Liberal Reforms Flashcards
In which period of time did the Liberal Reforms occur?
1906-1911
State 3 benefits of the National Health Insurance scheme.
- Kept families out of poverty when a worker fell ill
- Workers payed towards the scheme meaning they still had self-respect
- 15 million workers covered
When was the National Insurance Act passed?
1911
State 2 drawbacks of the National Health Insurance scheme.
- Many workers were sick for longer than 26 weeks
- It didn’t cover hospital treatment, dentists or opticians
- It didn’t cover the family
- It was self-contributory
What hospital treatment was included in the National Health Insurance scheme?
Treatment for tuberculosis
Which professions were included in unemployment insurance? Why?
- Shipbuilding, building + construction, saw-milling, car manufacturers, iron-founding , mechanical engineering
- Jobs thought to be most affected by seasonal unemployment
How many workers were covered by unemployment insurance in total?
2.3 million
Who contributed to the unemployment insurance + with how much?
- Worker, 2.5 pence per week
- Employer, 2.5 pence per week
- Government, 2.5 pence per week
What was negative about the contributors to unemployment insurance?
Enforced pay cut (obligatory unlike health insurance)
Name 3 acts directed at children + state their purposes.
- Education (Provision for School Meals) 1906, free school meals
- Education (Administration of Provisions) 1907, free medical inspections
- Children’s Charter 1908, borstals + juvenile courts, no living on the streets + others
What was provided for the elderly?
Old Age Pension
How old did you have to be to qualify for a pension?
70
How much did you receive from a state pension?
1-5 shillings per week
State 2 limitations of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act.
- Was not compulsory till 1914, many authorities chose not to provide school meals
- By 1911, less than 1/3 provided school meals
- During holidays, children would starve as they had no access to school meals
Which area was providing school meals illegally before the act?
Bradford
How many shillings did sick workers receive per week for the first 13 weeks?
10 shillings
How many shillings did sick workers receive per week for the second 13 weeks?
5 shillings (until the reduction was abolished)
Who contributed to the National Health Insurance scheme and with how much?
- Worker, 4 pence per week
- Employer, 3 pence per week
- Government, 2 pence per week
What was negative about the contributors to National Health Insurance scheme?
- Effectively a 4 pence pay cut
- Tipped some people into poverty
Who was eligible for the National Health Insurance Scheme?
Workers between 16-60 earning less than £160 per year
Who was neglected by the National Health Insurance scheme?
- Self-employed
- Anyone above £160 (even slightly above)
- Families of those insured
State 3 benefits of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act.
- Children were no longer starving while learning with 1 free meal per day
- No longer entirely the parents’ responsibility if their child was malnourished
- Government was moving away from lassez-faire
- Provided 14 million children with food in 1914
What tax was raised to pay for school meals? What was this tax based on?
- Rates
- Local tax based on property value
State 3 benefits of the Education (Administration of Provisions) Act.
- Compulsory so every child who was ill could be identified
- Parents would be notified of a child’s illness to allow something to be done
- It revealed the extent of illness in Britain
What age groups were not included in the Education (Administration of Provisions) Act?
- Older children (teenagers)
- Adults
State 2 drawbacks of the Children’s Charter.
- Laws took a long time to put in place + was difficult to do so
- Hard to enforce age restrictions
- Parents didn’t like the government interfering with their lives
- Didn’t address the underlying problem of poverty
Under what age would it be illegal to sell alcohol to a child?
Under 18
What were 2 limitations of the Shop Act?
- 60 hours per week was still a long time to spend working
- Many shop assistants were female so there was no-one to look after the children during long hours
- Still no minimum wage
When was the Shop Act passed?
1911
Was the Shop Act passed before or after the Labour Exchange act?
After
State 3 benefits of unemployment insurance.
- 2.3 million were insured
- Prevented some from falling into poverty after losing their job
- People didn’t need to wait too long for an income after becoming unemployed
- Government admitted becoming unemployed wasn’t always employee’s fault
What did WWII do to destabilise unemployment insurance?
- The unemployment rate was raised above 10%
- Unemployment insurance was only supposed to work to an unemployment rate of 5%
State 3 benefits of the Labour Exchange Act?
- 1 million people were employed through Labour Exchanges by 1914
- Allowed people to find work faster
- Allowed employers to advertise vacancies
- 3000 people per day found work through Labour Exchanges by 1914
When was the Labour Exchange Act passed?
1909
State 3 benefits of the Coal Mines Act.
- Looked after the health of those working in the mines for long durations (which could be mentally + physically damaging)
- Showed the government were getting involved in protecting workers in dangerous professions
- First time set hours had been put in place for men
What was the max number of hours someone could work in the mines?
8 hours
What were 2 drawbacks of the Coal Mines Act?
- Only impacted miners and ignored other labour professions
- Prevented some from working more hours to earn extra pay
- Didn’t implement a minimum wage and so didn’t help prevent poverty
When was the Coal Mines Act passed?
1908
Was the Coals Mines Act passed before or after the National Insurance Act?
Before
Describe 2 benefits of the Shop Act.
- Before the Shop Act, shop assistants had to work 7 days per week. The Act gave them more free time + better hours
- Improved mental health due to more free time + time with families
- Same wages for less work, made conditions more fair
How many hours could shop workers work per week after the Shop Act?
Up to 60 hours per week
State 2 drawbacks of the Trade Boards Act.
- It didn’t manage to set a minimum wage for those in sweated trades (one of the main goals)
- There was a limited amount of action (predominantly discussions)
- Conditions were still poor
What did the Trade Boards Act set up to help workers?
A negotiating board to discuss rights of workers
When was the Trade Boards Act passed?
1909
Name 3 benefits of the Trade Boards Act.
- Led to discussions on working conditions + long hours + low wages
- Attempts to better manage private “sweatshops”
- First main time questioning conditions of female workplace
What counted as “sweated” trades? Why were they “sweated”?
- Tailoring, lacemaking, etc
- Had to work in around 27 degrees to keep cotton at the correct temperature
- Small rooms
State 3 benefits of the Workman’s Compensation Act.
- Increased upon an already effective act
- Held employers responsible for their workplaces
- Improved conditions
- Prevented a worker from falling into poverty immediately after being injured
How many more people were covered by the Workman’s Compensation Act after it was extended?
6 million
State 2 drawbacks of the Workman’s Compensation Act.
- Many trades still had no minimum wage or set working hours
- Due to lack of hours + minimum wage, the act had little impact on helping poverty
- Workers struggled to justify their claim and so would receive nothing
In what year was the Workman’s Compensation Act redone?
1906
State 3 benefits of the Children’s Charter.
- Children were no longer allowed to live on the streets without receiving an education
- Given status as protected persons
- Provided helps a right rather than a charitable donation
- Protected children from dangerous adult prisons (e.g. juvenile courts, etc)
What was forbidden by law for animals but not for children?
Cruelty to animals was forbidden but cruelty to children was allowed
State 2 drawbacks of the Education (Administrations of Provisions) Act.
- Only diagnosed children with no free treatment available
- Parents couldn’t afford doctors so children were left untreated
- Scale of the problem was massive, 650,000 needed treatment
What was the “task” given to the Inter-Departmental Committee in relation to the Education (Administration of Provisions) Act?
To improve the health of children “without any change on public funds”
State 2 drawbacks of the Old Age Pensions Act.
- People who didn’t rely on a pensions resented that they had to pay more tax
- Amount received (1-5 shillings) was under the poverty line (7 shillings)
- Age required to be eligible (70) was much higher than the age most people stopped working (50)
- Had to be British, not have received poor relief recently, or not have been in prison for the last 10 years to receive it
Before the Pensions Act, where was any financial support for the elderly collected from?
Poor houses
State 3 benefits of the Old Age Pensions Act.
- Government had taken some responsibility for the elderly
- Relieved the burden elderly had on families
- Help was given as a right, not as charity
- Removed stigma of collecting poor relief
What number of people were claiming pensions by 1914?
970,000
How much did unemployed workers receive and for how long?
7 shillings for 15 weeks
Why was the money unemployed workers received beneficial to them?
- People didn’t immediately fall into poverty after becoming unemployed
- Didn’t have to survive too long without an income
Was the amount unemployed workers received above, below, or equal to the poverty line?
Equal
State 2 drawbacks of unemployment insurance.
- Covered very small percentage of workers
- Many were unemployed for more than 15 weeks
- Obligatory pay cut which was resented
- Employment rate had to remain at 5%
- No support for family
What trade would have benefited from unemployment insurance but didn’t receive it?
Agriculture
What did the Labour Exchanges Act do + what were labour exchanges?
- Set up places people could go to find work
- Basically job centres, listings of unemployed workers + job vacancies
How many labour exchanges had been set up by 1913?
430
State 2 drawbacks of labour exchanges.
- Weren’t able to give workers more mobility (one of the aims for the act)
- Not supported by some industries/trade unions so not all jobs were listed
- Weren’t obligatory for employers or employees so some vacancies/workers weren’t listed
- Work still hard to find + wages still low
- Most positions were part-time or temporary
How many people were employed per day by labour exchanges by 1914?
3,000
