Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 116 pages
File Size : 33,56 MB
Release : 2011-09-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780215561404
Additional written evidence is contained in Volume 3, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/science
Author : Great Britain: Department for Education
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 98 pages
File Size : 23,63 MB
Release : 2010-11-24
Category : Education
ISBN : 9780101798020
England's school system performs below its potential and can improve significantly. This white paper outlines action designed to: tackle the weaknesses in the system; strengthen the status of teachers and teaching; reinforce the standards set by the curriculum and qualifications; give schools back the freedom to determine their own development; make schools more accountable to parents, and help them to learn more quickly and systematically from good practice elsewhere; narrow the gap in attainment between rich and poor. The quality of teachers and teaching is the most important factor in determining how well children do. The Government will continue to raise the quality of new entrants to the profession, reform initial teacher training, develop a network of "teaching schools" to lead training and development, and reduce the bureaucratic burden on schools. Teachers will be given more powers to control bad behaviour. The National Curriculum will be reviewed, specifying a tighter model of knowledge of core subjects so that the Curriculum becomes a benchmark against which school can be judged. Schools will be given more freedom and autonomy, the Academies programme extended and parents will be able to set up "Free Schools" to meet parent demand. Accountability for pupil performance is critical, and much more information will be available to aid understanding of a school's performance. School improvement will be the responsibility of schools, not central government. Funding of schools needs to be fairer and more transparent, and there will be a Pupil Premium to target resources on the most deprived pupils.
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 21,1 MB
Release : 2012-02-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780215041876
The Met Office currently operates as a Trading Fund within the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The Committee welcomes the move to BIS, particularly given the potential for closer links with the research base and the opportunity to develop further its commercial activities. Core services though for the public service must be maintained. The Met Office generates a significant proportion of its revenues from Government contracts and Customer Service Agreements, in addition to its' commercial services and the Government should provide clearly defined funding commitments. This would allow the Met Office to take a longer-term perspective on scientific and operational development. The Government has no plans to privatise the Met Office, which the Committee saw as putting at risk the strong partnerships built with international partners and the sharing of crucial meteorological data. Also the Committee welcomes the Government's initiative of Public Data Corporation. Some concern though is expressed that scientific advances in weather forecasting and the associated public benefits (particularly in regard to severe weather warnings) are available but are being held back by insufficient supercomputing capacity. The Met Office should attempt to streamline the scrutiny of science under one committee and develop a strong customer relationship with key government departments.
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 122 pages
File Size : 40,22 MB
Release : 2013-10-28
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780215063243
The Committee heard much positive feedback about the work of the UK Space Agency since its creation in 2011. The UK's space sector is one of our economy's fastest growing sectors, with an average growth rate of almost 7.5%, and it has ambitions to increase its annual turnover to £40 billion by 2030. The report welcomes recent increases in the UK's commitments to the European Space Agency, but urged the UK Space Agency to strengthen UK influence within the European Space Agency by providing support for UK candidates applying for future director-level positions within the Agency. There are a number of exciting developments happening in the UK space sector, including the expansion of the European Space Agency's operations at Harwell, the establishment of the Satellite Applications Catapult and Major Tim Peake's upcoming mission to the International Space Station. With continued cross-party support, we hope to see this sector expand in line with its ambitions and continue to attract jobs and businesses to the UK
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 13,70 MB
Release : 2012-04-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780215044105
In March 2009, the predecessor Science and Technology Committee published the findings of its wide-ranging inquiry into engineering, "Engineering: turning ideas into reality" (HCP 50-I, session 2008-09, ISBN 9780215529268). The Committee examined four case studies: (i) nuclear engineering; (ii) plastic electronics engineering; (iii) geo-engineering; and (iv) engineering in Government. Through the case study on engineering in Government, the Committee made a number of recommendations to improve the Government's use of engineering advice and expertise in policy processes, which were supplemented further by the 2009 report "Putting Science and Engineering at the Heart of Government Policy" (HCP 168-I, session 2008-09, ISBN 9780215540348). In this report, the Committee states that Government and the engineering community have made progress in integrating engineering expertise and concerns into the formulation of policy. The formation of the Engineering the Future alliance as a coordinated voice for the professional engineering community and the ongoing efforts of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser in raising the profile of engineering advice are commended. The Government needs to ensure that engineering continues to have a high profile in policy, and particularly in policy development.
Author : Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 53 pages
File Size : 21,3 MB
Release : 2015
Category : Law
ISBN : 0215083849
In its broadest sense, biometrics is the measurement and analysis of a biological characteristic (fingerprints, iris patterns, retinas, face or hand geometry) or a behavioural characteristic (voice, gait or signature). Biometric technologies use these characteristics to identify individuals automatically. Unlike identity documents or passwords, biometrics cannot be lost or forgotten since they are a part of the user and are always present at the time of identification. They are also difficult, though not impossible, to forge or share. Three future trends in the application of biometrics were identified during the inquiry: (i) the growth of unsupervised biometric systems, accessed via mobile devices, which verify identity; (ii) the proliferation of "second-generation" biometric technologies that can authenticate individuals covertly; (iii) and the linking of biometric data with other types of 'big data' as part of efforts to profile individuals. Each of these trends introduces risks and benefits to individuals, to the state and to society as a whole. They also raise important ethical and legal questions relating to privacy and autonomy. The Committee are not convinced that the Government has addressed these questions, nor are they satisfied that it has looked ahead and considered how the risks and benefits of biometrics will be managed and communicated to the public.
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 24 pages
File Size : 29,4 MB
Release : 2012-03-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780215042958
The preferred candidate is Dr Paul Golby and the Committee recommends the appointment proceeds
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 18,97 MB
Release : 2012-09-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780215048387
On cover and title page: House, committees of the whole House, general committees and select committees
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 86 pages
File Size : 36,10 MB
Release : 2012-02-02
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9780215041555
Malicious software - designed to infect computers to steal bank details and identity information - poses a growing threat in the UK as more people use the internet and an increasing proportion of economic activity takes place online. The Science and Technology Committee say the Government must do more to help the public understand how to stay safe online. It calls for a prolonged awareness raising campaign to increase public understanding of personal online security. Eighty per cent of protection against cyber-attack is routine IT hygiene, yet currently there is no single first point of advice and help for consumers and much of the online information about internet security is often technical or jargon filled. Television exposure is crucial to gain the widest possible exposure to the safety message, and more should be done to promote and resource the existing Government website Get Safe Online. Advice from Get Safe Online should be provided with every device capable of accessing the internet and all Government websites should link to the website and highlight the latest security updates. The provision of Government services by the 'digital by default' policy will increasingly require those in receipt of Government benefits and services to access these online. The Committee raises concerns that the scheme will be of greater use in protecting the Government against welfare fraud than the individual user against crime. The Government should investigate the potential for imposing statutory safety standards if the industry cannot demonstrate that voluntary self-regulation can improve security.
Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 134 pages
File Size : 22,86 MB
Release : 2012-01-09
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780215040138
This report raises concerns about the Government's advice on sensible drinking and recommends that alcohol guidelines are reviewed. In 1987, the "sensible limits" for drinking were defined as 21 units of alcohol a week for men and 14 for women. By the early 1990s, scientific evidence suggesting that alcohol consumption might reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, prompted a review of the guidelines, and the drinking guidelines were then couched in daily terms: men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day and women no more than two to three units a day. The Committee is sceptical about using the purported health benefits of alcohol as a basis for daily guidelines for all the adult population, particularly as any protective effects would only apply to men over 40 years and post-menopausal women. Evidence suggests that the guidelines should not be increased and that people should take at least two drink-free days a week. While public awareness of the existence of guidelines is high, a deeper understanding of what the guidelines were and of what a unit of alcohol looked like is lacking. Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the Government is working with the drinks industry to ensure that over 80% of alcoholic products on shelf will have labels with alcoholic unit content and the drinking guidelines by 2013. But the Government should remain mindful that sensible drinking messages may conflict with the business objectives of drinks companies and exercise proper scrutiny and oversight.
