This document establishes the legal transfer of functions and responsibilities to the Secretary of State for the Environment following the 1970 government reorganization. The text serves as a formal statutory instrument, outlining the administrative shifts required to consolidate environmental oversight within a single cabinet-level position. It provides the legal framework for the transition of powers previously held by other ministerial departments.

Legal scholars and historians utilize this document as a primary source for understanding the structural evolution of British environmental governance. It is a technical, procedural text intended for reference by those studying administrative law or the history of the UK civil service.