RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION BILL [H.L.] (Hansard, 8 December 1969)

§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (BARONESS SEROTA
My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a third time. During the Committee stage of the Bill the noble Earl, Lord Bessborough, asked what proportions of financial support will be given to the Board from the Health Ministers, the Atomic Energy Authority and the Medical Research Council. I have since given him this information but he has suggested that I should give it to the whole House at this stage of the Bill. With permission, I shall do so briefly.
The estimated current gross revenue expenditure for the financial year 1969/ 70 will be divided as follows. For the Radiological Protection Service, the Secretary of State for Social Services will contribute £365,000, amounting to 45 per cent. of the total. The Secretary of State for Scotland, will contribute £46,000, some 5 per cent. of the total; and the Medical Research Council, £161,000, 20 per cent. of the total. For the relevant parts of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Health and Safety branch, the Atomic Energy Authority will contribute £250,000, some 30 per cent. of the total. That makes a total budget of £822,000. For the first few years the contributions from these four sources to the new Board will be worked out on proportions calculated approximately on the basis of current expenditure. Afterwards the proportions will be reviewed, and revised, if necessary, in the light of the situation at the time. I hope that that information is satisfactory to the noble Earl and to the House.

THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGH
My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Baroness for that additional information about the proportion of financial support 287 to be given to the new Board not only by the Health Minister but also by the Ministry of Technology for the Atomic Energy Authority, the Department of Education and Science and the Medical Research Council. These figures give a much clearer picture of the scope of the work. As I see it, we shall this year be spending on these services, something of the order of £822,000, of which about half will come from the Votes of the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Scotland, and the remainder from the M.R.C. and the A.E.A. I understand that for the first few years the contribution from these four sources will be worked out in similar proportions, but that they will be reviewed from time to time and, if necessary, revised.
The Bill certainly seems designed—and I think this is most important—to promote the efficient use of the radiological protection staff by concentrating them under one Board. However, in the case of the Atomic Energy Authority only a small theoretical section appears to be involved. It would appear that the practical sections doing research, that is to say, the health, physics and medical division at Harwell, will continue—I hope I have this right—to parallel similar work by the Board. I do not know whether the noble Baroness can say whether I am right on this point. I should have thought that here was an opportunity substantially to reduce the A.E.A's. work on radiological protection.
There is one further point on which I am still not quite clear. As I understand it, there are in existence a number of hospital-based film monitoring services on which no information is given concerning their future. I think that the largest is the Liverpool Radium Institute. It seems to me that advantages should accrue if their work were transferred to the new Board and displaced staff were employed on essential medical work. If the noble Baroness does not feel in a position to comment on these points this afternoon, I have no doubt that they will be raised by my honourable friends when the Bill is considered in another place. Apart from these points, and certain considerations which I raised on Second Reading and the Committee stage and which I do not propose to recapitu- 288 late now, I agree that this is a useful Bill which should be given a Third Reading.

§ BARONESS SEROTA
My Lords, I think I can reassure the noble Earl on the two points he has raised. It is not intended that the creation of the new Board should have any immediate effect on the activities, including research activities, which are now being undertaken by the component parts of the new organisation. It will of course be for the Board itself to assess the work it has in hand and to bring about a co-ordination of the various research activities being undertaken at present. It is not possible to predict at this stage whether any saving of the staff engaged in research would be possible, or in fact effected, by such a process, but I have noted the point the noble Earl has made and I am sure that it will be borne in mind.
With regard to his question relating to the future of the film badge monitoring services, it is true that these are at present undertaken by the radiological protection service, and the Atomic Energy Authority provides its own film monitoring service. I think, my Lords, that it would be reasonable for the new Board to provide a national service, probably on an automated basis in due course. I have no doubt that were this to be the case the Board would discuss with other organisations, such as those mentioned by the noble Earl, the extent to which the Board itself should provide a service for the particular organisations involved in this need. I hope that with these two assurances the House will agree to give the Bill a Third Reading.