Social Policy and conditions in IWYs Flashcards
What was the biggest social problem in IWYS?
Structural unemployment - mass and long-term
What is the “intractable million”?
Pigou used it to describe how the average number of unemployed insured workers never fell below 1m from 1921-1938.
How many workers were unemployed in 1921 and how many in 1932?
-1921= 1.84m insured workers and 372,000 uninsured
-1932 = 3m unemployed (highest amount)
Were there regional differences in unemployment and give evidence?
-insured unemployed rates were below 10% in London, south and midlands
-18% in NW
-Over 20% in NE
-30% in Wales
-60% in some towns like Jarrow
How did Rowntree amend his measurements of poverty and how did Booth use this measurement?
-He broadened into secondary poverty: included National health insurance, presents and newspapers
-in 1936 Booth found that unemployment caused most of primary poverty in York, but only 1/3 of secondary poverty.
Why was social policy limited and piecemeal in IWYs
-As it involved state expenditure which was mostly exhausted by war debt (7b)
What 2 acts reformed the poor law and what did they do?
-1929 Local Government act: abolished the boards and est. Public Assistance Commitees (PACs). These increased numbers receiving public assistance from 155,658 to 542,075
-Unemployment Act 1934: removed poor law and replaced PACs with the Unemployment Assistance Board (UAB)
What did the unemployment act 1920 do?
-It extended the contributory unemployment insurance scheme to all manual workers with 3 months employment earning less than £250 p/a
-excluded agricultural workers and domestic and civil servants
-Designed for short term unemployment and paid for 15 weeks and 15s/ week
What were limitations of the unemployment act 1920?
-The problem was not short term unemployment but structural unemployment so would not being great enough assistance.
- Only paid 15s a week and rowntree stated that 30s a week was needed to live
- Made no account for dependents
How did the Unemployment Insurance Act 1922 challenge the limitations of the unemployment act 1920?
-Increased rate to 20s/w but also the contributions
-Also est. uncovenanted benefit ( the dole) for those who were “genuinely seeking whole-time work” and exhausted other benefits.
-The uncovenanted benefit was liable to a means test.
What happened to the Unemployment Fund in 1922 and what was the impact of this?
-It went into a deficit
-This led to the government estabilshing means tests for all benefits which hurt the pride of workers who preferred to preserve dignity
How many people were denied benefits on the grounds they were not making a reasonable effort to find a job.
-nearly 800k
What did the Unemployment Act 1927 do and how did the Act in 1930 add to this?
-Extended the period of assistance but cut both the amounts paid and the contributions
-Deficit in Unemployment fund remained
-Abolished the benefits test and placed onus on labour exchanges to prove the applicant was not seeking work
What did the National Government do in Unemployment insurance act 1934
-Placed a 10% cut on the benefits
-Significant as it showed how conservatives as (Neville Chamberlain involved in it) accepted taxation was needed to solve budgetary deficit.
How many people were denied relief from uncovenanted benefit because of means test?
-18% denied access
-35% received less than the full allowance
What changes to pensions came after the war?
-“character” requirements were removed
-Also removed the ban on payments of pensions if the person was in receipt of outdoor relief
-Basic pension was raised frpm 7s 6d to 10s
What did Neville Chamberlain’s Widows’, Orphans’ and Old age contributory pensions act 1925 do?
-This created contributions from employers and employees to provide a pension of 10s/w for workers aged 65-70 and £1/w for married couple.
What were limitations of the reforms made to pensions.
-The non-contributory scheme remained at 70 and was subject to a means test which excluded half of the relevant age group
-Women received their pension after their husband
-10s was still too small and pensioners often had to seek help from PACs
What did Fishers education act 1918 propose?
-Gave local authorities power to establish nurseries for children under 5
-abolished fees in public elementary schools
-Raised minimum school leaving age from 12 to 14
-Instructed LAs to establish and maintain continuation schools for 14-18 year olds.
What was 1 main failure of the government with education reforms and what was its impact?
-They did not implement Fisher’s Education act 1918 and therefore did not raise school leaving age to 14 due to the Geddes Axe.
-Left GB with inadequate secondary and further education especially in science and technology which stopped a skilled workforce from growing
Why was Fishers education act disliked by a) Employers b) Unions and c) local authorities?
a)Employers feared loss of workers due to children going to school and not working
b)Unions feared a decline in w/c incomes
c) Local authorities feared greater financial responsibility.
How many nursery schools had 1233 pupils by 1929 and how many had 6000 by 1939
-1929 = 28 nurseries with 1233 pupils
-1939 = 103 had 6000 pupils
What was the Hadow report in 1926?
It suggested an educational division between primary and secondary schools at 11 with a test deciding which secondary school you would attend, grammar school or secondary modern
How many working class children attended secondary schools in IWYS
-1/10 working class children attended selective secondary schools due to government subsidies for free places being extinguished by austerity
How many people lived in a) council housing b) owned their own home c) rented in 1914 and 1937?
a) 1914 = 1% and 1937 = 10%
b) 1914= 15% and 1937 = 27-35%
c) 1914 = 85-90%
What cause rent controls in 1915?
-Glasgow rent strikes
What was the impact of the rent controls and what issue did it create for government?
-landlords were unable to supply adequate housing needed as they were not getting sufficient income from their properties but if controls were removed rent would increase and workers would be unable to pay
What were rent rises capped at in 1919 and 1920
-40%
How many rented houses were covered by rent control by 1937?
-44%
What did Addison’s two housing and town planning acts of 1919 achieve?
-Gave councils the power to build homes to be rented by w/c
-instructed them to carry out surveys of housing need and then meet those needs
-enabled treasury to provide the subsidy for the housing construction
-second act gave £15m for private builders to build more
-This led to the best quality council housing in the century
What happened the Addison acts in 1921?
-They were cut by the Geddes Axe which led to the termination of the construction of quality homes
Why did Chamberlain subsidy 362,700 homes for owner occupation?
As many people who built these homes voted conservative so he attempted to keep that vote.
-As a result only subsidised 75,000 council homes in the decade after 1923
What 2 Labour housing Acts were passed and what did they do?
-Wheatley’s housing Act 1924: i ncreased subsidy for council housing and created 500k new homes
-Greenwood’s housing act 1930: It gave LAs power to demolish slums and rehouse the people displaced and subsidies provided for this
Limitations of Labours housing acts?
-Wheatleys: Housing was still beyond the incomes of the poorest
-Greenwood: Subsidies were very low and most LAs preferred Wheatley’s subsidy
How many Wheatley houses were built between 1931-1933?
160,000
Why did the government abolish the wheatley act?
As they wanted LAs to use the greenwood act which helped to develop slum clearance but this moved at a glacial speed
in 1937 who was National Health insurance extended to ?
workers aged 14-16
By 1938, what percentage of people had NI health protection and how much had this increased during IWYs?
-63% of men
-30% of women
-The number of those protected had increased by 40%
What were limitations with national health insurance?
-Did not cover hospitalisation or special treatment
-Did not cover dependents of the insured worker
How much did a) antenatal clinics and b) visits by health visitors grow by between 1923 and 1938?
a)200%
b)70%
What were the limitations with municipal healthcare?
-Distressed areas had fewer access to it even though they needed it more as local finances were exhausted through over avenues
-Geographically uneven
How much did life expectancy rise by between 1918-1938?
-Men = 48 to 66
-woman = 42 to 71
What was the Unemployed workers dependents act 1921?
-Allowed separate allowances of 5s/w for dependent adults and 1s/w for non-earning child
-Very meagre in amount but was first step towards family allowances.
