Social Welfare

Question 1

What was the 1920 Unemployment Insurance Act?

Answer 1

• Covered millions who had been affected by mass unemployment
• This act was done due to the government fearing extreme and widespread poverty being a potential for a revolution

Question 2

What was the 1931 National Economy Act?

Answer 2

• Introduced a means test for unemployment benefits to limit the overall benefits bill
• Means test disqualified ‘short-time workers’, thus affecting men who worked occasional days on shipyards etc
• Created ‘poverty trap’ - those going to work, would stop their benefits, and they’d be worse off
• Benefits only claimed for 6 months

Question 3

What was the 1934 Unemployment Act?

Answer 3

• Created Unemployment Assistance Board for further benefits - payments made at a lower rate
• Cut in long-term benefits - led to huge protests - government suspended the cut

Question 4

What was introduced to allow free consultation with doctors?

Answer 4

1935 Pioneer Health Centre

Question 5

What was the 1925 Widows’, Orphans’ and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act?

Answer 5

• Provided 10 shillings a week for those aged 65-70 and provided for widows
• Funded by a compulsory contribution rather than tax
• Self-employed workers of both sexes were allowed to join the scheme in 1937

Question 6

What were the issues with housing in the interwar years?

Answer 6

• Concerns that slums promoted crime and disease
• Lots of slum clearances took place before 1918
• Slow increase of houses having flushing toilets
• Government’s promise for ‘home fit for heroes’ wasn’t really taking place

Question 7

What was done to fix housing in the interwar years?

Answer 7

• 1919 Housing and Town Planning Act
  Estimated 600k houses would have to be built
  Only 200k were actually built before the 1922 Geddes Axe
• Labour Housing Act 1930
  Used state funds to rehouse people living in overcrowded cities

Question 8

What was the impact of WWII on housing?

Answer 8

• Led to a consensus that welfare provision needed change
• Many houses were bombed out - over 500k
• Evacuation of city children to the countryside openly showed the extent of poverty
• Wartime government were forced to lead a greater deal of co-operation over war-time policies
• 1942 Beveridge Report was made - need to fix Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, Idleness (National Insurance, NHS, better education, rehousing, full employment was needed)
  Report was extremely popular - forced government to act

Question 9

What did the Atlee Government do to improve social welfare?

Answer 9

• 1944 Education Act - Compulsory free education
• 1945 Family Allowances Act - Provided weekly payments for every child after the first
• 1946 National Insurance Act - Created a compulsory system to help pay for pensions and benefits for the unemployed
• Built around 200k houses a year
• 1946 New Towns Act - Moved people out of overcrowded cities by making new towns
• Built over 200 secondary schools

Question 10

What were the challenges to the welfare state during the period 1964-79?

Answer 10

• Costs of unemployment benefits rose dramatically
• Baby boom in late 50s and 60s - around 1 million births per year - higher care and education costs
• Increase average life expectancy post war - more costly
• Higher living standards promoted demands for a higher minimum standard of life for the poor