The Liberal Reforms

1906 - 1914

The Liberals aimed to help four main groups of people, who they believed were ‘deserving poor’ – i.e. the poor who deserved some help. These groups were:

• The Young

• The Old

• The Sick

• The Unemployed

The YoungThere were three main reforms introduced to help the young:

1. The School Meals Act 19062. School Medical Inspections 19073. The Children’s Charter 1908

Use Chapter 9 in your text book and for each of the reforms above:Put the name of the reform as a title.Explain briefly why the reform was passed.Clearly state what the reform did.Explain in what way/s the reform could be criticised.Explain in what way/s the reform was important.

The OldThere was one reform passed by the Liberals to help the old:

The Old Age Pensions Act 1908

Put the heading ’The Old Age Pensions Act 1908’ and Use Chapter 10 in your text book and pages 35 – 36 in your green booklet to answer the following questions:1. Explain why there was a lot of support for the idea of an old

age pension.2. What were the two main arguments against the idea of an old

age pension?3. Who was responsible for passing this act?4. What were the terms of the act?5. What criticisms can be made of the act?6. Why was the act so important?

The Sick

There were two reforms introduced by the Liberals to help the sick:

1. The Workman’s Compensation Act 1906

2. The National Insurance Act (Part I) 1911

Use Chapter 12 in your text book and pages 37 – 39 in your green booklet to answer the following questions:

1. Why were the sick seen as ‘deserving poor’?

Put the Heading ‘Workmen’s Compensation Act 1906’

2. What did the Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1906 do?

The Sick - ContinuedPut the Heading ‘National Insurance Act (Part I) 1911’

3. Where did the Liberal Government get the idea for a scheme of health insurance from?

4. How was the scheme to be paid for?5. How did the government try to sell the act to workers?6. What were the weekly contributions paid by workers,

employers and the government?7. What benefits were paid out to insured workers in

times of illness?8. Who was opposed to the scheme and why?9. What criticisms could be made of this reform?

The UnemployedThere were two reforms passed by the Liberals to help the unemployed:

Labour Exchanges 1909National Insurance (Part II) 1911

Use pages 49 – 50 in your text book and pages 40 - 41 in your green booklet to answer the following questions:Put the Heading ‘Labour Exchanges 1909’1. Who was responsible for the introduction of Labour

Exchanges?2. How did this reform help the unemployed?

The Unemployed - Continued

Put the Heading ‘National Insurance (Part II) 1911

3. What were the contributions paid by workers, employers and the government to Part II of the National Insurance Scheme?

4. Workers in which trades were covered by this scheme?

5. What were the benefits paid to insured workers?6. What criticisms could be made of this scheme?7. Why was this scheme so significant?

Now make a summary page, listing all the Liberals’ social reforms.

Your summary page should be as follows …..The Young• 1906 Provision of School Meals Act• 1907 School Medical Inspections• 1908 Children’s CharterThe Old• 1908 Old Age PensionThe Sick• 1906 Workmen’s Compensation Act• 1911 National Insurance Act (Part 1)The Unemployed• 1909 Labour Exchanges• 1911 National Insurance Act (Part2)