Call for scientific advisers to be free from interference

London: Senior scientists are calling on the government to sign up to a new set of guidelines that would guarantee that scientific advice remains free from political interference following the sacking of its chief drugs adviser David Nutt.

The guidelines were sent to the government on Thursday as the House of Commons science and technology select committee wrote to home secretary Alan Johnson demanding a full account of why he dismissed Nutt from the chairmanship of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).

More than 20 academics drafted the guidelines that they say "would enhance confidence in the scientific advisory system and help government to secure essential advice". Signatories include the former chief of the Medical Research Council Colin Blakemore, former government chief scientist Robert May, the president of the Royal Society Martin Rees and the director of the Science Museum Chris Rapley. In addition, there are chairs and other members of independent scientific advisory committees and the heads of several academic and research bodies.

Argument

The guidelines argue that "disagreement with government policy and the public articulation and discussion of relevant evidence and issues by members of advisory committees cannot be grounds for criticism or dismissal."

When scientific advice is rejected, the experts said, the reasons should be described explicitly and publicly.

"The priority now must be to rebuild the confidence of the scientific community in the way the government, and indeed the opposition parties, treat scientific advice and those who provide it," said Blakemore.

Liberal Democrat MP and science spokesperson Evan Harris proposed the idea of the guidelines in response to what he called the "unfair" treatment of Nutt.

"The discontent in the scientific community about the treatment of David Nutt goes way beyond the members of the ACMD. It is necessary that the government reflects on the recent select committee report, which covers many of the issues set out in the statement in order to win back the full confidence of their unpaid independent expert advisers."

Tracey Brown of pro-science campaign group Sense About Science said the scientists' new guidelines would promote much-needed clarity about what ‘independent scientific advice' meant.