Liberal Welfare Reforms

1. Liberal Welfare Reforms Success?

2. The Young • Free School Meals 1906 – Labour party Bill - not compulsory – used by less than 50% of education authorities by 1914 – made compulsory in 1914 • Medical Inspections 1907 – compulsory but local authorities did not have to provide treatment but school clinics set up after 1912

3. The Young • Children’s Charter 1908 - Probation Officers provided after care for child offenders – sale of alcohol to children banned – health benefit? • Free secondary school places 1907 – numbers limited • However – despite limitations – direct government involvement to improve lives of poor children

4. The Old • Pensions 1908 - No pension if income over £25 each year - Five shillings (25p) was a small amount – Labour Party wanted a higher figure - Pension at 70 – few old people survived to that age – Labour Party wanted pension at 65 • However - Limited effect on poverty among poor elderly people – small numbers but direct intervention to tackle poverty

5. The Sick • Health Insurance 1911 – sick pay, medical attention, maternity benefit, TB treatment • However benefits only applied to the worker not his wife and children – did not apply to people earning more than £160 each year – but direct intervention to tackle sickness as a cause of poverty

6. Unemployed/Low Paid • Unemployment Insurance 1911 – applied only to 7 trades badly hit by unemployment – small amount of benefit – 7 shillings (35p) – 15 week limit – then? • Compensation for accidents at work 1906 – amounts paid small • Labour Exchanges 1909 – local centres helped unemployed find work

7. Unemployed/Low Paid • Trade Boards Act 1909 – tackled low paid ‘sweated industries’ – six trades covered – minimum wages set – protected 400,000 workers – only affected a small fraction of the workforce • Shop Hours Act 1911 – ½ day holiday each week but no attempt to tackle low wages

8. Unemployed/Low Paid • Minimum Wage Act 1912 – local boards set fixed minimum wages – but wages remained low – miners were campaigning for 5 shillings a week (25p) • Series of laws – direct intervention but wages remained low for the majority of the industrial working classes

9. Conclusion • Important first steps - direct intervention • But laws limited – poverty remained – laws affecting children were not always implemented – pensions low – age limit too high – health insurance only affected workers – benefits small – time limit - many workers unaffected by minimum wages eg farm workers – old Poor Law remained in place until 1929 – widespread poverty in inter war years • No action – education, housing