Environmental protection

Radioactivity - Justification of practices

Justification is one of the key principles of radiological protection established by the International Commission on Radiological Protection on which the radiological framework of the UK is based.

The principle of justification is that no practice involving exposures to radiation should be adopted unless it produces sufficient benefit to the exposed individuals or to society to offset the radiation detriment it causes.

The Justification of Practices Involving Radiation Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/1769) came into force on 2 August 2004.

The Regulations transpose into UK law the justification requirements of two European Directives which protect the health of individuals against the dangers of ionising radiation. These are:

  • Council Directive 96/26/Euratom of 13 May 1996 laying down basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionizing radiation.
  • Council Directive 97/43/Euratom of 30 June 1997 on health protection of individuals against the dangers of ionizing radiation in relation to medical exposure, and repealing Directive 84/466/Euratom.

Under these Directives, what is required to be justified is a particular class or type of practice and not individual uses. For new classes or types of practice (activity) (i.e. those which are undertaken for the first time after the 1996 Directive came into force on 13 May 2000), justification is required in advance of their being first adopted. Existing classes or types of practice (i.e. those which were being undertaken prior to 13 May 2000) may be reviewed to see if they are justified or not whenever new and important evidence about their efficacy or consequences is acquired.

The Regulations provide the framework in which future justification decisions in the UK will be taken. They set out, amongst other things, what applications need to be made, who takes justification decisions and how the Regulations will be enforced. Because of the time lag between the entry into force of the 1996 Directive (13 May 2000) and the Regulations (2 August 2004) transitional provisions are also included in respect of any new classes or types of practice which are carried out for the first time in the UK after 13 May 2000 but before the coming into force of these Regulations. Earlier expressly determined justifications decisions are also recognised by these Regulations.

The concordat sets out an agreed framework between UK Government and the Devolved Administration's on how the administration of the justification process will be co-ordinated within Government. Annex C of the document lists the Government Departments who have signed the concordat.

Guidance accompanies the Regulations and provides applicants and other interested parties with information on their application. The guidance will be subject to amendment in the light of the operation of the Regulations.

Initial enquiries about the Regulations should be addressed to:

Justification Application Centre (JAC)
Zone 4C
Ergon House
Horseferry Road
London, SW1P 2AL

Tel: 020 7238 1723
Email: justification@defra.gsi.gov.uk

The Register of justified practices required under the Regulations will be maintained by Defra.

The Register includes information on:

  • All applications received including those of the Secretary of State under Regulations 9, 10, or 12;
  • Justification decisions and decision letters, where appropriate;
  • Transitional arrangement determinations for new classes and types of practice and earlier justification decisions;
  • Determinations of reviewed existing practices;
  • Determinations of whether a practice is new or existing;
  • Re-determinations of decisions that existing practices are not justified.

If you require hard copies of any of the documents referred to in the Register you should contact the Justification Application Centre (contact details above).

Further information is available on our Help page about downloading or reading Adobe Acrobat PDF documents.

Page last modified: 23 June 2008

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs