Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 9857, if he will provide an update on the appointment of a Chief Scientific Adviser to his Department.

Pursuant to the answer of 14 September I can confirm that the Department has appointed Chris Jones, Director for Justice Security and Migration (JSM) as the Department Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA).

The role of a CSA within the Department has been very carefully considered. We are a unique, time-limited department with a coordinating function covering the full range of government business. We are reliant upon other Government departments to lead on policy development, including incorporating their own specialist scientific advice where necessary. We recognise that a CSA will ensure that the 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 CSAs where necessary.