§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 23 November 2001,Official Report, column 514W, on scientific research, what quality assessment is undertaken by her Department into the work of contractors, and through them sub-contractors, commissioned by her Department. [19304]
§ Margaret Beckett[holding answer 29 November 2001]In deciding whether to let contracts, one of the aspects considered by scientists in the Department is the need for suitable and relevant quality assurance in relation to the project or projects proposed. As indicated in the reply of 23 November 2001,Official Report, column 514W, the need for contractors and their sub-contractors to meet quality standards schemes appropriate to the science projects is evaluated. However, there are substantial and wider aspects to assessing and assuring the quality of science we commission. Chief among these are the processes of prior peer review, by national and international 270W experts in the field, of many proposals put to us; the advice of independent expert committees and advisory bodies; the work of interdepartmental committees; the detailed departmental monitoring of all science projects in progress, including formal review on their quality, progress, outputs and direction; and the growing programme of ex post facto evaluations of the impact of programmes of work. In monitoring and evaluation, the Department is again assisted by external and independent scientific input. Finally, the overall scientific quality of the work of most of our individual contractors—such as our own agencies, the institutes of the Research Councils and the universities—is assisted by independently run science audits or the audits provided through processes such as the DIES Research Assessment Exercise.