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Britain's top scientific adviser has urged that the full range of scientific advice to governments should be made public — and not just a consensus view — in a bid to convey a sense of the different scientific opinions on issues.

May: need to rebuild public confidence. Credit: OST

Addressing the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology last week, Sir Robert May, the prime minister's chief scientific adviser and head of the Office of Science and Technology, said that public confidence in the scientific advisory system needed to be regained following controversies such as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis.

Trust could be rebuilt if science advisers “consult widely, and consult contrary opinion” when issuing advice, said May. He added that all opinions should be made public, along with — wherever possible — advice to politicians based on them.

May acknowledged that civil servants were “uncomfortable” with the approach he was advocating, as it conflicted with the tradition that advice to ministers must remain confidential. But he said that, although there were genuine instances where confidentiality was paramount, “in general, I am for openness and taking risks”.

May, who is Royal Society research professor at the University of Oxford and Imperial College, London, made his comments during a hearing at the House of Commons held as part of an inquiry into the effectiveness of the scientific advisory system.

May said he was satisfied with the level of scientific awareness among government officials. But BSE provided one example in which research awareness among civil servants could have been better.

With the exception of the agriculture ministry, May said he considered government departments' understanding of relevant scientific issues “exemplary”. By contrast, he said the government was less successful in its attempts to gain public confidence in the scientific advisory process.

Not all members of the select committee were convinced by May's remarks. Nigel Beard (Labour, Bexleyheath and Crayford) questioned the perceived benefits of publicizing conflicting views, particularly on issues relating to food safety. He suggested that this could lead to confusion among the public.

But May said that a commitment to openness and an acknowledgement of differing views had contributed to the success of the government's AIDS awareness campaigns during the late 1980s and early 1990s.