Institutional background
Pollution became a political issue in the UK
in the late 1960s; a series of oil spills, seabird
and fish kills and, most dramatically, the
wrecking and subsequent bombing of the
Torrey Canyon oil tanker raised public
awareness of environmental issues and
brought pollution control well and truly into
the public policy domain. Environmental
policy received a boost in the 1969 reorganiza-
tion of government, when Anthony Crosland
was made Secretary of State for Local Gov-
ernment and Regional Planning, with an
urgent remit to improve the machinery for
dealing with pollution. Crosland’s recommen-
dations led to the creation of the Central Sci-
entific Unit on Pollution to support him and
the establishment of the Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)[1, p. 88].
The RCEP was to be a standing commis-
sion, so that it would continue in existence
indefinitely (in constitutional terms “at the
monarch’s pleasure”). It is not confined to one
particular policy and one particular minis-
ter; it can report right across the field on
environmental matters. While the RCEP
exists, its reports cannot be censored, despite
the fact that it has a very wide jurisdiction.
The royal warrant endorsing the RCEP laid
out its tasks as follows:
…to advise on matters both national and
international, concerning the pollution of
the environment; on the adequacy of
research in this field; and the future possi-
bilities of danger to the environment[2, p. iii].
The members of the Commission took this to
permit them a broad outlook:
We are authorised to enquire into any
matters on which we think advice is
needed[2, p. 1].
In order to carry out their tasks, the royal
warrant gave the members of the RCEP the
following rights:
…full power to call before you such persons
as you shall judge likely to afford you any
information upon the subject of this Our
Commission; to call for information in writ-
ing; and also to call for and have access to
and examine all such books, documents,
registers and records as may afford you the
fullest information on the subject and to
inquire of and concerning the premises by
all other lawful ways and means whatso-
ever[2, p. iv].
By creating a standing commission with
these powers of research, it was hoped that a
continuous stream of reports would provide
relevant scientific information to the appro-
priate government departments. The First
Report indicated how the RCEP members saw
their role:
The nation’s resources for reducing pollu-
tion are limited, difficult choices will have
to be made in their deployment. A standing
Royal Commission, which is independent of
Government, has an opportunity to give
objective advice on how these choices
should be made and to contribute ideas
towards a comprehensive policy for safe-
guarding the environment[2, pp. 1-2].
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