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8334 SIP SPRING 2010 10/2/10 14:58 Page 1 8334 SIP SPRING 2010 10/2/10 14:58 Page 1 70th Anniversary Lunch SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT The Nutt Case Come Back GM Environmental Risks sip Spring 2010 The Journal of the Parliamentary and New UK technology for Scientific Committee sustainable agriculture www.scienceinparliament.org.uk 8334 SIP SPRING 2010 10/2/10 14:58 Page 2 SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT There are 75 Advisory Bodies to Government in the STEM policy area. So, it was a very rare event when Secretary of State Alan Johnson asked Professor David Nutt to resign as Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), an event that has caused a lot of debate. The Government has set out its principles for engagement between Government and those that provide independent advice. However, it is reserving the right to take advice into consideration but to ignore it if political considerations override that advice. Not all will agree. The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills published its more sip detailed proposals for the allocation of funding under the new Research Excellence Framework (REF, which replaces the RAE) last September, The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific and has proposed weightings of 60% for outputs, 25% for impact and Committee. Dr Brian Iddon MP 15% for environment. The academic community has reacted strongly The Committee is an Associate Parliamentary Chairman, Group of members of both Houses of Editorial Board against these proposals, with 17,570 signatures being collected for an Parliament and British members of the Science in Parliament online petition in just seven weeks. The first REF exercise is due to be European Parliament, representatives of completed in 2013. scientific and technical institutions, industrial The controversy about REF comes at a time when the Government is organisations and universities. seeking reductions in the science budget and countries such as the USA and Germany are increasing theirs. Efficiency savings of £180 million in the 2009 budget for Higher Education Institutions have been called for, with a further cut in their budget of 6.6% for the 2010-11 financial year – representing a reduction of £88 million for teaching and research. £600 million of reductions in the HEI budget were announced in the Pre-Budget report by 2013. The Government is still maintaining that STEM budgets will be protected. However, HEIs are independent organisations, and cuts in STEM subjects can result in the Science in Parliament has two main objectives: largest savings for Vice-Chancellors, as we have seen in the past. The 1. to inform the scientific and industrial HoC Science & Technology Select Committee has launched an inquiry communities of activities within Parliament as a result of these announcements. of a scientific nature and of the progress of relevant legislation; As if there are not enough controversies around, the work of the 2. to keep Members of Parliament abreast of Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia came under fire scientific affairs. as a result of leaked e-mails immediately prior to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Congratulations go to the Government on its creation of the UK Space Agency. The Russian discovery of element 114, ununquadium (Uuq), has been confirmed by a team at the University of California at Berkeley. CONTENTS THE NUTT CASE AND ITS SEQUELAE 1 SCIENCE AT THE BRITISH COUNCIL 16 IAN TAYLOR’S VISIT TO THE LARGE HADRON Lord Rea Martin Davidson COLLIDER AT CERN 37 THE ROLE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, NECESSITY SHOULD BE THE MOTHER OF HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY OF DEFENCE 2 INNOVATION 18 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 39 Professor Mark Welland FRS FREng Professor Martin Binks, Dr Simon Mosey and HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS 13 YEARS THAT WAS!! 4 Paul Kirkham SELECT COMMITTEE 41 Dr Ian Gibson ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS – HOW BEST TO HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY SCIENCE AND ADAPT TO THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL WARMING? GERMANY STRENGTHENS SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT SECTION 42 Addresses to the P&SC 20 INNOVATION TO SECURE FUTURE WEALTH 5 by Lord Broers FREng FRS and Professor Paul Ekins PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND Ursula Roos TECHNOLOGY 43 COME BACK GM – ALL IS FORGIVEN? 25 THE UK RESEARCH BASE 6 Addresses to the P&SC by Professor Peter Shewry WITH SUCH MINERAL WEALTH WHY IS Professor Adrian Smith FRS and Professor Howard Atkinson TANZANIA NOT RICHER? 45 THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MICROBIOLOGISTS 8 SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON OF THE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 46 PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Professor Geoff Hanlon Guest of Honour 29 PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE NEWS 47 SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AT THE HEART OF Professor John Beddington CMG FRS HEALTH AND SAFETY 10 THE DEEP 32 2009 RSC BILL BRYSON SCIENCE PRIZES 48 Judith Hackitt CBE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES – EMERGING SELECTED DEBATES AND PARLIAMENTARY FOOD SECURITY, INNOVATION AND INDUSTRY MARKETS 34 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 48 12 Dr Philippa Bell REPRESENTING OUR SCIENTISTS 14 EURO-NEWS 54 THE PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC Andy Boseley SCIENCE DIRECTORY 55 COMMITTEE VISIT TO THE DARWIN CENTRE, WHAT’S THE POINT OF A TRADES UNION? 15 NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM 35 SCIENCE DIARY 64 Marijke Smith Science in Parliament Vol 67 No 1 Spring 2010 8334 SIP SPRING 2010 10/2/10 09:03 Page 3 OPINION THE NUTT CASE AND ITS SEQUELAE: HAVE MINISTERS GOT THE MESSAGE? During a welcome period of riding caused a comparable be carried out by an expert increasing co-operation between number of deaths to group, qualified to obtain and science and Government, the ecstasy/MDMA as well as severe assess the evidence, free from summary dismissal of Professor spinal injuries) “might be political influences. However he Nutt as Chairman of the perceived as insensitive”. He was explicitly recognised the need for Advisory Committee on the duly castigated for allowing this a political input in formulating Misuse of Drugs by Alan paper to be published by the drugs policy as a whole. The Johnson, the Home Secretary, then Home Secretary, Jacqui paper was carefully written in a caused consternation in the Smith, whose office [according non polemical style and scientific community and the to Alan Johnson], had received convincing evidence was given Lord Nicolas Rea resignation of five other “multiple complaints” from the to support every point made. members of the ACMD. The parents of children who had Relations between the ACMD reason given by the Home been harmed by ecstasy*.(But and the Government have been Secretary for his action was that none apparently from the less than cordial since the he had “lost confidence in parents of those who had been rejection of the ACMD’s Professor Nutt as my principal harmed by falling off horses). recommendations that drugs adviser”*. This was In his Eve Saville Lecture at Ecstasy/MDMA be downgraded ostensibly because of a peer- King’s College in July 2009: from class A to B and that reviewed article and a lecture by Estimating Drug Harms: a Risky Cannabis remain a class C drug. Prof Nutt which were critical of Business, Professor Nutt lucidly These Government decisions the current Home Office system described the problems involved were made for political rather of classification of the in classifying the harmfulness of than scientific reasons and were harmfulness of drugs. These different drugs objectively, taken despite the requirement in presentations had been made pointing out, as in the Equasy the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971, by Professor Nutt in his capacity paper, that some legal that the MDMA (which was set as an academic neuropsycho- substances and activities, in this up by the Act) be consulted on pharmacologist, not as chairman case drinking alcohol or smoking any proposed changes to drug of the ACMD. Media reporting, tobacco, are in fact more classification. however, may not have made harmful than many illegal drugs this clear. On November 6th, a week (a fact well known to those after Professor Nutt’s dismissal, a Professor Paul Wiles, Chief working in the addiction field). group of scientists, including Scientific Officer at the Home He suggested that any rational some of the most eminent, Office, had alerted Professor classification of relative produced: a Statement of Nutt that his forthcoming peer- harmfulness should recognise Principles for the Treatment of reviewed paper in the Journal of this and that this classification Independent Scientific Advice, Psychopharmacology in January should be based on objective with the assistance of “Sense 2009: Equasy: an overlooked criteria of harm under three about Science”. This was addiction with implications for headings: physical harm, presented by Lord Rees, the current debate on drug dependency, and social harm, President of the Royal Society, to harms (showing that horse and that this assessment should the Prime Minister and copies sent to Lord Drayson, Minister for Science, and Professor John . Professor Nutt has announced the formation of a new Beddington, the Chief Scientist. These Principles are given in full Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, which will be in the Report of the House of Commons Science and completely independent of Government . Technology Select Committee of Science in Parliament Vol 67 No 1 Spring 2010 1 8334 SIP SPRING 2010 10/2/10 09:03 Page 4 Dec 9th 2009.* They emphasise between the scientific together to reach a shared Independent Scientific the need for scientists who community and the position, and neither should act Committee on Drugs, which will advise the Government to be Government on the rules of to undermine mutual trust”. It is be completely independent of free to publish and promote engagement between the two.” difficult to reconcile this with Government. The Committee their work: “In the context of Following this a document: true independence for scientific will include those who have independent scientific advice, Principles on scientific advice to advisers whose findings may resigned from the ACMD as well disagreement with Government Government was published on well point in a different direction as other scientists expert in the policy and the public articulation 15th December by the to current Government policy.
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