2 Social Welfare provision 1918-1939 Flashcards
Welfare in 1918: what was provision based on?
the poor laws. Lots of these institutions remained in place until 1930, poor law guardians levied a poor rate toe support the system of workhouses.
Welfare in 1918: Liberal welfare reforms
Unemployment insurance 1911 meant 7 shillings a week
welfare in 1918: women
covered by maternity allowance :,)
% covered by unemployment insurane
10% of Britain’s total working male pop
Welfare in the 1930s: cab rev?
cabinet revolt against the cut in unemployment bennys, Ramsay Macdonald was forced to form a national government with the conservatives
Growth in welfare provision..
unemployment + national insurance
Unemployment insurance Act 1920
National insurance 4m-11.4m
How much did each gender receive for unemployment benefits?
75p for unemployed men, 60p for unemployed women
Why was there so much support for the Unemployment Insurance Act 1920?
more support was part of this act as there was extremely high unemployment and the government couldn’t risk a revoltuon + soldiers support
National Economy Act 1931
means test meant the ‘reduced hour’ workers were disqualified, encouraged unemployment
- benefits could only be claimed for 6 months
- ‘transitional payments’ supported people after 6 months, but they had to register at a local labour exchange: public assistance committee would authorise these claims
all savings and all valuables had to be gone before claiming weekly benefits.
Unemployment insurance Act 1934
Reversed 10% cut for short-term unemployed (for the first 6 months)
After 6 months, unemployed could apply to the unemployment assistance board for long-term bennys, but they were lowered
‘standstill regulations’ suspended cut after protest
What was the issue with the 1920 Unemployment insurance act?
large number of eligible claiments soon drained the funds.
Government was forced to make extended payments, dole payments but supposedly insurance
This was important as the poor law could not cope with the extent of the problem
1925 Widows Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act
provided 10 shillings a week for ages 65-70 with widows, their children, and orphans included. Funded by a compulsory contribution
1919 Housing and Town Planning Act
aimed for 600,000 houses to be built, but only 213,000 houses were.
Government was short 822,000 houses in 1923
1930 Housing Act
rehomed people who lived in overcrowded areas
New Towns Act 1946
setup local corporations to build new towns, most of which replicated suburban homes with gardens
a number of laws were passed concerning rent.
