Department of Energy and predecessors: Atomic Energy Division and predecessors: Registered...

EG 12

1969-1982

This series contains files registered in the RC prefix series. Some earlier papers were raised in the CV prefix series, and subsequently registered into the RC series. The files relate to the proposed creation of a British Research and Development Corporation, which was intended to run the civil research and development laboratories of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and the Ministry of Technology under a single management structure. (The project was abandoned as a result of the Conservative victory in the 1970 General Election but was later reconstituted as the Industrial Research Review Division of the first Department of Trade and Industry). This series also contains files concerning the review of the Technology Reports Centre, the working party to consider the future choice of thermal reactors, the ministerial review of thermal reactor policy, policy on other types of reactor such as thermal, fast breeder, steam generating heavy water and pressurised water and other atomic energy subjects.

These files are arranged in file number order.

RC file series

Public Record(s)

English

• British Research Development Organisation, 1970-1970
• Department of Energy, Atomic Energy Division, 1974-1992
• Department of Trade and Industry, Atomic Energy Division, 1971-1974
• Industrial Research Review, 1970-1971

250 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

From 1997 Department of Trade and Industry

Topics

Trade and commerce

Democracy

Nuclear energy

Research

Renewable energies

Series is accruing

In a Green Paper published in January 1970, the Labour Government recommended the creation of a British Research Development Corporation (BRDC). BRDC was intended to run the civil research and development laboratories of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Ministry of Technology (Mintech) under a single management structure, receiving a substantial proportion of its income through contracts with and from industry. Mintech set up a BRDC Division to work towards the establishment of the BRDC. This Division appears to have been set up in April 1970 and was staffed by personnel drawn from Mintech's Atomic Energy Division. The project BRDC was abandoned as a result of the Conservative victory in the 1970 General Election and the Division lost its raison d'etre.

After the merger of Mintech and the Board of Trade in October 1970 (which resulted in the formation of the first Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the BRDC Division was reconstituted to form the Industrial Research Review (IRR) Division whose remit was defined as "the examination of policy issues raised by the review of Government industrial R&D (research and development) resources and activities, including those of the UKAEA ...[and] the co-ordination of work and the formulation of policy on Government industrial research".

The IRR Division was abolished in late 1971 and most of its personnel were transferred to Branch 3 of DTI's Atomic Energy (AE) Division, which was concerned with the organisation and funding of research and development on nuclear reactors, the organisation of the UK nuclear industry, and the atomic energy aspects of UK energy policy. On the abolition of DTI in 1974, the AE Division became the Atomic Energy Division of the new Department of Energy.