Catalogue description Welsh Office: Water and Environmental Protection Division and Successors: Registered Files (CC Series)

Prior to 1981, the Department for the Environment had a regional office in Wales to administer central government functions for countryside and nature conservancy matters.

In 1981, the Welsh Office created the Water and Environmental Protection Division. Its responsibilities were for water, sewerage and sewage disposal, environmental protection matters, local government structure and miscellaneous local government matters, sport and recreation, liaison with the Local Government Boundary Commission (Wales), and the Sports Council for Wales. This was replaced in 1989 by the Environmental Protection and Local Government Division which covered most of the same responsibilities. In 1991, the Environment Division was created dealing with water quality, coast protection and land drainage, radioactivity, air pollution, coordination of Welsh Office input into White Paper on the Environment . After 1991, the sports and recreation functionss were hived off into the Culture and Recreation Division.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) was established. It was formed by a merger of the Countryside Commission (Wales) and the Nature Conservancy Council (Wales) and inherited the statutory duties of both of these predecessor bodies. The Countryside Commission (Wales) and the Nature Conservancy Council (Wales) were independent advisors to the Secretary of State for Wales on countryside and wildlife issues.