What reforms were passed by the Liberals and who did they help?

Group How they were Act passed How it helped Limitations

helped before
Liberal reform
Children No real help, some Free School Meals (1906) ● Local councils were given powers to give free
meals to children from poor families ● However, less than half
charities helped the education authorities
● These meals were to be paid for from the local in England and Wales
rates (local taxes on property) provided the free meals
● By 1914, over 150,000 children were having a ● In 1914, the Government
daily free meal, every day. made it compulsory for
authorities to provide
these meals

School Medical Inspections

(1907) ● Doctors and nurses went into schools to provide
free compulsory medical checks for children
● They could recommend any treatment that was
necessary
● Any treatment required by the children had to be
paid for by the parents (until 1912)

Education Act (1907) ● Introduced scholarships for children from poor

families
● Secondary Schools that received money from local
government were to reserve 25% for children from
Elementary Schools
● Children were chosen for scholarships through an
examination
 Children’s Act (1908)
● Children were now protected, by law, against
cruelty from their parents ● Poor law authorities were
responsible for visiting and
● Children’s homes to be registered and inspected supervising children who
had suffered cruelty or
● Children under 14 who committed crimes were neglect
now not to be sent to adult prisons
● Special juvenile courts to be set up to try children
accused of crimes
● Criminal children were to be sent to borstals,
specially built to cope with young offenders
● Children under 14 not to be allowed into pubs
● Cigarettes or alcohol not to be sold to children
under 16

The old Charities and Old Age Pensions Act • Weekly pensions were provided by the
family (1908) Government for the elderly
• 5s per week to single people over 70, 7s 6d to
married couples
• Full amounts were only paid to those who
earned less than £21 per year
• A sliding-scale of payments for those earning
between £31 and £21 p.a.
• For British citizens who had lived there for + 20
yrs
• Not for anyone who had been in prison during
the 10 years before claiming their pension
 • The first pensions were paid in January 1909
and were very popular among the pensioners.

The Voluntary Labour Labour Exchanges Act • Set up a national string of state labour
unemployed exchanges (1909) exchanges
• Meant that the unemployed could go to an
exchange to look for a job
• Much more efficient for those seeking a job
and those offering them …
• By 1913 there were 430 exchanges in Britain
The sick Charities and National Insurance Act Set up an insurance scheme to prevent poverty
family (1911) arising from illness

1. All manual workers and people in low-paid jobs

had to join

2. Workers paid 4d for insurance stamps which

they stuck on a special card

3. Employers gave 3d per worker in the scheme

4. The Government gave 2d for each worker in

the scheme

5. If a worker in the scheme fell ill, they got sick

pay of 10s per week for 13 weeks, then 5s per
week for a further 13 week in the year

6. Workers in the scheme could have free

medical care

Although there were 10 million men and 4 million

National Insurance Act
women covered by the national insurance scheme,
(1912)
a second act was necessary to deal with workers
who found themselves periodically out of work

1. Scheme open to those in industries where

there was seasonal employment (e.g.
shipbuilding, engineering)

2. Workers, employers and Government all paid

2d per week for insurance stamps

3. When unemployed, workers could be paid 7s

6d a week for up to 15 weeks in any one year.