Role and Functions of Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

The Committee concludes that the current system of Chief Scientific Advisors has much to commend it and that they play a crucial role in offering science and engineering advice to inform Government policy but suggests that certain aspects of the system are a cause for concern. A former Home Office CSA described how the first he heard about the proposals to introduce ID Cards in the UK was on the Today Programme. The Committee has identified a number of essential characteristics - both institutional and personal - necessary to enable CSAs to operate effectively, and sets out the following recommendations, including: CSAs should be recruited from outside the civil service; appointments should be part-time and for a fixed period of 3 years; CSAs should be graded at Director General or Permanent Secretary level; all CSAs should be given a seat on departmental Boards and given a formal role in policy submission sign-offs and have a budget to commission advice and evidence to support policy making.The Committee states that these recommendations will strengthen the voice of science in government, ensure that all CSAs play a full role in departmental policy making and that they are given sufficient resources to carry out their role effectively.