What were the Liberal Reforms? Flashcards
What were the requirements to receive the 1908 Old Age pension?
You had to be over 70 and earning less than £31:50 a year.
You could not have been in prison in the last 10 years or in the workhouse.
How much did the old age pension give?
A single person was given 25p a week and a couple were given 35p.
Where was the old age pension collected? Why was this important?
It was collected at the post office, which helped to remove the stigma of the poor law.
How many people benefitted from the old age pension? Why is this important?
It was an extra income for over 1 million people, which helped remove the fear of the workhouse.
What were the negatives of the old age pension?
The average age to stop working was 55, which meant that the majority of people were without an income but were too young to claim a pension.
Too little was given. It did not guarantee against poverty as Rowntree said 35p a week was needed per individual, meaning the elderly still required an extra source of income.
It was only open to a select amount of people. The Poor Law may have been harsh but at least it was open to everyone.
