The All-Party Group on Social Science and Policy
| Date | 01 July 1986 |
| Author | Frank Bealey |
| DOI | 10.1177/095207678600100306 |
| Published date | 01 July 1986 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The
All-Party
Group
on
Social
Science
and
Policy
Professor
Frank
Bealey,
University
of
Aberdeen
The
genesis
of
this
body
goes
back
to
1981
and
the
Rothschild
Committee
set
up
by
Sir
Keith
Joseph
to
enquire
into
the
need
for
a
Social
Science
Research
Council.
A
group
of
social
scientists
(including
myself)
under
the
Chairmanship
of
Margaret
Stacey
submitted
to
Lord
Rothschild
a
paper
in
which
we
argued
vigorously
for
the
SSRC's
retention.
Meanwhile
the
attack
on
the
social
sciences
had
also
led
to
the
foundation
of
the
Association
of
Learned
Societies
in
the
Social
Sciences,
a
federa-
tion
of
organisations
of
academics
in
various
social
science
disciplines.
Margaret
Stacey's
ad hoc
committee
was
then
incorporated
into
ALSISS
as
its
policy
com-
mittee.
It
was
at
this
committee
towards
the
end
of
1982
that
the
idea
of
social
science
seminars
for
politicians
was
first
mooted.
I
agreed
to
write
a
paper
about
its
practicality;
and
to
this
end
approached
some
social
scientists
who
had
been
associ-
ated
with
MPs
and
others
who
had
become
MPs.
By
the
time
I
had
produced
a
memorandum
for
the
policy
committee's
meeting
in
the
Spring
of
1983,
it
was
too
near
the
next
General
Election
to
proceed
with
the
matter.
Consequently,
it
was
not
until
November
1983
that
we
were
able
to
continue.
At
this
stage
I
was
helped
by
the
advice
of
Bernard
Crick
and
Ivor
Crewe,
and
by
Alan
Beith
in
Parliament.
They
suggested
MPs
who
might
be
sympathetic
to
the
scheme.
At
the
same
time
the
shape
that
the
seminars
should
take
became
more
clear,
as
a
result
of
a
day
in
the
House
of
Commons
visiting
the
Clerks
to
the
Depart-
mental
Select
Committees.
I
thought
that
the
Clerks
would
not
only
be
in
touch
with
a
good
deal
of
backbench
opinion,
but
would
also
be
aware
of
what
likely
topics
were
contemporaneously
exciting
the
Parliamentary
world.
From
them
and
from
Mr
S.
Lankester,
Clerk
to
the
House
of
Commons,
I
gained
the
strong
im-
pression
that
an
All-Party
Group
was
the
test
instrument
for
the
exercise
we
wished
to
initiate.
This
was
confirmed
by
the
two
MPs
I
contacted
-
Nigel
Forman,
Conservative
MP
for
Carshalton
and
Wallington
and
Bruce.
George,
Labour
MP
for
Walsall
South.
From
the
ALSISS
point
of
view
an
All-Party
Group
had
two
recom-
mendations.
It
enabled
the
seminars
to
be
held
in
a
House
of
Commons
Committee
room
(free
of
charge)
and
it
provided
easy
access
to
the
Parliamentary
communi-
cations
system
-meetings
would
be
advertised
in
papers
from
the
Whips
Office,
and
on
notice
boards.
Public
Policy
and
Administration
Volume
I
No.
3,
Winter
1986
48
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