janet Unit, Professor Sheila Bird, Medical Research Council Biostatistics Holloway, Ofqual; and Elizabeth Truss MP, Parliamentary Under- Unit, Dr Paula Bolton-Maggs, Serious Hazards of Transfusion Secretary of State for Education and Childcare. (SHOT) Haemovigilance Scheme and Dr Simon Mead, On 3 September 2014 the Committee took evidence from Association of British Neurologists. Janet Holloway, Ofqual, Dr Steven Evans, OCR, Darren Northcott, On 28 April 2014 the Committee took evidence from National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Dr Richard Baker, British Transplantation Society, Dr Mike Knapton, Teachers, Professor Iain Haines, Deans of Science, Nicole Morgan, British Heart Foundation, Ed Owen, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Keith Royal Society of Chemistry on behalf of SCORE, Steve Jones, Rigg, Transplant 2013. CLEAPPS; Michelle Meadows, Ofqual, Stella Paes, AQA, Max Hyde, National Union of Teachers, Elizabeth Swinbank, York On 30 April 2014 the Committee took evidence from Professor University, Ginny Page, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Peter James Neuberger, NHS Blood and Transplant, Dr Lorna Mayhew-Smith, Association of Colleges, Richard Needham, Williamson, NHS Blood and Transplant, Dr Paul Cosford, Public Association for Science Education; Dennis Opposs, Ofqual, Kaisra Health England, and Dr Katy Sinka, Public Health England; Jane Khan, Voice, Professor Peter Main, Institute of Physics, Hilary Ellison MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Leevers, Wellcome Trust, David Britz Colwill, Sixth Form Colleges Health and Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Association, Helen Thorne, UCAS; Glenys Stacey, Chief Regulator, Department of Health. Ofqual, Liane Adams, WJEC Eduqas, Philip Britton, Headmasters A report was published on 24 July 2014. The Government and Headmistresses Conference, Rachel Lambert-Forsyth, Society published its response in a Command Paper (Cm 8940). of Biology, Sir John Holman, CST, Jill Stokoe, Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Sarah Main, CaSE.

40 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 The Committee published a video letter to the Minister on On 29 October 2014 the Committee took evidence from Síle 2 December 2014 and received a response on 18 December. Lane, Director of Campaigns, Sense About Science, Dr Jack Stilgoe, Lecturer in Social Studies of Science, University College Social media data and real-time analytics London, and Professor Brian Wynne, Professor of Science Studies, On 18 June the Committee took evidence from Sureyya Lancaster University; Sue Davies, Chief Policy Adviser, Which?, and Cansoy, techUK, James Petter, EMC, Carl Miller, Centre for the Jon Woolven, Strategy and Innovation Director, Institute of Grocery Analysis of Social Media, Demos, Euan Adie, Altmetric.com, Digital Distribution; Dr Helen Ferrier, Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Science; Professor John Preston, University of East London, Adviser, National Farmers' Union, Peter Melchett, Policy Director, Professor Mick Yates, University of Leeds, Dr Ella McPherson, The Soil Association, and Professor Ian Crute, Non-Executive University of Cambridge. Director, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

On 23 June the Committee took evidence from Professor Derek On 5 November 2014 the Committee took evidence from McAuley, University of Nottingham, Professor David De Roure, Professor Helen Sang, Fellow, Society of Biology, Professor ESRC, Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Web Science Trust and the Michael Bevan, Programme Leader, Cell and Developmental Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council project Biology, John Innes Centre, and Dr Paul Burrows, Executive SOCIAM; Professor Liesbet van Zoonen, Loughborough University, Director, Corporate Policy and Strategy, Biotechnology and Professor David Robertson, University of Edinburgh representing Biological Sciences Research Council; Dr Mike Bushell, Principal the UK Computing Research Committee, Dr Mathieu d'Aquin, Scientific Adviser, Syngenta, Dr Julian Little, Chair, Agricultural Open University, Emma Carr, Big Brother Watch. Biotechnology Council, and Dr Geoff Mackey, Sustainable On 2 July the Committee took evidence from Steve Wood, Development and Communications Director, BASF Europe North. Information Commissioner’s Office, Dr Mark Elliot, University of On 19 November 2014 the Committee took evidence from Manchester, Dr Kevin Macnish, University of Leeds; Ed Vaizey, Professor Paul Nightingale, Deputy Director, Science Policy Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Culture, Research Unit, University of Sussex, Professor Andy Stirling, Co- Communications and Creative Industries, Department for Culture, director, STEPS Centre, University of Sussex, Professor Joyce Tait, Media and Sport. Director, Innogen Institute, University of Edinburgh, and Sir Roland A report was published on 28 November 2014. The Jackson, Member, Nuffield Council on Bioethics; Professor Sir Committee is waiting for a Government response. Mark Walport, Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government and Head of the Government Office for Science. Current and future uses of biometric data and technologies On 1 December 2014 the Committee took evidence from On 1 December 2014 the Committee took evidence from Professor Juliet Lodge, Emeritus Professor of European Studies, Dr Elisabeth Waigmann, Head of GMO Unit, European Food University of Leeds, and member of the Privacy and Policy Expert Safety Authority, and Professor Joe Perry, Chair, GMO Panel, Group at the Biometrics Institute, Professor Louise Amoore, European Food Safety Authority; Eric Poudelet, Director, Safety of Professor of Political Geography, Durham University, and Professor the Food Chain, Directorate General for Health and Consumers, Sue Black, Director, Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, European Commission, Dorothée André, Head of Unit, University of Dundee; Sir John Adye, Chairman, Identity Assurance Biotechnology, Directorate General for Health and Consumers, European Commission. Systems, Ben Fairhead, Biometric Systems Engineer, 3M, and Erik Bowman, Systems Engineer, Northrop Grumman; Andrew Tyrer, On 7 January 2015 the Committee took evidence from Head of Enabling Technology, Innovate UK, Emma Carr, Director, Professor Rosie Hails, Chair, Advisory Committee on Releases to Big Brother Watch, and Dr Peter Waggett, Chairman, British the Environment, Professor Peter Gregory, Chair, Advisory Standards Institution technical committee IST/44. Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, and Professor Guy On 10 December 2014 the Committee took evidence from Poppy, Chief Scientific Adviser, Food Standards Agency; Lord de Dr Simon Rice, Group Manager (Technology), Information Mauley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Commissioner's Office, Alastair R MacGregor QC, Biometrics Environment and Science, Department for Environment, Food and Commissioner, Office of the Biometrics Commissioner, and Chief Rural Affairs, and George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under- Constable Chris Sims, National Policing Lead for Forensic Science, Secretary of State for Life Sciences, Department for Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Association of Chief Police Officers; Lord Bates, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Criminal Information, Home Office. A report is currently being drafted.

A report is currently being drafted. Mitochondrial donation Genetically modified foods and application of the On 22 October 2014 the Committee took evidence from precautionary principle in Europe Professor Doug Turnbull, Director, Wellcome Trust Centre for On 15 October 2014 the Committee took evidence from Mitochondrial Research,Professor Peter Braude, King's College Professor Ottoline Leyser, Fellow, The Royal Society, Professor Sir London, Professor Robin Lovell Badge, MRC National Institute for David Baulcombe, Regius Professor of Botany, University of Medical Research, Dr Edward Morrow, Senior Research Fellow, Cambridge, Dr Doug Parr, Chief Scientist and Policy Director, University of Sussex; Peter Thompson, Chief Executive, Human Greenpeace UK, and Liz O’Neill, Director, GM Freeze. Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Robert Meadowcroft, Chief Executive, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Professor Jonathan

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 41 Montgomery, Chair, Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and Professor REPORTS of Health Care Law, University College London; Jane Ellison MP, National health screening Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Department of Health, and Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief On 29 October 2014, the Committee published its Third Report Medical Officer, Department of Health. of Session 2014-15, National Health Screening, HC 244.

The Committee’s Legacy Responsible use of data On 3 December 2014 the Committee took evidence from Jane On 28 November 2014, the Committee published its Fourth Ellison MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Report of Session 2014-15, Responsible Use of Data, HC 245. Health, Department of Health, George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences, Department of Health, GOVERNMENT RESPONSES and Professor David Walker, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for On 21 October 2014 the Committee published the England, Department of Health; Mr Nick Gibb MP, Minister of Government Response to the Committee’s report on Ensuring State for School Reform, Department for Education. access to working antimicrobials, HC509. On 14 January 2015 the Committee took evidence from George Eustice MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for FURTHER INFORMATION Farming, Food and Marine Environment, Department for Further information about the Science and Technology Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Terence Ilott, Deputy Committee or its current inquiries can be obtained from the Clerk Director, Marine Environment Strategy, Department for of the Committee, Stephen McGinness, or from the Senior Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Paul Green, Operations Committee Assistant, Darren Hackett, on 020 7219 2792/2793 Director, Veterinary Medicines Directorate; Lord Bates, respectively; or by writing to: The Clerk of the Committee, Science Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Criminal Information, and Technology Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, Home Office and Alan Pratt, Director of Science, Engineering and London SW1P 3JA. Enquiries can also be e-mailed to Technology, Home Office. [email protected]. Anyone wishing to be included on the Committee’s mailing list should contact the staff of the Funding of Kew Gardens Committee. Anyone wishing to submit evidence to the On 17 December 2014 the Committee took evidence from Committee is recommended to obtain a copy of the guidance Professor Mary Gibby, UK Plant Sciences Federation, Professor note at www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/witguide.htm. The Georgina Mace, Fellow, The Royal Society, and Sir Neil Chalmers, Committee has a website, www.parliament.uk/science, where all Chair of a 2010 independent review of Kew Gardens, recent publications, terms of reference for all inquiries and press commissioned by DEFRA; Richard Deverell, Director, Royal notices are available. Botanic Gardens, Kew, Professor Kathy Willis, Director of Science, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Julie Flanagan, Full-time officer, Prospect, and Ken Bailey, Trade union side lead for PCS, Prospect and GMB; and Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for natural environment and science, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (POST)

RECENT POST PUBLICATIONS EU Water Frameworks Directive. Pollution increases water treatment costs and adversely Diffuse Pollution of Water by Agriculture affects wildlife. Compared to treatment, October 2014 POSTnote 478 preventing water pollution at source can have a Water pollution regulation is devolved in the UK. cost-benefit ratio as high as 1:65. This describes Surface, coastal and ground waters in England the contribution of agriculture to water pollution, suffer from significant pollution problems: 78% and measures that can be taken to reduce it. of surface and groundwater bodies fail to meet the ‘good’ ecological status prescribed by the

42 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 Civilian Drones Parity of Esteem for Mental Health October 2014 POSTnote 479 January 2015 POSTnote 485 Civilian use of unmanned aircraft (UA) is increasing rapidly as the Achieving parity of esteem between mental and physical health in technology improves and becomes more affordable. The UK has care standards and public attitudes has been attempted for technical expertise in this area and is also at the forefront of decades. This note outlines the history of these efforts, the ways national and international regulatory discussions. This briefing in which parity is defined and measured, the challenges of provides an overview of current and future applications, and achieving this ideal, and the strategies that may be employed to opportunities and barriers for civilian use. that end.

Short Lived Climate Pollutants Emissions from Crops October 2014 POSTnote 480 January 2014 POSTnote 486 Short lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) include black carbon, Agriculture contributes 9% of the UK’s greenhouse-gas (GHG) methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and ground level ozone. emissions burden and 10-12% globally. Although there is a long- Although they have a shorter residence time in the atmosphere term declining trend from UK agriculture the sector may still than CO2, from a few days to a few decades, they contribute to account for a larger share of overall emissions in future as other near term climate change. This POSTnote summarises options for sectors reduce emissions. This POSTnote focuses on reducing mitigating SLCP concentrations and the benefits and challenges of GHG emissions from growing and storing arable and horticultural doing so. crops.

Palliative and End of Life Care CURRENT WORK October 2014 POSTnote 481 Biological Sciences – Sugar, Minimum Age of Criminal Palliative and end of life care refer to the care of people who Responsibility, Disorders of Consciousness, Anti-Ebola Treatments, have an incurable and progressive illness. This provides an Regulating Synthetic Biology. overview of palliative care and its key components, approaches to Environment and Energy – Biodiversity Auditing, Energy Storage, managing and standardising care and key challenges to providing Novel Food Production Technologies, Herbicide Resistance, Soils, high quality care. Ecosystem Services & Food Security, Managing the UK Plutonium GM Crops and Regulation Stockpile, Offshore Mining.

October 2014 POSTnote 482 Physical sciences and IT – Broadband Internet Access, The Genetically modified (GM) crops have been grown commercially Darknet, Commercial Space Activities, Big Data. since the mid-1990s. Early concerns focused on their potential Social Sciences – Minimum Living Standards, Trends in Politics impacts on human health and the environment. This note and Democracy. summarises the evidence for such impacts, describes recent technological developments and examines their likely CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS consequences for proposed reforms of GM regulation. Palliative and End of Life Care GM Insects and Disease Control On October 14th, POST hosted a seminar on palliative and end November 2014 POSTnote 483 of life care. This event brought together experts from government, Insects play a critical role in ecosystems, but can also cause the NHS, academia and the third sector with parliamentarians to economic and social harm by transmitting diseases to humans discuss the new approach and challenges to providing high and livestock, and damaging crops. Genetically modified (GM) quality care, including attitudes towards talking about death and insects could be used alongside other approaches to mitigate dying, education and training, and monitoring standards of care harms. This POSTnote summarises possible benefits, risks and and outcomes. The seminar was chaired by Baroness Finlay of uncertainties associated with their deployment. Llandaff, Professor of Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University, Palliative Care Clinical Lead for Wales and Vice-chair of All-Party Catchment-Wide Flood Management Parliamentary Group on Hospice and Palliative Care. It featured December 2014 POSTnote 484 presentations from: Dr Bee Wee, NHS England’s National Clinical Changing weather patterns have made structural defences less Director for End of Life Care, NHS England and Chair of the effective at managing flooding. An approach that employs a range former Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying People (LACDP); of natural flood management measures across a river catchment Simon Chapman, Director of Policy and Parliamentary Affairs at is likely to reduce the probability of flooding and pressure on the National Council for Palliative Care; Dr Fliss Murtagh, Reader structural defences. This POSTnote describes the measures and and Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Cicely Saunders Institute, the challenges of implementing them over large catchments. King’s College London..

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 43 Preventing Mitochondrial Disease Social Media, Demos; Matthew Rice, Advocacy Officer, Privacy On 16th October, POST hosted a seminar on the clinical use of International; Dr Emma Uprichard, Associate Professor, Centre for two new treatments to prevent serious mitochondrial disease. Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick. This seminar aimed to inform the debate on the proposed Annual Reception: Information Age regulations by giving parliamentarians access to the scientists On 6th November, POST’s Annual Reception followed the Big developing the new treatments, the regulators who may have to Data seminar, and continued the theme by partnering with the implement them and those at the forefront of the debate about Science Museum to showcase its then newly opened Information their potential ethical and social impacts. It was chaired by Age exhibition. Attendees heard from Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve and included presentations by inventor of the World Wide Web, Adam Afriyie MP; Jean Franczyk, Professors Doug Turnbull (Director Wellcome Trust Centre for Deputy Director of the Science Museum; and Martin Howell, Mitochondrial Research), Mike Parker (Director Ethox Centre, Worldwide Communications Director at Cubic Transportation University of Oxford), Jackie Leach Scully (Social Ethics & Systems. Bioethics, Newcastle University), Robin Lovell Badge (MRC National Institute for Medical Research) and Hannah Verdin STAFF, FELLOWS AND INTERNS AT POST (Head of Regulatory Policy, HFEA). Fellows National Pollinator Strategy Dr Anusha Panjwani, Pirbright Institute and Harvard University On 28th October, POST hosted a seminar on the evidence for Beth Brockett, University of Lancaster, British Ecological Society the measures set out in the National Pollinator Strategy. This Kimberley Pyle, University of Cardiff, Natural Environment followed previous POST events, and last year’s POSTnote on Research Council reversing pollinator decline at the request of Sarah Newton MP, Dr Zoë Fritz, University of Warwick, Wellcome Trust Ethics and who chaired the event. Presentations were given by Professor Society Programme Simon Potts, Professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Joanna Scales, Rothamsted, Biotechnology and Biological The University of Reading, Dr Christopher Connolly, Reader in Research Council Neuroscience, University of Dundee, Professor Jane Memmott, Daniel McDowell, Queen’s University Belfast, Institute of Food Professor of Ecology, University of Bristol and Dr Adam Science and Technology Vanbergen, Invertebrate Ecologist, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Rachel Stocker, University of Durham, British Psychological Society Christopher Emmott, Imperial College London, Institute of Physics Innovation and the Future of the UK Economy Thomas Kriechbaumer, Cranfield University, Engineering and On 5th November, POST hosted an event on innovation and the Physical Sciences Research Council future of the UK economy. This brought together Parliamentarians Catherine Watkinson, Imperial College London, Science and and practitioners for a conversation exploring how to improve Technology Facilities Council further the UK innovation system and what it might look like in Edward Gillen, University of Oxford, Science and Technology 20 years’ time. The discussion was chaired by Liam Byrne MP, Facilities Council, has been working with the House of Lords with presentations from: Avi Hasson, Chief Scientist, Ministry of Science and Technology Committee. Economy, Israel; Kevin Baughan, Director, Innovation Programmes, Wendy Carr, Newcastle University, Institution of Chemical Innovate UK (formerly Technology Strategy Board); Sir John Engineers, was placed with the House of Commons Library O’Reilly, Director General of Knowledge and Innovation, Science and Environment Section. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; and Sherry Coutu, entrepreneur and investor.

Big Data and Governance: balancing risks and rewards On 6th November, POST hosted a seminar that brought together the work undertaken by POST throughout 2014 on Big Data. Over 150 people attended. The discussion was chaired by Dr Chris Tyler – with contributions from: Adam Afriyie MP; Professor Amanda Chessell, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor and Visiting Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield; Professor Carol Dezateux, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology and Scientific Director and Principal Investigator of the Life Study, UCL Institute of Child Health; Chris Fleming, Head of Data and Analytics, Government Office for Science; Christopher Graham, Information Commissioner; Dr Susan Grant-Muller, Co-Investigator to the ESRC Consumer Data Research Centre and Senior Lecturer, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds; Carl Miller, co- founder and Research Director of the Centre for the Analysis of

44 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT SECTION

RECENT PUBLICATIONS The Forestry Commission and the sale of public forests in England Mitochondrial Donation 1.12.14 | SN05734 14.10.14 | SN06833 Following criticism of the Government’s aborted This provides a summary of the role of plans to sell parts of the Public Forest Estate, in mitochondria, mitochondrial disease and the January 2013 it signalled its intention to proposed new techniques. It also outlines the establish a new public body to manage the investigations into these techniques that took forestry estate in its Forestry and Woodlands place prior to the publication of draft Policy Statement. Due to constraints in the regulations; two HFEA scientific reviews of the Scientists and other staff in the parliamentary timetable no legislation to Science and Environment Section safety and efficacy of methods (2011 and establish this body has yet been made. provide confidential, bespoke 2013), an ethical review of the techniques for briefing to Members and their offices on a daily basis. They also mitochondrial replacement undertaken by the In July and October 2014, environmental provide support to Commons Nuffield Council on Bioethics and an HFEA groups raised concerns that the Infrastructure Select Committees, and produce Bill could be used to sell off public forest land, longer notes and research papers public consultation. The main safety and ethical which can be accessed on line at considerations associated with the introduction despite government reassurances to the http://www.parliament.uk/topics/ of these techniques into clinical practice are contrary. In November 2014, the Government topical-issues.htm discussed. It also provides a summary of the moved amendments to the Bill ensuring that Summaries of recently updated recent consultation on draft regulations and the the Bill could not be used sell off the public briefings are opposite. 2014 update to the scientific reviews by the forest estate. For further information contact: expert panel at the HFEA. Overviews of recent Sarah Hartwell-Naguib Standardised packaging of tobacco products Head of Section Parliamentary debates are included in the note. 3.10.14 (amended 2.12.14) | SN06175 Tel: 020 7219 1665 email: Ebola Outbreak 2014 Standardised packaging (or ‘plain packaging’) of [email protected] 22.10.14 | SN06999 tobacco products is taken to mean the removal The 2014 Ebola outbreak started in Guinea in of all attractive promotional aspects. Except for December 2013 and now Guinea, Sierra Leone the brand name (which would be presented in and Liberia are all severely affected. It is the a standardised way), all other trademarks, logos, largest outbreak to date. By January 2015 there colour schemes and promotional graphics were over 9,000 confirmed or suspected cases. would be prohibited. The package itself would This provides an overview of the disease, the be standardised and display only information international and UK responses to the 2014 (such as health warnings) required by law. outbreak and an outline of the experimental This gives an overview of the debate. It is not a treatments being considered. comprehensive account of the arguments for Online safety: Content filtering by UK and against the use of standardised packaging Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or an evaluation of the different views 21.11.14 | SN07031 expressed as to the impact that standardised packaging might have on public health, the In July 2013, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) incidence of smuggling and the compliance agreed voluntarily to offer “default-on” adult costs to business. The Government’s summary content internet filters on all new and existing to its public consultation looks in detail at the home network customers. Ofcom has reviewed range of views. the implementation of the network filtering which it expects to be completed by the end of Mobile Coverage in the UK: Government 2014. This summarises the background to these plans to tackle ‘mobile not-spots’ 2014 decisions, reviews its implementation and sets 19.12.14 | SN07069 out some of the arguments opposed to the The Government has identified two issues with introduction of default on network filters. mobile coverage in the UK: ‘not-spots’ – areas where there is currently no coverage available;

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 45 and ‘partial not-spots’ – areas which have coverage from some ACTIVITIES but not all of the 4 mobile networks. Since October, in addition to providing bespoke briefings for MPs, 95% of UK households use mobile phones and 16% have no and publishing briefing papers such as those highlighted above, voice landline at all, whilst 71% of businesses rated mobile the section has prepared debate packs, containing briefing and phones as crucial or very important to their business. Currently, supporting press and parliamentary material, for debates on: 99% of premises are covered outdoors by at least one Mobile Foetal alcohol syndrome; Antibiotic resistance; National pollinator Network Operator (MNOs) and 97% are covered by all three of strategy; Oral Hormone pregnancy tests; Coalfield Communities; the MNOs that operate 2G networks. For 3G services, 84% of UK UK Drugs Policy; Assessment of the second year of the badger premises are covered outdoors by all four MNOs and 35% of culls; Situation in the dairy industry; Physical inactivity and public premises have coverage from Vodafone, EE and O2 for 4G. health; Preparations for flooding in winter 2014-15; Fracking; Illegal encampments in the East of England; Management of UK UK Fishing Quota Agreements for 2015 sea bass stock; Availability and pricing of branded medicines on 22.12.14 | SN07071 the NHS; Fishing industry; Funding for Kew Gardens; Food banks; and Effect of the Contract for Difference allocation process on Under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), every year annual offshore wind developments. quotas for fish species in EU waters are agreed by Ministers. 2015 is the first year that fishing opportunities are being set Continuing the section’s outreach to the academic world, Enquiry under the rules of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Executive, Jim Camp, Library Clerks, Emma Downing and Louise This summarises the negotiations and decisions taken over UK Smith, went to the University of Bristol in October to meet fishing quota agreements for 2015. academics. They gave a presentation about their work, and participated in sessions on global change, food security and future Garden Cities cities. 31.12.14 (updated from 5.6.14)| SN06867 The section spent time at Lancaster Environment Centre in In the Budget 2014 the Government announced that it would November meeting researchers from the Lancaster Environment support a new Garden City at Ebbsfleet in Kent, for up to 15,000 Centre and Energy Lancaster. This was the section’s second visit new homes based on existing brownfield land, to be driven to Lancaster and resulted in meetings with academics working on forward by a development corporation with compulsory purchase subjects such as biomass, fracking and renewables. Also in powers. In April 2014 the Government published a prospectus December, Library Clerk, Dr Sarah Barber took part in the Royal Locally-led Garden Cities setting out a support package for local Society Pairing Scheme opening event on 24 November 2014. areas which are interested in forming a new garden city. The Science in Parliament session for academics on the scheme Proposals put forward should have the full backing of all local involved presentations and a panel discussion. authorities in which the new garden city would be sited and should be at or above a level of 15,000 homes. At the same In December the section held a Library talks event on food time that the Prospectus was published the Government also waste, arranged and presented at by POST Fellow Wendy Carr, launched the Large Sites Infrastructure Programme, which is alongside a Director from the Waste & Resources Action aimed at accelerating the development of large housing sites. Programme (WRAP). Wendy started her placement with the section in September and published a note on Food Waste in The practicalities of how garden cities should be funded has preparation for this. Later that month, Enquiry Executive, divided expert opinion. Some private companies have pledged to Jacqueline Baker, participated in a Constituency Roadshow in invest in new settlements. A number of new homes are already Swansea to promote Library research services to constituency planned at Ebbsfleet and information about these proposals is staff. available online. In December, Jacqueline, together with Library Clerks, Ed White Planning for Onshore Windfarms and Elena Ares, travelled to Cardiff and attended a conference on 5.1.15 (updated from 5.3.14) | SN04370 Energy Policy in Wales, and met with counterparts at the Welsh The planning process used to determine onshore wind Assembly – including Kathryn Potter, Head of the Welsh Assembly development will depend on the size of the proposed Research Service and Graham Winter, Head of Research development. Wind farms which have an output of over 50MW (planning, building, land and energy) and discussed future plans will go through a “development consent” process and will be for collaborative working. determined by the Secretary of State. Wind farms under 50MW The Section also contributed topical pieces to the Library’s blog will be determined by the relevant local planning authority. There such as Public Forest Estate Sell-off are also some permitted development rights for small domestic (http://commonslibraryblog.com/2014/12/08/public-forest- wind turbines, where planning permission would not be required estate-sell-off-what-next/#more-1652). at all.

Some examples of reasons for acceptance and rejection of wind farms are set out in this note. Statistics on this are available from the Government’s Renewables Planning Database Project, and the Renewables UK, UK Wind Energy Database (UKWED).

46 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 SELECTED DEBATES

Listed opposite (grouped by subject AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND FOOD area) is a selection of Debates on National Pollinator Strategy 16.10.14 HoC 529 Sarah Newton matters of scientific interest which Food Security 27.11.14 HoC 337WH Anne McIntosh took place in the House of Food Hygiene Rating Scheme 11.12.14 HoL GC550 Lord Rooker Commons, House of Lords or Westminster Hall between Bioeconomy 10.12.14 HoL GC489 Lord Krebs 13th October 2014 and CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY 3rd February 2015. Communicating Climate Science 23.10.14 HoC 315WH Andrew Miller IPCC Fifth Assessment Report 20.11.14 HoC 153WH Tim Yeo A full digest of debates and PQs on Carbon Capture and Storage 20.11.14 HoC 176WH Tim Yeo scientific issues during the 2013/14 and to date in the 2014/15 Fracking 25.11.14 HoC 195WH Norman Baker sessions of Parliament can be DRUGS AND HEALTH found at http://www.science Antibiotic Resistance 15.10.14 HoC 101WH Julian Sturdy inparliament.org.uk/publications/uk- Medical Innovation Bill 24.10.14 HoL 859 digests/ Off-patent Drugs Bill 7.11.14 HoC 1106 Jonathan Evans NHS: Health Improvements 26.11.14 HoL GC332 Lord Kakkar Branded Medicines (NHS) 4.12.14 HoC 525 Andrew Lansley Drugs (Ultra-rare Diseases) 20.1.15 HoC 23WH Greg Mulholland Human Papilloma Virus 20.1.15 HoL 1278 Lord Patel of Bradford Human Fertilisation and Embryology 3.2.15 HoC 160 Jane Ellison IT, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND BROADCASTING Cyber-bullying and Digital Anonymity 23.10.14 HoC 1146 Charlie Elphicke SKILLS Young People: Alternatives to University 23.10.14 HoL 810 Lord Monks TRANSPORT Autonomous Vehicles 16.10.14 HoL 397 Lord Borwick MISCELLANEOUS Kew Gardens 16.12.14 HoC 463WH Zac Goldsmith Valedictory Speech 16.12.14 HoL 141 Lord Jenkin SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Association AIRTO of the British Pharmaceutical Contact: Professor Richard Brook OBE FREng Contact: Dr Matt Norton AIRTO Ltd: Association of Innovation 3 Riverside, Granta Park Industry Research & Technology Organisations Limited Cambridge, CB21 6AD c/o National Physical Laboratory Tel: 01223 824575 Contact: Audrey Yvernault Hampton Road, Teddington E-mail: [email protected] Head of Policy and Public Affairs Middlesex TW11 0LW Website: 7th Floor, Southside, 105 Victoria Street, Tel: 020 8943 6600 http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/ London SW1E 6QT E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 020 7747 7136 Twitter: @airtoinnovation Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading Email: [email protected] Website: www.airto.co.uk dementia research charity. Currently, we support Website: www.abpi.org.uk AIRTO – Association of Innovation, Research & Technology 125 projects worth over £23.3m and have The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Organisations – is the foremost membership body for the committed nearly £60m to research since the represents innovative research-based biopharmaceutical UK’s innovation, research and technology sector, companies, large, medium and small, leading an exciting new era charity began. As research specialists, we fund of biosciences in the UK. Our industry, a major contributor to the representing 80% of organisations in the sector. pioneering research at leading universities across economy of the UK, brings life-saving and life-enhancing AIRTO’s members deliver vital innovation and knowledge medicines to patients. Our members are researching and the UK and the globe with the aim of defeating developing over two-thirds of the current medicines pipeline, transfer services which include applied and collaborative dementia. Our expertise helps bring together ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of helping patients R&D, (frequently in conjunction with universities), prevent and overcome diseases. Topics we focus on include: consultancy, technology validation and testing, incubation leading dementia scientists to share ideas and • All aspects of the research and development of medicines of commercialisation opportunities and early stage understanding. We work with people with including clinical research and licensing financing. AIRTO members have a combined turnover of dementia to reflect their concerns and firmly believe • Stratified medicine over £5.5bn from clients both at home and outside the UK, and employ over 47,000 scientists, technologists and that science holds the key to defeating dementia. • Vaccines, biosimilars, small and large molecules, cell therapy and regenerative medicine engineers.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 47 SCIENCE DIRECTORY

AMPS The British Ecological Contact: Tony Harding Contact: Dr Catherine Ball Society (Science Policy Advisor) 07895 162 896 for all queries whether for Biochemical Society Contact: Ceri Margerison, Policy Manager membership or assistance. Charles Darwin House British Ecological Society Branch Office Address: 12 Roger Street Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, Merchant Quay, London WC1N 2JU London WC1N 2JU Salford Quays, Tel: 020 7685 2433 Email: [email protected] Salford Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 7685 2510 Fax : 020 7685 2501 M50 3SG. Website: www.biochemistry.org Website: www.BritishEcologicalSociety.org Ecology & Policy Blog Website: www.amps-tradeunion.com The Biochemical Society exists for the advancement http://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/ of the molecular and cellular biosciences; both as Twitter: @BESPolicy We are a Trades Union for Management and Professional Staff working in the pharmaceutical, an academic discipline and their impact on areas of The British Ecological Society’s mission is to generate, chemical and allied industries. science including biotechnology, agriculture, and communicate and promote ecological solutions. The Society has over 5,000 members worldwide, publishes five We also have a section for Professional Divers working medicine. We achieve our mission though our internationally renowned scientific journals and organises the globally. We represent a broad base of both office and publications and journals, scientific meetings, largest scientific meeting for ecologists in Europe. Through its field based staff and use our influence to improve educational activities, policy work, awards and grants, the BES supports ecologists in developing countries, working conditions on behalf of our members. public engagement and research. The BES informs and We are experts in performance based and field related grants to scientists and students. The Biochemical advises Parliament and Government on ecological issues and issues and are affiliated to our counterparts in EU Society is the largest discipline-based learned is committed to ensuring that policy-makers have access to Professional Management Unions. society in the biosciences with 7000 members. the best available evidence. The BES welcomes requests for assistance from parliamentarians.

British British In Vitro Nutrition Diagnostics Association Foundation

(BIVDA) Contact: Professor Judy Buttriss, Contact: Jonathan Brüün Director General Chief Executive Contact: Doris-Ann Williams MBE Imperial House 6th Floor British Pharmacological Society Chief Executive 15-19 Kingsway The Schild Plot, 16 Angel Gate, British In Vitro Diagnostics Association London WC2B 6UN City Road, London EC1V 2PT Devonshire House Tel: +44(0) 20 7557 7930 Tel: : 020 7239 0171 164 – 168 Westminster Bridge Road Email: [email protected] Fax: 020 7417 0114 London SE1 7RW Email: [email protected] Websites: www.nutrition.org.uk Website: www.bps.ac.uk Tel: 0845 6188224 www.foodafactoflife.org.uk Email: [email protected] The British Pharmacological Society is the primary www.bivda.co.uk The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), a UK learned society concerned with research into BIVDA is the UK industry association representing registered charity, delivers impartial, authoritative drugs and the way they work. Our 3000+ members companies who manufacture and/or distribute the and evidence-based information on food and work in academia, industry, regulatory agencies and diagnostics tests and equipment to diagnose, nutrition. Its core purpose is to make nutrition the health services, and many are medically monitor and manage disease largely through the NHS science accessible to all, working with an qualified. We cover the whole spectrum of pathology services. Increasingly diagnostics are used extensive network of contacts across academia, pharmacology, including laboratory, clinical, and outside the laboratory in community settings and also education and the food chain, and through BNF toxicological aspects. Enquiries about the discovery, to identify those patients who would benefit from work programmes focussing on education in development and application of drugs are specific drug treatment particularly for cancer. schools and nutrition science communication. welcome.

The British Psychological Mrs Tracey Guise Contact: Jo Revill, CEO Society Chief Executive Officer Vintage House British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Contact: Tanja Siggs 37 Albert Embankment Griffin House | 53 Regent Place | Birmingham London SE1 7TL. Policy Advisor - Legislation B1 3NJ Tel: 020 3031 9800 The British Psychological Society www.bsac.org.uk | www.antibiotic-action.com Fax: 020 7582 2882 St Andrews House www.e-opat.com | www.nas-pps.com E-mail: [email protected] 48 Princess Road East |www.appg-on-antibiotics.com Website: www.immunology.org Leicester LE1 7DR www.bsacsurv.org Tel: 0116 252 9526 The BSI is one of the oldest, largest and most active The BSAC is an inter-professional organisation with over Email: [email protected] forty years of experience and achievement in antibiotic immunology societies in the world. We have over Website: www.bps.org.uk education, research and leadership. The Society has an 5,000 members who work in all areas of active international membership and: immunology, including research and clinical • Is dedicated to saving lives through the effective use and The British Psychological Society is an organisation development of antibiotics, now and in the future. practice. of 50,000 members governed by Royal Charter. It • Communicates effectively about antibiotics and antibiotic The BSI runs major scientific meetings, education maintains the Register of Chartered Psychologists, usage via workshops, professional guidelines and its own programmes and events for all ages. We high impact international journal, the Journal of publishes books, 11 primary science Journals and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. disseminate top quality scientific research through organises conferences. Requests for information • Is home to the UK-led global initiative Antibiotic Action our journals and meetings and we are committed to about psychology and psychologists from • Serves as secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group bringing the wonders and achievements of on Antibiotics immunology to as many audiences as possible. parliamentarians are very welcome.

48 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 SCIENCE DIRECTORY British Society Brunel Cavendish of Soil Science University Laboratory London Contact: Departmental Administrator, Contact: Ian Brown The Cavendish Laboratory, Contact: Geoff Rodgers J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK. LR8, Vincent Building, Cranfield University, Brunel University London Kingston Lane E-mail: glw33.cam.ac.uk Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL Uxbridge UB8 3PH http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk Tel: 01895 265609 Tel: 01234 752983 Fax: 01895 269740 The Cavendish Laboratory houses the Department of Physics E-mail: [email protected] of the University of Cambridge. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.brunel.ac.uk Brunel University London is an international research active university The research programme covers the breadth of Website: www.soils.org.uk with 3 leading research institutes: contemporary physics Institute of Energy Futures: Led by Professor Savvas Tassou, the main themes of the Institute are Advanced Engines and Biofuels, Energy Extreme Universe: Astrophysics, cosmology and high Efficient and Sustainable Technologies, Smart Power Networks, and The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) or "BS Resource Efficient Future Cities. energy physics Institute of Materials and Manufacturing: The main themes of research Quantum Universe: Cold atoms, condensed matter theory, cubed" as it is fondly known was founded in are Design for Sustainable Manufacturing, Liquid Metal Engineering, 1947 by a number of eminent British soil Materials Characterisation and Processing, Micro-Nano Manufacturing, scientific computing, quantum matter and semiconductor and Structural Integrity. The centre is led by Professor Luiz Wrobel. physics scientists. It was formed with the aims: to Institute of Environment, Health and Societies: Professor Susan Materials Universe: Optoelectronics, nanophotonics, advance the study of soil; to be open to Jobling leads this pioneering research institute whose themes are Health and Environment, Healthy Ageing, Health Economics Synthetic Biology, detector physics, thin film magnetism, surface physics and membership from all those with an interest in Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Technologies, and Social Sciences and Health. the Winton programme for the physics of sustainability the study and uses of soil; and to issue an Brunel University London offers a wide range of expertise and Biological Universe: Physics of medicine, biological knowledge, and prides itself on having academic excellence at the core annual publication. of its offer, and was ranked in the recent REF as 33rd in the UK for systems and soft matter Research Power (average quality rating by number of submissions) and The Laboratory has world-wide collaborations with other described by The Times Higher Education as one of the real winners of the REF 2014. universities and industry

Clifton The Council Scientific for the Trust Mathematical Sciences Contact: Dr Christopher Flower Contact: Dr Eric Albone MBE Contact: Lindsay Walsh Josaron House Clifton Scientific Trust De Morgan House 5-7 John Princes Street 49 Northumberland Road, Bristol BS6 7BA 57-58 Russell Square London W1G 0JN Tel: 0117 924 7664 Fax: 0117 924 7664 London WC1B 4HS Tel: 020 7491 8891 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 020 7637 3686 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.clifton-scientific.org Fax: 020 7323 3655 Website: www.ctpa.org.uk & Email: [email protected] Science for Citizenship and Employability, Website: www.cms.ac.uk www.thefactsabout.co.uk Science for Life, Science for Real

We build grass-roots partnerships between school and The Council for the Mathematical Sciences is an CTPA is the UK trade association representing the wider world of professional science and its authoritative and objective body that works to develop, applications manufacturers of cosmetic products and influence and respond to UK policy issues affecting • for young people of all ages and abilities mathematical sciences in higher education and suppliers to the cosmetic products industry. research, and therefore the UK economy and society by: • experiencing science as a creative, questioning, • providing expert advice; ‘Cosmetic products’ are legally defined and human activity subject to stringent EU safety laws. CTPA is the • engaging with government, funding agencies and • bringing school science added meaning and other decision makers; authoritative public voice of a vibrant and notivation, from primary to post-16 • raising public awareness; and responsible UK industry trusted to act for the • locally, nationally, internationally (currently • facilitating communication between the consumer; ensuring the science behind between Britain and Japan; also the Ukraine) mathematical sciences community and other cosmetics is fully understood. Clifton Scientific Trust Ltd is registered charity 1086933 stakeholders Eli Lilly and Energy Company Institute

Ltd Contact: Louise Kingham OBE FEI Chief Executive Contact: Thom Thorp, Senior Director, 61 New Cavendish Street Tamzin Caffrey Corporate Affairs London W1G 7AR Head of Communications Tel: 01256 315000 Tel: 020 7467 7100 EngineeringUK Fax: 01256 775858 Email: [email protected] Weston House, 246 High Holborn Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, Lilly House London WC1V 7EX Priestley Road, Basingstoke, Hants, Website: www.energyinst.org Tel: 020 3206 0444 RG24 9NL The Energy Institute (EI) is the chartered professional body Fax: 020 3206 0401 Email. [email protected] for the energy sector, supporting over 20,000 individuals E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.lilly.co.uk and 250 companies worldwide. The EI provides learning Website: www.EngineeringUK.com Lilly UK is the UK affiliate of a major American and networking opportunities, professional recognition pharmaceutical manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Company and technical and scientific knowledge resources on EngineeringUK is an independent organisation that of Indianapolis. This affiliate is one of the UK’s top energy in all its forms and applications. promotes the vital role of engineers, engineering pharmaceutical companies with significant The EI’s purpose is to develop and disseminate and technology in our society. EngineeringUK investment in science and technology including a knowledge, skills and good practice towards a safe, partners business and industry, Government and the secure and sustainable energy system. It addresses the neuroscience research and development centre and wider science and technology community: bulk biotechnology manufacturing operations. depth and breadth of the energy sector and informs policy by providing a platform for debate and producing evidence on the state of engineering; Lilly medicines treat schizophrenia, diabetes, cancer, scientifically-sound information. sharing knowledge within engineering, and osteoporosis, attention deficit hyperactivity A registered charity, the EI serves society with inspiring young people to choose a career in disorder, erectile dysfunction, depression, bipolar independence, professionalism and a wealth of expertise engineering, matching employers’ demand for disorder, heart disease and many other diseases. in all energy matters. skills.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 49 SCIENCE DIRECTORY Fera First Group GAMBICA Association Ltd Contact: Mac Andrade Contact: Director of Science 50 Eastbourne Terrace Fera Paddington Contact: Dr Graeme Philp Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ London W2 6LG Broadwall House Tel: 01904 462000 Tel: 07715 038 436 21 Broadwall E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] London SE1 9PL Website: www.fera.co.uk Website: www.firstgroup.com Tel: 020 7642 8080 Fax: 020 7642 8096 Fera provides expert analytical and professional E-mail: [email protected] services to governments, agrichemical companies, FirstGroup is the leading transport operator in the Website: www.gambica.org.uk food retailers, manufacturers and farmers to UK and North America. facilitate safety, productivity and quality across the GAMBICA Association is the UK trade association agrifood supply chain in a sustainable and environmentally compatible way. for instrumentation, control, automation and Our services help create strong, vibrant and Fera uses its world leading scientific expertise to laboratory technology. The association seeks to provide robust evidence, rigorous analysis and sustainable local economies and our opportunity is promote the successful development of the industry professional advice to governments, international to be the provider of choice for our customers and and assist its member companies through a broad bodies and companies worldwide. Our food communities. During the last year around 2.5 billion integrity, plant health, agri-tech and agri- range of services, including technical policy and informatics services ensure that our customers have people relied on us to get to work, to education, to standards, commercial issues, market data and access to leading edge science, technology and visit family and friends and much more. export services. expertise.

The Glass and Geological Glazing Society Federation

Contact: Nic Bilham Contact: James Lee Contact: Sophia Griffiths Director of Policy and Communications 54 Ayres Street 5 Cambridge Court Burlington House London SE1 1EU 210 Shepherds Bush Road Piccadilly Tel: 020 7939 9100 London W6 7NJ London W1J 0BG Fax: 0870 042 4266 Tel: 020 7603 6316 Tel: 020 7434 9944 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 020 7439 8975 Website: www.ggf.org.uk Website: www.ifst.org E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.geolsoc.org.uk The GGF is the main representative organisation for IFST is the independent qualifying body for food companies involved in all aspects of the professionals in Europe. Membership is drawn from The Geological Society is the national learned and manufacture of flat glass and products and services all over the world from backgrounds including for all types of glazing, in commercial and domestic professional body for Earth sciences, with 11,500 industry, universities, government, research and Fellows (members) worldwide. The Fellowship sectors. development and food law enforcement. encompasses those working in industry, academia Members include companies that manufacture and and government, with a wide range of perspectives install energy efficient windows, in homes and IFST’s activities focus on disseminating knowledge and views on policy-relevant science, and the commercial buildings, the performance glass used relating to food science and technology and Society is a leading communicator of this science to in every type of building from houses to high-rise promoting its application. Another important government bodies and other non-technical tower blocks and the components that are used to element of our work is to promote and uphold audiences. manufacture every type of glazing. standards amongst food professionals.

Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Contact: Joseph Winters Technology (IMarEST) 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT Tel: 020 7470 4815 Contact: Bev Mackenzie Contact: Mr Peter Martindale, CEO and Secretary E-mail: [email protected] Institute of Marine Engineering, Science Website: www.iop.org and Technology (IMarEST), Aldgate House, The Institute of Measurement and Control 33 Aldgate High Street, London, EC3N 1EN 87 Gower Street, London WC1E 6AF Tel: +44 (0) 20 73874949 The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society. Tel: +44(0) 20 7382 2600 Fax: +44 (0) 20 73888431 We are a charitable organisation with a worldwide membership of more than 50,000, working Fax: +44(0) 20 7382 2667 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] together to advance physics education, research Website: www.instmc.org.uk and application. Website: www.imarest.org Reg Charity number: 269815 We engage with policymakers and the general Established in London in 1889, the IMarEST is a The Institute of Measurement and Control provides a public to develop awareness and understanding of leading international membership body and learned forum for personal contact amongst practiioners, the value of physics and, through IOP Publishing, society for marine professionals, with over 15,000 publishes learned papers and is a professional we are world leaders in professional scientific communications. members worldwide. The IMarEST has an extensive examining and qualifying organisation able to confer marine network of 50 international branches, the titles EurIng, CEng, IEng, EngTech; Companies and In September 2013, we launched our first affiliations with major marine societies around the Universities may apply to become Companions. fundraising campaign. Our campaign, Opportunity Physics, offers you the chance to support the work world, representation on the key marine technical Headquartered in London, the Institute has a strong that we do. committees and non-governmental status at the regional base with 15 UK, 1 Hong Kong and 1 Malaysia International Maritime Organization (IMO) as well Local Section, a bilateral agreement with the China Visit us at www.iop.org, follow us as other intergovernmental organisations. @physicsnews Instrument Society and other major international links.

50 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Institute of Institution Physics and of Civil Engineering The Institution of Chemical Engineers Engineers in Medicine Contact: Joanna Gonet, W ith over 40,000 members in 120 Public Affairs Manager, Contact: Rosemary Cook CBE (CEO) countries, IChemE is the global One Great George Street, Westminster, Fairmount House, 230 Tadcaster Road, membership organisation for London SW1P 3AA, UK York, YO24 1ES Tel: 020 7665 2123 Tel: 01904 610821 Fax: 01904 612279 chemical engineers. A not for profit E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] organisation, we serve the public Website: www.ice.org.uk Website: www.ipem.ac.uk interest by building and sustaining an active professional community IPEM is a registered, incorporated charity for the Established in 1818 and with over 85,000 and promoting the development, advancement, in the public interest, of physics and members in 167 countries worldwide, ICE is a engineering applied to medicine and biology. Its understanding and application of members are medical physicists, clinical and bio- chemical engineering worldwide. leading source of expertise in infrastructure and engineers, and clinical technologists. It organises engineering policy and is widely seen as the training and CPD for them, and provides opportunities Alana Collis, Technical policy manager independent voice of infrastructure. ICE provides for the dissemination of knowledge through publications and scientific meetings. IPEM is licensed by +44 (0) 1788 534459 advice to all political parties and works with the Science Council to award CSci, RSci and RSciTech, [email protected] industry to ensure that civil engineering and and by the Engineering Council to award CEng, IEng www.icheme.org construction remain major contributors to the and EngTech. UK economy. Kuala Lumpur | London | Melbourne | Rugby | Singapore | Wellington

Institution of Institution of Engineering Mechanical Designers Engineers

Contact: Libby Meyrick Contact: Richard Campbell Contact: Paul Davies 1 Birdcage Walk Courtleigh IET, Westbury Leigh London SW1H 9JJ Michael Faraday House, Tel: 020 7973 1293 Westbury Six Hills Way, Wiltshire BA13 3TA E-mail: [email protected] Stevenage, Website: www.imeche.org Tel: 01373 822801 SG1 2AY Fax: 01373 858085 Tel: +44(0) 1438 765687 E-mail: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: www.ied.org.uk Web: www.theiet.org The Institution provides politicians and civil servants with information, expertise and advice on a diverse The only professional membership body solely for those working in engineering and technological The IET is a world leading professional organisation, range of subjects, focusing on manufacturing, product design. Engineering Council and Chartered sharing and advancing knowledge to promote energy, environment, transport and education Environmentalist registration for suitably qualified science, engineering and technology across the policy. We regularly publish policy statements and members. Membership includes experts on a wide world. Dating back to 1871, the IET has 150,000 host political briefings and policy events to establish range of engineering and product design members in 127 countries with offices in Europe, disciplines, all of whom practise, manage or a working relationship between the engineering educate in design. New for 2015: Chartership for North America, and Asia-Pacific. profession and parliament. Product Designers (CTPD).

LGC

Queens Road, Teddington Middlesex, TW11 0LY Tel: +44 (0)20 8943 7000 Contact: Dr Elizabeth Rollinson, Contact: Katriona Methven, Director of Fax: +44 (0)20 8943 2767 Executive Secretary Scientific and Technical-Regulatory Affairs, E-mail: [email protected] The Linnean Society of London L’Oreal UK & Ireland Website: www.lgcgroup.com Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BF 255 Hammersmith Road, London W6 8AZ LGC is an international science-based company and Tel: 020 7434 4479 ext 12 Tel: 0208 762 4489 market leader in the provision of analytical, forensic E-mail: [email protected] and diagnostic services and reference standards to Website: www.linnean.org E-mail: [email protected] customers in the public and private sectors. Website: www.loreal.co.uk Under the Government Chemist function, LGC As the world’s oldest biological society, the Linnean fulfils specific statutory duties as the referee analyst Society of London is an essential forum and meeting and provides advice for Government and the wider point for those interested in natural history. The Society L’Oréal employs more than 4,000 researchers € analytical community on the implications of holds regular public events, publishes three peer- world-wide and dedicates over 850 million each analytical chemistry for matters of policy, standards reviewed journals, promotes the study of the natural year to research and innovation in the field of and regulation. LGC is also the UK’s designated world with several educational initiatives and is home to healthy skin and hair. The company supports National Measurement Institute for chemical and a world famous library and collection of natural history women in science research through the L’Oréal biochemical analysis. specimens. The Society’s Fellows have a considerable UNESCO For Women In Science Programme and With headquarters in Teddington, South West range of biological expertise that can be harnessed to engages young people with science through the London, LGC has 36 laboratories and centres across inform and advise on scientific and public policy issues. L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre at the Royal Institution. L’Oréal also collaborates with a vast Europe and at sites in China, Brazil, India, South A Forum for Natural History Africa and the US. number of institutions in the UK and globally.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 51 SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Marine Biological Met Office National Association Physical Laboratory Contact: Dr Matthew Frost Contact: Dr Matt Huddleston Marine Biological Association, Met Office Contact: Fiona Auty The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB 127 Clerkenwell Road National Physical Laboratory Tel: 07848028388 London EC1R 5LP. Hampton Road, Teddington Fax: 01752 633102 Tel: 020 7204 7469 Middlesex TW11 0LW E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 020 8977 3222 Website: mba.ac.uk Website: www.metoffice.gov.uk Website: www.npl.co.uk/contact-us Since 1884 the Marine Biological Association has The Met Office doesn’t just forecast the weather on The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the United been delivering its mission ‘to promote scientific television. Our forecasts and warnings protect UK Kingdom’s national measurement institute, an research into all aspects of life in the sea, including communities and infrastructure from severe internationally respected and independent centre of the environment on which it depends, and to weather and environmental hazards every day – excellence in research, development and disseminate to the public the knowledge gained.’ they save lives and money. Our Climate Programme knowledge transfer in measurement and materials The MBA represents its members in providing a delivers evidence to underpin Government policy science. For more than a century, NPL has clear independent voice to government on behalf through the Met Office Hadley Centre. Our Mobile developed and maintained the nation’s primary of the marine biological community. It also has an Meteorological Unit supports the Armed Forces measurement standards - the heart of an extensive research programme and a long history as around the world. We build capacity overseas in infrastructure designed to ensure accuracy, an expert provider of advice for the benefit of policy support of international development. All of this consistency and innovation in physical makers and wider society. built on world-class environmental science. measurement.

Natural NEF: The History Innovation

Museum Advancing the science of nature Institute Boughton Green Road, Contact: Joe Baker Contact: Vicki Chen Northampton, NN2 7AL Head of External Affairs Bective House, 10 Bective Place, London, Tel: 01604 735500 Natural History Museum SW15 2PZ Fax: 01604 716502 Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD Tel: 0208 786 3677 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5478 Fax: 0208 271 3620 Website: www.northampton.ac.uk E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nhm.ac.uk Website: www.thenef.org.uk The University of Northampton is a Top 50 UK The Innovation Institute aims to drive innovation and growth We challenge the way people think about the natural world in science, technology and engineering to achieve growth, University*. We are committed to science education – its past, present and future prosperity and wellbeing in the UK. Our partners, clients and through initial teacher training, a STEM We use our unique collection and unrivalled expertise to stakeholders include: tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. I Businesses Ambassador network which works within the I We are leaders in the scientific understanding of the origin Education providers community and teaching and research to doctoral of our planet, life on it and can predict the impact of future I Government bodies change. New Engineering Foundation, our charitable arm, focusses on level. We are an Ashoka U ‘Changemaker Campus’ We study the diversity of life and the delicate balance of SciTech skills development. NEF work in vocational training status university recognising our commitment to ecosystems to ensure the survival of our planet. and further education is supported by a Panel drawn from key industries. social innovation and entrepreneurship. We help enable food security, eradicate disease and manage Our Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange is a resource scarcity. professional body and a “do tank”, led by the Innovation (*Guardian University Guide 2015) We inspire people to engage with science to solve major Council to support the role of innovation in society. societal challenges.

PHARMAQ Ltd

Contact: Dr Benjamin P North Contact: Dr Ed Hayes Contact: Tim Utton, Policy Officer PHARMAQ Ltd Deputy Director of Communications Hodgkin Huxley House University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD Unit 15 Sandleheath Industrial Estate 30 Farringdon Lane Fordingbridge Tel: +44 (0) 115 846 8092 London EC1R 3AW Hants SP6 1PA. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7269 5722 Fax: +44 (0) 115 846 6787 Tel: 01425 656081 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.physoc.org Website: www.nottingham.ac.uk Website: www.pharmaq.no Physiology is the science of how molecules, cells and With 43,000 students and campuses in PHARMAQ is the only global pharmaceutical company organs work in the body. Representing over 3000 Nottingham, China and Malaysia, The University of with a primary focus on aquaculture. Our mission is to provide environmentally sound, safe and efficacious health life scientists, The Physiological Society supports Nottingham is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly products to the global aquaculture industry through scientific research through its grants schemes, global university’. With more than 97 per cent of targeted research and the commitment of dedicated conferences and its three open access journals. research at the University recognised internationally people. We have a product portfolio that includes over 20 fish vaccines along with specialist feed additives, The Society also supports the teaching of physiology according to the Research Excellence Framework anaesthetics, antibiotics, sea lice treatments and biocide in schools and universities, and works to promote an 2014, the University is ranked in the top 1% of the disinfectants. Through our sister company, PHARMAQ world’s universities by the QS World University Analytiq, we also offer a range of diagnostics services that understanding of physiology amongst policy-makers Rankings. can be used to help safeguard fish welfare and improve and the general public. productivity.

52 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Prospect

Contact: Dr Andrew Muir Contact: Sue Ferns, c/o STFC Innovations Ltd Contact: Helen Wilkinson Director of Communications and Research, Harwell Campus Oxford OX11 0QX Dallam Court, Dallam Lane New Prospect House Tel: 0121 710 1990 Warrington, WA2 7LT 8 Leake St, London SE1 7NN E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01925 41 3984 Website: www.rainbowseedfund.com Tel: 020 7902 6639 Fax: 020 7902 6637 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] The Rainbow Seed Fund is a £24m, early-stage Website: www.risksol.co.uk www.prospect.org.uk venture capital fund dedicated to kick-starting Risk Solutions provide decision-support where there is a Prospect is an independent, thriving and forward- promising technology companies emerging from high degree of complexity, uncertainty or risk. A small looking trade union with 117,000 members across the UK science base. The Fund is backed by ten UK highly motivated and client focused team we deliver: the private and public sectors and a diverse range of publicly-funded research organisations and the • policy design, appraisal and decision support occupations. We represent scientists, technologists Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and • strategy development and asset management and other professions in the civil service, research holds investments in some of the UK’s most • training, coaching and guidance councils and private sector. innovative companies in areas as diverse as novel • evaluation assurance and organisational review, and Prospect’s collective voice champions the interests of antibiotics, research into Alzheimer’s disease, • risk assessment and research. the engineering and scientific community to key “green” chemicals and airport security. The Fund is We tailor solutions to clients’ needs, combining opinion-formers and policy makers. With managed by Midven, a specialist venture capital traditional qualitative and quantitative methods with negotiating rights with over 300 employers, we seek company. We are prepared to invest early and help cutting-edge participative modelling and decision to secure a better life at work by putting members’ build a proposition to attract additional investment analysis. We work with clients from across Government pay, conditions and careers first. and get to market. departments and agencies.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Contact: Office of the Director of Science Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Contact: Dr Gail Cardew Surrey, TW9 3AB Director of Science and Education Tel: 020 8332 3121 The Royal Institution Email: [email protected] 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS Contact: Juniour Blake Website: www.kew.org Tel: 020 7409 2992 Fax: 020 7670 2920 External Relations Manager RBG Kew is a centre of global scientific expertise in plant E-mail: [email protected] Royal Academy of Engineering and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable use, Websites: www.rigb.org, housed in two world-class gardens. Kew is a non- 3 Carlton House Terrace www.richannel.org London SW1Y 5DG departmental public body with exempt charitable status and receives approximately half its funding from Twitter: ri_science Tel: 020 7766 0600 government through Defra. The key strategic priorities of E-mail: [email protected] Kew’s science programme are to: The Royal Institution (Ri) has been at the forefront of Website: www.raeng.org.uk • understand and conserve biodiversity public engagement with science for over 200 years • accelerate discovery and global access to plant and and our purpose is to encourage people to think As the UK’s national academy for engineering, we fungal diversity information further about the wonders of science. We run public bring together the most successful and talented • map and prioritise species and habitats most at risk events and the famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES®, a engineers for a shared purpose: to advance and • promote sustainable local use of plants and fungi national programme of Masterclasses for young promote excellence in engineering. We have four • collect and store seed from 25% of plant species people in mathematics, engineering and computer through the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership strategic challenges: drive faster and more balanced science, educational activities at the L’Oréal Young • inspire interest in plant and fungal science and Scientist Centre and policy discussions with science economic growth; foster better education and skills; conservation students. And through the Ri Channel we share the lead the profession; and promote engineering at the Kew’s mission is to inspire and deliver science-based plant stories behind cutting-edge science with people heart of society. conservation worldwide, enhancing the quality of life. around the world.

The Royal Society for Society Applied Contact: Becky Purvis Microbiology Head of Public Affairs The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace Contact: Lucy Harper London SW1Y 5AG. Society for Applied Microbiology Contact: Clare Viney Tel: 020 7451 2261 Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive Executive Director, Communications, Bedford MK41 7PH Email: [email protected] Policy and Campaigns Website: www.royalsociety.org Tel: 01234 326661 Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas Graham Fax: 01234 326678 House (290), Science Park, Milton Road, E-mail: [email protected] Cambridge, CB4 0WF The Royal Society is the UK academy of science Tel 020 7440 2267 Website: www.sfam.org.uk comprising 1400 outstanding individuals Email [email protected] representing the sciences, engineering and Website: www.rsc.org SfAM is a UK organization, serving microbiologists medicine. It has had a hand in some of the most The Royal Society of Chemistry is the world’s leading internationally. It works to advance, for the benefit of chemistry community, advancing excellence in the the public, the science of microbiology in its application innovative and life-changing discoveries in scientific chemical sciences. With over 50,000 members and a to the environment, human and animal health, history. Through its Fellowship and permanent staff, knowledge business that spans the globe, we are the agriculture, and industry. With Wiley-Blackwell, SfAM it seeks to ensure that its contribution to shaping UK’s professional body for chemical scientists; a not- publishes five internationally acclaimed journals. Value for-profit organisation with 170 years of history and for money and a modern, innovative and progressive the future of science in the UK and beyond has a an international vision of the future. We promote, outlook are its core principles. A friendly society, SfAM deep and enduring impact. support and celebrate chemistry. We work to shape values integrity, honesty, and respect, and seeks to the future of the chemical sciences – for the benefit promote excellence and professionalism and to inspire of science and humanity. young microbiologists.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 53 SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Society for Society Underwater of Biology

Contact: Dariel Burdass Technology Contact: Dr Stephen Benn Director of Strategy and Communications Director of Parliamentary Affairs Society for General Microbiology Society for Underwater Technology Society of Biology Charles Darwin House Contact: David Liddle, Business 12 Roger Street, London Charles Darwin House WC1N 2JU Development Executive 12 Roger Street E-mail: [email protected] 1 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1 BR London WC1N 2JU Website: www.sgm.ac.uk Tel: 020 3440 5535 Tel: 020 7685 2550 Fax: 020 3440 5980 E-mail: [email protected] The Society for General Microbiology is the largest E-mail: [email protected] learned microbiological society in Europe with a Website: www.societyofbiology.org Website: www.sut.org worldwide membership based in universities, industry, The Society of Biology is a single unified voice, hospitals, research institutes and schools. The Society The SUT is a multidisciplinary learned society that representing a diverse membership of individuals, publishes key academic journals, organises brings together individuals and organisations with a learned societies and other organisations. We are international scientific conferences and provides an committed to ensuring that we provide Government common interest in underwater technology, ocean international forum for communication among and other policy makers – including funders of microbiologists. The Society promotes the science, and offshore/subsea engineering. The biological education and research – with a distinct point understanding of microbiology to a diverse range of society was founded in 1966 and has members of access to authoritative, independent, and evidence- stakeholders, including policy-makers, students, from over 40 countries, including engineers, based opinion, representative of the widest range of teachers, journalists and the wider public, through a scientists, other professionals and students working bioscience disciplines. Our vision is of a world that comprehensive framework of communication activities in these areas. understands the true value of biology and how it can and resources. contribute to improving life for all.

SCI Society of Society of Cosmetic Maritime Scientists Industries Contact: John Murray Contact: Reshna Radiven Contact: Gem Bektas, Society of Maritime Industries SCI Secretary General 28-29 Threadneedle Street, 14-15 Belgrave Square Society of Cosmetic Scientists London EC2R 8AY London SW1X 8PS Suite 109 Christchurch House Tel: 020 7628 2555 Fax: 020 7638 4376 40 Upper George Street E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 020 7598 1500 Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2RS Website: www.maritimeindustries.org E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01582 726661 Website: www.soci.org Fax: 01582 405217 The Society of Maritime Industries is the voice of the E-mail: [email protected] UK’s maritime engineering and business sector Website: www.scs.org.uk SCI is an inclusive, multi-disciplinary forum promoting and supporting companies which connecting scientists and business people to Advancing the science of cosmetics is the primary design, build, refit and modernise ships, and supply advance the commercial application of chemistry objective of the SCS. Cosmetic science covers a wide equipment and services for all types of commercial and related sciences for public benefit. SCI is open range of disciplines from organic and physical chemistry to biology and photo-biology, dermatology, and naval ships, ports and terminals infrastructure, to all to join and share information, ideas, microbiology, physical sciences and psychology. offshore oil & gas, maritime security & safety, innovations and research. Members can network Members are scientists and the SCS helps them marine science and technology and marine with specialists from sectors as diverse as food and progress their careers and the science of cosmetics bio-renewables, water, waste and environment, ethically and responsibly. Services include publications, renewable energy. energy, materials, manufacturing and health. educational courses and scientific meetings.

STEMNET Universities Federation for Animal Welfare Contact: Kirsten Bodley, Chief Executive Contact: Dr Robert Hubrecht Contact: Chris Eady 2nd Floor, Weston House Chief Executive and Scientific Director The Welding Institute, Granta Park, Great 246 High Holborn The Old School, Brewhouse Hill Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6AL Wheathampstead, Herts. AL4 8AN. London WC1V 7EX Tel: 01223 899614 Tel: 01582 831818. Fax: 01582 831414. Tel: 020 3206 0450 Fax:01223 894219 Email: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ufaw.org.uk Website: www.stemnet.org.uk Website: www.twi-global.com Registered in England Charity No: 207996 STEMNET is an independent charity which enables young The Welding Institute is the leading institution providing people to meet inspiring role models, understand real world UFAW, the international animal welfare science engineering solutions and knowledge transfer in all applications of STEM and experience practical activities that society, is an independent scientific and educational aspects of manufacturing, fabrication and whole-life bring learning and career opportunities to life. We do this charity. It works to improve animal lives by: integrity management. through three core programmes: Industrial membership provides access to innovative • supporting animal welfare research • STEM Ambassadors - We run the UK network of STEM problem-solving from one of the world’s foremost Ambassadors: over 29,000 inspiring volunteers • educating and raising awareness of welfare independent research and technology organisations. • STEM Clubs Programme - We provide free, expert advice issues in the UK and overseas Non-Corporate services include membership and and support to all schools which have set up or plan to registration, education, training and certification for • producing the quarterly scientific journal Animal internationally recognised professional development develop a STEM Club Welfare and other high-quality publications on and personnel competence assurance. • Schools’ STEM Advisory Network (SSAN) - We deliver free animal care and welfare TWI provides Members and stakeholders with impartial advice to teachers and use our business links and authoritative and impartial expert advice, knowhow partnerships to enhance the STEM curriculum in secondary • providing advice to government departments and safety assurance through engineering, materials schools in the UK and other concerned bodies. and joining technologies.

54 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Research Councils UK Contact: Alexandra Saxon Head of RCUK Strategy Unit Research Councils UK Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET

Tel: 01793 444592 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rcuk.ac.uk

Each year the Research Councils invest around £3 billion in research covering the full spectrum of academic disciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering, social sciences, economics, environmental sciences and the arts and humanities. Research Councils UK is the strategic partnerships of the seven Research Councils. It aims to: • increase the collective visibility, leadership and influence of the Research Councils for the benefit of the UK; • lead in shaping the overall portfolio of research funded by the Research Councils to maximise the excellence and impact of UK research, and help to ensure that the UK gets the best value for money from its investment; • ensure joined-up operations between the Research Councils to achieve its goals and improve services to the communities it sponsors and works with.

Biotechnology Economic and and Biological Social Research Sciences Research Council Council (BBSRC) Contact: Jacky Clake, Head of Communications, Contact: Sarah Crew, Economic and Social Research Council, Parliamentary Relations Manager, Contact: Matt Goode Polaris House, North Star Avenue, EPSRC, Polaris House, Associate Director, Communications & Swindon SN2 1UJ North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1ET External Relations Tel: 01793 413117 Tel: 01793 444570 BBSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Swindon SN2 1UH. Tel: 01793 413299 Website: www.esrc.ac.uk Website:www.epsrc.ac.uk E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bbsrc.ac.uk The ESRC is the UK’s largest organisation for EPSRC is the UK’s main agency for funding research funding research on economic and social issues and and training in engineering and physical sciences, BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research, is committed to supporting the very best research investing around £800m a year in research and innovation and training on behalf of the UK public. with wide-ranging impact. Social science postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the Our aim is to further scientific knowledge to contributes to greater knowledge and next generation of technological change. promote economic growth, wealth and job creation understanding of the many challenges our society The areas covered range from information and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond. faces today and by ensuring that ESRC-funded technology to structural engineering, and BBSRC research is helping society to meet major research makes the biggest possible impact, our mathematics to materials science. This research challenges, including food security, green energy research shapes public policies and makes business, forms the basis for future economic development in and healthier lifespans and underpins important UK the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, voluntary bodies and other organisations more lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial effective, as well as shaping wider society. We also Research Councils with responsibility for other areas biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. develop and train the UK’s future social scientists. of research.

Medical Natural Science & Research Environment Technology Council Research Council Facilities Council Contact: Sophie Broster-James Contact: Jane McKenzie Contact: Natalie Bealing Public Affairs Manager Process Manager (Government & Head of Stakeholder Engagement One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN. Parliament Communications) STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory NERC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Tel: 020 7395 2275 Harwell Oxford Swindon, SN2 1EU E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01793 411742 Didcot OX11 0QX Website: www.mrc.ac.uk Email: [email protected] Tel: 01235 445484 E-mail: [email protected] Over the past century, the MRC has been at the forefront Website: www.nerc.ac.uk of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded NERC is the UK’s leading public funder of environmental The Science and Technology Facilities Council is one in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests science. We invest £330 million each year in cutting-edge of Europe’s largest multidisciplinary research taxpayers’ money in the highest quality medical research research, postgraduate training and innovation in organisations undertaking and supporting a broad across every area of health. Thirty-one MRC-funded universities and research centres. researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of range of research across the physical, life and disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such Our scientists study the physical, chemical and biological computational sciences. We operate world class, diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and processes on which our planet and life itself depends – large-scale research facilities in the UK and Europe the link between smoking and cancer, as well as from pole to pole, from the deep Earth and oceans to the and provide strategic advice to the UK Government achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised atmosphere and space. on their development. We partner in two of the UK’s controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the We partner with business, government, the public and the Science and Innovation Campuses. We also manage development of therapeutic antibodies. We also work wider research community to shape the environmental international research projects in support of a broad closely with the UK’s Health Departments, the NHS, research and innovation agenda. Our science provides cross-section of the UK research community, medical research charities and industry to ensure our knowledge, skills and technology that deliver sustainable research achieves maximum impact as well as being of particularly in the fields of astronomy, nuclear physics economic growth and public wellbeing. excellent scientific quality. and particle physics.

Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 55 SCIENCE DIARY THE PARLIAMENTARY AND Young scientists and engineers have a information and to book visit www.rigb.org SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Question Time with Sir Mark Walport, There is a charge for tickets. Members go Tel: 020 7222 7085 Andrew Miller MP and S&T Select free. [email protected] Committee MPs, Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP ______www.scienceinparliament.org.uk and Rt Hon Greg Clark MP PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Tuesday 24 February 17.30 A Science Legacy for the Next Parliament Wednesday 11 March 10.00-12 noon For details of events organised by POST visit http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and- Speakers: The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Science and the General Election 2015 offices/offices/bicameral/post/post-events/ Andrew Miller MP A debate with science spokespersons from major parties ______Monday 9 March 12.00-21.15 THE INSTITUTION OF SET for Britain Moderated by Pallab Ghosh of the BBC Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House MECHANICAL ENGINEERS Poster Competition and Exhibition ______For details of events visit: Thursday 19 March 9.30 THE ROYAL SOCIETY www.imeche.org/events LIGHT Details of all events can be found at ______British Science Week Seminar www.royalsociety.org/events THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF ______LONDON SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY THE ROYAL INSTITUTION For details visit: www.linnean.org For details visit www.societyofbiology.org ______Details of future events can be found at More information on P&SC members’ Wednesday 4 March 9.30-12 noon www.rigb.org Booking is essential. For more events can be found at: www.science Voice of the Future 2015 inparliament.org.uk/members-news ______SET for BRITAIN Presentations by Britain’s Early-Stage Researchers in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematical Sciences at the House of Commons Monday, 9th March 2015 Biological and Biomedical Sciences Exhibition Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 12.00 noon - 2.15 pm Exhibitions 6.15 pm – 9.00 pm Physical Sciences Exhibition (Chemistry and Physics) Presentation of Westminster Medal 3.00 pm - 5.30 pm 9.00 pm

SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT OFFICERS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY 3 Birdcage Walk & SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE London SW1H 9JJ sip T: 020 7222 7085 F: 020 7222 7189 President: The Lord Oxburgh KBE FRS Professor Ian Haines Chairman: Mr Andrew Miller MP Dr Guy Hembury www.scienceinparliament.org.uk Deputy Chairman: Mr Tom Blenkinsop MP Professor Colin Seabrook MBE Mr Stephen Metcalfe MP Advisory Panel: Dr Stuart Taylor Editor: Professor Alan Malcolm Hon Treasurer: The Lord Willis of Knaresborough Mr David Youdan Hon Secretary: Mr Stephen Mosley MP Dr David Dent Editorial Assistant: Annabel Lloyd Vice-Presidents: Mr Paul Ridout Secretariat: Professor Alan Malcolm Mr Philip Greenish CBE Mrs Annabel Lloyd Mr John Slater Dr Stephen Benn Mr Atti Emecz

Published by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, 3 Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ. Published four times a year. The 2015 subscripton rate is £80. Single numbers £20. ISSN 0263-6271 All enquiries, including those from members wishing to take the front or back covers, advertise in the journal or appear in the directory to Mrs Annabel Lloyd, Tel 020 7222 7085. Copyright ©2014 by Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. All rights reserved. None of the articles in this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Typeset and printed by The Bridge Press, East Sussex.

56 Science in Parliament Vol 72 No 1 Spring 2015 A UNIQUE, NEW STANDARD THAT ASSURES THE CONSISTENT QUALITY OF THE APPRENTICE’S EXPERIENCE

ˆ Designed to deliver impact ˆ Planned engagement ˆ Improved talent pool ˆ Increased producivity ˆ Structured coherent learning ˆ Delivered consistency in quality ˆ Developed professional skills ˆ Purposed to progress & achieve

For more details contact: [email protected]

www.thenef.org.uk