Two independent Scottish educational charities have joined forces to help improve MSPs’ access to expertise in science and technology.

The Royal Society of Chemistry and Royal Society of Edinburgh have jointly appointed former MSP Bristow Muldoon as their first Scottish-based Parliamentary Liaison Officer, and he will take up his role next month.

Muldoon was previously Scottish Labour Party MSP for Livingston between 1999 and 2007, and has also been a non-executive director of SSERC, an educational charity involved in science equipment for schools and a project member of the Scottish Executive Education Department, which included work on the continuous professional development of science teachers and technicians.

The new post has been created to make it easier for MSPs and researchers of all parties to tap-into the wide-ranging knowledge and expertise that the organisations offer, and Muldoon will also seek to help act as a bridge on scientific issues between Holyrood, Westminster and the European Parliaments.

The RSC is the largest organisation in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences and is supported by a network of over 43,000 members worldwide, while the RSE's peer-elected Fellowship of 1,400 men and women represent some of the top minds in Scotland and abroad across a wide range of subjects. Together the RSC and RSE will this year present the seventh annual Science and the Parliament event.

Dr Richard Pike, chief executive of The Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Scotland has a long history of producing talented scientists and engineers and for many pioneering developments in science and technology that have spawned world class industries and helped to improve the health and quality of life for many.

“I am delighted that through our partnership with the Royal Society of Edinburgh we have been able to appoint Bristow Muldoon to help ensure that the work of the MSPs can be supported through access to key members of the scientific community.”

Dr William Duncan, chief executive of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, said: “I’m delighted that someone of Bristow’s parliamentary experience has agreed to join our team. The post has been created to support MSPs, recognising that a knowledge of science is often required to make informed decisions about the increasingly complex, multi-dimensional issues that face Scotland.”

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