Critically discuss the Beveridge Report in shaping the Immediate Post 1945 Welfare State. In 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act was introduced. The Amendment Act was aimed at ensuring the poor and needy had homes, food and clothing. Homes, food and clothing where provided in return for labour in the work houses, adults and children worked for several hours in the day. The children did receive education in the work houses, in return for their labour. The aim was that the outcome of being unable to support yourself or family was so harsh and severe, that it would stop anyone from wishing to enter (The National Archives, 2014: 1).

The Second World War saw a shift from the Poor Law to the Welfare State through the Beveridge Report. “No one, not even Beveridge himself, ever planned the Welfare State, nor has it been a direct outcome of any political or social philosophy”, (Bruce, 1961: 13). “It has been in fact no more than the accumulation over many years of remedies to specific problems which in the end have reached such proportions as to create a new conception of governmental responsibility”, (Bruce, 1961: 13).” The Beveridge Report of 1942 was the culmination of a review of the whole of social security provision in Britain commissioned by the Wartime National Government”, (Alcock, 1987: 51). The Wartime National Government only set out to tidy Britain up, not to make the huge changes Beveridge reported were required. Beveridge found that Britain had five giant evils to slay. Want (poverty), idleness (employment), ignorance (lack of education), squalor (poor housing) and disease (health).
The government on receiving the report took serious consideration on whether to publish the report or not. It was in fact published and people queued to purchase a copy (Abel-Smith, 1992: 5-16).This essay will look at each of the five giant evils and the Atlee Reforms that where introduced in order to tackle them. It will also look at whether the Atlee Reforms where successful and the criticisms of Beveridge from the Feminists.

“The Attlee government changed the face of Britain. After sweeping to power at the end of the Second World War, the labour administration of 1945-50 presided over a series of far reaching policy reforms, both at home and abroad”, (Jeffery’s, 1992: 1). It was these policy reforms that would help Britain get rid of the five giant evils Beveridge had noted to be major problems in his report. The final copy of this report titled “Social Insurance and Allied Services 1942”.

In terms of removing “want” from Britain four reforms were made. Firstly the 1945 Family Allowance Act. The Family Allowance Act provided a payment of 5 shillings for the second child and subsequent children in each family, in order to provide them with heat, food, light and clothing and in turn reduce poverty. “The amount of money received depended on, age, social class and geographical area”, (George, 1998: 189). This was a universal benefit, regardless of income. Secondly was the National Insurance Act (contributory benefit). This allowed individuals to receive benefit help in seven areas, unemployment, maternity, sickness, widowhood, retirement and a death grant, to help pay for funeral costs. In return the government required that all those over 16 years old purchase a weekly stamp, to which the employer also contributed. The price of the stamp was dependant on age, gender, whether married or single and employment status (Barr, 1993: 33). Thirdly was the introduction of the 1948 National Assistance Act (non-contributory). This provided a means tested benefit for those not in full time work or whose earnings were below the level that the government felt was acceptable to live. It also provided protection for those whose needs where not covered by insurance. It was a means tested and universal benefit (Barr, 1993: 34). Lastly was the abolishment of the Poor Law, there was no actual piece of legislation or Bill for this.

The belief that this was the answer to ending want was short lived as once the changes had been enacted problems started to emerge, with disagreements over the amount of benefits one should receive. The National Assistance Act was only introduced as a safety net but did not include rent. In 1948, the year in which it was introduced, 675,000 individuals were claiming to have their insurance benefits topped up. By 1951 this had rose to one million. The government became increasingly concerned that the National Insurance Assistance benefit had become more appealing than full time employment, so another change was made. The change called the “wage stop” meant that if the head of the household was in full time employment the family were no longer entitled (Alcock, 1987: 57). “Drifts in benefit rates, amendments to the original scheme and piecemeal additions have undermined even the limited principles of the Beveridge Plan and left a system much less adequate in preventing poverty than intended and yet immensely more complicated and confusing”, (Alcock, 1987: 58).

In reducing squalor the Attlee Reforms wanted the mass construction of new homes. Promised by the government, this was not only slay one of Beveridge’s five giant evils, but also to show the people of Britain how thankful the government was for the bravery and sacrifice they had shown in the Second World War. It was housing minister at the time Nye Beven who had the vision of providing high quality new homes that where to reduce squalor. The new homes where to be built by the local authorities, increasing employment also. However this did not go to plan, the vision Beven had did not go ahead, due to manpower and material shortages. Beven also lost his place in government as the Conservatives came into power. The Conservatives were also committed to house building, but it was to be a faster project with the houses of poorer quality. This saw the beginning of the state providing poor quality homes, a million miles away from the vision of Beven. They were poor in there construction and became known as an ambulance service for the least well off (Houghton, 2008: 31-39).
The Keynesian Economic Policy was introduced to tackle idleness and aimed at bringing full employment to Britain. The 1945 government felt that it was necessary to have a level of economic planning. It had been noticed that Britain unlike any other great nation, had depended far too much on foreign trade. “We need to exchange part of our products with those of other lands. Full employment and a full standard of life, requires full trade”, (Tomlinson, 2002: 24). Full trade with other nations was how they felt they could deal with unemployment and work for all. Unemployment records do show that unemployment did fall in the years after the Attlee Reform. The unemployment rate in the aircraft production and repair sector fell from 1.0% in May 1949 to 0.5% in May 1954. In the shipbuilding sector unemployment rates also fell, from 5.5% in May 1949 to 3.7% in May 1954. However it is difficult to judge whether the fall in employment rates was a direct impact of the Keynesian Economic Policy, as in 1951 until 1954 a defence programme and been introduced to Britain. Replacement aircraft and ships lost or damaged in the war had to be replaced or repaired, increasing the level of employment in those areas (Geiger, 2004: 135-142).

To rid what Beveridge described as ignorance, the leaving age of a child from education as raised to fifteen years old in 1947. This was the impact of the Butler Act 1944, setting out that all fees for state schools should be abolished. It also introduced the eleven plus test with free grammar school places to those that passed the test, as well as, the rise to fifteen for all leaving education. “The 1944 Butler Act marked a change in the education policy in Britain. For the first time the government had acknowledged that all children had a right to secondary education”, (Chandler, 2002: 26). “However the notion that secondary education was free was often more formal than substantive”, (Griffith, 2000: 3). The grammar school places offered to those from worked class families were rejected as they were unable to afford the travel to the school or the uniform they were required to wear. The economic loss was also too great for the working class family as grammar school meant the loss of a potential wage earner. The class system another reason for refusal of the place. “Despite the laudable innovations proposed by the Butler Act 1944 its implementations consolidated a class-based tripartite system of education”, (Griffith, 2000: 3).

The last giant evil Beveridge wanted to slay was disease. It was to be slayed with the introduction of the National Health Service Act 1946.This was to be a comprehensive health service for all, providing free treatment in dental, medical, optical and pharmaceutical services. Medical professionals where reluctant to move to this service, which was to be a state-managed system which would restrict their income. It was the low paid general practitioners that agreed to work in this way first, with the higher paid consultants agreeing a short time later. The hospital property came under the control of the government including some privately owned hospitals. The vision of a free health service for all was however short lived. For the years 1948-49 the estimated cost of The Nation Health Service was 176 million pounds. Its actual cost however where 225 million pounds, substantially more than the post war budget held. In order to reduce the over spend charges for some services was introduced. In 1951 dental and optical charges, then in 1952, charges were introduced for prescriptions. A shift from the plans Beveridge had, of a free health service for all (Donaldson, 2009: 196).

The ambitious plans of Beveridge did not go as he had planned. Not only where there problems with each of the Attlee Reforms that followed his report, but the report itself was criticized by the Feminists. The Feminist critics believed that the welfare state denied them, whether in full employment or housewife, rich or poor, an independent status in society. Social policies still promote the traditional household unit and gender roles. Assumptions that women must be the main carer and home maker have stopped social policy moving forward in this area. Social policy makers have recognised that men have took up more caring and household duties than in the past. But the assumption that in a marriage break up the child will live with the mother shows that the recognition of men in more caring roles than previous has not been incorporated into policy making.
To conclude, the Beveridge report did lead the way for the 1945 Welfare State. The five giant evils that Beveridge reported needed to be slayed where seen as achievable by the Attlee government and the Attlee Reforms where introduced. These reforms meant big changes for Britain and the government seen them as a positive way forward after World War 2. 1945 saw the introduction of the Family Allowance Act, followed by the National Insurance and National Health Service Act in 1946. 1947 saw the implementation of the 11 plus exam and the school leaving age rise to 15 and finally in 1948 the National Insurance was put in place. Beveridge had huge plans and the visions he had of how to achieve a better Britain where more difficult than expected. The NHS had over spent in its first year and the free grammar school places to all children who passed the 11 plus test where not taken up as readily as anticipated. The Beveridge Report and the Welfare State also received criticism from the Feminists, they believed the Welfare State and social policy that followed in the years after the Attlee Reforms to be promoting traditional gender roles.

References
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