| Description | Papers and correspondence of the British Psychological Society Parliamentary Group.
17 February 1989 - Parliamentary Group agenda, minutes, papers and correspondence including British Psychological Society advertisement in The House magazine, incontinence brief; draft briefing paper on sexual offenders [for All Party Penal Affairs Group]; contact point for parliamentarians and their researchers; response to The Future of the Psychological Sciences: Horizons and Opportunities; comments on draft AIDS counselling briefing paper; copy of report 'Partnership, Participation and Power - Psychology and Physical Disability in the National Health Service' - report of the working party of the British Psychological Society Professional Affairs Board; report of the representative on the Parliamentary Mental Health Group;
28 April 1989 - Parliamentary Group agenda, minutes, papers and correspondence including proposed PSC [Parliament and Scientific Committee] briefing on disasters includes draft SAB [Scientific Affairs Board] report on 'The Psychological Aspects of Disasters'; Group membership; list of MPS/Lords interests; proposed presentation to the All Party Penal Affairs Group on sexual offenders; revised draft briefing paper on incontinence; copy of Schizophrenia After-Care Bill;
16 June 1989 - Parliamentary Group agenda [meeting cancelled]
15 September 1989 - Parliamentary Group agenda, minutes, papers and correspondence including membership of the Group, proposed briefing to All Party Penal Affairs group on sexual offenders; BBC Any Questions, report on activities of the All Party Group on Social Science and Policy; review of Standing Committee on Communications; COPUS [Committee on the Public Understanding of Science] Westminster Fellowship; annual report of Group activities; proposed briefing on rad safety; BPS position statement 'The Role of Clinical Psychologist in AIDS'; European Parliament 1992 and testing; Disaster bills, SAB [Scientific Affairs Board] report on 'The Problematic Use of Drugs (and post meeting reply from Department of Transport; proposed meetings with ALSISS Social Science Forum.
22 November 1989 Parliamentary Group agenda, minutes, papers and correspondence including representation on the All Party Mental Health Group, Alf Morris's Disaster Private Members bill; notes on meeting with ALSISS; proposed affiliation with the Council for Education in the Commonwealth; EDM [Early Day Motion] on pay of clinical psychologists; draft briefing paper on Sexual Offenders; special educational needs, feedback from incontinence briefing.
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| AdminHistory | Responses to Government policies papers and commissions were traditionally the responsibility of British Psychological Society Boards, Divisions, specifically created working parties or Subsystems including the Division of Clinical Psychology who had a Parliamentary Liaison Officer rather being a central activity.
In 1985 after the creation of the coordinating Standing Committee on Communications and the appointment of a Director of Information (Stephen White) - the Society started a more proactive approach to parliamentary and policy affairs. A parliamentary briefing was held March 1985 (as part of the launch of book) on The Psychological Aspects of Nuclear War. The Standing Committee then discussed topics for future briefings and a 'Parliamentary Team' or 'Group' was created comprising Guy Fielding, James Thompson and Stephen White. It was formally constituted as the Parliamentary Group with its first meeting on 19 November 1986 under the Chairmanship of Guy Fielding, reporting to the Standing Committee on Communications. A week earlier a briefing had been held on Psychological Aspects of Alcohol.
Lea Pearson succeeded Guy Fielding as Chair December 1988 and was herself succeeded by John Sheppard in February 1990.
John Sheppard was responsibility holder for Parliamentary activities 1990-1996 reporting to Standing Committee on Communications successor the Information Committee. The Parliamentary Group was disbanded after the review of the Information Committee in 1996.
Keith Vaz and Keith Hampson were British Psychological Society sponsored MPs c. 1992-1997.
A London based Parliamentary officer Ana Padilla was employed by the British Psychological Society between September 2002 and December 2010.
In July 2017 a BPS All Party Parliamentary Group for Psychology met for the first time, chaired by Lisa Cameron, MP and clerked by the British Psychological Society. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Head of the History of Psychology Centre and Archives and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material |