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THEME 7: DEVELOPING BETTER USE OF SCIENCE BY GOVERNMENT
Main issues
1. Science has a fundamental role to play in developing good policy. The Executive has used scientific evidence to support important policy-making, most notably the smoking ban in public places. However, there are concerns that the Executive should be pursuing this approach more systematically. The various Departments of the Executive vary widely in the extent to which they devote resources to science, and more emphasis will need to be made on developing the potential benefits of science across the full range of devolved issues.
2. The Executive has improved cross-Departmental dialogue on science, but the mechanisms that may be needed to deal with urgent cross-Departmental science issues are not well-developed. Leadership within the Executive on science has until recently been rather diffuse. The Executive has appointed a new overall Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland to help address these issues.
3. The Executive will be considering how best to draw on scientific advice from the wider community to inform policy making, and how to develop views on where good opportunities may lie for future science investment. A current question is whether this should continue to be through an independent standing committee drawn from leading members of the science community ( i.e. the Scottish Science Advisory Committee) or through other arrangements, such as short-life working groups brought together to consider particular issues.
4. Views are sought in this consultation on what else can and should be done to improve the use of science by Government.
Commitments and actions from the Progress Report on the science strategy
5. In responding to this consultation it would be helpful to have views on the following proposed aspirations and actions:
Long term aspirations
We will:
- strengthen and co-ordinate Scottish Executive structures to manage science and innovation policy, including cross-cutting issues and links to Whitehall and the EU
- increase significantly the use of robust scientific evidence in policy making
- develop mechanisms for effective dialogue between policy makers and scientists
Short to medium term action points
We will:
- Develop the role of the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland to co-ordinate the Executive's agenda on science, in partnership with the Chief Scientific Adviser in Environment and Rural Affairs Department and the Chief Scientist in Health Department
- Review arrangements for the Scottish Science Advisory Committee for 2007 onwards
- Ensure the Executives has mechanisms for robust external advice on scientific matters
- Consider how best to develop and interconnect Scotland's horizon scanning activity and link into activities at the UK level where relevant
- Establish clear targets to assess progress on use of science with the Scottish Executive
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