After its establishment in 1973 the National Economic and Social Council set up a Social Policy Commit­tee, whose main concern was with the social rather than the economic or regional matters which fell within the Council’s terms of reference.

During the Committee’s initial discussions, it was clear that, while there was general agreement on the scope and definition of (for example) economic policy, there existed a wide range of views on the meaning of social policy. In the Committee’s view, social policy was (and had to be) more than a mere combination of the social services being offered at the time.

In its pursuit of a concept of social policy that would provide a unifying theme for the Council’s work, the Social Policy Committee sought expert advice from Professor David Dennison, director of the Centre for Environmental Studies, London. His broad terms of reference were to report on the scope and aims of social policies, and to make consequential proposals to help the Committee plan its future work. His paper is published in Part II of this Report.