Social reforms 1906-1914 Flashcards
What was the state pension for a) a single person and b) a married couple?
a)5/s a week for single person
b)7s 6d married couple
What were the conditions regarding a) age, b) means and c) character to be met before anyone could receive state?
a) 70 above
b) Had to be on less than £31 pa
c)Record of work,no external poor relief or imprisonment (character requirement abolished by 1914)
Identify one measurement to be used to assess the generosity or otherwise of the state pension?
-Less than the poverty line of Booth: £50 pa was needed as a living wage
-Was less than NI payments: very small pension
How many people received state pension in 1915?
-1 million
Use two statistics to assess the effect of the state pension on Poor law relief?
1) Removed 122,000 but 300,000 remained in receipt of relief
Were state pensions based on contibutions?
-No; entirely on taxes
What is the name and date of the national insurance legislation responsible unemployment?
-National Insurance Act (Unemployment) 1911
Who made the contributions and how much to the National Insurance Unemployment Act?
-Employer, worker and government contribute into insurance fund
-Each paying 2d per weekW
What types of industry and workers were covered by unemployment insurance?
-Insured trades: Building and ship-building
How many workers were covered by national insurance for unemployment?
2.25m
What sorts of unemployment was the legislation designed to cover?
-Cyclical, frictional and seasonal: short term unemployment
How much unemployment benefit would an insured worker receive and for how long?
-7s/ week for 15 weeks
What is the name and date of the national insurance legislation responsible for illness?
National Insurance (sickness) 1911
National Insurance for sickness only covered workers who earned less than what?
-£160m pa
Who made contributions and for how much?
-insured worker-4d
employer-3d
government-2d
How much would a worker receive under the sickness NI act and for how long
-10s for 13 weeks
-5s per week for a further 13 weeks (26 weeks = max)
How many workers were covered by NI for illness?
-13m/45m pop
Did national insurance for sickness cover the family of an insured worker?
-No just covered the insured worker, not the dependents
How much did NI for sickness benefit a married woman?
-Maternity grant of 30s
What is the name and date of the education legislation that introduced free school meals for poor children?
-Education (school feeding) act 1906
Identify two examples of statistical evidence to assess the extent of such free school meal.
-1913: only 50% of LEA’s provided free school meals
-1914: 14m free school meals = extent of child proverty
a)What is the name and date of the education legislation that introduced school medical inspections and b) were they compulsive or permissive?
a)Education Act 1907
b) compulsive
Use both qualitative and statistical points to assess the effectiveness of medical inspections of school children?
-cursory check,
-no free healthcare
-3/4s of LEA’s implementing free inspection
What did 3 or 4 topics relating to childhood did the liberals also reform
-Distinct legal treatment: illegal to buy tobacco and alcohol
Identify the name and date of the legislation that reversed the effect of the Taff vale judgment?
-Trades Disputes Act 1906
Explain how such legislation reversed the effect of the Taff vale judgment?
-gave trade unions legal immunity in civil law
Identify the name and date of legislation that reversed the effect of the Osbourne judgment
-Trade Union act 1913 - opt out rather than opt in
Identify the name and date of the legislation that introduced mechanisms to set up minimum wages in the sweated trades?
-Trade Boards Act 1909
What was meant sweated trades?
-Clothing and tailoring workshops
-Low wages and no unions
-6 trades and miners
What mechanism was established by the Trade Boards Act 1909 and how did it work?
-Trades Boards of representatives of workers, employers and government
-They could set conditions and minimum wages (based on what employer could afford not cost of living)
Was the mechanism in the Trades Disputes Act 1909 a departure from Gladstonian Liberalism?
-Yes, modern liberal as intervention of government into market forces
How many workers and trades were covered by the legislation?
200,000
Which occupation involving women was not Covered by the Trades Dispute Act 1909 and why was this important?
-Domestic employer
-This was the biggest employer of women (40% of female labour) and they were not covered
What did employer often do instead of agreeing to minimum wages?
-Sack workers and introduce machinery to do their work
Using two statistics illustrated the strength and weakness of labour exchanges
-430 exchanges by 1914, finding 3000 jobs per day
-But only 1/4 finding work
How many workers were registered with labour exchanges by 1914?
-2m workers registered
What was achieved and passed by parliament for the miners regarding the working day in 1908?
-Coal mines Act 1908 decreased the day to 8 hours
How did the mine owners respond to this achievement?
-Created 3 8 hours shifts that intruded into the lives of miners and their families
What was achieved and passed by parliament for the miners regarding the working day in 1912?
-Coal mines act 1912 - mechanism to create minimum wages
Were the social reforms generous in amounts and generous to defence spending?
-No dreadnoughts cost more
Were the social reforms pioneering? If so, why?
-yes, broke away from Gladstonian traditions
-Involved people’s budget
-set up foundations for subsequent reform and consolidaiton
Was the poor law abolished?
-No, not until late 1920s
What percentage of the UK experiences poverty due to the studies by Booth and Rowntree at the state of the 20th c?
-30%
