The Young
Liberal Welfare Reforms
1906-1914
Notes
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
The Young
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
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
The Young
The Young
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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
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
The Old
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
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The Old
The Sick
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
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
The Sick
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
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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 byelections from Liberals in 1907
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
The Unemployed/Low Paid
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
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
The Unemployed/Low Paid
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
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
The Unemployed/Low Paid
The Unemployed/Low Paid
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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
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