How effective were the Liberal Reforms? Flashcards
What did the refroms do to help the young?
They introduced the Free School Meals Act 1906 which allowed local authorities to raise local rates to provide free school meals.
Parents should be charged if they could afford it.
In 1907 school medical inspections were made compulsory and children received 3 inspections during their school career.
Why were reforms which impacted the young important?
They revealed life threatening conditions in many children enabling action to be taken, From 1912, treatment was given to children in some authorities which were paid for by the government.
How many children in Glasgow were described as ‘vermounous’?
30%
How many children received free school meals daily by 1914?
By 1914 14 million school meals had been provided for 150,000 children daily.
Why were free school meals limited?
The scheme was voluntary meaning many children did not receive them - by 1911 less than a third of authorities provided free school meals.
Why were medical inspections for children limited?
Before 1912 no treatment was offered as a result of inspections and illness persisted. When doctors found an issue they sent the parent a later but most could not afford the doctor’s bills.
What reforms were introduced to help the old?
In 1908 pensions were offered to people over 70.
They got 1-5 shillings per week for a single person or 7s 6d for married couples.
How many applicants were there in the first year?
650,000 applicants and by 1914 it was 1 million
Why were pensions important in helping the old?
The high number of applications indicated the demand, pensions meant they did not have to rely on the work house and they could maintain their independence after a long working life.
Why were pensions limited in helping the old?
Labour politicians argued few genuinely lived until their 70s especially in those from industrial cities after generations of physical labour.
The pension was not given to anyone who had been in prison the previous 2 years or anyone who had claimed poor relief in the previous year. Resulting in many elderly people remaining in poverty.
What did Path Thane state about pensions?
‘A pension for the very old, very poor and the very respectable.’
What kind of insurance was offered to those suffering sickness?
The 1911 National Insurance Act was a contributory scheme in which the worker paid 4d the employer paid 3d and the state paid 2 d.
This ensured the worker had 10 shillings per week for a maximum of 26 weeks if they became sick.
Free medical attention and treatment was also offered.
Female workers also accessed a 30 shilling maternity grant.
Why was the National Insurance Act (Part 1) important?
Absence from work for sickness was a huge cause of poverty and any form of income was a great help for families.
Prevented families from falling into poverty by providing the ‘breadwinner’ with treatment to ensure they could return to employment.
Why was the National Insurance Act Part 1 limited?
The 10s per week fell very short of Booth’s 21s calculation and families could not avoid falling into poverty.
The worker was only offered treatment even if the family was also ill.
What did the National Insurance Act Part 2 do to help those facing unemployment?
This was introduced for those working in high-risk industries such as shipbuilding and construction.
After losing their job people received 7s per week for 15 weeks.
In order to receive this the worker paid 2.5d per week, the state paid 3d per week and employers paid 2d per week.
Labour exchanges were also set up to help people find work.
