Review for Agency's use of science
Wednesday 9 April 2008
How the Food Standards Agency commissions, quality-assures and uses science and scientific advice is being reviewed by the Government Office for Science (GOS).
A rolling programme of reviews has been introduced by Government Chief Scientific Advisor Professor John Beddington to cover all Government departments over the next three or four years.
FSA Chief Scientist Andrew Wadge said: ‘The Food Standards Agency welcomes this review. We pride ourselves on being an evidence-based agency, and have put science at the centre of our policy-making.
'In addition to the scientific advisory committees that advise us on all aspects of our work, we have recently established a Social Science Research Committee to strengthen the governance of science in the Agency, and an overarching General Advisory Committee on Science to offer independent challenge and advice on how the Agency collects and uses scientific evidence.
'We look forward to hearing the findings of the review team, as we are always keen to improve how we gather and use science – and to learn from the good practice of others.’
The GOS report on the Agency’s use of science should be published in November 2008.
The overall aims of the science review programme are to: maintain and improve the quality and use of science in Government; review existing departmental systems for assuring the quality, management
and use of their science; and disseminate examples of good practice from within the UK and abroad.
The review of the Agency will incorporate external scrutiny, independent external assessment and benchmarking, and will focus on the management of research and use of science, including scientific advice.
It will focus on ten success criteria identified by the Chief Scientific Adviser’s Committee as underpinning good practice in the use of science by Government departments.
These relate to how effectively departments:
- Develop a clear, overall science strategy
- Horizon scan – to identify future science-related issues
- Review and harness existing science and identify gaps and opportunities for future research
- Commission and manage new science
- Ensure the quality and relevance of the science they carry out and sponsor
- Use science and scientific advice
- Publish results and debate their findings and implications openly
- Share, transfer and manage knowledge
- Follow the Guidelines on Scientific advice and policy making and the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees
- Use, maintain and develop scientific expertise (including both capacity and capability building)
For the review of the Agency, four hundred organisations are being contacted for their opinions on its use of science, ranging from bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods, to Which? and the Wine and Spirits Trade Association.