John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Lawless for his important question and his attendance at the briefing with Professor Mark Ferguson of Science Foundation Ireland, which I hope he found informative.

The office of chief scientific adviser to the Government was created in 2004 to provide expert advice on matters of science policy.  In November 2011, the public sector reform initiative called for a rationalisation and reduction in the number of State bodies. Following consultation with Departments and on foot of a memorandum for Government, it was decided to dissolve the office of chief scientific adviser.  However, it was agreed that Professor Mark Ferguson, director general of Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, would assume the role of chief scientific adviser in addition to his SFI responsibilities.  Deputy Lawless has met Professor Ferguson on a number of occasions. The Government was of the view that the suppression of the office of the chief scientific adviser as a stand-alone office could be done without undue adverse impact on the Government's access to advice on scientific matters.  The decision to combine the role with the role of director general of the SFI ensures greater synergies between the development of policy and the support of national scientific aims. Like Deputy Lawless, I am very interested in science. We have many discussions on it. I have looked at this very careful and wondered if it had an impact on the advice the Government receives on all issues. I believe it has not.

In his role as chief scientific adviser, Professor Ferguson sits on a number of committees, including the implementation group on Innovation 2020 and the high-level group which informs national policy and direction for Horizon 2020 and EU framework programmes. He also represents Ireland at both EU and international fora. Ireland has a national target to win €1.25 billion in competitive funding from Horizon 2020 and has already drawn down €424 million. I am satisfied, having looked at it very carefully, that there has been no diminution of the quality of advice offered by the chief scientific adviser notwithstanding that there is no specific office for that role.

See this speech in context