The Welfare State - Acts of Parliament

 

 

Passed by the wartime coalition government:

 

1944 Education Act - The Education Act of 1944 was steered through Parliament by the Education Minister, R.A. Butler, and was followed by a similar Act for Scotland in 1945. The Act provided free secondary education for all pupils.

 

1945 Family Allowances Act - The Family Allowances Act of 1945, passed on June 15, 1945, established a benefit for families to help with the cost of each child after the firstborn. The act was introduced by the wartime coalition government and provided a universal, flat-rate payment of five shillings per week per child, funded directly from taxation. The allowance was intended to help with costs such as food and clothes, and was paid up to the age of 15, or until the child was of school age, apprenticed, or in full-time education. The amount increased over time, and by 1975 it was £1.50 per child.

 

Passed by the Labour government:

 

Driven by overwhelming public support for the Beveridge Report's vision, the Labour government, elected in 1945 with a landslide victory, embarked on an ambitious mission to reshape the social fabric of Britain. The cornerstone of this endeavour is the National Insurance Act 1946, a landmark piece of legislation that forever alters the relationship between the state and its citizens.

 

"Benefit in return for contributions, rather than free allowances

from the State is what the people of Britain desire." He wrote.

 

 

1946 National Insurance Act - The National Insurance Act of 1946 was a British Act of Parliament that established a comprehensive social security system in the United Kingdom, covering Guardian’s (Orphan’s) Allowances, Death Grants, Unemployment Benefits (for six months), Widow’s Benefits, Sickness Benefits and Retirement Pensions. It quite literally covered every stage of a person’s life; ‘from the cradle to the grave’ as the slogan said. It was passed during the Attlee ministry and received royal assent on August 1, 1946. The act extended the scope of the National Insurance Act of 1911 to provide a safety net, catching people before they fall into despair.

 

1946 National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) - The National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) of 1946 made industrial injury insurance compulsory for employees. The Ministry of National Insurance paid compensation to anyone left injured or disabled as a result of work-related accidents and was paid at a higher rate than sick pay.

 

1948 National Assistance Act - The National Assistance Act of 1948 founded the National Assistance Board. It provided public assistance by allowing means-tested payments for benefits for citizens whose resources were insufficient to meet their needs and who were not covered by the Act of 1946. The ‘Times’ newspaper called this the “last defence against extreme poverty” and benefits were kept low below the subsistence level.

 

1946 National Health Service Act - The National Health Service Act of 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948. The Act provided for the establishment of a comprehensive health service for England and Wales. There was separate legislation produced for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The first Minister of Health was Aneurin Bevan MP..

 

1948 Children Act - The Children Act of 1948 was a UK-wide Act of Parliament that established a comprehensive childcare service and new support measures for children. The law required local authorities to provide care for children if it was in the child's best interests and their parents were unable to care for them. The act also amended the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937, and the Guardianship of Infants Act 1925.