Social Policy

Question 1

Conservative Government 1979

Answer 1

Prime Minister: Margret Thatcher (Influenced by New Right Ideology)

• Benefits were cut and Taxes were lowered: Thatcher waned to make individuals more responsible for their lives and decisions
• Means testing was introduced, where you only get benefits if your household was below a certain level
• Families were pushed to take on more responsibilities for older people, through benefit cuts

Question 2

Conservative Government (1988)

Answer 2

• The Child Support agency was established in 1993 for force absent fathers to pay a fair amount for the maintenance of their child
• The Children’s Act (1989) gave children more rights
• Section 28: prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality”, stating that the teaching of anything LGBT was forbidden in schools

Question 3

New Labour 1997

Answer 3

• In 2005, they introduced civil partnerships, a union very similar to marriage that was available to same- sex couples
• They introduced laws allowing cohabiting couples to adopt children
• They cut lone- parent benefits and supported means testing

Question 4

Coalition Government 2010

Answer 4

• In 2014, they legalised same- sex marriage

Question 5

The Conservative Government 2015

Answer 5

• In 2015 they introduced a cap on child benefits, deciding that families with 3 or more children would not receive an increase in child tax credits or housing benefits
• Limiting child benefit to only the first 2 children would promote behavioural change discourage families from having too many children