Social Insurance and Allied Services

Beveridge’s report aimed to break away from the legacy of the Poor Law and establish a new, universal system of benefits in return for contributions. He identified five “Giant Evils”: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness. His proposal centred on a comprehensive social insurance scheme, supported by national assistance and financed by the State through weekly payments made by employers and employees. He based the plan on three key assumptions: full employment, family allowances, and a free universal health service. This scheme, he argued, should act as a safety net against life’s uncertainties: unemployment, sickness, and old age. His guiding principle throughout was the ‘Abolition of Want’.

“The vitality of a nation must depend on its individual members, and will increase in proportion to their vitality. Thus it is in the national interest to raise the general health of the individuals as high as possible.” he wrote.