Caroline Nokes responds to constituents’ concerns about evidence in Parliament
Last week Caroline joined top researchers from the University of Southampton (and others) for a series of rapid-fire briefings on pressing policy issues, including housing, food supplies, energy, health and tackling inequality. Caroline spent some time with researchers from Southampton, Nottingham, Birmingham and Imperial who are working on muscle resilience and sex differences.
Evidence Week in Parliament is a unique event bringing together MPs, researchers, and the public to discuss how the evidence used to make policy decisions is scrutinised.
Caroline said:
This was a great opportunity to look at some of the differences in muscle resilience during the aging process, showing exactly how it is differentiated by sex. When we are making decisions about some really contentious issues, perhaps especially around women’s sport, this sort of scientific evidence is of massive importance”.
Evidence Week, now in its sixth year, is run by the campaigning charity Sense about Science and the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST), in partnership with the House of Commons Library, House of Lords Library, Ipsos, the Office for Statistics Regulation and researcher institutions from across the UK.
During the week, MPs meet with leading scientists to get the latest insights on pressing issues covering topics as varied as housing, food supplies, energy, health and inequality. It is an opportunity for the public, parliamentarians, and researchers to come together to share knowledge and insights. It empowers legislators to engage with evidence and equips them with the critical tools to handle uncertainty, identify bias and scrutinize underlying assumptions.
Tracey Brown, Director of Sense about Science, said:
“Evidence matters to people in all walks of life, so I am sure many constituents will welcome Caroline Nokes’ public commitment to evidence informed policy making.”
Evidence Week in Parliament gives MPs a fresh perspective on tricky policy questions with the latest insights from top UK researchers, to help them make better decisions on everything from energy policy to cybersecurity.”