To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many times the Secretary of State has met (a) the Government chief scientific adviser and (b) his Department’s chief scientific adviser in the course of his official duties in the last 12 months. (303912)

The current Secretary of State met the Government chief scientific adviser on several occasions in his former role as Minister of State through their joint attendance of the Cabinet Committee for Science and Innovation.

The then Secretary of State met the Department’s chief scientific adviser on the 28 April 2009. In his former role as Minister of State, the current Secretary of State met the Department’s chief scientific adviser five times in the last 12 months in the course of his official duties and has regular informal discussions with him in the margins of meetings and events.