§ Mr. John Hallasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the Foster Report on Scientology is to be published; and if he will now make a statement.
§ Sir K. JosephThe report is being published today by order of the House of Commons. It results from an inquiry instituted by the previous Administration,386W which determined the very wide terms of reference and left the procedure to be adopted entirely to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Northwich (Sir J. Foster). Its main recommendations are that the restrictions instituted in July, 1968, on foreign scientologists entering this country should be relaxed, but that there should be legislation enabling the practice of psychotherapy for reward to be restricted to suitably qualified persons. The Government take the view that the recommendations contained in the report should be considered as a whole, and that the proposal for the statutory control of the practice of psychotherapy for reward must be the subject of consultations, initially with the relevant professional organisations. I propose to initiate such consultations at once. Until they are completed the Government do not feel able to reach any conclusions on the report.