Britain: An official handbook > 1956

RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND THE ARTS
379
Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy was established by Royal Charter in 1949 an<i
responsible to the Committee of the Privy Council for Agricultural Research and
Nature Conservation. Its functions, as summarized in the charter, are ‘to provide
scientific advice on the conservation and control of the natural flora and fauna of
Great Britain; to establish, maintain and manage nature reserves in Great Britain
Tsee p. 361], including the maintenance of physical features of scientific interest;
and to organize and develop the research and scientific service related thereto’.
Atomic Energy Authority
Before 1946 the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was responsible
for atomic energy research and development.
From 1946 to 1953 this responsibility rested with the Minister of Supply. By
April 1953, however, the Government had decided in principle to transfer respon¬
sibility for atomic energy from the Minister of Supply to a non-departmental
organization, in view both of the growing importance of the industrial applications
of atomic energy and the need for an organization for atomic energy more akin to
that of a large industrial undertaking. It was subsequently announced that the
Minister to be generally responsible for the control and development of atomic
energy in the United Kingdom would be the Lord President of the Council.
As an interim measure the Department of Atomic Energy was set up under the
Lord President; this Department took over responsibility for the operation of the
atomic energy project from 1st January 1954’ Subsequently Parliament passed
the Atomic Energy Authority Act, i954> and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy
Authority, set up under that Act, took over responsibility for the project from the
Department of Atomic Energy on 1st August i954> The Lord President is still
responsible to Parliament for atomic energy policy generally and also, subject to the
consent of the Treasury, for providing funds for the Authority out of money pro¬
vided by Parliament. In particular he has the duty of securing that, in the Authority’s
operations, the proper degrees of importance are attached to the various applica¬
tions of atomic energy. He is assisted, in the exercise of these responsibilities, by
the Atomic Energy Office, which also provides any necessary liaison between the
Authority and other Government Departments. The Minister of Supply continues
to be responsible for providing atomic weapons to the Services and places contracts
with the Authority for the production of nuclear components of such weapons and
research related to them; the Authority is free to conduct experimental work which
may lead to improved types of warheads for such weapons.
The Authority, whose members are appointed by the Lord President, consists of
not fewer than eight and not more than 11 members, including the chairman.
The Authority, like other statutory corporations, is free from day-to-day Govern¬
ment control (subject to the power given to the Lord President to issue directions
to the Authority on any matter where he considers over-riding national interests
require his intervention), but differs from them in that the bulk of its revenue is
derived from money voted by Parliament and in that its accounts are examined ana
certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General (see p. 279)-
The Authority’s establishments, and their respective functions, are as follows:
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell, in Berkshire, is respon¬
sible for fundamental research into nuclear physics and atomic energy, and provides
basic scientific information to the other establishments. It houses the United
Kingdom’s first two experimental piles, deep and Bepo, a zero energy experimenta
fast breeder reactor, Zephyr, which went into operation on 5th February 1954, and
a heavy water reactor known as Dimple, which started working on 1st August 1954-