Science in Government

Sadly I was unable to attend last week's official launch of Defra's new national research centre for food and the environment.  The Food and  Environment Research Agency (Fera) was officially launched at the main laboratories near York, by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn MP.

David Atkins, who attended on my behalf, tells me that both the Minister and  Professor Bob Watson, Defra's Chief Scientific Advisor, spoke compellingly of the huge challenges of food security and climate change that we all face. A new report published recently predicts that by 2080, London will be between 2°C and 6°C hotter than it is now and this will bring greater extremes of flood and drought. They also praised the expertise of Fera scientists who can help address some of these challenges.

In January last year, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington, started the independent review of the FSA's science. The report of the review is published today and I'm very pleased to say that it endorses both the fundamental role that science plays in our work and the strengths of our scientific skills and processes that underpin it. The following statement from Professor Beddington captures the positive tone of the report: ‘As an evidence based organisation making extensive use of scientists, the Agency in many respects is already operating to the high standards looked for in the Science Reviews.  The review findings indicate that the FSA’s approach to the use of science has generally been impressive.  It is important that this is maintained and enhanced going forward.’

Last week’s discussion of the Agency’s Nutrient Profiling Model has stimulated some discussion of the role of science in developing policy. The Agency has a proud record of being an evidence-based organisation and the starting point for any food-related issue is to consider the scientific evidence, taking account of the views of independent experts. But getting a robust analysis of the science is just the start.  The journey from science to policy decisions and advice will quite properly take into account wider issues beyond the confines of science.

I’m often on record saying that science is fundamental to the FSA’s work – it drives our investigations and understanding of the risks to consumers. Of course, the statistics and other analytical processes we use in our work depend on robust and reliable evidence – so how can we be sure that we’ve got the numbers right before we start?

More than half of us at the Agency have a science degree, most with postgraduate or postdoctoral experience. In addition, we have a central team of analysts – statisticians, economists, social scientists, operational researchers and experts in methods of analysis and data quality – who make sure that the research is sufficiently robust to provide answers to the policy questions being addressed. Most importantly, our evidence is also challenged and analysed by eminent scientists who are members of the ten independent scientific advisory committees that advise the Agency.

Here's a quote from letter published in The Guardian on 1 December from Professor David Nutt, Chairman, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.  'It is the duty of scientific advisers to government to describe the evidence as it is, not as lobby groups would want it to be.'

I couldn't have put this better myself and I may be tempted to quote Professor Nutt in some future debates with lobby groups on food, whether they are producers, retailers, manufacturers, caterers or NGOs!

Times columnist Alex Renton last week wrote about a personal experiment he undertook to see what would happen if he let his son eat as much sugar as he wanted for a day. This, he maintained in an earlier article, was ‘for the sake of science’. 

The British Academy have recently published a report highlighting that UK research in the humanities and social sciences is world class, but that these disciplines are not ‘punching their weight’ in contributing to public policy making as well as they could. This was an issue I blogged on back in August this year. The report goes on to make recommendations to policy makers, academics and various intermediaries on the role they can play in ensuring that the impact of such research is maximised.  It also encourages a greater focus on longer term research which it argues is essential in planning for future challenges.

The London School of Economics (LSE) recently hosted a workshop on the roles of social science in public dialogue on science, technology and medicine.  A member of my team, Dr David Atkins, spoke about the FSA’s social science work and its role in developing our discussions with stakeholders and the wider public.

This workshop on public dialogues provided a valuable forum to bring together academic social researchers and the people who use their work and advice, such as policy makers, including the FSA,  and national science institutions, such as the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science). 

Last week Ian Pearson, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, launched a consultation on developing a new science and society strategy for the UK.  Unfortunately, I was not able to be at the launch held at the Thinktank in Birmingham, but I hear it was an exciting event that drew together a wide range of people. 

Finding effective means of helping people choose, cook and eat safe, healthy food just isn’t as easy as some of us might hope.  We know that interventions to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles need to provide more than information alone. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, the Agency has used a range of approaches to help people choose safe, healthy food and also conducted research to help determine their effectiveness. 

Indeed, it’s a hot topic for anyone with an interest in public policy, judging from the rush to review ‘Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness’,  a new American book recently published on the subject. You can read reviews from the Times online and the Guardian on their websites.