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Forensic Science

: I entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman. When the predecessor Committee considered the provision of strategic science, it made it clear that unless there is a sufficient supply of chemistry, physics, maths and engineering graduates, the whole country will suffer. We have often had that discussion with the Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury of Turville. It is not good enough to say that science is expanding, simply because a course has science in its title. It has to have a basis in basic science to underpin that work. The point that I am making, which the Committee also makes, is that it is great that Amanda Burton and ““Silent Witness”” have created a huge amount of interest in forensic science; but unless we underpin it with good, basic science, we shall miss out. The Department for Education and Skills and, indeed, the Higher Education Funding Council have a duty to ensure that forensic science courses are up to the mark. A forensic science course without a substantial chemistry component should be thrown out under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968. There cannot be good forensic science without chemistry.