The
Government launched its new horizon scanning programme last July, stating that
“in a tight economic climate, it is more important than ever to have the
best possible understanding of the world around us, and how that world is
changing”. It claimed that the new programme would help identify
“potential threats, risks, emerging issues and opportunities”,
allowing policy-makers to better adapt to changing conditions. However, the
Committee has suggested that it is unlikely to deliver these benefits in its
current form.
Andrew Miller MP, Chair of the Science and Technology
Committee, said:
"Horizon scanning is currently trendy in Whitehall,
but, as it stands, the new programme is little more than an echo chamber for
Government views. The new bodies that have been created consist entirely of
Civil Servants, effectively excluding the vast pool of expertise that exists
outside of government.
It
is impossible to predict the future. But if we are to attempt to imagine its
possibilities we need to incorporate a wide range of perspectives and open our
hypotheses up to challenge. The Government claims to recognise this but has
failed to provide any mechanism for that wider discussion to take place. The
new programme does not even have a dedicated web presence to keep interested
parties informed of its activities."
The
Committee partially attributed the programme’s failings to a lack of
ministerial oversight and also criticised the Government for failing to
recognise the potential role to be played in the new programme by the
Government Office for Science (GO-Science).
Committee Chair
Andrew Miller MP said:
"We already have an outstanding centre of expertise
for cross-departmental horizon scanning: the Foresight Unit, located in the
Government Office for Science. Unfortunately, the Government has failed to take
full advantage of this existing capacity and the Unit plays only a marginal
role in the new programme."
According to the Committee, the relative lack of impact
that the Foresight Unit has historically had on policy is largely a result of
its non-central location in government. GO-Science is located in the Department
of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In contrast, the new horizon scanning
programme is located in the Cabinet Office.
Andrew Miller MP explained:
"The Science and Technology Committee has long
advocated a move to a more central location for the Government Office for
Science. We consider this essential if evidence-based policy-making is to
become truly embedded across government and not simply an
after-thought.
In
choosing to situate the new horizon scanning programme in the Cabinet Office,
the Government has recognised the importance of location and has thereby
acknowledged the strength of this argument. We therefore again recommend that
GO-Science be relocated from BIS to the Cabinet Office, where it can play a
more central role in the new programme and more effectively fulfil its role of
ensuring that the best scientific evidence is utilised across
government."
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