The Poor Law Amendment Act.

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The Poor Law Amendment Act

Before the 1834 Amendment Act there was an Elizabethan Poor Law. This Poor Law saw people as workless, work-shy or unable to work. The people of the time saw poverty as a matter for the central government and the responsibility was then allocated by the government to the local parishes.

In 1832 the Prime Minister set up a commission to examine the poor law. Previously there had been much of a change and debate surrounding the Poor Law and, as a result of this commission; the Poor Law amendment Act of 1834 was passed. The commission had recommended to parliament that all workhouses needed to be of equal standards. In the workhouses scandals had arisen due to the poor law being mistreated and regular inspections were said to be needed in order to make sure the government rules were in place in the workhouses. It also meant that the poor were looked after to the same standards in each workhouse. There was also to be a workhouse test imposed on all those wishing to enter the workhouses.

The new amendments meant that no able-bodied person could receiver help in any other way