UK government under fire for wasting £2.5 billion on "ghost research"

A report released by Sense about Science on 2 June has revealed that the UK government has no account of the research it has funded to develop policies and has delayed the publishing of several findings. The inquiry, headed by former Lord Justice of Appeal Rt Hon Sir Stephen Sedley for Sense about Science, intended to determine the reasons behind delayed publishing, but uncovered a larger looming problem.

Around £2.5 billion are spent each year on government-commissioned research. However, the report states that the UK government holds no records on the past studies it has funded. Out of 24 federal departments studied by the inquiry group, only 4 were able to provide a list of the projects they had commissioned. The rest claimed that no central records existed and that it would be too expensive to track them down. This confusion has led the inquiry group to label the government-commissioned research “ghost research” since it is “unsearchable in the national archives and exists only in the memories of officials.” 

Apart from this, concerns have been raised about the government withholding “politically awkward” research, such as studies related to food banks, immigrants, and drug use. Some instances have surfaced where publication of findings were delayed to coincide with policy announcements. Tracey Brown, Director of Sense about Science, remarked, “If government wants people to trust the research it commissions, and if it wants to go on attracting top-class researchers to its contracts, then it needs to behave accordingly.”

The report urges the government to publish research promptly and make it accessible to the general public and researchers. Additionally, it recommends that the governmental agencies treat the maintenance of traceable records of research as a priority. Responding to the report, a government spokesperson stated that, “We are committed to ensuring that transparency, openness and accountability are embedded in everything we do, and we note today’s report, which is a useful contribution to work in this area.”

References:

UK government slammed for losing track of its own research

Publish research promptly, not when it suits you, ministers told

U.K. government isn’t tracking policy-related research

Whitehall’s missing millions: Government has no record of how it spends £2.5bn each year on public policy research