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HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THE LIBERAL REFORMS OF 1906 TO 1914 (THE YOUNG (KU…
HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THE LIBERAL REFORMS OF 1906 TO 1914
THE YOUNG
KU
The first act set up was the 1906 Education Act (provision of meals) in which Local councils were given the ability to provide free school meals.
This was significant in improving the lives of the British public by ensuring that 158,000 of the poorest children were guaranteed one hot meal per-day, improving their diet and concentration in class
However, this act only significantly improved the lives of children during term time as during the holidays and weekends children were not provided with these meals meaning their health and weight suffered.
The second act set up was the 1907 Education (Administrative Provisions) Act in which free medical inspections became compulsory for children attending school meaning that families would not have to pay for their children to see a doctor.
However despite this, only the lives of a few children were improved as non-contagious diseases were not treated, therefore families would find out about their child medical problems but would be unable to afford treatment.
Furthermore, only children of school age qualified for the inspection, meaning that children under 5 who were more susceptible to disease received no help showing that the improvement made by the reform was not significant.
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Overall the lives of the British Public were improved because parents no longer had to pay their lunch money and medical checkups for their children, and could instead use the money on other essentials.
Furthermore, only children of school age qualified for the inspection, meaning that children under 5 who were more susceptible to disease received no help showing that the improvement made by the reform was not significant.
THE SICK
KU
Originally when employees became ill they had no money to pay for essentials such as medicine and food and therefore were ill for longer and couldn't work. The National Insurance Part 1 (1911 Health Insurance) was set up so that if workers fell ill, they could still afford food and treatment if necessary.
This provided insurance against sickness for those aged 16-70 who were earning less than £160 per year. Each worker would pay 4d/week whilst their employer paid 3d/week and the state only paying 2d/week
This improved the lives of workers who fell ill as it made sure they still had an income of 10 shillings each week meaning they were still financially stable, improving their chance of ever getting better.
The plan also included free medical treatment for workers who were off ill, in hope that they would return to work quicker, but this didn't include hospital or dental treatment
However workers families weren't covered and therefore their lives did not improve as if they were to fall ill, treatment would still be very costly.
Furthermore, workers who were never off sick would never see a return on their money they had paid into the fund and so the impact of this was in some cases more negative than positive as it was effectively a wage cut.
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Overall the lives of the British Public in terms of the Sick were not improved as successfully as they could have been. Although it provided health insurance to some, it failed to meet the needs of everyone, limiting the impact of the Act.
Furthermore, the lives of the sick were not improved as significantly as those of the young. The 1908 Children's Act, Education Act (administrative provisions) and (provision of meals) helped to tackle the main issues that children faced and provided some comprehensive relief that solved some of Britain's problems even though it failed to meet the needs of all. The National Insurance Act Part 1 failed to improve the lives of anyone suffering from a long term illness as the benefit stopped being paid after 26 weeks of illness, limiting the impact of the act.
Therefore although some of the lives of the sick were improved, they were not improved as significantly as the young and didn't do enough to keep the British Public above the poverty line
THE UNEMPLOYED
KU
The first act set up was the 1909 Labour Exchanges (Job Centres), which are the equivalent to modern day job centres. The government set up Labour Exchanges to advertise jobs around the country, this made it a lot easier to find jobs
However it wasn't compulsory for businesses or the unemployed to register with the exchanges so not every job was advertised meaning the impact of this was limited as many workers lost out on job opportunities.
Nevertheless, by 1914 the Labour exchanges were helping 3000 per day find a job meaning that more families were likely to stay above the poverty line
The second Act set up by the Liberals was the National Insurance Part 2 1911 (Unemployment Insurance) , which similar to Part 1, provided unemployment insurance to those aged 16-70 who earned less than £160 year.
This was significant as the worker, employer and state each paid 1d/week into a fund which would then be used to provide benefits of 7 shillings per week for workers who had become unemployed, meaning that they now had the financial stability to continue living whilst looking for a new job
However the impact of this factor is limited as although this fund helped, Rowntree argued that the average family need 21 shillings per week to stay above the poverty line highlighting the limited impact the act actually had
E
Overall the liberal reform aimed at tackling the problems of the unemployed was partly successful. The acts successfully tackled and provided relief for short term unemployment but did nothing to tackle the long term meaning that those who experienced this had to fend for themselves.
Furthermore, these acts were not as significant as those aimed at fixing the problems of the young. The National Insurance Part 2 only applied to those in the seasonal trades meaning that many workers lives were not affected by this at all, where as the relief provided to the young affected all most all children.
Therefore the lives of the unemployed were improved but not signicantly enough to keep them above the poverty line and support the public from 'the cradle to the grave'
THE ELDERLY
KU
The elderly were very likely to be below the poverty line as by the age of 70, most were too old to work. The Liberals introduced the Old Age Pension Act 1908 to give those over 70 who earned less than £31.50 per year support
The act removed the fear of the workhouse for many and by 1914 1 million people were receiving pensions
This was significant as the pensions were non-contributory, meaning the worker did not ave to pay any money towards it, improving the lives of people of 70 as it gave them a sense of security and a source of income, as they would have been previously receiving little or no money and struggling to survive.
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Overall the Liberal reform aimed at tackling the problems of the elderly were not tackled sufficiently. Life expectancy on average was 45 for men and 48 for women, meaning most would not live long enough to receive the benefit of their pension.
Furthermore, the lives of the elderly were not improved as much as the young who benefited from 3 different acts of which they could reap the aid of and provided relief to almost all children, improving their lives significantly.