Previous Fora / 2011
MILLER, Andrew
Chairman, Science and Technology Committee, House of Commons, UK
Andrew Miller was educated in Malta, Hampshire and at the London School of Economics, and holds a Diploma in Industrial Relations.
His began his career as a technician in geology at the Portsmouth Polytechnic, where he developed an XRF and XRD laboratory. He then moved into industrial relations and was an official for the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union where he represented many scientists and engineers working in leading companies from 1977 until he was elected to Parliament in 1992.
As Labour Member of Parliament for Ellesmere Port and Neston, Mr Miller represents just under 70,000 electors. As well as dealing with numerous widely diverse issues at constituency level, Mr Miller is also Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee; Chair of the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee; Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM) and a Member of the Liaison Committee. Between 1992 and 2001 he was also a member of the House of Commons Information Committee and has served on many other parliamentary committees.
Mr Miller was a Member of the First Steps Team working with the Foreign Office to promote relations with EU and prospective EU member states with specific responsibility for Hungary and Malta and his liaison work with the two countries continues today.
His particular political interests include Communications and Information Technology; Regional Economy; Science and Technology; the Environment and Industry.
Mr Miller is the author of: 'Information and Communication Technology Tools for Better Government' a paper commissioned by the Cabinet Office Minister in preparation for the Modernising Government White Paper in 1998.
Mr Miller also presents widely on Information Technology, E-working and E-Government.
ABSTRACT
09:30-11:00 19 NOVEMBER
PLENARY SESSION VI. “PARLIAMENTARY SESSION”
Science, Technology and the UK Parliament
UK Parliamentarians have access to a number of sources of scientific information: two Science and Technology Committees, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and specialist Library staff. These combine to enable Parliamentarians to make informed comment on science topics raised in the debating chambers and beyond. The Select Committee is unique in these in that it comprises Parliamentarians and asks questions of the Executive and a variety of expert witnesses. The S&T Committee provides real value to science as it takes a broad view of science and technology across Government, seeking to maintain standards, pressing the Governments commitments to support science funding and carrying out this scrutiny in the public domain.
This is exemplified in the work of my Committee over the past year. Government Ministers from the business department, education department, environment department and home affairs department have all answered questions. We have looked into the funding and structure of science in the UK and how that contributes to driving innovation and growing the economy. Issues raised by scientists about funding decisions have been raised directly with the research councils and the Committee has explored one of the key components of science communication: peer review.