The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The original Science and Technology Committee was abolished upon the creation of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee on 6 November 2007. However, just 19 months later, the government announced that it was re-establishing the committee following the recommendation of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee[1] after the merging of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in June 2009. The House of Commons approved the re-establishment of the committee on 25 June 2009.[2] The committee was officially re-established on 1 October 2009 and has a remit to examine the work of the Government Office for Science. The committee currently scrutinises the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, headed by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle.
In May 2018, UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) published its Strategic Prospectus, which represents "the beginning of the process to develop a detailed Research and Innovation Strategy". It states that "We will work with Government to develop a plan for meeting this target [to increase the UK's investment in research and development to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, and in the future to 3%, maximising the impact of public investment in research and innovation, and supporting business and other partners to invest more". It envisages ongoing work on "what constitutes reasonable balance" of its funding. Against that background, the committee undertook an inquiry on the balance and effectiveness of research and innovation spending.[3]
Membership of the committee is as follows:[4]
The Right Honourable Greg Clark was elected as the new chair in the 58th parliament in January 2020.[5] He defeated fellow Conservative MP Stephen Metcalfe.[6] He stood down as chair following his appointment to the cabinet as Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary,[7] but was re-elected unopposed to the position in October 2022. As of December 2023, membership was as follows:[8][9]
The election of the chair took place on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017.[10][11]
Member | Party | Constituency | |
---|---|---|---|
Rt. Hon. Sir Norman Lamb MP (Chair) | Liberal Democrat | North Norfolk | |
Vicky Ford MP | Conservative | Chelmsford | |
Bill Grant MP | Conservative | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | |
Darren Jones MP | Labour | Bristol North West | |
Liz Kendall MP | Labour | Leicester West | |
Stephen Metcalfe MP | Conservative | South Basildon and East Thurrock | |
Carol Monaghan MP | SNP | Glasgow North West | |
Damien Moore MP | Conservative | Southport | |
Neil O'Brien MP | Conservative | Harborough | |
Graham Stringer MP | Labour | Blackley and Broughton | |
Martin Whitfield MP | Labour | East Lothian |
Date | Outgoing Member & Party |
Constituency | → | New Member & Party |
Constituency | Source | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 October 2017 | New seat | → | Vicky Ford MP (Conservative) | Chelmsford | Hansard | |||
Adam Holloway MP (Conservative) | Gravesham | |||||||
Stephanie Peacock MP (Labour) | Barnsley East | |||||||
4 December 2017 | Stephanie Peacock MP (Labour) | Barnsley East | → | Carol Monaghan MP (SNP) | Glasgow North West | Hansard | ||
22 January 2018 | Adam Holloway MP (Conservative) | Gravesham | → | Damien Moore MP (Conservative) | Southport | Hansard | ||
27 March 2018 | Clive Lewis MP (Labour) | Norwich South | → | Liz Kendall MP (Labour) | Leicester West | Hansard | ||
21 January 2019 | Neil O'Brien MP (Conservative) | Harborough | → | Sam Gyimah MP (Conservative) | East Surrey | Hansard |
The chair was elected on 18 June 2015, with members being announced on 13 July 2015.[12][13]
Date | Outgoing Member & Party |
Constituency | → | New Member & Party |
Constituency | Source | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 October 2015 | Liz McInnes MP (Labour) | Heywood and Middleton | → | Stella Creasy MP (Labour and Co-op) | Walthamstow | Hansard | ||
Daniel Zeichner MP (Labour) | Cambridge | Valerie Vaz MP (Labour) | Walsall South | |||||
18 July 2016 | Valerie Vaz MP (Labour) | Walsall South | → | Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods MP (Labour) | City of Durham | Hansard | ||
19 July 2016 | Nicola Blackwood MP (Conservative) | Oxford West and Abingdon | → | Vacant | Hansard | |||
19 October 2016 | Vacant | → | Stephen Metcalfe MP (Chair) (Conservative) | South Basildon and East Thurrock | Hansard | |||
13 March 2017 | Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods MP (Labour) | City of Durham | → | Gareth Snell MP (Labour and Co-op) | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Hansard |
The chair was elected on 10 June 2010, with members being announced on 12 July 2010.[14][15]