Science

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on science. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.

Standard Notes

DateDescription
04.07.2012Higgs Boson
Scientists at CERN have announced the discovery of a new subatomic particle, thought to be the Higgs Boson.
05.03.2012Fluoridation
This notes sets out the positions of various groups regarding the effects of fluoridation of drinking water. It also sets out the Government's position. Information on legislation relating to fluoridation can be found in standard note SN/SC/3135.
17.02.2009Measles and MMR statistics
This note summarises the latest statistics on measles incidence and rates of immunisation. It also discusses the effect of media coverage on public confidence in the MMR triple vaccine, and compares the UK's immunisation rates with the rest of the OECD.

Select Committee Reports

DateDescription
15.02.2012Role and functions of departmental Chief Scientific Advisers.
Science and Technology Select Committee (HL) report [Lords]
31.10.2011Government response to the seventh report of the Science and Technology Select Committee on the Forensic...
Government response. Science and Technology Select Committee report [Commons]
07.09.2011Practical experiments in school science lessons and science field trips.
Science and Technology Select Committee report [Commons]
18.07.2011Peer review in scientific publication.
Science and Technology Select Committee report [Commons]
11.07.2011Astronomy and particle physics.
Government response. Science and Technology Select Committee; Cabinet Office report [Commons]

Early Day Motions

DateDescription
05.12.2011FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE AWARDS 2012
That this House welcomes the announcement of the winners of the For Women in Science Awards 2012; congratulates Professor Frances Ashcroft of Oxford University, who will be named as ...
10.10.2011CLOSURE OF THE FORENSIC SCIENCE SERVICE
That this House is concerned about the implications for the criminal justice system of the closure of the Forensic Science Service; notes warnings from the Metropolitan Police and the ...
27.06.2011ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY'S PARLIAMENTARY LINKS DAY 2011
That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) on organising the Parliamentary Links Day on 28 June 2011 on the theme of Global Challenges - Solutions from Science; ...
09.06.2011ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING 35TH ANNIVERSARY
That this House recognises the importance of engineering and congratulates the Royal Academy of Engineering on its 35th anniversary as the UK's national academy for engineering that ...
09.03.2011NATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WEEK
That this House welcomes and supports National Science and Engineering Week, 11 to 20 March 2011; notes the work of many schools, community groups, science centres and museums across ...

POST Papers

DateDescription
17.09.2012Measuring National Wellbeing
This POSTnote summarises the latest research on measuring national wellbeing, its components and causes, and examines some policy implications.
15.03.2012Personalised Cancer Treatments
Recent technological advances in both diagnostics and therapeutics have the potential to make the treatment of cancer more personalised.
03.10.2011Clinical Trials
This POSTnote summarises some of the most important reasons behind the decline in clinical trials in the UK, and the actions being taken to improve the situation.
01.06.2011Informal STEM education, June 2011
This POSTnote describes the informal sector's links to formal STEM education and its contribution to the national STEM learning agenda. It complements a forthcoming note on STEM education for 14-19 year olds.
01.07.2010Space weather, July 2010
This POSTnote examines changes in the near-Earth space environment, caused by varying conditions within the Sun's atmosphere, which can affect space- and ground-based technological systems and cause harm to human health.
01.07.2009The dual-use dilemma, July 2009
This note examines three scientific areas posing a significant risk of misuse and considers how to tackle dual-use dilemmas in these and other areas.

Glossary

  • Research Papers (RP) - briefings produced by the House of Commons Library on Bills, topical issues and regular statistics
  • Standard Notes (SN) - shorter, topical briefings from the Commons Library
  • Early Day Motions (EDMs) - formal motions submitted by MPs in the House of Commons
  • POST Notes - short briefing notes produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
  • Lords Library Notes (LLN) - an occasional series of papers compiled by the House of Lords Library