Open Consultations

We respond to consultations by Government and other national and international bodies which are relevant to our members and where we think we can make an impact. If you would like to contribute to a response, or draw our attention to other relevant consultations, please email us: policy@societyofbiology.org

The future of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides
The Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) is an independent scientific advisory committee providing advice to Ministers.  Shortly after the 2010 election, the Government announced that it would review arms-length bodies in order to reduce the numbers, costs and improve accountability.  Defra have launched this consultation seeking views on the future of the ACP and the sister body covering Northern Ireland, the ACPNI.  The option currently proposed is to abolish the Committee as a statutory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and to reconstitute it as a new expert scientific committee.  However, the Government is willing to consider alternative approaches and Ministers wish to consider respondents’ views on their proposals before reaching a final decision.
Closing date: 4 May 2012

Capital Investment Consultation
Invitation to submit views
Research Councils UK (RCUK) invites input from those working in UK universities, research organisations and across the wider research and business communities to a Capital Investment Roadmap for research and research-led innovation.
We are looking for input from:
•    Publicly funded higher education institutions and research organisations in the UK
•    Academic subject associations
•    Learned societies
•    Organisations and business with an interest in commissioning or using academic research
•    Public sector bodies
•    Charities and other third-sector organisations with an interest in commissioning or using academic research
The Capital Investment Roadmap will replace the existing RCUK Large Facilities Roadmap, which was designed to provide a national overview of large (typically over £25M) facilities projects that could be considered as priorities for investment from the Government Large Facilities Capital Fund (LFCF).
Closing date: 4 May 

Although the consultation does not lend itself to joint submissions, it would be useful if we could use this opportunity to collate responses from across the bioscience community, to help us build an overall picture of the current situation and priorities. Therefore, we would be very grateful if you could forward a copy of any responses or submissions to James Lush, Policy Officer at the Biochemical Society, at james.lush@biochemistry.org who is working closely with the Society of Biology on this matter.

Government's Alcohol Strategy

The Health Committee has issued an invitation to submit written evidence for its inquiry into the Government's Alcohol Strategy.
Closing date: 8 May 2012.

Draft research integrity concordat
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is working with Universities UK, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Wellcome Trust and government departments to develop a concordat to support research integrity.
Comments are now being invited on the draft concordat which is available on the Universities UK website here.
Closing date: 11 May 2012.
The Society of Biology will be submitting comment to this draft concordat. If you would like to contribute to our response, please email policy@societyofbiology.org

Have your say on the future of nursing and care
The independent Nursing and Care Quality Forum would like to hear your views on the quality of nursing and care, and how you think this could be improved.
The Nursing and Care Quality Forum’s aim is to help all those involved in providing nursing and care, in all care settings
The Prime Minister and Secretary of State have asked the Forum to report back with initial advice in May. The Forum wants to hear your views to help shape their messages and to influence what the Forum focuses on over the coming months.
Please send your views by 11 May to help inform the Forum’s initial advice to the Prime Minister.

UK Plan for rare diseases consultation launched
Earlier diagnosis of a rare condition and better co-ordinated care will help improve the quality of life for people with rare diseases and their families, according to the first ever UK plan on rare diseases, published for consultation by the Department of Health.
Rare diseases – those that affect fewer than 5 in 10,000 of the population - can affect anybody at any stage of their life, and can affect physical or mental health or both. They can range from debilitating, life-limiting conditions to manageable conditions that don’t affect daily living.
The rare diseases consultation:
• recommends using specialist centres to make exact diagnosis – this will make sure people are treated earlier and in some cases this could save lives
• acknowledges that all doctors should have the right training to be aware of the possibility of a rare disease
• recommends that the care of patients with rare diseases should be better co-ordinated
This is a UK-wide consultation undertaken by the Department of Health on behalf of all 4 UK health administrations. The consultation on rare diseases has been launched today following the European Council’s recommendation that every member state of the European Union should develop a national strategy on rare diseases. Responses to the consultation will inform the final plan, which is due to be produced by the end of 2013.
Closing date 25 May 2012
commentary on this consultation from AMRC:
http://policyblog.amrc.org.uk/2012/02/29/the-government-is-asking-for-our-views-on-a-plan-for-rare-diseases/

Sustaining a Living Wales: A Green Paper on a new approach to natural resource management in Wales.
A living Wales – a new framework for our environment, our countryside and our seas
Wales' nature, land, water and air are our ultimate resource - the basis on which everything else is possible. If we are to realise our aspirations for better quality of life and future prospects, we need to ensure that that resource is put to best and most sustainable use.
Our aim is: to ensure that Wales has increasingly resilient and diverse ecosystems that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. 
We are seeking your views on proposed changes to the governance and delivery of the management and regulation of the environment in Wales, based on the ecosystem approach. An ecosystem is all the living things, and how they interact, with each other and their environment. This work will inform future Welsh Bills.
This is a challenge which will require new thinking. We want to know whether there is an appetite for radical change and whether the suggested building blocks we propose are the right ones.
Closing date: 31 May 2012

Medical Profession united in fight to defuse obesity time-bomb
Campaign to combat Britain’s ‘single greatest public health threat’ launches
The medical profession has come together to launch a campaign on what it claims is the single greatest public health threat in the UK – rising levels of child and adult obesity. 
Health professionals from surgeons and psychiatrists to paediatricians and GPs are joining forces under the umbrella of the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges (AoMRC) to launch the campaign which begins today with a 3-month evidence-gathering inquiry. 
Professor Terence Stephenson, Vice-Chair of the AoMRC and President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is chairing the campaign’s steering group which comprises representatives from all 21 Royal Medical Colleges and Faculties. 
The campaign will seek the views of healthcare professionals, local authorities, education providers, charities, campaign groups and the public, in the form of written and oral evidence.  It will look specifically for research and experience of actions and strategies that work in preventing or reducing obesity.
The campaign’s first report will be published later this year, offering a series of practical recommendations for how the medical profession, individuals, organisations and Government can ensure an effective and coherent approach to reducing obesity levels.
Closing date: 6 June 2012.

Save children's relationship with the outdoors
Evidence of a long-term and dramatic decline in children’s relationship with the outdoors is ‘overwhelming’ and urgent action is needed to bridge this growing gap before it's too late, according a new report published by the National Trust .
In his Natural Childhood report naturalist, author and TV producer Stephen Moss charts years of academic research and a steady stream of surveys on the subject, highlighting how a generation of children is finally losing touch with the natural world.
The report outlines a clear need to tackle the rise of ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’, a term coined by the US based writer Richard Louv, to describe a growing dislocation between children and nature.
Call for ideas
A two-month inquiry, facilitated by the National Trust, will take evidence from leading experts and the public to look at how we can reconnect this and future generations of children with the natural world.

Above the Line Research and Development credit
The Government has launched a consultation on an Above the Line (ATL) Research and Development (R&D) credit. The Government is committed to creating the most competitive tax system in the G20 and R&D tax incentives play an important role in this ambition and in supporting our strategy for growth.
Closing  date:  29 June 2012.

Beyond Business As Usual
The Food Ethics Council is conducting this survey as part of our 'Beyond Business As Usual' project. The aim of Beyond Business As Usual is to enable progress by government and business towards a fair, healthy and sustainable food and farming system. To help us achieve this we want to understand the main challenges and opportunties for government and business and develop proposals that effectively address them.

Assessment of statistics currently being undertaken by the UK Statistics Authority
The UK Statistics Authority has a statutory responsibility under the provisions of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, to assess whether its Code of Practice has been complied with in relation to any official statistics.
You can find a list of official statistics which the authority is currently assessing using the following link:
http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/assessment/current-assessments/index.html