Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser.

The Department for Exiting the European Union is committed to ensuring that we access the very best scientific expertise. We have actively considered the best way of achieving this and have appointed Chris Jones, Director for Justice Security and Migration (JSM) as Chief Scientific Adviser. We have taken the decision to appoint a Chief Scientific Advisor to ensure that departmental decisions are informed by the best science and engineering advice and to provide a route for us to engage directly with the wider network of Chief Scientific Advisers where necessary.