New leaders chosen for parliament’s technology watchdogs
Select committee chairs announced
Malcolm Croft/PA Archive/PA Images
Former business secretary Greg Clark has been elected as the chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, while Solihull MP Julian Knight will lead the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Clark takes over from Norman Lamb, the former Liberal Democrat MP, who stood down from parliament at the 2019 general election. Under his stewardship, the committee undertook inquiries including an examination of the impact of algorithmic decision-making.
The science and tech committee also conducted a year-long review of digital government that was critical of the Government Digital Service and made a number of recommendations for its future work.
Related content
- MPs team up with Canadian counterparts in final attempt to grill Zuckerberg
- No plans for ‘right to challenge’ laws for algorithm decisions
- Parties urged to review nomination process after all-male Science and Technology Committee backlash
Clark said: “I’m delighted to have been elected as chair. I look forward to working with MPs from across the house to bring the benefits of science and technology to people in every region of the UK.”
The DCMS committee will now be helmed by another Conservative MP, Julian Knight. He assumes the leadership role after three years as a committee member.
He will replace Damian Collins who, during his tenure, was a vocal critic of Facebook and its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg – whom he repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted to compel to appear before MPs, during their inquiry into the Cambridge Analytica scandal and its fallout.
Knight said: “I plan to consolidate our work and take on issues that matter beyond Westminster, building on what we have already achieved.”
The influential public accounts committee retains Labour MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, Meg Hillier, as its chair.
Share this page
Printer-friendly version
Tags
Categories
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM READERS
Please login to post a comment or register for a free account.
Related Articles
A recent study finds that the pandemic has boosted budgets – but legacy tech remains a big barrier to progress
Assessment picks out a series of barriers to improving government’s operational performance
Memo from top brass preps officials for world in which government is more data-driven and less risk-averse
Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez tells PublicTechnology Live event about the ambition behind the development of GOV.UK accounts
Related Sponsored Articles
SolarWinds explains how public sector organisations can make the most of their hybrid IT investments - delivering services that are both innovative and reliable
There are many reasons to keep your Oracle workloads running on local servers. But there are even more reasons to move them to the cloud as part of a wider digital transition strategy. Six Degrees...
Engage Process explains how to ensure that process remains at the heart of your management programs - and how to keep undue pressure from those processes
With the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, every disaster now entails responding to at least two emergencies. Dataminr explains how organisations can best prepare.