Britain: An official handbook > 1966

Pure Food
Other Public
Health Duties
THE NATIONAL
health service
SOCIAL WELFARE 143
the Welsh Board of Health or the Secretary of State for Scotland or the
Ministry of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland) for recording
notifications of the prescribed infectious diseases.
Port health authorities have a general responsibility for supervising the
operation of health control at seaports and airports, the primary object of
which is to prevent the introduction of infectious disease into the country.
This health control is undertaken by health authorities using the services of
medical officers, public health inspectors, rodent inspectors and others.
The purity, hygiene and description of food are controlled by legislation
consolidated for England and Wales in the Food and Drugs Act 1955, for
Scotland in the Food and Drugs (Scotland) Act 1956, and for Northern
Ireland in the Food and Drugs Act (Northern Ireland) 1958. In England
and Wales the Act and regulations made under it are, in general, carried out
and enforced by food and drugs authorities (county, county borough, London
borough and City of London councils and, generally, the larger borough and
urban district councils) in relation to composition, adulteration and descrip¬
tion, and by local authorities (county borough, London borough, City of
London, borough, urban district and rural district councils) in relation
to soundness, purity and hygiene; the Ministry of Health and the Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are the central departments responsible
for advising and for making regulations under the Act. Places where food for
sale for human consumption is prepared, sold or stored must conform to
certain hygienic standards. Authorised officers of the councils concerned may
take for analysis or for bacteriological or other examination samples of any
food for sale for human consumption. Special regulations are in force for
certain foods such as milk, meat and ice-cream.
In Scotland the local authorities chiefly concerned are the councils of
counties and large burghs; the central department is the Scottish Home and
Health Department.
In Northern Ireland administration is in the hands of the county and
county borough health authorities, the central department being the Ministry
of Health and Social Services.
Local authorities are also responsible for the public health aspects of water
supply, sewerage and drainage; street paving and housing; and the abatement
of noise nuisance. They have power to establish smoke-controlled areas to
secure cleaner air.
The Acts setting up the National Health Service—the National Health
Service Act 1946, the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947, and the
Health Services Act (Northern Ireland) 1948—came into force simultaneously
on 5th July, 1948.
The object of the National Health Service Act 1946 is ‘to promote the
establishment in England and Wales of a comprehensive health service
designed to secure improvement in the physical and mental health of the
people of England and Wales and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment
of illness, and for that purpose to provide or secure the effective provision
of services’. The service was originally free to users but certain small charges
were introduced under subsequent legislation. The present Government has
announced its intention of abolishing all charges. The service is available to
all according to medical need without regard to any insurance qualification.
National insurance contributors are required to pay a separate weekly national