The government is revising the Chief Scientific Advisor’s guidelines, which set out how the government should collect and use evidence to make better-informed decisions. The guidelines were first published in 1997, and last revised in 2000. The new version will be published in the autumn. Michelle Frew lays out the groundwork, and Roland Jackson and Sue Mayer comment.

Securing science in policy-making

Officials need reliable evidence from credible sources, says the DTI

• The current draft of the guidelines emphasises the need for government departments, and the individual policy makers within them, to:
• think ahead, and identify early on, the issues on which they need expert advice and early public engagement;
• get a wider range of advice from the best sources, particularly when there is uncertainty;
• publish the evidence and analysis and all relevant papers.

The latest revision also encourages the use of evidence from a wide range of disciplines. The balance will obviously depend upon the issue in question, but it is clear that policy must take account of socio-economic as well as natural scientific or statistical evidence, particularly in areas of public concern.

The consultation on the guidelines invited comments on the principles and all the text in the draft, but it also addressed a number of specific questions relating to what they should say about peer review.  It also covered how departments’ use of the guidelines should be measured, taking into account the considerable amount of evaluation that already exists for government departments.

The end product

We would hope that, as with previous versions, the final version of these guidelines will increase the awareness of policy makers of how to seek good quality evidence from the most credible sources at the most appropriate time.

This is absolutely crucial at a time where we have seen the level of public interest in evidence-based issues increase. The recent MORI poll commissioned by the Office of Science and Technology showed that our society has an increasingly sophisticated understanding of science and technology issues, and the current review of these guidelines will help ensure that we have the best framework to help deliver the best advice to government.

Michelle Frew is Assistant Director at the Office of Science and Technology.