Liberal Reforms 1906-14 Flashcards
Why were reforms introduced ?
Booth published the Life and Labour of People and realised that one third of people were below the poverty line. This was not enough for necessities. To continue, Rowntree published A Study of Town Life and his findings revealed that 1/3 of people were below the poverty line in York.
What types of poverty did Rowntree find?
Primary poverty - people could never afford to escape poverty.
Secondary poverty - people could not afford a crisis but had enough for essentials.
What charities were formed to help the poor? What was the worst case scenario?
Barnado’s was set up to help children who were left.
The Salvation Army was formed to help in London - the last resort was the workhouse were sexes were separate.
What were the military reasons for leaving the army ?
Over 2/3s of people were not physically capable of fighting in the Boer War. Britain needed to compete.
School meals
The …. Of School Meals act was passed in 1906 as studies revealed that poor children could not ….. Well in school. The law was permissive. Local councils did not introduce the act in many cases as this would raise …..
Provision, perform, rates.
In …. The Notification of Births Act was passed. Mothers had to notify authorities of births so a Medical ….. Of ….. Could visit. It was hoped that this would ….
Notification, Officer Health, reduce the rate of infant mortality and deaths under 5.
In 1907 the Education Act was passed. What were the aims of this act?
Medical inspections involved nurses visiting the school to ensure children were in good health. Treatments were made free by 1912 for those who couldn’t afford it.
The Children’s Charter was passed in 1908. Why? What were the results?
Children were not protected from the law and they would go to adult prisons. Children were used to produce matchboxes and could buy cigarettes. The act increased the age of childhood ending to 14 and this meant that children could be sent to juvenile courts. Borstals were detention centres which were set up for children who broke the law and neglecting children would result in persecution.
What was the situation for the elderly before the 1908 Old Age Pensions Act?
The elderly had to rely on family, charity, or the workhouse.
What were the key features of the 1908 Old Age Pensions Act?
The elderly could receive pensions on a sliding scale. Those who had less than £21 were entitled to a full pension and those over £31 were not allowed a pension. The pension was available to those over 70 who had lived in the UK for over 20 years.
The act excluded those over asylums, those convicted of an offence, those who failed to work, drunks, and those who received money from the poor law.
The act cost £16 million and by 1914 one million got pensions. This reduced fears of the workhouse.
When were Labour Exchanges introduced? What did these entail?
Introduced in February 1910, allowing employees to meet employers, saving time wasted searching for jobs. William Beveridge used this experience to advise Lloyd George on the National Insurance Act. Men and women and people of all different ages, including delinquints, would search for employment.
What was the Health Side of the National Insurance Act ?
- Benefits for the sick, disabled, and those on maternity leave.
- Employees pay 4 shillings a week.
- Employers pay 3 shillings a week.
- Government pays 2 shillings.
- Protests from domestic servants and female employers.
- Included those who earned up to 160 pounds.
- For those who could not afford Friendly Societies to reduce dependency on the Poor Law!
What was the Unemployment side of the 1911 National Insurance Act?
- Employees paid 2.5 shillings.
- Employers paid 2.5 shillings.
- The government paid 1.66 shillings.
- Benefits on the temporary for those who had seasonal jobs such as engineers, ship-builders, iron-founders, and saw-millings.
- Benefits were paid at Labour Exchanges with stamps to prove legitimacy.
