Whitehall changes a 'big mistake' as anything going in with Business department gets squeezed.
The president of the Royal Society has criticized the government’s decision to move science policy from the department also covering technology to the business department.
In changes announced after Andy Burnham became UK Prime Minister in July, the government abolished the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and split its responsibilities among other ministries.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport became Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport while the Science in DSIT went to the new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Jonathan Reynolds was named Secretary of State for the department. Kanishka Narayan has been given a Cabinet-attending role of Minister for Artificial Intelligence, working jointly in the Cabinet Office and BIST.
Chris McDonald, Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Investment is work jointly across BIST and the Department for Health and Social Care with no Cabinet role.
Speaking to MPs this week, Sir Paul Nurse, the President of the Royal Society, said moving science to the business department was a mistake… “actually quite a big mistake”.
Nurse argued that science cuts across business, health, defense, transport, energy, and the environment.
Nurse said experience with other government activities thrown in with business did not bode well for science.
In a letter to the Committee, ministers from the Cabinet Office, BIST and the DCMS said: “The Prime Minister has made some changes to the Machinery of Government to rewire the state to deliver a stronger, more strategic center which acts as the engine room for driving economic growth across the whole country.”