Former Government Chief Scientific Advisors to give evidence on national risk assessment
Tuesday 8 December 2020
The House of Lords Risk Assessment and Risk Planning Committee will tomorrow hear from two former Government Chief Scientific advisors on the national risk assessment process. The session will include questions on artificial intelligence, solar flares and responses to previous emergencies such as the 2010 Icelandic volcanic eruption and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
The session will take place virtually on Wednesday 9 December at 10:30am and can be followed on Parliament TV.
Giving evidence will be:
- Professor Sir John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Advisor (2008 - 2013)
- Professor Sir Mark Walport, Government Chief Scientific Advisor (2013 - 2017)
Questions the Committee is likely to ask include:
- What role does the Government Chief Scientific Advisor play in the national risk assessment process?
- What is the relationship between scientific advice and politics during the national risk assessment process?
- How successfully were the UK’s risk management procedures applied at that time of the 2010 Icelandic volcanic eruption and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster?
- How could the UK’s preparedness and resilience to the potential effects of space weather be improved?
- What are the potential risks of artificial intelligence technologies?
- How informed should the public be about the risks that their country faces and does it have a role to play in helping to mitigate risks?