There were to be compulsory medical inspections at schools and L.E.A’s could provide free medical treatment (1907) however it wasn’t until 1912 that government grants were made available to provide treatment and school clinics began to be set up.
This was only made compulsory on revealing the appalling health suffered by large numbers of the working class population during the recruitment of volunteers for the Boer War. Along also including the children’s Act 1908, these measures were clearly an attempt on behalf of the liberal government to improve the welfare of children constituted the principle achievements of the liberals in terms of social legislation during their first 2 years at office. Even so some legislation wasn’t totally liberalism in its formation, these reforms show to some extent that the state was accepting responsibility, and the liberals were not timid in their design for social and welfare reforms.
The Old Age Pensions Act introduced pensions for the poorest of the elderly although however limited was still made law. Although it can be said that this bill was passed on a bases that the liberals had lost 10 by-elections, Lloyd George remarked “it is time were did something that appealed straight to the people…I think stop this electoral rot and that is more necessary”. Pensions were extremely popular and those who benefited were people who’s income did not surpass £21 a year. This showed both Lloyd George and Winston Churchill both believed that it was a political necessity for the liberals in the longer term to show themselves capable of developing a dynamic policy.
The National Insurance Act 1911 has been quoted “the greatest scheme of social and reconstruction ever yet attempted” now would it be possible to justify such a prominent statement if no such issue had validity, and was Lloyd George’s largest achievement prior to 1914. Weekly contributions were raised from the worker (4d) the employer (3d) and the government (2d). The results were sickness benefits, maternity grants, and free medical treatment under a panel doctor amongst other areas. The impact of the introduction of these schemes of insurance, old age pensions and child welfare, were significant in terms of government intervention, the state had now assumed a degree of responsibility in its relationship to individuals in society. There is clear evidence to suggest that the liberal’s welfare reforms were by no means limited or timid.
However there were areas of society which the liberal government failed to address, the liberals failed to introduce an eight hour day for the mining industry and although Workmen’s compensation was extended in its scope to cover some six million workers, overall it was not a very impressive record.
The National Insurance Act was not fully launched until 1913. After 1914, with the onset of war, there was no unemployment, Workers were angry that the worker’s family was not covered as far as the provision of medicine was concerned, Both insurances only provided a time-limited payout. They did not legislate for any who were unemployed or incapacitated for periods longer than was provided for in the reform. Unemployment insurance only covered those workers in specific industries. It was not universal; yet the spectre of unemployment was. These are all examples of key areas, which the government failed to address.
The Shops Act 1911 failed to limit the hours of work, so in reality many shop workers were forced to make up for their half day off by working later at other times during the week. The Minimum Wages Act although sounded impressive, it did not satisfy the miners, who were demanding a national minimum wage of five shillings. These legislation examples clearly show areas, which were limited in impact.
No attempt was made to increase conditions and pay for the agricultural workers who remained the worst paid of all workers, and between 1900 and 1914 real wages rose very little if at all and the trade unions were not in the least impressed by the liberal social reforms, as they showed by their increasing militancy between 1910-14.
It cannot be ignored that Labours influence might have directed the liberal government to express a means in social reform, otherwise risk loosing office. The Trade Disputes Act 1906 was an example of this. Campbell Bannerman opted to introduce the Labour draft of the reform over his own party’s. Labour’s draft removed any responsibility from the trade unions for the consequences of strikes, so giving unions total immunity. The Liberal reform had advocated a degree of legal responsibility. The School Meals Act and The School Medical Inspections Act were both were inspired by labour representatives.
However the Liberals were building from literally nothing and to expect them to have created a welfare state comparable to our contemporary society is totally unrealistic. More importantly, it was not the intention of the Liberals to build a welfare state. Their intention was to raise everyone above a certain acceptable level of living, and then allow them to fend for themselves within the traditional laissez-faire society. The creation of a state which met all the needs of every section of society, regardless of wealth or social position, was not the Liberal aim. In Churchill’s words, it was not the government’s aim to take the ‘toiler to dry land’, but rather only to ‘strap a lifebelt around him.’
The old now had pensions – beforehand they had had nothing, the result of which was a higher level of poverty. Improvements in children’s health had been made, whilst for a section of the workforce, some form of insurance now existed, whereas before there was none. The achievement to pass the National Insurance Bills should not be underestimated either
