Science and Technology Act 1965

1 The Research Councils

(1) The following bodies established or to be established by Royal Charter shall be Research Councils for the purposes of this Act, that is to say,—

(a) the Agricultural Research Council and the Medical Research Council; and

(b) if Her Majesty is pleased to establish such a body, each of the two bodies respectively referred to in this Act as the Science Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council; and

(c) any other body which is established for purposes connected with scientific research and consists of persons appointed by a Minister of the Crown and which is declared by Order in Council to be established as a Research Council for purposes of this Act.

(2) The Science Research Council shall be a body established wholly or mainly for objects consisting of or comprised in the following, namely, the carrying out of scientific research, the facilitating, encouragement and support of scientific research by other bodies or persons or any description of bodies or persons and of instruction in the sciences and technology, and the dissemination of knowledge in the sciences and technology.

(3) The Natural Environment Research Council shall be a body established wholly or mainly for objects consisting of or comprised in the following, namely, the carrying out of research in the earth sciences and ecology, the facilitating, encouragement and support of such research by other bodies or persons or any description of bodies or persons and of instruction in subjects related to the Council's activities, the dissemination of knowledge in the earth sciences and ecology, the provision of advice on matters related to the Council's activities, and the establishment, maintenance and management of nature reserves.

(4) No recommendation shall be made to Her Majesty to make an Order in Council declaring a body to be a Research Council under subsection (1)(c) above unless a draft of the Order, specifying the objects or principal objects of that body, has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

2 Expenses, accounts etc. of Research Councils

(1) The Secretary of State may, out of moneys provided by Parliament, pay to any of the Research Councils such sums in respect of the expenses of the Council as he may with the consent of the Treasury determine, and so far as relates to the use and expenditure of sums so paid the Council shall act in accordance with such directions as may from time to time be given to it by the Secretary of State.

(2) The provisions of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the making of returns and reports by the Research Councils to the Secretary of State, with respect to the keeping and auditing of their accounts and with respect to related matters.

(3) Land occupied in the United Kingdom by any of the Research Councils shall be deemed, for the purposes of any rate on property, to be property occupied by or on behalf of the Crown for public purposes.

(4) The obligations of the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council under this section in relation to the Secretary of State shall be in place of any corresponding obligations imposed on either Council by its charter or otherwise, and the Agricultural Research Fund established under the [1956 c. 28.] Agricultural Research Act 1956 shall no longer be maintained; and subject to the foregoing provisions of this subsection anything which under the charter of either of those Councils is to be done by or to a committee of the Privy Council shall instead be done by or to the Secretary of State.

(5) Nothing in this Act or in any other enactment relating to the general functions of any of the Research Councils shall be taken as restricting the activities of a Research Council to the United Kingdom or any part thereof, nor shall the expenses in respect of which payments may be made under subsection (1) above be restricted to expenses incurred in the United Kingdom ; but, in the case of Research Councils other than the Agricultural Research Council and the Medical Research Council, the expenses of the Council in respect of which payments may be so made shall not include any expenses in so far as they may be incurred for objects falling outside the objects specified in relation to the Council in section 1(2) or (3) above or in the Order in Council declaring it to be a Research Council.

3 Re-allocation of activities connected with scientific research

(1) The activities of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research shall be taken over between them by such of the Research Councils as are concerned with the matters in question or by other government departments, and accordingly the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research shall be dissolved.

(2) The activities of the National Institute for Research in Nuclear Science shall be taken over by the Science Research Council.

(3) The activities of the Nature Conservancy and the National Oceanographic Council shall be taken over by the Natural Environment Research Council; and, subject to the provisions of this Act, references to the Natural Environment Research Council shall accordingly be substituted for references to the Nature Conservancy in Part III of the [1949 c. 97.] National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and in sections 84, 103(1) and (2) and 106 of that Act.

(4) Subsection (3) above shall not apply in relation to the following provisions of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, that is to say, section 24 (annual report of Nature Conservancy) and section 25(2) (under which the total value of the Nature Conservancy's lands is to be subject to the limitations imposed by its charter); and in their application to the Natural Environment Research Council by virtue of subsection (3) above—

(a) section 25(3) of that Act (under which the Council is to be treated in relation to its land as if it were a government department) shall extend only to land managed as a nature reserve ; and

(b) section 103(1) of that Act shall have effect with the substitution of the Secretary of State for the Minister empowered by that subsection in other cases to authorise the compulsory acquisition of land under the Act.

(5) The enactments mentioned in Schedule 2 to this Act shall have effect subject to the provisions set out in that Schedule (being provisions making minor or consequential amendments in connection with the operation of this and the foregoing sections); and the provisions of Schedule 3 to this Act shall have effect for transitional purposes connected with this section.

(6) Where any activities of a Research Council or government department in relation to scientific research are to be taken over from it (otherwise than under this section) by any Research Council or government department, then on the transfer accordingly of responsibility for those activities the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument transfer or provide for transferring property, rights, liabilities or obligations held, acquired or incurred in connection with the carrying on of the activities previously by any Research Council or government department; and a Research Council shall comply with any directions of the Secretary of State requiring it to take over from, or transfer to, any Research Council or government department the responsibility for any activities in relation to scientific research.

(7) On any such transfer of responsibility as is mentioned in subsection (6) above the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument provide, so far as appears to him necessary or expedient for giving full effect to the transfer, for the repeal or amendment of any provision in any enactment affecting a Research Council or government department concerned, and make transitional, supplemental or incidental provision in connection with any such repeal or amendment; but the statutory instrument shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

(8) The provisions of this section, except subsections (6) and (7), shall not come into force until such day as Her Majesty may by Order in Council appoint, and different days may be appointed for different provisions or for different purposes of the same provision.

4 Extension of research functions of Atomic Energy Authority

(1) The functions of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority shall include the undertaking of scientific research in such matters not connected with atomic energy as may, after consultation with the Authority, be required by the Minister of Technology, and section 2(2) of the [1954 c. 32.] Atomic Energy Authority Act 1954 shall apply as if any such research were research into matters connected with atomic energy.

(2) There shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament any increase attributable to subsection (1) above in the sums payable under section 4(1) of the Atomic Energy Authority Act 1954 out of moneys so provided.

(3) Section 3(6) and (7) above shall have effect in relation to any activities carried on or to be carried on by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority by virtue of this section as if the Authority were a government department.

5 Further powers of Secretary of State and Minister of Technology

(1) The Secretary of State and the Minister of Technology may defray out of moneys provided by Parliament any expenses which, with the consent of the Treasury, they may respectively incur—

(a) in carrying on or supporting scientific research or the dissemination of the results of scientific research ;

(b) as regards the Minister, in furthering the practical application of the results of scientific research ;

(c) in making payments in respect of remuneration, allowances or pension benefits payable to or in respect of members of any advisory body established for the purpose of assisting the Secretary of State or Minister, as the case may be, in matters connected with scientific research.

(2) The Minister of Technology, in and for the discharge of his functions falling within subsection (1)(a) and (b) above, may exercise the powers conferred by section 1 of the [1947 c. 39.] Statistics of Trade Act 1947 on competent authorities within the meaning of that Act, and for that purpose the Act shall apply as if he were named as a competent authority in section 17(3) of the Act.

(3) The members of the Advisory Committee under section 6 of the [1948 c. 37.] Radioactive Substances Act 1948 shall be appointed by the Secretary of State after consultation with such scientific, professional and technical organisations and persons as he thinks appropriate, and any notice of resignation by a member of that Committee shall be given either to the Secretary of State or (unless the member is chairman of the Committee) to that chairman; and the Secretary of State shall appoint a member of the Committee to be chairman of it and such person as he thinks fit to be secretary of it:

Provided that this subsection shall not affect any appointment made or notice given before this subsection comes into force.

6 Supplementary

(1) In this Act " scientific research " means research and development in any of the sciences (including the social sciences) or in technology.

(2) Nothing in this Act shall prejudice or affect any power to amend or revoke the charters of any Research Council, or any power of Her Majesty to grant new charters, or affect the operation of any amendment made or charter granted after the passing of this Act.

(3) The enactments mentioned in Schedule 4 to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Schedule, with effect in each case from such day as Her Majesty may by Order in Council appoint.

7 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Science and Technology Act 1965.