Catalogue description Records of the divisions of the Noise, Clean Air and Wastes Directorate

Prior to the creation of the Department of the Environment (DOE) in 1970, responsibilities for noise, clean air and radioactive wastes lay with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG). This included responsibility for the implementation of the Radio-Chemical Substances Act 1947, until 1959 when this function passed to the recently created Water and Sewerage Division.

In the 1960s, the MHLG's Local Government Division A had responsibility for air pollution and coastal protection. It dealt with smoke control areas and powers conferred on coast protection authorities for the protection of land against erosion and encroachment by the sea. Also, following the Radioactive Substances Act 1960, responsibility for radioactive material was transferred to this Local Government Division A. The 1960 Act placed a statutory obligation upon all users of radioactive material to obtain a certificate of registration.

Local Government Division A was incorporated into the newly formed DOE in 1970 and remained responsible for radioactive materials. Local Government Division B of the DOE serviced the Noise Advisory Council, established in 1970 as an independent source of advice to the government and chaired by the Secretary of State.

In 1972 the Noise, Clean Air and Wastes Directorate was first established, as part of the Environmental Protection Group, and took over functions connected with radioactive materials, noise and air pollution. These included a number of environmental duties which had previously been exercised by branches of the Local Government Directorate and the Accountant General's Department.

When it was first established the Noise, Clean Air and Wastes Directorate comprised three divisions:

• Clean Air, Oil Pollution and Coast Protection Division, which was responsible for radioactive substances, air and oil pollution, and coastal protection;
• Noise Policy Division, which was responsible for noise nuisances, the co-ordination of noise policy, and the Noise Advisory Council; and
• Waste Disposal Division, which dealt with waste disposal policy, radioactive wastes, refuse collection and disposal, and litter.

By 1974 this initial structure had been simplified and the number of divisions reduced to two:

• Waste Disposal division, which existed as before. Its responsibilities covered radioactive waste, waste collection and disposal and litter; and
• Noise, Clean Air and Coast Protection Division. This also dealt with issues surrounding radioactive substances alongside responsibility for issues noise policy, domestic smoke control; industrial air pollution; the Clean Air Council (which was established in May 1957 following the Clean Air Act 1956); coast protection; oil pollution of beaches and control of dogs.

In 1975, the functions of the Alkali and Clean Air Inspectorate were transferred from the DOE to the new Health and Safety Executive.

The simplified organisation of the Noise, Clean Air and Wastes Directorate was retained until 1978 when the Waste Disposal Division was replaced by the Waste Management Division.

In 1979 the Noise Clean Air and Wastes Directorate was renamed the Air, Noise and Wastes Directorate and underwent further alterations. The duties of the former divisions were redistributed across five new ones.

The Noise, Clean Air and Coast Protection Division was abolished and replaced with two Air and Noise Divisions:

• (i) Air and Noise (Administrative) Division, responsible for air pollution, noise policy and domestic smoke control; and
• (ii) Air and Noise (Professional) Division, dealing with the environmental effects of air pollution from all sources, the research and monitoring of related environmental concerns and the scientific aspects of domestic and international policy.

Shortly after their creation these two divisions were amalgamated to form a single Air and Noise Division.

The responsibilities of the Waste Management Division were divided amongst three new divisions, each specialising in a different area of waste management:

• Land Wastes Division was established to concentrate on policy regarding the collection, treatment, disposal and reclamation of domestic, commercial and industrial wastes.
• Radioactive Waste Administration Division dealt with radioactive waste, nuclear power stations, management policy, the administration of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960, and provided the secretariat to the Waste Management Advisory Committee.
• Radioactive Waste Professional Division dealt with the inspection of premises, radioactive waste management strategy, the assessment of plant and machinery under the 1960 Act, and research co-ordination.

In 1984 the Noise, Clean Air and Wastes Directorate was abolished. Due to the increasing range of responsibility and growth in profile the Waste Divisions were at this stage brought together to form the Waste Disposal Directorate. The Air and Noise Division was transferred and included within the Central Directorate of Environmental Pollution.