| AdminHistory | After the second World War it became evident that the Government was going to continue to employ psychologist who had been attached to the armed forces and civil service commission however there was a debate as to whether they would be treated as civil servants and on the same pay scales, The British Psychological Society wrote to the Lord President of Council in 1946 and 1947 without response but on 12 April 1948 a deputation (Professor Godfrey Thomson, Alec Rodger and Colonel Bernard Ungerson met Treasury representatives and subsequently wrote to Thompson [Deputy President of the British Psychological Society] confirming an agreement to set up a separate class for psychologists in the civil service [the letter is published in the Quarterly Bulletin of the British Psychological Society Vol 1 Number 2 October 1948 page 38-39];
The Society became a subscribing member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee in 1958 and held an event 'Science in Everyday Life' in 9 December 1959
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. Although there are some examples such the BPS's statement on 'Privacy' sent to all MPS when the Younger Committee was announced in 1970 [see BPS/001/11/03/01/01].
In 1980 Alan Elliot wrote a paper 'Image and the Axe' [BPS/001/11/04/02/04/04] for the Professional Affairs Board in response to what he perceived as the low reputation of psychology and the effect of finance cuts to manpower and services provided by psychologists, this paper led not only to the creation of the Press committee in 1983 but also proposed setting up a parliamentary lobby as part of the attempt to sell psychologists and psychology to the general public.
During the Mental Health Bill passage through parliament in 1982 the Society lobbied MPs directly including Stan Thorne MP to raise specific amendments.
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. Not only did they ask for advice of House of Commons Select Committees for advice on the best way to present consultation responses they also started a series of proactive briefing. The first of these was held in Parliament on March 1985 (as part of the launch of book) on The Psychological Aspects of Nuclear War. The Standing Committee on Communications discussed topics for future briefings and as a result a 'Parliamentary Team' or 'Group' was created comprising Guy Fielding, James Thompson and Stephen White.
The Parliamentary Group held 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. John Sheppard was Chairman of the Parliamentary Group and responsibility holder for Parliamentary activities 1990-1996 reporting to Standing Committee on Communications successor the Information Committee.
Keith Vaz and Keith Hampson were British Psychological Society sponsored MPs c. 1992-1997. Keith Vaz at the instigation of the Society tabled a private members bill in 1992 'The Impact of Disasters' but it did not receive the support it required.
A London based Parliamentary officer Ana Padilla was employed by the British Psychological Society between September 2002 and December 2010. As well as coordinating consultations, briefings and reports - a number of events were held at Parliament some of this in conjunction with POST [Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology - 2002 Children and Young People; 2003 The Integration of Refugee Children in the UK; 2004 Dyslexia and Dyscalculia; 2005 Binge Drinking; 2006 Sustainability Making Britain Green; 2007 Changing Health Behaviour; 2009 Climate Change and 2009 Alternatives to Custodial Sentencing.
A BPS Parliamentary and Policy Support Unit Steering Group ran between c. 2004 and 2010 Chaired by Harriet Gross
4 November 2016 - a press release for a Westminster meeting held on the needs of asylum-seekers and refugees took place at the invitation of Dr Lisa Cameron MP, a chartered member of the Society, who acted as chair. It also mentioned “We are working to establish an official all-party parliamentary group in psychology with members from both Houses”.
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 |