Radioactive Substances Act 1960
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1960 c. 34 |
| Year | 1960 |
Radioactive Substances Act , 1960
(8 & 9 Eliz. 2) 34
An Act to regulate the keeping and use of radioactive material, and to make provision as to the disposal and accumulation of radioactive waste; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 General provisions for registration of users of radioactive material.
(1) As from the appointed day no person shall, on any premises which are used for the purposes of an undertaking carried on by him keep or use, or cause or permit to be kept or used, radioactive material of any description, knowing or having reasonable grounds for believing it to be radioactive material, unless either—
(a ) he is registered under this section in respect of those premises and in respect of the keeping and use thereon of radioactive material of that description, or
(b ) he is exempted from registration under this section in respect of those premises and in respect of the keeping and use thereon of radioactive material of that description, or
(c ) the radioactive material in question consists of mobile radioactive apparatus in respect of which a person is registered under section three of this Act or is exempted from registration under that section.
(2) Any application for registration under this section shall be made to the Minister, specifying—
(a ) the premises to which the application relates;
(b ) the undertaking for the purposes of which those premises are used;
(c ) the description or descriptions of radioactive material proposed to be kept or used on the premises, and the maximum quantity of radioactive material of each such description likely to be kept or used thereon at any one time; and
(d ) the manner (if any) in which radioactive material is proposed to be used on the premises,
and containing such other information as may be prescribed.
(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section, where an application is made to the Minister for registration under this section in respect of any premises, the Minister may either—
(a ) register the applicant in respect of those premises and in respect of the keeping and use thereon of radioactive material of the description to which the application relates, or
(b ) if the application relates to two or more descriptions of radioactive material, register the applicant in respect of those premises and in respect of the keeping and use thereon of such one or more of those descriptions of radioactive material as may be specified in the registration, or
(c ) refuse the application.
(4) Any registration under this section in respect of any premises may (subject to the next following subsection) be effected subject to such limitations or conditions as the Minister thinks fit, and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of this subsection) may be effected subject to conditions of any of the following descriptions, that is to say,—
(a ) conditions imposing requirements (including, if the Minister thinks fit, requirements involving structural or other alterations) in respect of any part of the premises, or in respect of any apparatus, equipment or appliance used or to be used thereon for the purposes of any use of radioactive material from which radioactive waste is likely to arise;
(b ) conditions requiring the person to whom the registration relates, at such times and in such manner as may be specified in the registration, to furnish the Minister with information as to the removal of radioactive material from those premises to any other premises;
(c ) conditions prohibiting radioactive material from being sold or otherwise supplied from those premises unless it (or the container in which it is supplied) bears a label or other mark indicating that it is radioactive material or (if the conditions so require) indicating the description of radioactive material to which it belongs, and (in either case) complying with any requirements specified in the conditions in relation thereto.
(5) In the exercise of any power conferred on him by subsection (3) or subsection (4) of this section, the Minister, except in determining whether to impose any conditions falling within paragraph (b ) or paragraph (c ) of the said subsection (4), shall have regard exclusively to the amount and character of the radioactive waste likely to arise from the keeping or use of radioactive material on the premises in question.
(6) On registering a person under this section in respect of any premises, the Minister shall furnish him with a certificate containing all material particulars of the registration, and (unless, for reasons of national security, it is in the Minister's opinion necessary that knowledge of the registration should be restricted) shall send a copy of the certificate to each local authority in whose area the premises are situated.
2 Exemptions from registration under s. 1.
(1) The Authority are exempted from registration under the preceding section in respect of all premises used for the purpose of their undertaking and in respect of the keeping and use thereon of radioactive material of every description.
(2) At any time while a nuclear site licence is in force in respect of a site, and at any time after the revocation or surrender of such a licence but before the period of responsibility of the licensee has come to an end, the licensee (subject to the next following subsection) is exempted from registration under the preceding section in respect of any premises situated on that site and in respect of the keeping and use thereon of radioactive material of every description.
(3) Where, in the case of any such premises as are mentioned in the last preceding subsection, it appears to the Minister that, if the licensee had been required to apply for registration under the preceding section in respect of those premises, the Minister would have imposed conditions such as are mentioned in paragraph (b ) or paragraph (c ) of subsection (4) of that section, the Minister may direct that the exemption conferred by the last preceding subsection shall have effect subject to such conditions (being conditions which in the opinion of the Minister correspond to those which he would so have imposed) as may be specified in the direction.
(4) On giving a direction under the last preceding subsection in respect of any premises, the Minister shall furnish the licensee with a copy of the direction.
(5) In respect of all premises, all persons are exempted from registration under the preceding section in respect of the keeping and use thereon of clocks and watches which are radioactive material:
Provided that this subsection does not apply to any premises on which clocks or watches are manufactured or repaired by processes involving the use of luminous material.
(6) The Minister may by order grant further exemptions from registration under the preceding section, by reference to such classes of premises and undertakings, and such descriptions of radioactive material, as may be specified in the order.
(7) Any exemption granted by an order under the last preceding subsection may be granted subject to such limitations or conditions as may be specified in the order.
3 Registration of mobile radioactive apparatus.
(1) As from the appointed day no person shall—
(a ) keep, or cause or permit to be kept, mobile radioactive apparatus of any description for the purpose of its being used in the provision by him of services to which this section applies, or
(b ) use, lend or let on hire, or cause or permit to be used, lent or let on hire, mobile radioactive apparatus of any description in the course of the provision by him of any such services,
unless he is registered under this section in respect of that apparatus or is exempted from registration under this section in respect of mobile radioactive apparatus of that description.
(2) This section applies to any services which consist of—
(a ) using mobile radioactive apparatus for testing, measuring or otherwise investigating any of the characteristics of substances or articles situated elsewhere than on premises occupied by the person providing the services, or
(b ) lending or letting on hire mobile radioactive apparatus for the purpose of its being so used.
(3) Any application for registration under this section shall be made to the Minister, specifying the mobile radioactive apparatus to which the application relates, and the nature of the services to which this section applies in the course of which the apparatus is to be used, lent or let on hire, and containing such other information as may be prescribed.
(4) Where an application is made to the Minister for registration under this section in respect of any apparatus, the Minister may register the applicant in respect of that apparatus, either unconditionally or subject to such limitations or conditions as the Minister thinks fit, or may refuse the application.
(5) On registering a person under this section in respect of any mobile radioactive apparatus, the Minister shall furnish him with a certificate containing all material particulars of the registration.
4 Exemptions from registration under s. 3.
(1) The Authority are exempted from registration under the last preceding section in respect of mobile radioactive...
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