Could you have an impact on government policy?
16 Jul 2013
Academics and researchers at all stages of their careers are being encouraged to use their expertise to help scrutinise and inform the process of government policymaking.
Recent presentations by staff from the Parliamentary Outreach Service have stressed that Select Committees want to hear from those who conduct research relevant to the topics they are examining.
Below are some of the current calls for evidence from parliamentary committees;
- High Speed Rail Preparation Bill (deadline 18 July)
- Maritime Strategy (deadline 22 July)
- Flight time limitations (deadline 5 August)
- Consumer Rights Bill (deadline 19 August)
- Passenger transport in isolated communities (2 September)
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 (deadline 2 September)
- Statistics and open data (deadline 3 September)
- Remotely Piloted Air Systems (deadline 13 September)
- Extractive Industries Sector (deadline 23 September)
- UK Armed Forces personnel and the legal framework for future operations (deadline 18 October)
In a session organised by the Policy@Manchester Network in June, Dr Stephen McGinness, Clerk to the Science and Technology Committee, stressed that Select Committees do not just want to hear from the ‘usual suspects’ such as major organisations, campaign groups, learned societies or think tanks.
Dr McGinness said: “Select Committees want to hear from you. You can have an impact and give an individual expert perspective.
“You can help ensure that Select Committees get things right. They do not have expert knowledge, and are limited by the evidence and information that is made available to them.”
Guidelines on how to submit written evidence are given on the web pages for each Select Committee (see above).
But if you want more advice on doing this, the Policy@Manchester Network can put you in touch with several members of academic staff who have submitted written evidence, been called to give oral evidence and even served as specialist advisors to Select Committees.
For more details, please email: