Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to appoint members to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

SAGE is not a membership body. The participants of SAGE depend on the nature of the emergency. There are roughly 20 scientists at each meeting, but they will not be the same people at every meeting. Expert participation varies depending on the subjects being discussed.

The Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer will decide who or what expertise is needed for each meeting, typically drawing from leading experts from within government and from the fields of academia and industry. As SAGE responds to emergencies the capacity for participants to respond quickly is also a factor.