§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he established his inquiry into the functions of the office of the chief scientist in his Department; what are its terms of reference; when he expects it to report; and if he will publish the evidence submitted to it.
§ Mr. Fowler[pursuant to his reply, 28 November 1984, c. 526]: I set up a review in August 1984 of my Department's research management arrangements relating to the health and personal social services. Its remit is to consider how best to implement the objective that research and development requirements for health and personal social services should be met from outside this Department, to the extent that that is not already the case. The review will identify the range of functions and facilities required to promote, commission, co-ordinate, execute and disseminate research and development in this field. It will make proposals as to how these functions and facilities can be most effectively undertaken and provided outside the Department. and will advise on how to carry out any functions which it is considered essential to retain within DHSS.
The review is due to be completed by February 1985 and I intend to announce my conclusions later in the year. Any evidence submitted to it can of course be made publicly available by its authors.