The Atomic Energy Authority Bill was introduced in the House of Commons by Minister of Work Sir David Eccles yesterday and has been published today to update legislation passed in 1946, when the first facilities were established.

Former Chief Planning Officer to the Treasury Sir Edwin Plowden, 47, will chair the new authority.

He will be joined on the Authority by between six and 10 members, who have so far been identified as:

• Sir John Cockcroft, 47, Director of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment since 1946;
• Sir Christopher Hinton, 53, Deputy Controller of Atomic Energy since 1946;
• and Sir William Penney, 44, who designed Britain's first atomic bomb.

The Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) will be responsible for producing and disposing of atomic energy and radioactive waste and with government approval it may allocate grants and loans for developing research and production.

The government will retain close links and strict control over atomic weapons.

The Waverley Report

The re-organisation is in line with the findings of the committee set up by the government last April under the chairmanship of Lord Waverley.

The Waverley Report - which is not publicly available for security reasons - formed the basis of a White Paper presented to parliament last November.

It described the growing importance of atomic energy and the variety of commercial applications for it which suggested it would be better run as a large industrial facility than by a government department.

Changes began at the beginning of the year when responsibility for atomic energy was moved from the Minister of Supply to the Lord President of the Council, Lord Salisbury, a non-departmental post.

His role is to decide government policy for the industry and to distribute large sums of money voted for it by parliament.

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