Select Committee on Science and Technology (House of Lords)

Select Committee on Science and Technology (House of Lords) was a specialist House of Lords select committee that examined matters within the remit of science policy, advising the United Kingdom Parliament and scrutinising executive action. The committee undertook inquiries into technical questions, produced reports on subjects ranging from genetic engineering to energy policy, and interacted with institutions such as the Royal Society, Wellcome Trust, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and Medical Research Council.

Background and remit

The committee was formed amid wider reforms to parliamentary scrutiny during the late 20th century, alongside select committees in the House of Commons and cross-institutional bodies like the Science and Technology Committee (House of Commons). Its remit covered interfaces between science and public policy, engaging with topics related to National Health Service, Department of Energy, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and regulatory agencies including the Health and Safety Executive and Environment Agency. The remit required engagement with research funders such as the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, as well as interactions with learned societies like the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering. The committee drew on evidence from universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and research institutes such as Francis Crick Institute and Cavendish Laboratory.

Membership and organisation

Membership comprised appointed peers from party benches and crossbenchers, including life peers, hereditary peers, and former ministers from departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Chairs were often peers with backgrounds connected to institutions like the Royal Society or professions represented by the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Organisation relied on clerks drawn from the House of Lords Library and specialist advisers seconded from bodies such as the Natural Environment Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council. The committee coordinated sittings with the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee for joint evidence sessions involving stakeholders including NHS England, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Inquiries and reports

The committee conducted high-profile inquiries into areas including genetically modified organism regulation with submissions from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and industry players like Syngenta; renewable energy and carbon policy with evidence from National Grid, BP, Shell plc, and Committee on Climate Change; and biomedical ethics with testimony from Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Medical Research Council, and representatives of UK Biobank. Reports addressed issues involving stem cell research debated alongside the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, on topics intersecting with Human Rights Act 1998 considerations raised by legal scholars from University College London and King's College London. The committee's publications influenced legislative reviews involving the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies during health crises and policy dialogues with Public Health England and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on drug approval and vaccine rollout involving companies such as Pfizer and Moderna.

Impact and influence

Findings and recommendations were cited by ministers in statements to the House of Commons, debated in the House of Lords Chamber, and used by agencies like the Research Councils UK and funding bodies including the Wellcome Trust to shape priorities. The committee's work contributed to policy shifts in areas where it engaged with international actors such as the European Commission and multilateral actors including the World Health Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Its reports informed reforms to regulatory frameworks involving the Health and Safety Executive and the Food Standards Agency, and influenced public discourse through coverage in outlets that engaged with institutions like the BBC, The Guardian, and The Times.

Criticisms and controversies

Critics from members of parties such as the Conservative Party, Labour Party, and Liberal Democrats occasionally argued the committee duplicated work undertaken by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee or by advisory bodies like the Royal Society, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, and the Committee on Publication Ethics. Industry groups including Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America-aligned representatives and trade bodies such as the Confederation of British Industry sometimes contested recommendations perceived as restrictive to industrial research or to companies such as GlaxoSmithKline. Ethical debates provoked contention when the committee engaged with topics like animal testing and human embryo research, attracting responses from advocacy groups including Greenpeace and Human Genetics Alert. Questions were raised over peer membership appointments tied to affiliations with organisations like the Wellcome Trust or corporate boards, provoking discussion in outlets associated with parliamentary scrutiny such as the House Magazine.

Category:Committees of the House of Lords