| Description | Papers, reports and correspondence of responses to Government legislation, commissions, enquiries and other organisational requests for the opinion of the British Psychological Society. Until the late 1980s responses were often complied by ad hoc working parties or by groups within the Society e.g. Scientific Affairs Board, Professional Affairs Board, Division of Clinical Psychology etc and so working material relating to responses may also be found in other parts of the collection.
Much of this material is awaiting cataloguing.
Includes:
BPS/001/11/04/03/01 BPS Consultations and Responses 1956-1959
BPS/001/11/04/03/02 BPS Consultations and Responses 1960-1971
BPS/001/11/04/03/03 BPS Consultations and Responses 1972-1979
BPS/001/11/04/03/04 BPS Consultations and Responses 1980-1989
BPS/001/11/04/03/05 BPS Consultations and Responses 1990-1995 |
| 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
After 1974 responses to Government policies papers and commissions were often 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].
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 the advice of House of Commons Select Committees clerks 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. They also lobbied for the compulsory registration of psychologists.
A London based Parliamentary officer Ana Padilla was employed by the British Psychological Society between September 2002 and December 2010.
On the 11 July 2017 a BPS All Party Parliamentary Group for Psychology APPG met for the first time, chaired by Lisa Cameron, MP and clerked by the British Psychological Society. A subsequent meeting November 2017 launched a BPS report 'Psychology at Work'. |
| 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 |