The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's report on “Ageing: Scientific Aspects”, was published in July this year.

The British Geriatrics Society, together with the British Society of Gerontology and the British Society for Research on Ageing were the first witnesses to be heard by the Committee in October last year. The headline conclusions of the report that "little is being invested by the Medical Research Council into ageing-related research, and virtually nothing by the Economic and Social Research Council", will not come as a surprise to academic colleagues although readers will be interested that the MRC states that 27% of its expenditure is on ageing-related research!

The Society (John Potter, Steve Jackson and myself) together with BSG and BSRA representatives met in Birmingham recently to discuss how best to put pressure on Government to implement the report’s recommendations and how best the Societies can work together. The Committee praised this initiative. Members of a certain age may recall that 30 years ago Peter Millard and Norman Exton-Smith produced a joint report with the other societies under the auspices of the British Council on Gerontology. Perhaps it is time to resurrect this organisation.

The report is full of useful facts and figures and can be used as a teaching aid. It is available (with the oral and written evidence) on the Parliamentary website: The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's report on “Ageing: Scientific Aspects”, was published in July this year.

The British Geriatrics Society, together with the British Society of Gerontology and the British Society for Research on Ageing were the first witnesses to be heard by the Committee in October last year. The headline conclusions of the report that "little is being invested by the Medical Research Council into ageing-related research, and virtually nothing by the Economic and Social Research Council", will not come as a surprise to academic colleagues although readers will be interested that the MRC states that 27% of its expenditure is on ageing-related research!

The Society (John Potter, Steve Jackson and myself) together with BSG and BSRA representatives met in Birmingham recently to discuss how best to put pressure on Government to implement the report’s recommendations and how best the Societies can work together. The Committee praised this initiative. Members of a certain age may recall that 30 years ago Peter Millard and Norman Exton-Smith produced a joint report with the other societies under the auspices of the British Council on Gerontology. Perhaps it is time to resurrect this organisation.

The report is full of useful facts and figures and can be used as a teaching aid. It is available (with the oral and written evidence) on the Parliamentary website: www.parliament.uk/hlscience

Peter Crome