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and services after building works have been completed. Close liaison at this level with officers of
other departments of the City Council, with London Building Act District Surveyors and other
Authorities is mutually beneficial.
Public Health Inspectors—Night and Weekend, etc. duties
The arrangements, detailed in the Annual Report for 1966 and organised to provide as complete
cover of inspectorial work as is possible outside the normal working hours, have been maintained
throughout 1968.
Student Public Health Inspectors—Practical Training
In January 1968 there were fourteen student public health inspectors under training in the
Department. During the year, one fourth-year student qualified by passing the Diploma Examination
in June, and she was subsequently appointed as a public health inspector by the City Council.
One second-year student abandoned his studentship and resigned from the Council's service to
join his father's business. Two additional students were appointed in September and there were,
therefore, still fourteen students in the Department at the end of the year.
Four students will complete their four-year course and will sit for the qualifying examination
during 1969.
District inspection
During 1968 the City was divided into four areas, and following re-arrangement of the duties of
some of the public health inspectors the number of districts was reduced from thirty-two to
twenty-four. Two areas, each consisting of five districts, operate from the Paddington Office in
Harrow Road; the other two areas, consisting of eight and six districts, are centred at City Hall and
Westminster Council House respectively.
Summaries of the work carried out by District and other inspectors are included in Tables 8, 9,
10 and 11 on pages 83 and 84.
Dwelling houses
General inspection of dwelling houses arising from complaints and for routine purposes, as
distinct from duties under the Housing Acts and other specialised functions dealt with later in this
Report, are undertaken by the district inspectors. An analysis of reasons for initial inspections of
dwelling houses is given in Table 8, page 83; and an analysis of 3,450 (2,763) nuisances and
unsatisfactory conditions found and remedied appears in Table 9, page 83.
Notices
One thousand two-hundred and twenty (1,076) informal notices were served during 1968, and
of these 830 (705) were followed by the service of statutory notices to secure the abatement of
nuisances. In addition 36 (210) notices were served under the Clean Air Act 1956.
An analysis of statutory notices served is given in Table 11, page 84.
Legal proceedings
A summary of legal proceedings undertaken during 1968 is set out in Table 29, page 92.
Noise
Definition—In July 1963 the Committee on the Problem of Noise (the Wilson Committee)
submitted their Report to Parliament. Their terms of reference were "to examine the nature, sources
and effects of the problem of noise and to advise what further measures can be taken to mitigate it."
The Committee adopted the definition of noise as "sound which is undesired by the recipient".
They stated that a noise problem must involve people and their feelings and its assessment is a matter
rather of human values and environments than of precise physical measurement. They were of the
opinion that neither experience nor experimental evidence supports the suggestion that some
measurable figure of noise intensity might be accepted as a universal limit towards which all noise
control might be directed.
General Effects of Noise—As to the general effects of noise, the Wilson Committee found that
"since health is defined as a 'state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely an absence of disease and infirmity', there is no doubt that noise affects health" and went on
to state that of all effects, repeated interference with sleep is least to be tolerated. It is therefore
especially important to diminish noise during the earlier part of the night, because during the later
phase of deep sleep even loud noises have less effect in wakening the sleeper. They were unable