1908 Old Pension

Question 1

How much was a single person given a week?

Answer 1

25p

Question 2

How much was a couple given a week?

Answer 2

35p

Question 3

Why was the 1908 old age pension a good thing?

Answer 3

It was collected at the post office, which removed the stigma of the poor law.

It removed the fear of the workhouse.

Question 4

How old did you have to be to receive the pension?

Answer 4

Over 70

Question 5

How much did you have to earn to receive the pension?

Answer 5

£31:50

Question 6

How many people benefitted from this?

Answer 6

1 million.

Question 7

What were the conditions to be allegeable to receive the pension?

Answer 7

You had to be over 70 and earning less than £31:50.

You also did not qualify if you were in the workhouse, had been in prison in the last ten years or were an alcoholic.

Question 8

Why was the 1908 old age pension a bad thing?

Answer 8

The minimum age to receive the pension was too low. The average age to stop working was 55 meaning the majority of people were without an income but too young to claim a pension.

The money given was too little. Churchill said it acted as a lift raft - Rowntree said 35p a week was needed per individual so it did not guarantee against poverty and the elderly still required an extra source of income (like family).

The Poor Law may have been harsher but at least it was open to everybody.