1. Liberal Welfare Reforms 1906-1914
Notes

2. The Young Background Education compulsory since 1872
Children coming to school dirty, hungry and sick
‘Feed the stomach then the mind’
Aim – to tackle the problem of ‘national efficiency’
Growing support for free school meals and medical inspections in schools
Pressure from Labour Party

3. The Young Education( Provision of Meals) Act 1906
Powers given to local councils and charities
Parents charged a small fee, councils could increase local taxes, grants provided
1906 – 9 million school meals
1914 – 14 million school meals
1912 – 50% of councils not involved

4. The Young Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907
School Medical Inspections
Influence of Robert Morant – Head of Education Board
Government fears about effects – future cost of dealing with health problems
Act 1907 – inspection of primary school pupils

5. The Young
Serious health problems identified – children untreated due to poverty – cost
1912 Councils given small grants to provide school clinics
Education (Scotland) Act 1908 introduced inspections and allowed councils to take action against parents who neglected their children
Main effect – showed extent of health problems amongst the young
Many health problems remained untreated

6. The Young
Children Act 1908
Made it illegal for parents to neglect children
Series of steps to protect children – smoking and drinking banned for under sixteens, begging banned, juvenile courts set up, borstals set up (corrective schools), probation officers for child offenders
Positive steps to protect children

7. The Old
Background
Influence of Lloyd George, Churchill after 1908 – ‘New Liberals’
Need to tackle poverty
Concerns about ‘national efficiency’
Concerns about economic and military strength of Germany – introduced pensions in 1889

8. The Old
Fears about cost – increased taxation – government aimed to keep costs down
Opposition of Friendly Societies – made profits providing private pensions to working people
Public in favour of Old Age Pensions
Support of Trade Unions
Support of Labour Party – won two by-elections from Liberals in 1907

9. The Old Old Age Pensions Act 1908
People over 70 with an annual income of £21 - £31 per year given 5p – 25p per week
Had to be UK residents for 25 years – no ex prisoners, no work shy, no drunks
Maximum pension of 25p per week still left people below the poverty line (Rowntree)
Huge demand – 1million pensioners by 1914
Liberals underestimated extent of problem

10. The Sick Background Plans for a unified system
National insurance scheme to be set up
Taxes raised – income tax, super tax on rich, capital gains tax (tax on sale of property)
Opposition of Friendly Societies – loss of business
Opposition of doctors – fears about having to provide cheap treatment to the poor

11. The Sick National Insurance Act 1911 (Part 1) Health insurance
Workers/Employers/Government contributions each week
Entitlements – sickness benefit of 50p per week for 13 weeks then 25p for 13 weeks
Disablement Benefit of 25p after 26 weeks
Maternity benefit introduced
Treatment by government approved doctors

12. The Sick Basic provision of health care for the poor in Britain
Some relief from fear of illness and its impact on families
Workers families not covered by the scheme
Hospital treatment not covered by health insurance

13. The Unemployed/Low Paid
Background
Changing attitudes to unemployment
Unemployment often outwith the control of workers – cyclical, seasonal
Unemployment demonstrations 1903 – 1905
Trade unions supported better unemployed rights
Unemployed could vote – appeal of Labour Party

14. The Unemployed/Low Paid
Unemployed Workmen’s Act 1905
Distress Committees set up to help unemployed – public works schemes, payments to unemployed, help to emigrate
Money raised through local taxes and public appeals
Lack of money – many schemes were temporary
Raised awareness of problem of unemployment

15. The Unemployed/Low Paid
Labour Exchanges 1909
Employment arrangements inefficient – men hanging around factories looking for work
Solution – Labour Exchanges – employers registered jobs – information passed to unemployed
1910 – 83 Labour Exchanges
1913 – 430 Labour Exchanges
Success – 3,000 found jobs every day by 1914

16. The Unemployed/Low Paid
National Insurance Act 1911 (Part 2
Unemployment insurance
Workers/Employers/Government made weekly contributions
Trades involved – shipbuilding, engineering, building, iron making, sawmilling
Payments when unemployed 35p a week for 15 weeks each year

17. The Unemployed/Low Paid
Insured worker had to register at a Labour Exchange
Workers who were dismissed did not receive benefits
2.3 million workers insured by 1913
Small proportion of the working population but was the beginning of a comprehensive system for helping the unemployed

18. The Unemployed/Low Paid
Help for the Employed
Workmen’s Compensation Act 1906 – compensation for injuries received at work to be paid by employers
Coal Mines Act 1908 – shorter hours for coal miners
Trade Boards Act 1909 – minimum wages for women in low paid work
Shops Act 1911 – half day off each week for shop workers
Acts helped vulnerable workers