The Royal Society welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Government Office for Science’s consultation on the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees and Councils.
The Royal Society believes that the existing Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees and Councils guidance provides a comprehensive overview. However, the demands that the pandemic has put on the Government’s science advisory apparatus have revealed areas which we think could be prioritised and strengthened.
In particular, in order to improve the public policy value generated from interactions between advisory committees and policy secretariats, we believe that the role of the secretariat needs highlighting and bolstering, whilst the advisory committees should work to improve understanding between the science and policy worlds, including clarifying reporting structures. This can be achieved through improving the diversity in advisory committees and ensuring members have access to the key data they need and the appropriate training to undertake their duties as effectively as possible, especially the role of Chair.