Engineer MP calls for status and funds
15 Jan 2000
It's a true rarity for Westminster - not only an MP willing to speak out on science and technology; not only an MP who is fully qualified and has worked as an engineer; but an engineer MP who speaks on science and technology and is a woman. In her maiden speech to the House of Commons, Claire Curtis-Thomas, the new Labour MP for Crosby near Liverpool, called for greater status and funding for engineering, including the appointment of a 'chief engineering advisor' to parallel the chief scientific advisor.
Curtis-Thomas is a chartered mechanical engineer, one of only seven CEngs in the Commons. This is not the only way that engineering is under-represented in the UK, she noted - the official figures, which say that engineering accounts for 5 per cent of GDP, refers only to manufacturing, and neglects such sectors as petrochemicals, construction and the service industries. If they were included, she claimed, 'the true figure would rocket to 40 per cent, so it is easy to understand why we need a world-class engineering base in the UK.'
Engineering and science are often considered as a single unit in Westminster, but Curtis-Thomas believes this is a mistake. 'I am not a scientist, I am an engineer and so are 1.7million other people who chose to go into engineering because it is not science,' she stated. Greater status for engineers, such as by giving the term 'engineer' legal status, putting it on a par with other illustrious professions such as 'medical practitioner', 'lawyer' or 'gas fitter' would help, she said, as would the appointment of a chief engineering advisor. This would recognise the profession's wealth-generating role, distinct from science, which Curtis-Thomas classed as a 'net consumer.'
