Lords are right on independent science advice—but for the wrong reasons

by Chris Tyler

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report on Chief Scientific Advisers is excellent. It ticks many of the boxes that a select committee report should: it is rigorous, insightful and makes recommendations that are eminently implementable, for example that

• chief scientific advisers (CSAs) should sit on the boards of their departments
• CSAs should play a role in policy sign-off
• the office of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser should be located in the Cabinet Office.