My recent appointment as a Government Minister means that I am now unable to sit on select committees (which scrutinise the Government), and today I am saying a sad farewell to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (SITC), on which I have served since it was set up in March 2020. Motion 17 on today’s order paper replaces me with the excellent Dr James Davies MP.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Committee, which has played an important role in scrutinising technological developments and scientific investigations, and has worked to promote and support British innovation.
Over the past three and a half years, I and my colleagues on the SITC have interviewed hundreds of experts, and published several reports on topics like 5G phone technology, nuclear power, diversity in STEM and hydrogen.
Probably the most consequential work we did was during the pandemic, when we had all the scientific advisers - Whitty, Vallance, Ferguson, Gilbert, Bingham and so on - in front of us, as well as marathon evidence sessions from Dominic Cummings and Matt Hancock during our inquiry into lessons learned (published in October 2021 - much quicker than the public inquiry process!)
We have also published recommendations to the Government on how to best regulate artificial intelligence (AI). The SITC’s inquiry into AI is continuing even as the technology develops.
I also had the honour of chairing the Committee for a time in 2022, when our Chair Greg Clark was serving in Government.
It has been a privilege to take part in such important work, and I wish the SITC all the best for the future, and in their ongoing inquiries.