Alkali Act 1863

Under the British Alkali Act 1863, an alkali inspector and four subinspectors were appointed to curb discharge into the air of muriatic acid gas (gaseous hydrochloric acid) from Leblanc alkali works.

In 1874, under the Alkali Act 1874, the Inspector became the Chief Inspector. The first Chief Inspector was Dr Robert Angus Smith, he was statutorily responsible for the standards set and maintained by the Inspectorate, and reported directly to the Permanent Secretary of his department. For the first sixty years of its existence, the Inspectorate was solely concerned with the heavy chemicals industry, but from the 1920s onwards, its responsibilities were expanded, culminating in the Alkali Order 1958. This placed all major heavy industries which emitted smoke, grit, dust and fumes under the supervision of the Inspectorate.

The 1863 Act was repealed and replaced by the Alkali, &c. Works Regulation Act 1881, which was further extended by the Alkali, &c. Works Regulation Act 1892. The 1881 Act was repealed and replaced by the Alkali, &c. Works Regulation Act 1906.

Timeline

The Inspectorate has worked under the purview of many different departments:

From 1863 to 1872, the Board of Trade
From 1873 to 1918, the Local Government Board
From 1919 to 1951, the Ministry of Health
From 1951 to 1970, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government
From 1970 to 1975, the Department of the Environment

The Chief Inspector's independence disappeared when the Inspectorate was transferred to the Health and Safety Executive in 1975.

The Inspectorate was known as Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate from 1983 to 1987 and became Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) when it was transferred back to the Department of the Environment in 1987.

HMIP became part of the Environment Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency on 1 April 1996.

Together with amendments, the Alkali Act became the main legislative control of industrial pollution in the UK. It was finally repealed and replaced by the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

References

http://www.glossary.com/reference.php?q=Alkali%20Act%201863

United Kingdom legislation

Pre-Parliamentary legislation	List of English statutes Charter of Liberties Magna Carta

Acts of Parliament by states preceding the Kingdom of Great Britain	Acts of the Parliament of England to 1483 1485–1601 1603–1641 Interregnum (1642–1660) 1660–1699 1700–1706 Acts of the Parliament of Scotland Acts of the Parliament of Ireland to 1700 1701–1800

Acts of Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain	1707–1719 1720–1739 1740–1759 1760–1779 1780–1800

Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	1801–1819 1820–1839 1840–1859 1860–1879 1880–1899 1900–1919 1920–1939 1940–1959 1960–1979 1980–1999 2000 to date Halsbury's Statutes UK Statute Law Database

Church of England measures	List Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919

Legislation of devolved institutions	Acts of the Scottish Parliament Acts and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly Acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland Orders in Council for Northern Ireland

Orders-in-Council	Orders-in-Council

Secondary legislation	United Kingdom Statutory Instruments Scottish Statutory Instruments Act of Sederunt, Act of Adjournal