An influential committee of British politicians has strongly criticized the new Director General of the Research Councils (DGRC) for failing to spend more than 1 day a week in the job.

The Science and Technology Committee, a cross-party group charged with scrutinizing the spending and policy of public science bodies, said it feared Keith O'Nions could not "contribute fully" to the development of the United Kingdom's 10-year plan for boosting science and innovation if he did not commit more time to the post.

It also raised serious concerns about the precise role of the director general and called on the government to review the responsibilities involved, as well as changing the job description to something more appropriate.

But in a new report, entitled Director General of the Research Councils: Introductory Hearing, the MPs also fully endorse his appointment and describe him as "well equipped for the job."

Research Councils UK (RCUK) is a strategic partnership set up to champion science engineering and technology. It is made up of the seven UK research councils, including the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

Each council has its own chief executive, but the partnership is chaired by a director general, appointed by the Office of Science and Technology, a part of the Department of Trade and Industry.

O'Nions, who previously served as chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence and head of Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, took up the post in January this year.

On May 12, O'Nions was called to a hearing by the Science and Technology Committee as part of its role in scrutinizing public appointments. The report, based on evidence at that hearing, highlights significant concerns about exactly what the director general's role should be.

For example, the politicians discussed the fact that in the first 6 months after his appointment, O'Nions was dividing his time between the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Trade and Industry. This meant he had just 1 day a week for his new role as DGRC.

The MPs warned: "It is essential that the DGRC plays a full role in the development of the 10-year framework for science and investment and negotiations for the spending review. We are concerned that this is not possible while the DGRC is only in post 1 day a week."

The idea of a 10-year plan was unveiled in January by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. He pledged it would be a central feature of this year's spending review, due to be revealed today (July 12).

The committee also expressed alarm at O'Nion's refusal to represent the RCUK when called to address an inquiry into scientific publications on May 5 this year. He defended his decision on the grounds that he was not involved in the day-to-day running of the councils. Instead, RCUK sent a separate representative.

The report states: "Sir John Taylor, Sir Keith's immediate predecessor, regularly appeared before this committee on behalf of the research councils. Sir Keith's unwillingness to appear and to address cross-council issues signifies a notable departure from his predecessor's interpretation of the role."

In a press release, committee chairman Ian Gibson said: "If the DGRC says it's not his job to speak on behalf of the research council, then whose job is it?"

Members of Parliament now want the job title scrapped and replaced with one that reflects the role more closely—such as Director General of the Research Base. But they also praised O'Nions for promising to focus on engaging the public in science matters, support more funding for interdisciplinary research, and tackle possible shortcomings in the 10-year plan.

A spokeswoman for RCUK said it welcomed any attempt to clarify the role of the DGRC. But she stressed there was no difference of opinion between O'Nions and the individual councils on who should speak on their behalf. She told The Scientist: "The system that the research councils have in place is that if someone needs to speak on their behalf, then it will be one of the chief executives. That's something that has just grown as the councils have got used to working together."

In the early days, they did need support from the Office of Science and Technology, the spokeswoman said. "But now it's one of the chief executives, depending on the subject matter."

The final results of a review of the RCUK are due out later this month. Commissioned by the Office of Science and Technology, the review is expected to focus on, among other things, the relationship between the councils and the DGRC.

The spokeswoman added: "We are hoping there will be some recommendations that we can follow."